UC Board & Governance

 

About the University Centre

The University Centre was open to the university community on September 1, 1974. The building serves as a central hub for the university, connecting students, staff, faculty, alumni and community to services, administration, student activities, events, collaborative initiatives, study, dining, and more.
 

Our Policies

The University Centre Board has established building policies to ensure successful management of the facility and maintaining an inclusive environment reflecting the values of the University of Guelph. Policies are approved by the board and implemented by the managing department, UC Services. Visit our Building Policies webpage to learn more about our policies.

 

Our Governance 

The facility is governed by the University Centre Board, with 20 board members serving as representatives for the university, undergrduate students, graduate students, alumni, and faculty association. The board reports to the University of Guelph Board of Governors and oversees the enactment of policies and operation of UC Services, the department that manages the building and provides space and services to all internal and external groups.

 

2025-2026 Board Membership

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

  1. Kathryn Hofer (Staff)
  2. Nate Broughton (Undergraduate - Committee Chair)
  3. William Coleman (Undergraduate)
  4. Yusra Hasan (Graduate)
  5. Joanne Emeneau (Staff)
  6. Benjamin Hayes (Alumni)
  7. Ashley Ames (Undergraduate)
  8. Vacant (Undergraduate) 

OPERATIONS & PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE

  1. Jessica Cruz (Undergraduate - Committee Chair)
  2. Fatima Cruz (Undergraduate)
  3. Brooke Gregoire (University Club / Staff)
  4. Joshua Jacinto (Undergraduate)
  5. David Aitken (Staff)
  6. Lisa Tersigni-Holt (University Club)

FINANCE COMMITTEE

  1. Noel Johnston (Undergraduate - Committee Chair)
  2. Vacant (Undergraduate)
  3. Pawandeep Singh (Undergraduate)
  4. Ed Townsley (Staff)
  5. Yuxin Hu (Graduate)
  6. Ted Young (Alumni)

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

  1. William Coleman (Undergraduate - Board Chair)
  2. Kathryn Hofer (Staff - Board Vice-Chair)
  3. Jessica Cruz (Undergraduate - Operations & Programming Chair)
  4. Nate Broughton (Undergraduate - Governance & Management Chair)
  5. Noel Johnston (Undergraduate - Finance Chair)

All coorespondence to the UC Board of Directors can be forwarded to the Board Chair, William Coleman, at ucchair@uoguelph.ca copying Carolyn Walker, Office Administrator for the Board at cwalke19@uoguelph.ca.

Board By-Laws

The University Centre Board operates under the following By-Laws:.

UNIVERSITY CENTRE BOARD MEMBERSHIP BY-LAW

  • Representation: Representation and membership on the Board shall be as stated in the Constitution of the University Centre Board.
  • Term: Term of office for the University Centre Board shall be, with the exception of the appointees of the President, two years. Terms less than two years may be established by the sponsoring user groups.
  • Change of Status: Appointing groups are required to report the change of status of any University Centre Board member to the Secretary of the University Centre Board. Such change of status shall result in the appointment of a replacement member. A change in status is defined as no longer able to fulfill their obligation to the University Centre Board, or long-term illness.
  • Extensions: Further two-year appointment must be submitted in writing to the University Centre Board for approval.
  • Termination: A regular member of the University Centre Board will be deemed a member in bad standing if he/she misses two monthly Board or two Standing Committee meetings without leave. Leave must be reported to the Board Secretary. The said member will be expelled from the University Centre Board and the appointing group notified by the Board secretary.

