Bylaws of Curtin University Alumni Chapter of Sri Lanka

Transcription

1 Bylaws of Curtin University Alumni Chapter of Sri Lanka 1. VISION 1.1. Become one of the strongest and stabilized chapters of Curtin University Alumni and support the betterment of its community 2. MISSION 2.1. Fulfill the requirements of the Curtin Alumni, students and prospective to reach their own educational and career goals 3. NAME 3.1. The name of the Chapter shall be the Curtin Alumni Chapter of Sri Lanka, which shall hereinafter be referred to as the Chapter in abbreviated form The expression Curtin Alumni shall represent all campuses of Curtin University and thereby all Graduates of Curtin University and those who have graduated from of its Partner Universities The expression Sri Lanka Alumni shall represent all campuses of Curtin University and thereby all Graduates of Curtin University and those who are residents of Sri Lanka. 4. CORPORATE SEAL 4.1. The Corporate Seal of the Chapter shall be a circular die with the words CURTIN ALUMNI CHAPTER OF THE SRI LANKA around the outer edge with a representation of a Lion in the Centre The Seal of the Chapter shall not be affixed to any document except by the Secretary in the presence of two Office Bearers of the Alumni one of whom shall essentially be the President of the Chapter Occasions of the use of the Seal in such manner shall be kept on record by the Secretary of the Chapter. 5. OBJECTIVES 5.1. To assist Curtin University in attaining and maintaining a high level of academic excellence 5.2. To help promoting the image of Curtin University 5.3. To sponsor, initiate and develop social and professional activities for the benefit of the alumni 5.4. To engage in concerted efforts at fund raising in order to enhance the financial position of the Institution 5.5. To promote unity of purpose among alumni through constant contact with all alumni and to serve as a forum for the alumni 5.6. To support the institute in attaining its strategic goals and objectives 5.7. To support deserving members of the Curtin University student community in Sri Lanka in the pursuit of academic excellence

2 6. PATRONS 6.1. Curtin University Alumni and founding members of chapter refer in Annex A, shall be the Patrons of the Sri Lanka Chapter 7. CHAPTER ADVISORY BOARD 7.1. There shall be an Advisory Board that will provide guidance and direction to the Chapter to attain its objectives The Advisory Board shall comprise; Curtin Alumni Chapter Liaison Coordinator Members of Founding Executive Board Distinguished Alumnus/Industrialist nominated by the members of Executive Board of Chapter 8. MEMBERSHIP 8.1. The membership of the Chapter shall comprise; HONORARY MEMBERS Honorary Members shall be those who have done distinguished service to Chapter as adjudged by the Board of Executives of the Chapter from among nominations received from members of the Chapter and who would be vested with such status by the Board of Executives Honorary graduates of Curtin University Chapter will automatically become an honorary member of the Chapter ORDINARY MEMBERS Ordinary Members shall be graduates and Post graduates of Curtin University, and; ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Associate Members shall be those who would not be entitled to become ordinary Members but who have being students live in Sri Lanka or who has obtained a higher academic standing from Curtin University. 9. VOTING RIGHTS 9.1. All Honorary and Ordinary members shall have the right to vote, to be nominated for office in the Chapter, to propose and second candidature of other members and to propose and second resolutions for consideration by the Chapter. 10. GRANT/ ACQUISITION OF MEMBERSHIP The conferment of Honorary Membership of the Chapter shall be done by resolution of the Executive Board on nominees for such conferment received from the Ordinary Members The Honorary Membership of the Chapter shall be conferred without levying any membership fee on the nominees who are accepted for the conferment of Honorary Membership.

