the constitution of the uc gargoyle, 2024

table of contents

article i: definitions

article ii: statement of principles

article iii: on the masthead, operations, and governance

article iv: on the eic team, its role & responsibilities

article v: on the masthead, its roles & responsibilities

article vi: on general meetings and constitutional amendments

article vii: on transitioning between incoming and outgoing masthead

article viii: on absenteeism and non-performance of duties

article i: definitions

1. the following terms may be referred to interchangeably hereafter.

• the name of the publication shall be “the gargoyle” or “the paper”.
• “university college” may be referred to as “the college” or “uc”.
• “the university college literary and athletic society” may be referred to as “the uclit” or “the society”.
• “members” refers to members of the masthead, the governing body of the paper, unless stated otherwise.
• “a production cycle” shall be defined as the period starting when an issue’s call for submissions is published to the day that the same issue is published online or in-print (production cycles may overlap)
• “traditionally” refers to a suggestion based on the traditions of the gargoyle and is non-binding.

article ii: statement of principles

1. the gargoyle is a student-run publication housed within university college and funded by its students and as such, shall be held accountable to them.

2. like the college from which it derives its name and funding, the gargoyle operates on the traditional lands of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the credit and recognizes that it operates within an institution that is part and parcel of a settler-colonial capitalist system of oppression against all Indigenous peoples residing on the land currently known as “canada” and “toronto”.

3. therefore, the paper shall be committed to centering Indigenous voices and narratives, which can include but shall not be limited to seeking out and supporting Indigenous students/collectivities, whether through compensation or more broadly.

4. in keeping with uc’s long-standing non-sectarian and egalitarian spirit, the paper is committed to serve as a forum for all members of our community; a community that can be defined as primarily queer, trans, and racialized in nature.

5. the paper prioritizes the voices of individuals from our community and reserves the right to protect those interests in expressing its editorial vision; moreover, the paper prioritizes the voices of members of our community that hail from the college, and equally, that of the university at large.

6. the gargoyle is not a “newspaper” as it does not primarily focus on expressing the “news”; rather, the paper’s editorial vision is focused squarely on sharing our community members’ perspectives, their writing, and their art, all of which might be often overlooked by “mainstream” publications and forums.

7. articles published in the paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the masthead; however, the masthead is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the paper executes its editorial vision of supporting and prioritizing the perspectives of its community members and therefore ought to be held accountable to that end.

8. the masthead shall vigorously assess all potential contributions to ensure that they are in line with the paper’s editorial vision of promoting and protecting the radical subjectivity of queer, trans, and racialized individuals.

article iii: on the masthead, operations, and governance

1. the paper shall be organized in volumes, with each fall-winter school year constituting one volume, consisting of any number of issues determined to be released within that time frame by an incoming masthead.

• the masthead may wish to publicize all of the volume’s themes at the beginning of the school year but may also choose to announce issue themes as the volume progresses.
• traditionally, one volume consists of 12 issues released bi-weekly from september to april — this is non-inclusive of the “frosh issue”, also known as “issue 0”, which is traditionally released prior to the start of the new school year. 
• the masthead shall be permitted to create new production schedules based on its own unique needs in a given volume contrary to the traditional format.

2. the paper shall be composed of a number of sections.

• the masthead reserves the right to choose the sectional composition of any given volume and/or issue.
• the traditional sections are as follows:
  1. politics
  2. “uc” (campus affairs)
  3. arts & culture
  4. opinions
  5. “avant-garg” (poetry and prose)
  6. science
  7. comics 

3. the paper shall be operated by a masthead responsible for executing its production and distribution, guiding its editorial vision, and ensuring that it operates in accordance with its constitution and mores.

4. the gargoyle is ultimately beholden to the corporations act (ontario); therefore the masthead, which can also be understood as the paper’s “board of directions”, is required by law to maintain “good governance” and financial transparency.

• good governance shall be understood as a reasonable effort on the masthead’s part to abide by its own constitution.
• financial transparency shall be understood as a reasonable effort on the part of the paper’s signing authorities to maintain an accessible record of its budgets, expenses, and reimbursements.
• the uclit, in its role as the organ responsible for the disbursement of student funds, shall be empowered to withhold the funds collected through the gargoyle’s levy if they determine that the masthead has neglected its commitments to good governance and financial transparency.
  1. the uclit shall not be allowed to intervene or interfere in the paper’s internal affairs (pursuant to the uclit’s constitution, article 20: editorial autonomy and the uclit’s council policies, chapter 14 section III C 1: levy disbursement).
  2. in the event that the council determines that the masthead has neglected its commitments to good governance and financial transparency, a representative from uc’s office of the dean of students, agreed upon by both parties, shall be chosen to mediate the situation and propose solutions.
• if the masthead is concerned that the uclit is neglecting its commitments to good governance and financial transparency, it shall report this to uc’s office of the dean of students.

