There are three ‘branches’ of government at the USC: Council, the Executive Council, and the Board of Regents.
Council:
The Council is responsible for ‘legislating’ on behalf of the USC — developing policies and procedures for the organization, and giving greater direction to the Executive. The members of council are undergraduate students elected from their Residence, Faculty, and Affiliate constituencies to hold office for one year. Members may serve on standing committees to study issues and opportunities facing the organization, and propose legislation in response to their research.
Members
Executive
Formerly known as the ‘Board of Directors,’ members of the Executive Council are charged with overseeing the affairs of the corporation, along with supervising the Coordinators and Commissioners that run the programs within their portfolios. The undergraduate students elect the President of the Executive Council each February, while Council appoints Vice Presidents each March. They serve a 13 month term in office from May to the following June, with May acting as a transitional month for the incoming Executive.
Councilors
Liaise between the University Students’ Council (USC) and their respective member council. A councilor is responsible for understanding the needs of the students of their faculty or residence, and representing them to the USC. A USC Report is required at each member council meeting, in which a USC Councilor must present any relevant information from the previous USC meeting.
Board of Regents
A brand new branch of government will be created this year, which will be charged with providing external, independent advice on long-term planning, and budget. This Board will consist of 9 external members plus the USC President, and will have an opportunity to review and recommend approval of the budget to Council, and act as a resource to the organization when needed. Members will be at least 10 years removed from their undergraduate experience, as members should not have any interest in the day-to-day affairs of the organization – the intent is also to recruit a good mix of members from the for-profit, non-profit, and governmental sectors that posses skills that would be useful to the USC. The Board will likely meet four times per year, and the target is to have the Board recruited in time to review the 2010/11 Budget