Speaker

The Speaker of the Engineering Society is responsible for running all meetings of the Board of Directors and Engineering Society Council. Until 2011, the Speaker was an Internal Director, elected annually at the Joint Council Meeting. After the creation of the Board of Directors in 2011, the Speaker ceased to be an internal director and simply became an appointee of the Board of Directors. The term Chairman of the Board was then used interchangeably with Speaker to refer to this position. Prior to 2011, the Speaker held a tie-breaking vote on questions before the Council; post-2011 the Speaker has no vote on questions before the Board unless otherwise elected to represent their constituency.

Role in Governance

Although never formalized in the Bylaws, tradition holds that the Speaker should follow the Westminster parliamentary tradition of being unbiased on all questions before the parliamentary body, and never speak in debate. 2011-2012 Speaker Rishi Maharaj broke with this tradition by regularly offering his opinion on matters of governance during and outside meetings of the Board. However, Maharaj never spoke for or against the question before the Board. Through 2011-2012, efforts were made to model the Speaker's role more closely after that of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, that is, someone who leads and guides the direction of the Board while being independent of the Officers.

2012-2013 Speaker Mauricio Curbelo completed the transition from a neutral Westminster-style Speaker to the American-style Speaker as a full member of the body (though non-voting) by routinely participating in debate and occasionally speaking to the main question. Amendments to the Elections Bylaw in 2012 gave the Speaker a permanent seat on the Election Rules Committee and a reserve seat on the Election Appeals Committee, further cementing their role as a senior member of the Society.

The addition of section 5.10.8 to Bylaw 1 in 2012 granted the Speaker the authority to bar Board members from voting on questions where they had a conflict of interest. This section was instituted in response to the refusal of 2011-2012 Board members Wayne Lin, Amanda Bell, and Nicole Tavares to abstain from voting on the question of holding a referendum to institute a designated fee portion for Skule Nite (of which they were prominent members). Further Bylaw 1 amendments granted the Speaker similar authority to that of the President to call emergency meetings, in an effort to balance the authority of the executive to control access to the democratic process of general meetings.

Engineering Society Bylaws

Bylaw 1 (Constitution)

3.6 Order

3.6.1 The Speaker of the the Board of Directors shall preside over General Meetings.

3.6.2 All General Meetings shall be governed by Roberts Rules of Order where these rules of order do not conflict with the Bylaws of the Society.

3.6.3 The Speaker shall not hold more than one (1) vote at any General Meeting.

5.6 Meetings

5.6.1 The Board of Directors shall hold a meeting at least once a month during the academic year, at a time and place to be determined by the Speaker.

5.6.2 The President or Speaker may call a meeting of Board of Directors, and shall call a meeting within one (1) week of receiving a written request to call such a meeting signed by one half of the Board.

5.6.3 Any Member may attend, speak and move or second motions at meetings of the Board of Directors subject to the rules of order.

5.6.4 The Vice‐President Communications shall ensure that an agenda is circulated to all Board Members five days before any meeting of the Board.

5.6.5 All motions submitted by a Member to the Vice‐President Communications and the Speaker at least seven days of a meeting of the Board of Directors shall be included on that agenda, subject to the following restrictions:

(a) The Speaker shall edit all motions for correct usage of the English language and clarity;

(b) The Speaker shall have the authority to reject any motion that does not comply with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society or Robert's Rules of Order.

5.6.6 Unless its consideration is unanimously approved by the Board, no substantive motion shall be considered other than those on the agenda, or those to clarify motions on the agenda.

5.7 Special Meetings

5.7.1 The President or Speaker may call a Special Meeting of the Board of Directors, and shall call a meeting within one (1) week of receiving a written request to call such a meeting signed by one half of the Board.

5.7.2 Any petition to hold a Special Meeting shall specify the purpose of the Meeting, and no business shall be conducted at the Special Meeting unless it is related to the purpose for which the Meeting was called.

5.8 Notice of Meetings

5.8.1 Notice of meetings of the Board of Directors must be given electronically or in writing to every Member by the Vice‐President Communications at least five (5) days before the time chosen for such a meeting.

5.8.2 At the Speaker's discretion, a Special Meeting may be called with twenty‐four (24) hours notice provided the purpose of the meeting warrants immediate disposition.

5.10 Speaker

5.10.1 The Speaker shall ensure proper procedure during all meetings of the Board.

5.10.2 In the absence of the Speaker, the President shall act as Chair of the Board, except as determined by a majority vote of the Board.

5.10.3 The Speaker shall be selected by the Board of Directors at the first meeting of the new Board Members by a majority vote.

5.10.4 Nominations for the Speaker shall be held according to the Bylaw on Elections.

5.10.5 The Speaker shall be a non‐voting member of the Board of Directors.

5.10.6 The Speaker shall act as the Speaker for Council, where necessary.

5.10.7 The Speaker shall use the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society, Robert's Rules of Order, and their own discretion, in that order, in determining all questions of procedure before them.

5.10.8 The Speaker shall have the authority to bar Board Members from voting on a question regarding which the Member has a conflict of interest.

5.10.9 All decisions of the Speaker may be reversed by a 2/3rds majority vote of the Board, except regarding the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society from which there is no appeal.

Current and Past Speakers

Year	Speaker
2012-2013	Mauricio Curbelo	Civ 1T3+PEY
2011-2012	Rishi Maharaj	NΨ 1T2+PEY
2010-2011	Zoriana Workun	Civ 1T2
2009-2010	Alvin Ho	Elec 0T9+PEY
2008-2009	Billy Wong	Civ 1T0+PEY
2007-2008	David Clease	Mech 1T0+PEY
2006-2007	Ryan Campbell	NΨ 0T7+∞
2005-2006	Adam Gravitis	NΨ 0T6
2004-2005	Henry Cheung	NΨ 0T7+PEY
2003-2004	Craig Burkett	NΨ 0T5
2002-2003	Neil Padgett	???