Ontario College Counsellors/Conseillers et Conseillères des Collèges de l Ontario (OCC/CCCO) Terms of Reference

Transcription

1 Ontario College Counsellors/Conseillers et Conseillères des Collèges de l Ontario (OCC/CCCO) Terms of Reference 1. Introduction Ontario College Counsellors/Conseillers et Conseillères des Collèges de l Ontario (OCC/CCCO) is a reporting group of Colleges Ontario reporting through the Heads of Student Affairs (HOSA). The following Terms of Reference are for OCC/CCCO. The Terms of Reference for OCC/CCCO may be modified subject to a majority vote of the members in attendance at an Annual General or Joint Regional Meeting followed by the approval of HOSA. 2. Mandate OCC/CCCO is responsible for providing leadership and advice to HOSA on issues related to student access, experience, engagement, development, retention and co-curricular learning. In support of its mandate, OCC/CCCO provides input and advice to HOSA on ways to support diverse student interests and serve multiple and complex student profiles. 2.1 Objectives The aim of the OCC/CCCO is to promote access to high quality professional counselling related services to all Ontario College students. OCC/CCCO works to achieve this aim by: 1. promoting high standards of practice and ethics in college counselling services; 2. contributing to the professional activities and development of OCC members; 3. promoting effective working relationships a. among counsellors at various colleges and other educational institutions, b. with other departments within the colleges, c. between college counsellors and members of community organizations, d. with liaisons from the relevant Ministries of the government of Ontario and with the liaison person representing HOSA, e. between OCC and other provincial committees 4. promoting a broad-based appreciation of the counselling programs/services carried on at community colleges in Ontario;

2 5. exchanging information regarding research being conducted in the area of counselling at community colleges in Ontario and elsewhere. Additionally, OCC/CCCO endorses the objectives of HOSA (modified slightly to reflect the OCC/CCCO focus on counselling services rather than HOSA s broader mandate of all student affairs): advocate on behalf of all students for the best possible student experience; advocate on behalf of all students for enhanced accessibility to education and services; promote the design and delivery of services and initiatives that support student personal and academic success; support the advancement of student success and holistic development of student potential; determine and advance recommendations to HOSA on policy, strategies and issues that relate to student experience, development, engagement, retention and well-being provide a forum for discussion and sharing of trends, issues and best practices in student experience, development, engagement, retention and well-being; promote collaboration amongst student affairs professionals within and across colleges; nurture the individual and collective knowledge of college counsellors; identify and facilitate professional development and networking opportunities for counsellors; establish on an annual basis, long-term and annual objectives of OCC/CCCO and review progress at the Annual General Meeting. 3. OCC/CCCO Structure OCC/CCCO is one of several reporting groups reporting to HOSA which in turn reports to the Coordinating Committee of Vice Presidents Students (CCVPS). CCVPS reports to the CAAT Coordinating Committee which, in turn, reports to the Committee of Presidents. HOSA connects to its reporting groups through the Chair of each group, and also through liaison roles selected from general HOSA membership. Liaisons are a key communication link between OCC/CCCO and the HOSA Executive Membership 3.1.a. OCC-CCCO Member An OCC-CCCO member: Currently works at a Ontario College of Applied Arts & Technology in a full-time or part-time capacity. They fall under the Counsellor faculty description and provide psychotherapeutic/mental health/personal support to college students.