5. the masthead shall be composed of any number of editors and administrative personnel, to be determined in conversation with the incoming and the outgoing masthead at the conclusion of a given volume (see article vii for a detailed description of the paper’s transition processes).

• the suggested makeup of the masthead is as follows (see articles iv and v for detailed descriptions of each of these roles).
  1. an eic team consisting of an editor-in-chief or multiple editors-in-chief, and/or any number of assistant editors-in-chief.
  2. one or more production managers who can commit to being present to organize the set up, administration, and clean up of production nights.
  3. any number of section editors assigned to any number of sections; traditionally, two editors are assigned to a given section.
  4. any number of copy editors.
  5. a treasurer.
  6. and any other necessary administrative or editorial personnel; examples include but shall not be limited to production advisor(s), administrative assistant(s), social media manager, historian/archivist, and equity advisor.
• the masthead reserves the right to re-define the roles and responsibilities of its positions and/or create new roles and responsibilities as it deems fit.
  1. if members of the masthead believe that a permanent change to its roles and responsibilities is necessary, they must submit a constitutional amendment at the next possible general meeting.
  2. in the time prior to the next possible general meeting, the masthead shall be empowered to make whatever temporary changes it deems necessary.

6. the masthead shall strive for consensus whenever possible and shall hold informal and formal votes when appropriate and/or necessary in either online or in-person settings (pursuant to article iii, section 11).

• members of the masthead shall not be permitted to stifle other members’ perspectives or ideas.
• the eic team shall strive to achieve consensus and conduct informal “votes” among members of the masthead whenever possible.
  1. an informal vote does not require an official count unless an objection is noted by a member of the masthead.
  2. the eic team shall strive to engage the masthead in all decisions but reserves the right to act on its behalf when necessary.
• if an objection is noted by a member of the masthead to a decision rendered by the eic team and an informal vote has already been conducted among the members, the member may request a formal vote to confirm that the decision being rendered has majority support. 
• formal votes must have a “quorum” of two-thirds of the total number of members. i.e. two thirds of the masthead must vote in order for the vote to be considered valid.
  1. the eic team shall administer all formal votes, including those that may not be personally favourable to them.
  2. all formal votes shall be proposed in the form of a question with two possible answers.
  3. a vote is carried when one of the two possible answers has majority support. 
  4. majority support shall be defined as half (50%) + 1 of quorum.
     1. for example, if the masthead has 21 members, quorum would be 14 members and majority support would mean that 8 of those members are in agreement about a given decision.
  5. in the event that a vote does not reach quorum, the vote must be conducted again, and if necessary, repeatedly until quorum is reached.
  6. in a deadlocked vote, i.e. it is impossible to achieve a majority agreement, the eic team may make the final decision.
• a formal vote regarding absenteeism and non-performance of duties (as described in article viii) shall be a non-quorum vote requiring a two-thirds majority to carry.
  1. for example, if the masthead has 21 members, 14 members must agree in order to remove a member from the group.

7. a contributor to the paper shall be anyone who wishes to contribute a piece of writing or art and whose work has been approved by a relevant section editor for a given issue.

• contributors shall be prioritized with the following considerations in mind:
  1. uc and uoft undergraduate students shall be prioritized over uoft graduate students.
  2. uoft students shall be prioritized over students from other universities and colleges.
  3. members of our community, as defined in article ii: statement of principles, shall be prioritized regardless of their association with uoft.
  4. the eic team and the masthead reserve the right to determine which of these factors to prioritize in specific circumstances keeping in mind the potential contribution’s content and a given issue’s theme.
• contributors shall be credited in whatever manner they prefer on the inner cover of the issue of their contribution.
• the masthead, and the eic team in particular, has ultimate authority over all contributions to the paper.

8. a contribution to the paper shall be defined as any one of the following:

• having written one piece published in a particular issue of the paper.
• having provided any visual (photo, illustration, etc.) published in a particular issue of the paper.
• having assisted in the layout of one issue of the paper, either on the whole or by section.

