Secretary

This position is open to all members of Embark, which consists of all undergraduate and graduate students at Simon Fraser University, along with associate members. Up to one associate member (non-SFU student member) may be elected as a Director. New directors are elected at each Annual General Meeting of the society.

Embark’s Board of Directors strive to represent all undergraduate and graduate students at SFU, and centre diverse student voices in our work. We strongly encourage applications from members of communities that are marginalized or that experience structural discrimination.

• • Collaborate with the Chair to create board meeting agendas
  • Ensure that agendas are thorough and that all items that need to be discussed are included
  • Take accurate minutes during Board meetings (including amendments, discussion points and action items)
  • Ensure that motions are passed adequately
  • For example, the Secretary may notice that a motion has not been moved before the discussion of an item. The Secretary would bring the attention of the Chair to the situation in order to rectify it.
  • Review minutes and sign them following each board meeting
  • Be an active member of at least two committees of the Board

• • Ability to remain focused throughout the entire duration of board meetings to ensure that minutes are documented accurately
  • Ability to type quickly while keeping track of and participating in discussions
  • Readiness to learn the basics of Robert’s Rules
  • A passion for intersectional sustainability
  • Ability to build relationships with other board members and particularly the Chair to support healthy and effective functioning of the board.

• • Work with the Chair to prepare board meeting agendas roughly a week before prior to each monthly meeting
  • Review meeting agendas for accuracy (ensuring any permalinks included are working and that all items to be discussed are included)
  • Document meeting minutes throughout the entire board meeting
  • Monitor their Embark email account at least once every two days and provide prompt responses to emails.
  • Performs the duties associated with the two committees of which they are a member

Things to Remember

• • Regular communication with the Chair is a key to successful agenda preparation
  • In lieu of chairing a committee, the Secretary supports the Board with other essential tasks and/or specific projects