UNIVERSITY CENTRE BOARD COMMITTEES BY-LAW

  • Representation: A balanced representation will be the goal of all University Centre Board committees and all University Centre Board committees shall have a minimum of five members.
  • Membership: All voting members of the University Centre Board committees will be University Centre Board members. Non-voting committee appointments may be approved by the University Centre Board upon written submission to the University Centre Board by the sponsoring University Centre Board committee.
  • Term: Term of office for the University Centre Board’s committees shall be one year (appointment normally in September). By action of the University Centre Board, on recommendation from a committee, a committee member may be removed on the grounds of poor meeting attendance or inadequate participation in the work of the committee.
  • Extensions: Extensions will be considered by the Executive Committee, prior to striking committees, recognizing the desire for equal representation and benefit of past experience.
  • Chair: Each standing committee of the University Centre Board shall annually elect a Chair from amongst its voting members. No individual may chair concurrently more than one standing committee of the University Centre Board.
  • Vice-Chair: Each standing committee of the University Centre Board shall annually elect a vice-Chair from amongst its voting members who shall assume the Chair’s responsibilities in the event of a temporary absence or resignation

ALTERNATE MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY CENTRE BOARD BY-LAW

  • Membership: All user groups of the University Centre Board may appoint alternates to the Board. The number of alternates shall be limited to one-half of these group’s Board membership. Alternates may fill temporary absences of regular members of the Board at Board meetings. Alternates shall meet the same criteria as regular appointees. Alternate Board Member: An alternate member to the University Centre Board is deemed to be a member if he/she is nominated and ratified by the member organization and present at a University Centre Board Meeting and ratified by the University Centre Board. All alternate members must be nominated and ratified by the second University Centre Board meeting. All alternate members are encouraged to attend University Centre Board meetings.
  • Term: Term of appointment for alternates shall be for a one-year period.
  • Extensions: Extension of term for alternates (for another one-year period) must be approved by the University Centre Board.

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP BY-LAW

  • Term Calculation: Terms of office shall in all cases be calculate from the first meeting (usually held in October) of the University Centre Board to August 31st of the end of the members’ year appointment.
  • Vacancies: In the event of a member’s resignation during his/her term, the appointing user group shall replace the member, who shall serve the remainder of the resigning member’s regular term of office.
  • Terminations: The secretary of the University Centre Board shall notify members and alternates of their impending termination date one month prior to that date. The University Centre Board may elect to terminate a regular member as outlined in the Constitution. These causes and personal resignations shall be the only form of  termination once a member has been ratified. Notice will also be sent at this time to the executives of the user groups.
  • Board and Committee Meetings: All meetings will be conducted under the guidance of Robert’s Rules of Order.

UNIVERSITY CENTRE BOARD VOTING BY-LAW

  • Membership: The University Centre Board is comprised of 20 voting members as outlined in the Constitution.
  • Alternates: Alternates to the Board shall have full voting privileges where they are acting as a replacement for a regular Board member. Chair of the Board shall be responsible for verifying which regular member an alternate is temporarily replacing.
  • Quorum-Board: Quorum for the University Centre Board is two thirds of the members ratified. Minimum quorum for any University Centre Board meeting is eleven (11).
  • Quorum-Committees: Quorum shall be calculated at the committee level as established in the Terms of Reference for each committee.
  • Proxies: There will be no proxies at the Board or Committees.
  • Chair: At the Board, in the event of a tie vote, the Chair may cast a tie-breaking vote.

SIGNING AUTHORITY BY-LAW

All minutes of meetings of the University Centre Board shall be signed by the Chair, University Centre Board and Director, University Centre. All minutes of meetings of the University Centre Board’s sub-committees shall be signed by the Chair of the respective sub-committee and the Director, University Centre. In the absence of a Chair, the Vice-Chair having presided shall sign. In the absence of the Director, University Centre, the Recording Secretary shall sign.

OTHER MOTIONS PASSED BY THE UNIVERSITY CENTRE BOARD BY-LAW

  • Chair: The Chair of the University Centre Board shall be elected at the first meeting (usually held in October) each year, to be effective at the time of election. The Responsibility of the chair is to facilitate an orderly and organized meeting according to the Robert’s Rules of Order. The chair may step down to participate in debate of a motion but must preside over the vote on each motion as Chair.
  • Vice-Chair: The Vice-Chair of the University Centre Board shall be elected at the first meeting (usually held in October) each year, to be effective at the time of election.