9. a staff member shall be any contributor who has contributed to the paper for three issues in a single volume.

• when a contributor’s third contribution is printed in an issue they shall be credited as “staff” on the inner cover of that issue and shall continue to be credited as such in each issue for the remainder of the volume.
• the masthead and staff members shall have the ability to vote on constitutional amendments at general meetings or online after these amendments have been discussed in a general meeting.
  1. any contributor who becomes a member of staff prior to the public announcement of a general meeting, i.e. their third contribution has been published either online or in-print, is eligible to vote at the meeting.
• other privileges and/or responsibilities of staff members may be determined by the masthead at its convenience.

10. the masthead shall be entitled to honoraria if so approved in its budgets by the uclit, the sum of which shall be determined on a year-by-year basis.

• the masthead may also propose to compensate members of staff.
• traditionally, honoraria for each member of the eic team has been $150 per semester with all other roles receiving amounts below $150.

11. the governance of the masthead and the paper at large shall take place in any mix of online and in-person settings as determined by the masthead in consultation with staff and contributors; the eic team and the masthead shall be permitted to organize the paper’s production and administration in an exclusively online setting if necessary.

article iv: on the eic team, its role & responsibilities

1. the eic team shall be responsible for the overall administration of the gargoyle and the masthead.

2. the eic team shall endeavour to administrate and organize the masthead in a non-hierarchical manner, striving for consensus among its members whenever possible.

• the eic team reserves the right to conduct the paper’s affairs in lieu of the masthead when appropriate and necessary.
• however, the eic team can be held accountable by the masthead:
  1. any decision rendered by the eic team without the consent of the masthead can be put to a formal vote (as described in article iii section 6).
  2. members of the masthead may submit a constitutional amendment in anticipation of a general meeting irrespective of the eic team’s opinion on the matter (as described in article vi section 6).

3. the eic team’s responsibilities shall include the following:

• oversee the execution of the gargoyle’s editorial vision.
  1. make final decisions on contributors and content to ensure that everything we publish is in line with our principles.
  2. work with the masthead to set issue themes.
• organize the masthead and its meetings.
  1. call, hold, and run masthead meetings when necessary.
  2. solicit the opinions of the masthead and organize votes when necessary.
  3. ensure that all members of the masthead are making their best efforts to be present for production and other necessary meetings in a manner that is appropriate for their roles and for completing their assigned tasks in an appropriate time frame.
• oversee the production of each issue of the gargoyle.
  1. administrative responsibilities:
     • write and send out the call for submissions and editor’s addresses.
     • ensure that the relevant editors are responding to the proposals and queries of potential contributors and staff members.
     • oversee production nights; assist the production manager(s) in their role (see article v, section 1), greet contributors and staff, and facilitate a safe and welcoming atmosphere for the community.
       1. ensure that the junior common room (jcr) or equivalent production space is booked through the uclit prior to the commencement of the volume.
     • organize printing and distribution, both online and in-print; liaise with the distributor, maintain a relationship with the printer and determine an appropriate time frame for each issue’s release.
  2. content-specific responsibilities:
     • content editing the issue via photoshop and indesign, to prepare and send it to the printer. 
     • organize cover art and edit the inner cover, otherwise known as the “masthead page”.
     • work with editors and contributors to resolve any content-related issues that may arise in post-production.
     • ensure that content adheres to the gargoyle style guides.
     • keep record of contributors and staff for each issue.
• assist in the organization of the paper’s office alongside the production manager(s).
  1. work with the production manager(s) to ensure that each member of the eic team is familiar with their role and how to operate the paper’s production equipment, such as its printer and scanner.
• maintain the paper’s online presence, both on social media and through its website and/or delegate one or more masthead members to maintain the paper’s online presence.
• organize the paper’s email and drive to improve efficiency and ease of use.
• administer the mailing list.
• manage the paper’s finances.
  1. determine which member of the eic team shall be tasked with managing the bank account as one of the signing authorities alongside the treasurer. this individual shall work with the treasurer to…
     • create budgets to be submitted to the uclit in each of its budgetary periods.
     • attend the uclit budget meetings.
     • keep records of all expenses, reimbursements, and receipts.
     • submit financial records to the uclit for auditing purposes.
• maintain a cordial relationship with the uclit and uc’s office of the dean of students.
  1. strive to submit a report on behalf of the paper to all uclit monthly meetings. 
  2. attend uclit monthly meetings whenever possible. 
  3. make an effort to maintain communication with the uclit’s core executive.

