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The University of Toronto Mature Students’ Association (MatSA)
Purpose of the Association
The Purpose of MatSA is to:
- Advocate for mature student interests at the University of Toronto
- Provide mature students with opportunities for interaction and discovery through social and academic events
- Assist mature students in gaining access to information that will help them achieve their academic goals
- Educate the University at large about the unique challenges that mature students face
- Encourage college councils and University administrators to give equal consideration to the needs of mature students
Membership, Rights, and Inclusivity
MatSA is committed to providing an inclusive, safe, and positive space for people of all ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, genders and gender expressions, races, ethnicities, and sexual identities.
All members of the University of Toronto community are eligible for membership of MatSA. This includes staff, students, faculty, and alumni. All of the aforementioned members of the University of Toronto community are entitled to vote on matters pertaining to MatSA, to nominate, run, and vote in executive elections, as well as to propose and vote on constitutional amendments.
Definition of a Mature Student
Mature students are not only defined by their age, although age is an important factor. Mature students are also those who have a lifestyle that includes responsibilities that the average university student does not have. MatSA believes that an individual who identifies with one or more of the following points is a mature student:
- One who has taken time away from formal education
- One who has several years of experience in the workforce
- One who has family responsibilities that the average undergraduate student doesn’t have, such as children, a spouse or live-in partner, or an ailing parent
- One over the age of 21 at the time of admittance to U of T
A formal executive, elected in March of each academic year, leads MatSA’s operations. MatSA’s Committees will be arranged informally by drawing from the executive and the general membership after the formal executive elections process is completed in March. The executive council consists of the following positions:
President –
It is the responsibility of the President to attend and chair all MatSA executive and committee meetings. The President will also function as the executive leader of both the social and equity branches of MatSA. The President will work with the Financial and Fundraising Directors to secure funding from various campus organizations, such as UTSU and WCSA as well as sources outside of campus. The President will attend the summer UTSU clubs training to maintain MatSA’s eligibility for UTSU funding. The President will attend all MatSA meetings and events and will build relationships with students and faculty to ensure the success of the social and equity branches. The President will work with the WCSA Mature Students’ Director(s) in leading the VP Social and the MatSA Social Committee to coordinate the planning of the annual Mature Students’ Weekend orientation event. The approximate time commitment for this role is an average of 4 hours per week.
Vice President, Social Affairs –
It is the responsibility of the VP Social to attend all executive and Social Committee (SC) meetings. The VP Social will coordinate the date, time, and location of all SC meetings, select a member of the SC to take minutes at each meeting, and ensure that those minutes are distributed to the entire executive within 7 days after a meeting. In the absence of the President, the VP Social will chair SC meetings and may chair MatSA executive meetings. The VP Social is also responsible for overseeing the organization of all events, delegating and following up on tasks related to events planning to SC members, and attending all events to build relationships with mature students. The VP Social will also attend the summer UTSU clubs training along with the President. The VP Social will oversee the SC’s progress on all of its duties as listed in the Social Committee description in this document, and will report to the President on this progress. The approximate time commitment for this role is an average of 4 hours per week.
Vice President, Equity Affairs –
It is the responsibility of the VP Equity to attend all executive and Equity Committee (EC) meetings. The VP Equity will coordinate the date, time, and location of all EC meetings, will select a member of the EC to take minutes at each meeting, and will ensure that those minutes are distributed to the entire executive within 7 days after a meeting. In the absence of the President, the VP Equity will chair EC meetings and may chair MatSA executive meetings. The VP Equity will oversee the actions of the EC in MatSA’s equity initiatives and will report to the President on the progress of the EC. The VP Equity will use his or her knowledge and experience to advise the Social Committee on how to make MatSA events as accessible for mature students as possible. The approximate time commitment for the VP Equity is an average of 3 hours per week.
Web Master –
The responsibilities of the Web Master are to keep the website up to date as well as forward any emails to their respective necessary recipients and maintain the Matsa Listserv.
Secretary –
It is the responsibility of the Secretary to coordinate the time and location of all MatSA executive meetings. The Secretary will also record minutes for all MatSA executive meetings and distribute those minutes to the entire executive and all members of both committees within seven days of the meeting. The Secretary will collect agenda items for executive meetings and distribute them to the executive two days before a meeting. The Secretary will be listed as MatSA’s official Contact Person with ULife, and will therefore be responsible for booking rooms with the Office of Space Management. The Secretary will function as the elections co-ordinator culminating in the executive elections at each AGM, unless the Secretary is also running for a position on MatSA in the elections. As with all positions on MatSA, the Secrectary is encouraged to participate on one or both of the committees. The approximate time commitment for this role is an average of 3 hours per week.