3 10.2. Ordinary Membership in the Chapter shall be obtained by the submission of an application under the applicants signature, which shall include a declaration by the applicant that he/she would subscribe to the attainment of the objectives of the Chapter and that he/she would abide by the Bylaws of the Chapter, to the Secretary of the Chapter Membership of the Chapter shall be offered to qualified/eligible applicants on a life membership basis for which a membership fee which shall be determined by the Executive Board will be charged at the time of admission as a member. The Chapter shall be free to revise the fee charged as the life membership fee at its Annual General Meetings (AGM) to become applicable for the future Associate Membership in the Chapter shall be obtained by the submission of an application for Associate membership under the applicant`s signature, which shall include a declaration by the applicant that he/she would subscribe to the attainment of the objectives of the Chapter and that he/she would abide by the Bylaws of the Chapter to the Secretary of the Chapter Associate Membership of the Chapter shall be offered to qualified/eligible applicants for whom a membership which shall be determined by the Executive Committee will be charged at the time of admission as an Associate Member and thereafter on renewal of membership annually. The Chapter shall be free to revise the fee charged as the annual membership fee at its AGM's to become applicable for the future. 11. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP The Executive Board may terminate the membership of a member if the Executive board has received acceptable information and evidence to the effect that the member concerned has, Damaged the reputation of the Sri Lanka Chapter or of Curtin University; and He/she no longer acts in the interest of the Chapter and has acted in contrary to the Bylaws and the objectives of the Chapter A Member may terminate his/her membership by submitting a letter to that effect (letter of resignation from the membership) to the secretary of the Chapter under his/her signature for consideration and acceptance by the Executive Board. 12. BOARD OF EXECUTIVES The Board of Executives of the Chapter shall consist of the following persons; The Office Bearers namely The President, two Vice Presidents, The Secretary, The Treasurer and The Editor appointed/elected to such positions from among the Chapter Membership shall comprise the senior position holders with voting rights and; The Assistant Secretary, the Assistant Treasurer and 10 (ten) Committee Members appointed/elected shall comprise the junior position holders with voting rights and; The Immediate Past President of the Chapter (Non-Voting)

4 13. ELECTION OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD FOR ENSUING YEAR Election of the Senior Office of the Chapter who would hold Office for a period of 2 (two) years which should coincide with the declared fiscal year of the Chapter shall be done at Annual General Meeting of the Chapter Election of the Junior Office of the Chapter who would hold Office for a period of 1 (one) year shall be done at Annual General Meeting of the Chapter The serving Secretary of the Chapter shall convene AGM at the appropriate time and before the completion of the term of office of the Persons holding office as Office Bearers and Committee Members of a current year of Office/Fiscal Year, in consultation with the Executive Board Office Bearer and Committee Member positions of the first Executive Board of the Chapter shall be selected among the Curtin Graduates in Sri Lanka and the first AGM shall be convened by the Board of Executives being selected from interested parties reside in Sri Lanka under Article 12 of this Bylaws The AGM shall be convened by the secretary by posting or conveying by any other acceptable means, as decided by the General Membership, the invitation to individual members under his/her signature Such Invitations to attend the AGM with date and time and venue declared, should accompany a request for the submission of resolutions, if any, to be tabled for consideration at the AGM and nominations for the respective Office Bearer and Committee Member positions for the ensuing year, if any, 14 days in advance of the scheduled date of the AGM Except for the Immediate Past President of the Chapter, persons to hold all Offices and Committee Member positions in the Executive Committee shall be selected from among nominees for the respective positions Nominee for Senior Office of the respective Board of Executives should have being a member of previous Board of Executives for more than 11 months or General member of the Chapter for more than 2 years In the presence of more than one nominee for any position, the nominee to hold the position shall be selected by election by secret ballot of the members present at the Annual General Meeting of the Chapter, from among persons holding membership of the Chapter Such nominees and or elected members shall hold office for a period of one year and shall be eligible for re-nomination/re-election for a further term of office Election at the Annual General Meeting of the Chapter shall be conducted by the members/representatives of the Advisory Board of the Chapter. 14. ELECTION OF OFFICE BEARERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS Election for the respective positions of Office Bearer shall be conducted in the following order; Appointment of a pro-tem President to conduct the election Process from among the members/representatives of the Advisory Board of Sri Lanka Chapter Declaration of nominations received for the respective positions for purpose of seconding and or Invitation of nominations and for the seconding for such nominations from the general membership for the following positions in the given order.

5 Declaration of Elected Officers to positions for which only single nominations are received In the event that no nominations are received for a position prior to the AGM, nominations will be taken from the floor subject to approval by the meeting Conducting of secret ballot for positions for which more than one seconded nominee is received and the declaration of the elected nominee based on the majority of votes casted Secretary President Vice Presidents (2 positions) Treasurer Editor Assistant Secretary Assistant Treasurer Committee Members. 15. ROLES OF OFFICE BEARERS The President of the Chapter shall chair the meetings of the Executive Board and in his/her absence a Vice President who is present shall chair the Meeting Sri Lanka Chapter President The Chapter President shall be responsible to the Executive Committee and ultimately responsible to General Membership The Chapter President shall: Chair meetings of Executive Committee; Manage the activities of the Alumni within the framework of the Bylaws; Subject to Alumni Policy and Regulations, co-ordinate the work of the Alumni members; Establish and monitor budgets in consultation with the Senior Treasurer and the Executive Committee Be the official spokesperson of the Alumni; Represent and speak on behalf of the Executive Board at such meetings and functions as the Sri Lanka Chapter or Chapter President shall deem it fit to attend; and Unless otherwise specified, be a voting member of every Executive Board meeting and shall have the casting vote Acting Chapter President Where the Chapter President is absent or unable to act, the Chapter Vice President shall act as Chapter President until such time as the Chapter President is able to resume their duties.