4. the eic team reserves the right to divide its responsibilities however it sees fit and may also enlist the help of additional members of the masthead to that end.

• prior to the beginning of a new volume, the eic team shall divide the various eic responsibilities amongst themselves and keep a record for future reference.
• the eic team shall review the record of the division of its responsibilities regularly and revise it when necessary.
  1. the record must be reviewed at least once following the conclusion of the fall semester.
  2. the record may be reviewed and revised at any time, particularly if an issue arises amongst the eic team (see article viii for a more detailed account of this matter).

article v: on the masthead, its roles & responsibilities

1. role and responsibilities of the production manager(s):

• oversee each production night of the volume. 
• be prepared to arrive at production night early enough to set up the space, bring out the materials, and ensure there is enough space and seats to operate.
• oversee the clean-up process alongside the masthead and ensure that the space is put back to the way it was before the night began.
• operate the printer and scanner on production night.
  1. be ready to print materials as requested by editors, staff, and contributors.
  2. scan flats as they are completed and save them to google drive.
  3. the production manager(s) shall endeavour to scan each and every flat on production night.
     • if the production manager(s) are unable to complete this work on production night, they shall be responsible for completing this task on their own time within a time frame acceptable to the eic team.
• determine the page count for each issue in consultation with each section’s editors.
  1. work with the editors and the eic team to come up with solutions in the event that the issue cannot easily meet the page count.
• order food and drink for the attendees of production night, ensuring there are sufficient options to satisfy a variety of dietary needs (within reason).
• organize the office and its materials.
  1. actively maintain the paper’s production inventory, including but not limited to magazines, scissors and glue, writing utensils, and food & drink materials.
  2. actively maintain and organize the paper’s physical flats from the current volume as well as remnants from former volumes.
• in the event that a given volume has more than one production manager, the production managers, alongside the eic team, shall divide the responsibilities of the role.
• the production manager(s) shall train at least one member of the masthead beyond the eic team in the operation of the scanner and printer.
  1. in the event that the production manager(s) are incapacitated or otherwise unavailable for a given production night, the production manager(s), in consultation with the eic team, must delegate another member or members of the masthead to resume their responsibilities.

2. role and responsibilities of the section editor:

• they shall field proposals from contributors and staff.
• work with contributors and staff to edit their pieces, ensuring that they conform to the paper’s editorial vision and style guides.
• be present on production night.
  1. in the event that there is no section editor available to organize their section for a given issue’s production, the section editor shall be responsible for delegating production night tasks to various contributors, staff, and editors in consultation with the eic team.
• organize the section’s flats on production night;
  1. oversee the collaging process of the section and the printing of the section’s materials.
  2. delegate collaging tasks to contributors and staff. 
  3. enlist the help of newcomers wishing to get involved.
• maintain a welcoming attitude towards contributors and staff, both at production nights and in online communication.
• negotiate with the production manager(s) and other section editors to determine the section’s page count for a given issue.
• ensure that the section’s flats are completed in time for the production manager to scan the flat on production night.
  1. if a section’s flats are not ready to be scanned on production night, the eic team reserves the right to involve themselves and determine a new timeline.
• the section editor shall strive to abide by the copy editor(s) schedule to ensure that all pieces have undergone rigorous review in advance of production night.
• the section editor reserves the right to reject a piece if it does not conform to the paper’s editorial vision and style guides or, if the eic team is in agreement, for personal reasons
  1. if a section has multiple editors they must be in agreement about this course of action.
• the section editor must also acknowledge when it is best to refer to a contributor’s better judgment based on their own lived experiences.
• if a section has multiple editors, the editors shall endeavour to maintain a cordial working relationship and share responsibilities for organizing the section and working with contributors.

3. role and responsibilities of the copy editor:

• they shall oversee the copy editing process of each issue (ie. copy editing content before production and after production before printing).
• be present at each production night.
  1. in the event that a copy editor cannot be present for production night, they shall be responsible for advising the copy editing team and the eic team of their coming absence.
• ensure that each contribution to the paper adheres to its editorial vision and style guides. 
• work with the relevant editors and contributors to maintain the contributors’ distinctive voices and styles within a given piece of writing.
• acknowledge when it is best to refer to an editor and/or contributor’s better judgment based on their own lived experiences.
• strive to work with the section editor to review their pieces in advance of production night and work with them at production night if and when necessary.
• in the event that there are multiple copy editors, the copy editors shall work as a team to split up their responsibilities on and leading up to production night.
  1. the copy editing team reserves the right to create an internal organizational structure to support their role in the production process.
• the masthead reserves the right to designate a single copy editor as the “lead” or “head” copy editor for the duration of the volume. 