Financial Director –
The Financial Director will hold signing authority on the MatSA bank account along with the President. The Financial Director will plan and assist the MatSA executive in adhering to an approved budget. The Financial Director will work closely with the President, VP Social, and SC to create the funding proposals in early Fall. The Financial director is also responsible for maintaining a record of MatSA’s expenses and submitting receipts to UTSU so that UTSU will release the second instalment of MatSA’s annual funding. The Financial Director will prepare cheques to reimburse members of the MatSA executive and committees for expenses they incur on behalf of MatSA. Cheque’s are to be signed by both the President and the Financial Director. As with all directors on MatSA, the Financial Director is encouraged to participate on one or both of the committees. The approximate time commitment for this role is an average of 2 hours per week.
Fundraising Director –
The Fundraising Director will work with the SC to develop and execute at least one fundraising event. The Fundraising Director may also be asked to solicit sponsorship from various organizations in the university and the wider community. As with all directors on MatSA, the Fundraising Director is encouraged to participate on one or both of the committees. The approximate time commitment for this role is an average of 2 hours per week.
Public Relations Director –
The PR Director will create posters for events and coordinate the efforts of the executive to distribute posters on campus starting two weeks before the date of the event. If the PR Director does not have the skills or equipment to create posters, he or she is charged with the task of finding a member who is willing to volunteer their design skills on behalf of MatSA. The PR Director will also write newsletters to MatSA members to inform them of MatSA events and other news relevant to mature students, maintain the MatSA Facebook page, create Facebook events pages for each event, liaise with students and university officials to promote MatSA and its events, and work with the EC and SC to develop the annual survey, which should gather feedback from mature students to assist MatSA and its Social and Equity Committees in reaching out to the membership through events and equity initiatives. The PR Director is highly encouraged to become an active participant in the Social Committee, as this will aid in the development of effective advertising for MatSA’s events. The approximate time commitment for this role is an average of 3 hours per week.
Access Programs Director –
The Access Programs Director will serve as a special liaison between students in the university’s access programs, such as the Transitional Year Program and the Academic Bridging Program, and MatSA. The AP Director will coordinate the MatSA Executive’s visits to each Academic Bridging Program class during the first month of each new group of classes (ABP classes begin in September, January, and April). The AP Director will also coordinate similar visits to the TYP. The purpose of these visits is to inform students that there is an organization for mature students on campus, and to encourage them to come out to events and contact us with their questions. The AP Director will also work with the SC to develop one coffee social per term for students in access programs at U of T. As with all directors on MatSA, the AP Director is encouraged to participate on one or both of the committees. Approximate time commitment for this role is an average of 1 hour per week.
Student Parents Director –
MatSA recognizes that student parents may feel too busy to get involved. However, the MatSA executive, SC, and EC would benefit from the input of student parents in its meetings. Therefore, the SP Director’s role is to attend as many MatSA meetings as possible and share his or her opinions about how MatSA’s events and initiatives could be adjusted to better suit the needs of student parents. Alternatively, the SP Director may read the agenda for all meetings and submit his or her opinions to the executive and committees in writing in advance of the meetings so that his or her contribution can help direct MatSA’s programming. If he or she so desires, the SP Director may also get more involved in MatSA’s efforts by becoming an active participant in one or both of the committees. Approximate time commitment for this role is less than 1 hour per week.
WCSA Director on MatSA –
The person or people who serve(s) as the WCSA Mature Students’ Director(s) and Academic Bridging Program Director will be invited to participate in MatSA’s executive as the WCSA Director(s) on MatSA. These individuals are elected by the constituents of the Woodsworth College Students’ Association, not the general membership of MatSA, therefore, they do not have the right to participate in any votes during MatSA’s executive meetings.
Faculty Advisor –
MatSA welcomes the support of a professor who can advocate for MatSA and its membership and advise the MatSA executive.