3 Counsellors across the Ontario College system may also provide additional services such as the following: Career Counselling, Academic Counselling and Accessibility Counselling. Managers and directors of these members can participate as members. 3.1.b. OCC-CCCO Affiliate Member An OCC-CCCO Affiliate Member: currently works in a post-secondary institution (within Ontario or Canada Wide) in a full-time, part-time, intern or sessional capacity; where the primary function of their role involves student mental health/wellness, accessibility/disability counselling, career counselling, advising or coaching. Managers and directors of these members can participate as members. 3.2 OCC/CCCO Executive The OCC/CCCO Executive comprises the following positions: Chairperson Chair-elect or Past-chair Secretary Treasurer Registrar Webmaster/Social Media Consultant Northern Region Representative Eastern Region Representative Central Region Representative Southwestern Region Representative Indigenous Representative Francophone Representative Professional Development Liaison (s) Editor(s) Between Us/Entre Nous (a sub-committee of OCC-CCCO but not an executive position). All terms are 2 years with the exception of Chair-elect and Past-chair which are 1 year terms. The HOSA Liaison is a resource to the Executive and attends Executive and general membership meetings. Relevant Ministries of the government of Ontario are invited on an as needed basis. The signing officers shall be Chairperson, Treasurer and, in alternating years, the Chairelect or Past-chair.

4 3.2a Executive Purpose and Responsibilities: Chairperson - The duties of the Chairperson shall be to preside at all annual and executive meetings, to appoint all standing and special sub-committees, and to be responsible for the general program of OCC/CCCO. The Chair is an active member of OCC/ CCCO as elected by the Membership. Chairperson-elect or Past-chair / Absence of Chairperson - The Chairperson-elect, or past-chair, shall be the chief officer of the OCC/CCO in the absence of the chairperson and shall assist the Chairperson in his/her regular duties. Should the office of the chairperson become vacant, the Chairperson-elect shall serve the unexpired term of his/her predecessor with the option of serving one or two years of his/her own term as decided by the membership at the next Annual General Meeting. Secretary - The Secretary shall keep a record of annual meeting proceedings and of Executive meetings; shall notify officers of their election and committees of their appointments; shall send out notices of meetings and conduct such correspondence as may be requested by the Chairperson or the Executive. Treasurer - The Treasurer shall report directly to the Chairperson; shall keep accurate financial records; shall be responsible for writing cheques to cover operating expenses of the Executive and of the yearly conferences; shall be responsible for proper management of operating capital; shall prepare a financial statement (profit and lossbalance sheet); shall provide the executive with up-to-date financial information of the Ontario College Counsellors/Conseillers et Conseillères des Collèges de l Ontario. Registrar - The Registrar/Webmaster shall keep a directory of all OCC/CCCO members, updated at least annually; shall keep a list of the 24 college contacts, updated at least annually Webmaster/Social Media Consultant Webmaster - The OCC-CCCO Webmaster role involves maintaining a website for the purposes of storing member information such as historical documents, current and past newsletters, meeting agendas, meeting notes, member directory, online membership registration forms, etc. Maintenance involves uploading documents sent by the executive, creating online forms, troubleshooting, etc. The webmaster is not responsible for the content uploaded, this is a joint responsibility with the OCC- CCCO executive members to ensure that the information is accurate and supplied to the webmaster for upload. Social Media Consultant - The Social Media Consultant role for OCC-CCCO involves utilizing and optimizing computer-mediated technologies that allow the creating and sharing of information amongst OCC-CCCO members. This can involve sharing of ideas, information, career opportunities, professional development options and