4. role and responsibilities of the treasurer:

• they shall act as one of the paper’s two signing authorities. 
• be in possession of the paper’s chequebook and bank card.
  1. write cheques in a timely manner and be accessible to the other signing authority in order to expedite the process of signing cheques. 
• be present at production nights when necessary, such as when there are cheques to be signed and/or delivered to members of the masthead, staff, and/or contributors. 
• work with the eic team to maintain the paper’s financial records such as its expenses, reimbursements, and receipts.
• work with the eic team to create the paper’s budget and submit it to the uclit in accordance with their schedule in each of their budgetary periods.
  1. the treasurer, alongside at least one representative from the eic team, is responsible for advocating for the paper at each of the uclit’s budget meetings.
  2. if the treasurer cannot be present at a budget meeting, they and the eic team are responsible for ensuring that there is adequate representation from the paper to advocate on its behalf.

article vi: on general meetings and constitutional amendments

1. the masthead shall organize at least one general meeting per volume.

• the organization of a general meeting shall be spearheaded by the eic team.
• the eic team shall be responsible for ensuring that at least one general meeting is organized prior to the conclusion of the volume.
• it is permissible for the general meeting to occur after the publication of the volume’s final issue so long as its date was scheduled and publicized prior to the publication of the volume’s final issue.
• general meetings can occur either in person or online (pursuant to article iii, section 11).

2. a general meeting shall be defined as a public event for the paper’s staff, contributors, readers, and spectators to discuss matters of importance and vote on constitutional amendments.

• all participants at general meetings shall have the right to speak.
• the masthead and staff members shall have the right to vote on constitutional amendments.

3. a general meeting shall consist of the following:

• an introduction to members of the masthead and a review of the volume thus far.
• presentations of potential constitutional amendments to be voted on either in person, online during the duration of the meeting, or online within a designated period following the meeting.
• a review of the paper’s finances such as through a presentation of its most recent budget (if necessary).
• any other agenda items proposed by members of the masthead and staff.

4. a general meeting must be publicized via the paper’s mailing list prior to its scheduled date alongside an agenda once a date has been decided and mutually agreed upon by the masthead and staff.

• the eic team shall endeavour to include the masthead and staff in the writing of the proposed agenda prior to its publication.

5. the masthead may organize a registration form for general meetings in which potential participants would share their personal information and connection to the paper to ensure that the space remains safe for our community.

6. a general meeting shall be governed in an informal fashion, guided by the eic team.

• the eic team may designate a member from the masthead or staff as the “speaker”, to ensure there is order in speaking turns, and another member from the masthead or staff as the “secretary” to take minutes.
• participants shall be empowered to ask questions and instigate discussion on any given agenda item.
  1. participants may be asked by the eic team to hold their questions for another time so as to not disrupt the procession of the meeting.

7. constitutional amendments may be proposed by any member(s) of the masthead or staff to be added to a general meeting agenda.

• in order to be considered at a general meeting, the member(s) proposing any constitutional amendments must ensure that:
  1. it has been sponsored by at least two additional members of the masthead.
  2. it has been reviewed by at least one member of the eic team.
     • the eic team shall not be permitted to block the amendment from being included on the agenda; they can offer suggestions and provide context, nothing more.
  3. a final draft has been submitted to the eic team prior to the publication of the proposed agenda.
• if more than one constitutional amendment is being proposed, the member(s) must ensure that their document clearly describes the changes that are being proposed to each article/section of the constitution.

8. a proposed constitutional amendment shall be voted on at or following a general meeting in a manner similar to a formal vote as would be conducted within the masthead.