SPEAKER RIGHTS BY-LAW

Speaker rights may be granted by the University Centre Board through an appropriate motion. Rights will only be granted for one specific issue that an individual is attending the meeting to address. Guests will be allowed to make relevant presentations to the University Centre Board and respond to questions by members on specific issues relating to the business item.

These guidelines for speakers apply to all regular meetings of the University Centre Board and Standing Committees:

  1. Guests are not permitted to speak without being granted speaking rights by an approved motion of the board or committee. A guest may request speaking rights to a specific business item by raising their hand for comment.
  2. Guests who are granted speaking rights will be provided up to five (5) minutes to make a presentation and provide information to the board pertaining to the specific business item only. Board members may ask questions and provide the guest speaker with sufficient time to respond to the question, no longer than three (3) minutes in length.
  3. A maximum of three (3) guests may be granted speaking rights to provide information relating to a specific business item.
  4. Should a guest granted speaking rights speak out of term or violate these guidelines, they will forfeit their speaking rights and be instructed by the Chair to leave immediately. In such circumstances, the guest will exit the meeting immediately.

GUESTS BY-LAW

Guests are welcome to attend University Centre Board meetings upon registered notice but will not be allowed to sit at the University Centre Board table. Guests may only speak upon being granted speaking rights to a specific business item.

These guidelines for guests apply to all regular University Centre Board and Standing Committee meetings:

  1. In accordance with Ontario Fire Code provisions, each board and committee meeting will have an established maximum number of guests permitted to attend in-person based on the occupancy of the boardroom.
  2. All guests must register to attend by contacting the University Centre Board Secretary at least one (1) hour prior to the meeting time. Guests may register to attend remotely via Microsoft Teams should in-person guest registration reach capacity.
  3. Unregistered guests are not permitted to attend unless approved by motion of the Board or Committee.
  4. Guests will exit the meeting immediately should the Board move to closed session of the meeting or at the request of the Chair.
  5. Guest may only attend a closed session by invitation subject to approved motion confirming the invitation at the time the Board moves into closed session.
  6. Interference with the progress of a meeting by a guest will not be permitted and any guest who attempts to impede the business of the meeting will be instructed by the Chair to leave. In such circumstances, the guest will exit the meeting immediately.
  7. No audio or visual, or audio and visual record or transmittal by any guest of the University Centre board meeting is permitted.
  8. Questions regarding guest attendance and meeting governance may be directed to the University Centre Board Secretary.

 

Our Constitution

Constitution of the University Centre Board

University of Guelph

1. Purpose
The purpose of the University Centre (hereinafter called the Centre) is that it be the focus for the University of Guelph (hereinafter called the University) as a community, providing those social, recreational, educational and cultural activities which are not normally provided through the academic curriculum or other University services. The Centre will provide facilities for the use and enjoyment of all members of the University Community. Compatible with this goal will be the responsibility of the University Centre Board to establish written policies respecting the use of facilities and management of space within the University Centre; to acknowledge the special requirements of user groups to management their own activities within the spaces assigned to them and to provide services for the University Community at large.

2. Responsibilities
The Board of Governors of the University gives the University Centre Board responsibility to:

2.1 Operations and Programs

(i) Establish policy for the general operations of the University Centre consistent with existing policies of the University.
(ii) Make available to all members of the University, written policies pertaining to the University Centre.
(iii) Develop the non-academic educational potential of the Centre and to encourage the involvement of users in the work of the Centre.
(iv) Arrange programs, activities and events designed for the needs and interests of the community and which are complementary to other activities provided by other on-campus groups or departments at the time of implementation.
(v) Normally initiate the appointment and termination of the University Centre Director in a manner consistent with the employment policies and procedures of the University.
(vi) Receive representations, delegations and petitions from any individual or group within the University Community concerning the operation of the Centre.

2.2 Financial

(i) Have overall responsibility for all budgetary and financial matters respecting the University Centre
(ii) Cause to have prepared, and approved, an annual budget and to submit this through the appropriate budget process to the Board of Governors.
(iii) Cause to have prepared Financial Statements of the University Centre and to submit these to the Board of Governors.

