60 Establishing Quorum

What is Quorum

Business cannot be conducted unless a quorum of the Students’ Council membership is present. A quorum for this body is a majority (50%+1) of the designated voting members.

Meetings can only be called to order if quorum is met. If no quorum is met within 15 minutes, all important agenda items are moved to the next meeting and given priority.

Resigned and abandoned positions no longer count towards quorum until such a time as those positions are filled.

Establishing Quorum

First, you need to confirm the total number of voting members of your students’ council. Then, to establish quorum for each meeting, you will count the number of voting members in attendance. This should include executive members as well.

Divide the total membership number by 2 then add 1 to establish your Quroum number. During each meeting, this is the total number of members required to meet quorum.

This number can change as you may acquire new class representatives or have class representatives withdraw from their position throughout the year. Re-establishing your total Council membership at the beginning of each meeting is important to confirm your quorum number.

Membership vs Attendance

Student council meetings are open for any student to attend but only one student per class can act as a voting member (class representative).

• Non-voting attendees do not count towards Quorum.

Council Chair

The Council Chair is the student who leads the meeting and keeps order.

• The Student Association President is typically the Council Chair.
• The Chair is not a voting member of the Council, except as a tie breaker.

Coordinators

• Coordinators are hired positions who report to the Executive team.
• Coordinators are not voting members of the Council unless they are also the elected class representative.

Under Quorum

• If you have less than 50% +1 of your council present, you may not proceed with any actions (votes) and will need to reschedule the meeting.
• You may still provide updates on events/activities to those who are present but it does not count as an official meeting.

Quorum Adjustments

As your council grows and decreases in size, so does your number for quorum.

• If a student misses 3 consecutive meetings, they are considered to have forfeited their position.
• They should be removed from the Council membership.
• In January, VP Communications should reach out to find new class representatives for programs without them.

How do we ensure that quorum is met?

There are ways to increase attendance to be sure quorum is met:

1. Communication: Outreach and communication with Class Representatives at the beginning of the year is important to ensue they are able to attend the dates/times you have selected for meetings.
2. Hybrid Meetings: Offering to host meetings in person and via Microsoft Teams will increase your attendance by giving those who may not be on campus during meeting dates the ability to join virtually.
3. Meeting Calendars: Distribution of a meting calendar early in the term helps solidify attendance by sharing meeting dates for the entire semester well in advance. Add in rain dates in case of unexpected closures.
4. Attendance Incentives: Offering incentives to attend meetings can help increase attendance as well. Provide a meal or snacks for in person attendees, or draw from members in attendance for a gift card or other prize.

Connect with your Student Life Assistant if you are facing attendance issues.

Additional Resource

Meeting Quorum Infographic