• quorum of voting shall be two-thirds of the total number of masthead and staff members; i.e. two-thirds of all members of the masthead and staff must vote at or following the general meeting for a formal vote to be considered valid. two-thirds of quorum must vote in favour of the proposed amendment for it to be adopted.
  1. for example, if the total number of the masthead and staff is 3o members, quorum would be 20 members and a two-thirds majority would mean that 13 of those members are in favour of the proposed amendment.
• a formal vote on a constitutional amendment must be administered either at a general meeting (online or in person) or asynchronously after the general meeting via a communication platform whereby every member of the masthead and staff has an opportunity to vote.
• the eic team may determine the most appropriate way to tally the votes in consultation with the voting members.
• all formal votes shall be proposed in the form of a question with two possible answers.
  1. for example, do you support the constitutional amendment presented by member x? yes or no.
• in the event that quorum cannot be reached at a general meeting, a proposed constitutional amendment may not be voted on until the next possible general meeting.

9. the constitution is a living document and as such ought to reflect the nature and needs of the paper and its masthead; therefore, the masthead is encouraged to review the constitution and propose appropriate changes to the document on a yearly basis.

10. the paper shall publish an updated version of its constitution on its website.

article vii: on transitioning between incoming and outgoing masthead

1. upon the conclusion of the final issue of a volume, the outgoing volume’s eic team shall be responsible for organizing an application and interview process to select the next volume’s masthead.

2. candidates for the masthead shall be prioritized based on the following factors:

• candidates who have contributed to the paper in past issues, taking into account the quality of their contributions, shall be considered above all other factors.
  1. special consideration shall be made to those contributors who have attained the status of staff in the previous volume.
• uc and uoft undergraduate students shall be prioritized over uoft graduate students.
• uoft students shall be prioritized over students from other universities and colleges.
• members of our community, as defined in article ii: statement of principles, shall be prioritized regardless of their association with uoft.
• the outgoing masthead reserves the right to weigh each of these factors and determine the best course of action given the pool of candidates available for each role.

3. the incoming volume’s masthead shall be chosen in an application and interview process by the outgoing volume’s masthead.

• the eic team will propose a timeline for the application and interview process before the final issue of the volume.
  1. the proposed timeline shall endeavour to have the new masthead selected by the end of may and no later than the end of june.
• the application and interview process shall be composed of an online application/statement of interest, such as through google forms, and an online or in-person interview of selected candidates.
• the eic team shall rely on the opinions of the outgoing masthead to determine which candidates ought to be selected for the interview process for each position.
  1. outgoing members of the masthead shall create a ranked list of their preferred candidates and decide which of the candidates shall be interviewed in consultation with the eic team.
• the interview process shall consist of a list of general questions and section/role specific questions prepared by and agreed upon by the members of the outgoing masthead.
  1. the outgoing masthead shall endeavour to be present to interview the candidates for their role.
  2. a member of the eic team shall be present for each and every interview.
• the interview process can be conducted online or in-person but shall endeavour to be accessible to candidates regardless of whether or not they are in the country and/or city during the summer.
• upon the conclusion of the interview process, the outgoing masthead shall offer their pick of who they wish to succeed them to the eic team.
  1. if there is disagreement between respective members of the outgoing masthead and the eic team on this matter, the issue shall be raised with all of the masthead and voted upon by all members (pursuant to article iii section 6) in order to render a final decision.

4. the outgoing masthead shall prepare transition documents that reflect their experiences over the course of their time with the gargoyle. 

• the eic team shall prepare a document regarding their experience running the paper in the previous year, adding to those written by members of former eic teams.
• the section editors and copy editors shall prepare documents to instruct future section and copy editors based on their experiences in their respective positions.
  1. these documents shall also include section-specific details.
• other administrative or editorial positions are also welcome to prepare transition materials.
• the masthead shall endeavour to retain past transition documents as separate documents for archival purposes.

5. the summer period prior to the beginning of the new volume shall be known as a transitional period, in which the outgoing masthead shall meet with their successors to review the scope of their new roles and advise them on how to proceed.

• each member of the outgoing masthead shall meet with their successors and/or avail themselves for a conversation either in-person or online at least once prior to the beginning of production for the next volume.
• the outgoing eic team shall be expected to keep in constant contact with their successors during this period to ensure a smooth transition of administrative and content-related tasks and to help the incoming team split each of the tasks amongst themselves.
• the outgoing and incoming eic teams shall ensure that the individuals designated as the signing authorities feel sufficiently prepared to maintain a relationship with the bank and assume the responsibility of maintaining the paper’s financial records.
• the outgoing eic team shall be responsible for ensuring that the incoming eic team feels comfortable leading a summer training session for the incoming masthead.
  1. the training session shall consist of a review of the paper’s style guides, editorial vision, and production processes, and shall endeavour to set a production schedule and begin the process of choosing the volume’s themes.
  2. the outgoing production manager(s) shall train their successor(s) in-person on how to use the paper’s scanner and printer, as well as on how to run production nights.

article viii: on absenteeism and non-performance of duties

1. members of the masthead shall strive to be consistently present at all production nights and dedicate time outside of production nights for masthead meetings to communicate with contributors, review and edit pieces, and work with other members of the masthead when necessary.

