Governance
Meetings
Meetings are held regularly at CSSA to ensure member demands and expectations are properly addressed.
Club meeting
Club meeting is held weekly, with all CSSA members’ participation to discuss the daily tasks and operations of CSSA. Club meeting time is scheduled before the start of each semester and the schedule can be found through the Wecom (our internal member platform) club activities calendar. After each club meeting, the department of the secretariat will produce a set of meeting minutes as a written record of the meeting. These minutes are available to CSSA members on-demand through the department of the secretariat.
All club members are expected and required to participate in club meetings as it is a fundamental way to ensure club activities are carried on. The board of directors has collectively agreed on membership termination with more than three absent.
Club meeting is not open to the public.
Board of directors meeting
Board of directors meetings are conducted on-demand, with the participation of the CSSA president and directors of each standing committee or department. Directors or president can call for a board of directors meeting to address important and urgent issues. Board of directors meetings usually happen before the club meeting and before the semester starts.
The board of directors meeting is not open to the public.
Annual general meeting
The annual general meeting is held once every year and usually happens during the winter semester. It opens to the public and provides TRU students, faculty, staff and the local community an opportunity to participate and influence club operations and plans. Participation in the annual general meeting means you will hear a summary report of the club activities and operations for the academic year, discuss and raise your concerns or suggestions to the directors and members. You also will have a chance to review CSSA’s financial report.
The annual general meeting is conducted in Chinese. You can also review the previous year’s report here:
- 2020 – 2021 Annual Report（YouTube）
- 2019 – 2020 Annual Report（not published due to COVID impact）
- 2018 – 2019 Annual Report
- 2017 – 2018 Annual Report
Governing documents
Chinese Students & Scholars Association is governed under TRU institutional policies, TRUSU policies and CSSA policies. CSSA policies are available to members through the internal platform or by contacting human resources services at hr@trucssa.ca.
Funding and financial information
Funding from students’ union
CSSA is an independent student organization at Thompson Rivers University, registered and operates under Thompson Rivers University Students’ Union. CSSA maintains its financial account and receives grants from the students’ union.
Funding from the Chinese embassy and consulates
CSSA is not funded by the Chinese government, however, occasionally, CSSA may apply for grants from the Chinese embassy and consulates to support its activities. The Chinese embassy and consulates will never direct CSSA activities and operations, nor do they require us to conduct promotions for the Chinese government. CSSA runs completely independently. Our decision-making body is our members and the democratically elected board of directors. No one else decides what and how things are done at CSSA.
Sponsorship revenue
CSSA has a finance department that seeks sponsorship corporations with local and global businesses. Our finance department works closely with sponsors to promote their brand and services through our various events. All revenue received from sponsorship goes directly into the daily operation of CSSA and towards each event.
If you are looking for a potential corporation with CSSA, please reach out to finance@trucssa.ca.
Financial reports
Financial reports are available on-demand to CSSA members and can be requested through the department of secretariat at secretary@trucssa.ca. TRU students’ union conducts annual financial audit for CSSA. The financial audit report is available through the TRUSU website.
Membership fees
Every full and part-time student enrolled in a course at Thompson Rivers University is a dues-paying member of the Thompson Rivers University Students’ Union. These dues are billed by the institution and transferred to the Students’ Union on a semesterly basis where they are pooled to fund the advocacy, services, and entertainment provided by your Students’ Union.
View membership fees charged by TRU Students’ Union
CSSA does not charge its member’s membership fees. We offer subscription services for everyone who would like to support CSSA. Our subscription service gives members extended access to attend club events completely free.
Learn more about our subscription service (available in Chinese)
Election
Each year CSSA holds elections to elect a new president and board of directors and is open to all registered CSSA members.