5 communications from similar organizations such as from counsellors in the university system. This sharing of information can be done through, but not limited to, a variety of platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Wordpress. Northern Region Representative - The Northern Region Representative shall represent the issues and concerns of the Northern colleges (i.e., Cambrian College, Canadore College, Collège Boréal, Confederation College, Northern College, Sault College); shall consult with the college contacts in the Northern colleges; shall organize regional meetings as needed; shall communicate issues of concern to OCC/CCCO back to the Northern college contacts. Eastern Region Representative - The Eastern Region Representative shall represent the issues and concerns of the Eastern colleges (i.e., Algonquin College, Durham College, Fleming College, Loyalist College, St. Lawrence College); shall consult with the college contacts in the Eastern colleges; shall organize regional meetings as needed; shall communicate issues of concern to OCC/CCCO back to the Eastern college contacts. Central Region Representative - The Central Region Representative shall represent the issues and concerns of the Central colleges (i.e., Centennial College, George Brown College, Georgian College, Humber College, Seneca College, Sheridan College); shall consult with the college contacts in the Central colleges; shall organize regional meetings as needed; shall communicate issues of concern to OCC/CCCO back to the Central college contacts. Additionally the Central Region Representative shall take leadership in organizing the annual Fall Joint Regional Meeting. Southwestern Region Representative - The Southwestern Region Representative shall represent the issues and concerns of the Southwestern colleges (i.e., Conestoga College, Fanshawe College, Lambton College, Mohawk College, Niagara College, St. Clair College); shall consult with the college contacts in the Southwestern colleges; shall organize regional meetings as needed; shall communicate issues of concern to OCC/CCCO back to the Southwestern college contacts. Indigenous Representative - The Indigenous Representative shall represent the issues and concerns of Indigenous counsellors at all colleges; shall consult with the Indigenous counsellors at all colleges; shall communicate issues of concern to OCC/CCCO back to the Indigenous counsellors. Francophone Representative - The Francophone Representative shall represent the issues and concerns of francophone counsellors at all colleges, but in particular those at the 2 francophone colleges (Collège Boréal and La Cité); shall consult with the francophone counsellors at all colleges; shall communicate issues of concern to OCC/CCCO back to the francophone counselors and take the lead on French translation issues.

6 Professional Development Liaison (s)/conference Support - The Professional Development Liaison (s) shall research the professional development needs of the membership; shall research and distribute information about professional development activities and opportunities; shall serve as a support/consultant to college counsellors who are planning conferences. Editor(s) Between Us/Entre Nous (Sub-committee, not an executive position) - The Editor(s) of the OCC/CCCO newsletter, Between Us/Entre Nous, shall publish and distribute the newsletter at least twice annually, usually at the end of the Fall and Winter semesters; shall ensure OCC/CCCO members are encouraged to submit articles and other writings for the newsletter. 3.2b Elections At least one month prior to the Annual General Meeting, the Chair shall post an to the listserve announcing which positions are scheduled for election at the upcoming AGM and encouraging all members to consider joining the executive. This will also be published in Between Us/Entre Nous, if it is distributed at a reasonable time in advance of the AGM. Election of the Executive shall be based on a simple majority vote of members attending the Annual Meeting. The executive members shall take office at the end of the Annual General Meeting. The positions shall be elected in alternate years as follows: Even Years Chair-Elect Francophone Representative Eastern Region Representative Central Region Representative Treasurer Indigenous Representative Professional Development Liaison(s) Odd Years Secretary Registrar Webmaster/Social Media Consultant Northern Region Representative Southwestern Region Representative Editor(s) Between Us/Entre Nous 3.2c Vacancy In the event of a vacancy occurring within the Executive before a term of Office has expired, the Executive shall undertake to elect from among their numbers, or from the membership at large, a person to fill the vacancy. When, in the judgment of the Chairperson, it is deemed necessary to fill a vacancy on the executive before the next meeting of the executive, the Chairperson has the

7 authority to arrange, or cause to be arranged, a replacement for the vacancy, subject to approval by the Executive at the next meeting of the Executive. 4. OCC/CCCO Group Meetings 4.1 Annual General Meeting and Conference An annual provincial professional development conference and the Annual General Meeting of OCC/CCCO shall be held concurrently in the spring. The professional development conference shall be organized by the Conference Organizing Team, of which the Professional Development Coordinator(s) is an ex officio member. The Annual General Meeting shall be organized by the Chairperson, with the assistance of the Executive and in coordination with the Professional Development Coordinator. Annual Provincial Conferences shall be organized on a cost-recovery basis. After each Annual Provincial Conference, a Statement of revenue and expenses shall be prepared and any surplus funds shall be used for operating expenses of the OCC/CCCO executive. Meeting agendas are set by members of the Executive Committee. The Secretary will circulate the final agenda and relevant background materials to the membership 1 week prior to the Annual General Meeting. Questions arising at any Annual General Meeting shall be decided by the majority of the votes. In the event of a tie, the Chair will cast the deciding vote. 4.1a Quorum The members attending an Annual General Meeting shall constitute a quorum. 4.2 Regional and Joint Regional Meetings Regional meetings will be held at the discretion of the regional representatives and the college contacts in each region. When feasible, Regional meetings shall be held in college facilities or those of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Meeting agendas are set by members of the region. The Regional Representative will circulate the final agenda and relevant background materials to the regional members 1 week prior to the Regional Meeting. Questions arising at any Regional Meeting shall be decided by the majority of the votes. In the event of a tie, the Regional Representative will cast the deciding vote. A Joint Regional Meeting shall be held in the Central Region in the Fall semester and shall be organized by the Central Region Representative. Joint Regional Meeting agendas are set by members of the Executive Committee. The Secretary will circulate the final agenda and relevant background materials to the membership 1 week prior to the Joint Regional Meeting. Questions arising at any Joint Regional Meeting shall be decided by the majority of the votes. In the event of a tie, the Chair will cast the deciding vote.