Social Committee (minimum 3 members) –
The SC is responsible for all of the tasks related to events planning and execution, such as informally gathering ideas from fellow mature students about the kinds of events that should be planned, brainstorming ideas in meetings, searching for and booking space and caterers for events, and so on. SC members are expected to attend a majority of MatSA’s social events in order to foster relationships with fellow mature students and to get a sense of the needs of event attendees. SC members report to the VP Social regarding their progress on event-related tasks. Under the direction of the VP Social, the SC will submit to the President a list of proposed events for the entire school year by the end of September, to facilitate the creation of funding proposals which are due in the Fall. Also under the direction of the VP Social, the SC will confirm as many details as possible for each event for the Fall semester by the end of September, and those for the Winter semester by the end of January to ensure ample time to prepare posters and advertise each event. One member of the SC will be selected to record minutes at each SC meeting, which should be distributed to all members of the MatSA executive within 7 days of the meeting. The SC will work with the VP Social and Fundraising Director to coordinate at least one fundraising event and will assist the PR Director with putting up posters for each event around campus. The SC will participate in the planning and execution of the annual Mature Students’ Weekend orientation event. The SC will assist the PR Director in the development of an annual survey that should help to generate event ideas and improve MatSA’s efforts to make events accessible to all mature students. The approximate time commitment for SC members is an average of 3 hours per week.
Equity Committee
(minimum 3 members) – The EC will coordinate MatSA’s equity initiatives, which may include advocating for better access to childcare on campus, calling for on-campus housing for mature students, addressing the problem of ageism on campus among other things identified during the course of the academic year. One member of the EC will take minutes at each meeting, which should be distributed to the entire executive within 7 days of the meeting. The EC will work with the PR Director to create an annual survey that should help to identify the areas in which mature students need to be advocated for on campus. EC members should plan to attend most MatSA events in order to build relationships with mature students. The approximate time commitment for EC members is an average of 2 hours per week.
Signing Authority and Group Contact Person
Signing authority for the MatSA bank account shall be held by the President and Financial Director. The MatSA Secretary will serve as the Group Contact Person.
Meetings
The executive will meet once monthly during the September – April academic year and twice during the summer. The SC and EC will meet every other month throughout the calendar year, with the SC meeting more frequently in the summer to coordinate the events for the following academic year as well as the annual Mature Students’ Weekend orientation event. At a minimum, the association aims to hold monthly events.
Executive Elections
Elections will be held in March each academic year at MatSA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). Those who wish to be elected to the MatSA executive will be invited to email their short, 100-word election statement to the MatSA executive three weeks in advance of the meeting, which will be posted two weeks in advance of the AGM on MatSA’s website.
Any MatSA member may become a candidate in the MatSA elections. It is preferred that those who wish to become the MatSA President or Vice President would have previous experience as a member on the MatSA Executive or on one of its committees, however this is not required. All interested parties are encouraged to become a candidate in the elections.
Candidates will be invited to give a one-minute speech to the members in attendance at the AGM, followed by a short question and answer period, and then a secret ballot for each position. Every member of the association present at the meeting, including executive members, is eligible to vote in the MatSA executive election. In order to cast a vote, one must be present at the AGM. If a candidate is unable to attend the AGM, they are welcome to invite someone else to read their election speech for them.
The MatSA executive will attempt to select a Chief Returning Officer from the general membership in order to ensure an impartial elections process. If no one from the general membership steps forward, a member of the MatSA executive who is not running for a position assume this responsibility.
The winner of each contested position will be the candidate who receives the most votes. Following the AGM and executive elections, the new executive will begin its term on May 1.
Termination of General, Committee, or Executive Membership
As stated above, MatSA is committed to providing an inclusive, safe, and positive space for people of all ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, genders and gender expressions, races, ethnicities, and sexual identities. As such, all MatSA leaders and general members are expected to uphold these values with their speech and behaviour at all MatSA events and meetings.
In the event that a MatSA leader or general member offends these values, or if a MatSA leader fails to fulfil his or her role, the individual will first receive a verbal warning. If a second offense occurs, the individual will receive a written warning. If a third offense occurs, the individual will be invited to defend his or her behaviour in a MatSA executive meeting, after which his or her leadership and/or membership rights may be revoked by a majority vote of the MatSA executive. If the individual whose leadership or membership rights are terminated wishes to appeal the decision, he or she must first submit to the MatSA executive the written support of at least ten other active members of MatSA. The MatSA executive must then hold a special general membership meeting, where all members will be informed of the entire situation and invited to participate in a vote to either reinstate or ratify the termination of the individual’s leadership and/or membership status by a majority vote.
If the above process ever comes into conflict with the guidelines of the Office of Student Life, MatSA and its executives and membership will defer to the OSL.
Amendments to the Constitution
Any future amendments to the constitution must be made available to members two weeks in advance of the AGM. The amendments will be voted on at the AGM and must be approved by at least 51% of the MatSA members in attendance.