2. if a member of the masthead is aware that external factors such as school, extracurricular, and/or personal responsibilities will prevent them from fulfilling their commitments to the paper in a given week, they are responsible for communicating their situation to the eic team.

• members of the masthead must consistently communicate their needs to the eic team, and if applicable, their co-editor(s) to ensure that production continues unabated.
• if an editor is unhappy with their co-editor’s level of involvement and/or they feel as though there is an unequal distribution of responsibilities over an extended period, the editor must ask a member of the eic team to mediate a conversation with them.
• the eic team shall make an effort to “check in” with every member of the masthead regularly to prevent any one member from neglecting their duties.

3. if a member of the masthead is uncommunicative, absent, and otherwise neglecting their responsibilities for two production cycles in a row, the eic team shall provide them with a notice stating that they will be removed from the masthead unless they re-dedicate themselves to their role.

• at the conclusion of the following production cycle (i.e. third in a row), the eic team shall conduct a review to determine if the member has made an acceptable effort in the time since the initial notice was provided to them.
• if the eic team determines that the member has not made sufficient efforts to re-dedicate themselves to their role, the eic team shall ask the member to resign.
• if the member refuses to resign, the eic team shall bring the matter up to the masthead and conduct a formal vote (as described in article iii section 6 last point) in order to determine whether or not the member will be removed from the masthead.

4. if a member of the eic team is uncommunicative, absent, and otherwise neglecting their responsibilities for two production cycles in a row, the remaining members of the eic team shall provide them with a notice stating that they will be removed from the masthead unless they re-dedicate themselves to their role.

• if the member expresses a desire to re-dedicate themselves to their role, the eic team must review and revise the record of the division of its responsibilities (as described in article iv section 4). 
• at the conclusion of the following production cycle (i.e. third in a row), the remaining members of the eic team shall conduct a review to determine if the member has made an acceptable effort in the time since the initial notice was provided to them.
• if the remaining members of the eic team determine that the member has not made sufficient efforts to re-dedicate themselves to their role, they shall ask the member to resign. 
• if the member refuses to resign, the remaining members of the eic team shall bring the matter up to the masthead and conduct a formal vote (as described in article iii section 6 last point) in order to determine whether or not the member will be removed from the masthead.

5. if all members of the eic team are uncommunicative, absent, and otherwise neglecting their responsibilities for one production cycle, a representative of the masthead may provide each member of the eic team with notices signed by a majority of masthead members (not including the eic team) stating that they will be removed from the masthead unless they re-dedicate themselves to their roles.

• the masthead representative chosen to facilitate this process may be any member chosen by a majority of the masthead to represent them in the proceedings.
• at the conclusion of the following production cycle, the masthead shall consult the record of the division of responsibilities and conduct a review to determine if the members of the eic team have made acceptable efforts to re-dedicate themselves to their roles in the time since the initial notice was provided to them.
• if the majority of the masthead determines that each member of the eic team has not made sufficient efforts to re-dedicate themselves to their roles, the representative on their behalf shall ask them to resign.
• if the members refuse to resign, the masthead is empowered to conduct a formal vote (as described in article iii section 6 last point) in order to determine whether or not the members of the eic team will be removed from the masthead.
  1. the representative of the masthead chosen by a majority of the masthead members is then empowered to conduct separate formal votes for each of the members of the eic team to determine whether or not they will be removed from the masthead.

6. members of the masthead shall be permitted to request up to two non-consecutive leaves of absence throughout a given volume.

• members of the masthead interested in a leave of absence must communicate their intentions at least one week prior to the first production cycle that they wish to be on leave for.
• upon requesting a leave of absence, the member must describe why it is necessary and the specific production cycle(s) that they must be absent for.
• if a member is unable to fulfill one or two elements of their role in a given production cycle, such as attending production night or communicating with contributors, they shall not be required to take a leave of absence.
  1. in this case, the member must simply communicate with the eic team, and their co-editor(s) if applicable, to divy up the necessary tasks for a given production cycle.