8 4.3 Executive Meetings The Executive shall meet as frequently as necessary to fulfill the responsibilities and tasks given to the Executive by the membership at the Annual Meeting. Typically this will include two teleconference meetings in fall semester (early October and early December), a centrally located in-person Joint Regional Meeting (eg. Colleges Ontario Boardroom) in November or early December, two teleconferences in winter semester (mid-january and mid-march), an AGM scheduled in May or June, and a teleconference in June following the AGM. Executive meeting agendas are set by the Chairperson. The Secretary will circulate the final agenda and relevant background materials to the Executive 1 week prior to the Executive Meeting. Questions arising at any Executive Meeting shall be decided by the majority of the votes. In the event of a tie, the Chair will cast the deciding vote. 4.3a Quorum A quorum for executive meetings shall be forty percent (40%) of the members of the Executive. 4.4 Minutes & Correspondence The OCC/CCCO Secretary is responsible for taking minutes at all Executive, Joint Regional and Annual General Meetings. The Secretary shall distribute minutes to relevant members and ensure that the minutes are sent to the Registrar/Webmaster for inclusion on the OCC/CCCO website once they are approved. 5. Communication The OCC/CCCO Chairperson and Executive will ensure that appropriate communication tools are implemented so that all members are kept well informed with a format that will encourage two-way dialogue. 1) HOSA and its Networking Groups are internal committees of CCVPS and the CAAT Coordinating Committee and are not public facing entities. 2) Colleges Ontario will provide a portal for communication amongst members. 3) Inward facing communication methods (I.e. List serves, social media, blogs, web sites, etc. whereby the target audience is OCC/ CCCO members) may be used by networking groups to facilitate communication among members. 4) Public facing information will be done through Colleges Ontario, its corporate entities or individual colleges but not by HOSA and networking groups through public facing web sites. 5) HOSA and networking groups will use conferencing technology wherever possible to ensure maximum participation in a cost effective manner. 6) Colleges Ontario will be the sole spokesperson for issues addressed through the CAAT Coordinating Committee.

9 7) All Networking Groups will communicate regularly with the HOSA Executive and membership to ensure alignment within the terms of reference of CCVPS. 6. Annual Report Networking group annual reports will contain the following information. 1) Annual conference dates 2) Annual fees 3) Previous year financial report 4) Upcoming year Budget 5) Strategic priorities 6) Progress on strategic priority goals 7) Elected or appointed representatives 7. Fees and Financial Reporting 1) Fees need to be transparent and provide value for money to the public. The fees for networking groups and HOSA will be determined annually by the HOSA Executive in collaboration with the Networking Group (ie. OCC/ CCCO) and will be voted upon by the membership each year at the spring AGM. 2) The HOSA Executive will provide CCVPS a year-end financial report for each Networking Group collecting fees at the annual spring AGM. 3) Fees will be reviewed by the membership and any concerns will be forwarded to the Chair of the Networking group. 4) No Networking Group fee will be greater than the central membership fee for the CCVPS unless the Group can demonstrate a significant value for money or project that justifies increased fees.