2.3 Space

(i) Assume responsibility for the management of space assigned to the control of the University Centre Board, as set out in Appendix A (attached).
(ii) Develop policies that shall acknowledge the right of individual user groups to govern exclusively their own activities within areas of the building which may have been set aside for their specific use, providing that these activities do not conflict with general policies which may be adopted by the University and the University Centre to protect the interests of all users. However, should a user group relinquish control over, or cease to use, its space, control of such user space will pass to the University Centre Board.
(iii) Coordinate activities within the Centre so as to ensure the effective use and benefit of the space and facilities.

3. Relationship to the Board of Governors
The Chair of the University Centre Board, or his/her designate, shall:

(i) have access to the Board of Governors on any matter relevant to the operation of the University Centre.
(ii) present an Annual Report to the Board of Governors no later than November, covering the operation of the previous year and the forecast of the current year’s operation.

4. Membership
The membership of the University Centre Board shall be drawn from the University of Guelph Community. Full-time and part-time employees of the Centre will be excluded from Board membership. It will be as follows:

- ten persons (undergraduate students) appointed by the University of Guelph Central Student Association, including any one member of the Central Student Association Executive, who shall not be required to be an undergraduate student.
- two persons (graduate students) appointed by the Central Student Association.
- two persons (alumni of the University of Guelph) appointed by the University of Guelph Alumni Association, who shall not be full-time employees of the University of Guelph, or full-time graduate students enrolled at the University of Guelph;
- two persons (members of the University Club) appointed by the Board of Directors of the University Club; four persons (employees of the University) appointed by the President.

5. Officers
The chair and the Vice-Chair of the Board shall be the officers of the University Centre Board.

5.1 Duties of Officers
Chair: The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Board and the Executive Committee and perform such responsibilities as are customary to this office.
Vice-Chair: The Vice- Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair in the Chair’s absence.

6. The Director
The Director shall:

(i) Be responsible for day-to-day operations of the Centre.
(ii) Report to the University Centre Board at the monthly meetings and between meetings to the Executive Committee.
(iii) Consult with appropriate University Administration regarding matters affecting University services.
(iv) Develop and present a budget to the University centre Finance Committee; have authority over the implementation of the approved budget subject to the financial policies and procedures of the University and of the Centre; keep full and accurate records of receipts and disbursements and be responsible for financial reporting as appropriate in the management of the University Centre operation
(v) Attend meetings of the University Centre Board and Executive Committee but shall not have a vote. The Director shall not be present at meetings where the Director’s salary and performance is to be discussed unless requested.
(vi) Arrange for a Recording Secretary to the Board, who shall record all proceedings; receive and conduct all correspondence; prepare the minutes; and once signed by the Director, University Centre, shall present them to the Chair for signature, and then arrange for them to be included with the forthcoming agenda packages.
(vii) Encourage the involvement of the users in the operation of the Centre.

7. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall be composed of the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board and the Chair of each of the three Standing Committee of the Board. Quorum for an Executive Committee meeting shall be three. The duties of the Executive Committee shall be:

- To prepare new business for presentation to the Board.
- To define and recommend terms of reference for Standing and Special Committees to the Board.
- To recommend on distribution of Committee tasks and priorities.
- To provide coordination for the activities and reports of the Committees of the Board.
- To undertake such tasks as from time to time may be referred to the Executive Committee by the Board.
- To discuss with the Director the day-to-day operations as required.
- To formally review the Constitution of the University Centre Board by March 30th of 2005, and every five years thereafter. In the interval, the Committee will recommend constitutional amendments as the need arises.

8. Standing Committees
The Standing Committee of the Board will be the Finance Committee, Programing Committee, and the Management and Operations Committee. Other ad hoc or special committees may be established as required.

9. Amendment Procedure
Amendments to this Constitution and By-Laws may be initiated by either the University Centre Board or the Board of Governors. The initiating Board will afford ample opportunity for discussion between both Boards. No amendment shall be effective until it is approved by the Board of Governors.

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