10 Appendix 1 OCC/ CCCO Executive Travel Subsidy Guidelines (2018) Travel subsidies are available to executive members (or their proxy) that are coming to meetings (JRM or AGM) from more than 150 km away (based on location of your college and site of the meeting). Executive members (or their proxy) that qualify can apply for a travel subsidy of up to $ if they provide appropriate receipts. The OCC/ CCCO executive travel subsidy is currently set at maximum of $400.00/ meeting or less but may be reviewed by the OCC/ CCCO executive and adjusted to a lower amount as necessary based on available funds. See below for agreed upon guidelines for use of this subsidy. What can be covered: Transportation: - mileage (based upon current College mileage rates) - plane/ train/ bus/ local transit tickets - car rental OCC/ CCCO executive members are encouraged to try and make the most economical choices within reason when picking method of transportation. For example, renting a car (especially if it is can be shared with someone else from a nearby college) may be far less expensive than the cost of mileage or train/plane. Overnight stay: - hotel/rez room If overnight stay is required OCC/ CCCO executives are encouraged to check and see if there is a nearby college that rents out Residence rooms as these are usually substantially cheaper than standard hotel rooms. They are also encouraged to try and share a hotel/ residence room whenever possible with another executive member. Lastly for a 1 day meeting only 1 night stay will be covered. What is not covered: - Incidentals, meals, cancellation/re-booking charges for tickets (unless a meeting has been cancelled or re-scheduled), fares for toll roads (407), taxi (unless no other method of transit is available -- if planning to claim the use of taxi please contact both the Chair and the Treasurer prior to incurring the expense for preapproval). If you are unsure if a particular expense will be covered by the subsidy please contact the treasurer and/or the Chair prior to incurring the expense to get clarification. If there is any doubt about whether an expense that has been submitted qualifies for the travel subsidy the Treasurer will consult with the Chair in regards to how to proceed.

11 Appendix 2 OCC/ CCCO Executive Account Holder Duties and Responsibilities The OCC/ CCCO bank account is held at the Financial Department of the college where the OCC/ CCCO Treasurer works. Every year OCC/CCCO collects membership fees from colleges who are members of OCC/ CCCO. The membership fee is currently $ per college. Every year, OCC/ CCCO also hosts a Joint Regional Meeting in the fall and an Annual General Meeting in the spring. Participation fees may be requested of participants who attend these in-person meetings to cover expenses such as catering, food costs, room rentals, Internet and AV equipment rentals for meetings, and speaker fees. When possible OCC/ CCCO will cover the costs of food for the AGM and will subsidize the costs of food/speaker fees for the JRM to keep costs minimal for attending these events. Purpose of the OCC/ CCCO bank account: to cover costs associated with providing quality PD to our membership ie. presenter/ speaker at JRM (approximately $1500 per year) which assists members to maintain their professional designations to cover costs associated with in-person meetings (eg. JRM and AGM) such as catering/ food costs, Eventbrite registration and advertising fees, any printing costs for meeting, PD speaker handouts or manuals, etc. to provide a travel subsidy for OCC-CCCO executive members to be able to participate in in-person executive meetings two times/ year (JRM or AGM); currently set at maximum of $400.00/ meeting or less but may be reviewed by the OCC/ CCCO executive and adjusted to a lower amount as necessary based on available funds to cover costs of award winner plaques and $100 gift certificate each for winner of the OCC Leadership Award and OCC Award of Excellence for Counselling Practice to cover costs of sponsorship projects depending on availability of funds (eg. safetalk project), as approved by OCC-CCCO executive Responsibilities of Account Holder: Upon request from the Treasurer/Chair or delegate of the Executive review and approve cheque requisitions for payments on behalf of OCC/CCCO for the above mentioned expenses, and approve the submission of membership fees into OCC/CCCO Responsibility Centre Upon request from the Treasurer/Chair or delegate of the Executive produce statements reflecting account activity and current balance