6 If Vice Presidents are unable to act, then a member elected by the Executive Board shall act in the position Chapter Vice President - Local Chapter Coordination The Vice President - Local Chapter Coordination shall initially be responsible to the Chapter President and ultimately be responsible to the Executive Board The Chapter Vice President - Local Chapter Coordination shall: Be ultimately responsible for coordinating the roles of all Alumni appointees to the local chapters and university and for ensuring that regular reporting of the activities of these bodies is made to Secretary; Establish and monitor budgets in consultation with the Chapter President; Be responsible for overseeing the activities of all the subcommittees; and Assist the Chapter President in whatever way possible to carry out his/her responsibilities Chapter Vice President - Events Coordination The Vice Presidents - Events Coordination shall initially be responsible to the Alumni Senior Vice President/President and ultimately be responsible to the Executive Committee The Chapter Vice Presidents - Events Coordination shall: Establish and monitor budgets in consultation with the President; Be ultimately responsible for coordination and nominate members of the subcommittees for event organizing; and Assist the President in whatever way possible to carry out his/her responsibilities Chapter Secretary The Chapter Secretary shall initially be responsible to the President and ultimately responsible to the Executive Board The Chapter Secretary shall: Set agendas for Executive committee meetings in consultation with the Advisory Board and minute the proceedings/decisions of all Executive Board meetings; Be initially responsible for coordinating the roles of all Chapter appointees to the Chapter sub committees and ensuring that regular reporting of the activities of these bodies is made to Executive Board; and Assist the President in whatever way possible to carry out his/her responsibilities Chapter Treasurer

7 The Chapter Treasurer shall initially be responsible to the President and ultimately responsible to the Executive Board The Chapter Treasurer shall: Establish and monitor budgets in consultation with the President; Ensure that an accurate account of all financial records of the Chapter is kept at all times; Submit a financial statement biannually to Executive Board at any regular meeting and upon request of the Executive Board and/or the President With the approval of the Executive Board, disburse monies on behalf of the Chapter; and Submit an audited financial statement annually to members at the Annual General Meeting; Chapter Editor The Editor shall initially be responsible to the President and ultimately responsible to the Executive Board The Chapter Editor shall: Establish and monitor budgets in consultation with the President; Ultimately responsible for publications of Chapter under the consents of the Article Chapter Assistant Secretary The Assistant Secretary shall initially be responsible to the Secretary and ultimately responsible to the Executive Board The Chapter Assistant Secretary shall: Assist the Secretary in whatever way possible to carry out his/her responsibilities Chapter Assistant Treasurer The Assistant Treasurer shall initially be responsible to the Treasurer and ultimately responsible to the Executive Board The Chapter Assistant Treasurer shall: Assist the Alumni Treasurer in whatever way possible to carry out his/her responsibilities Committee Members Committee Members shall assist the Office bearers of the Chapter in each and every activity undertaken and performed by the Board of Executives in addition to the assistance provided to the office bearers in carrying out their responsibilities successfully by undertaking and performing assignments assigned to them by the Office Bearers. They shall undertake membership in standing committees of the Chapter and in any ad hoc

8 committees appointed to meet the needs arising in the process of implementing activities to achieve the objectives of the Chapter. 16. FILLING OF VACANCIES Office Bearers Positions If a vacancy occurs in an Office bearer position in the Executive Board, then the Executive Board shall appoint a committee member of the Executive Board to serve in the vacant position If a member of Executive Board is appointed to fill the vacant position, then the position rendered vacant by such appointment shall be declared vacant If no member of Executive Board is willing or able to fill the position then the Executive Board shall co-opt a general member of Chapter to serve in such position, notwithstanding to Article Termination of Executive Board Membership A member of Executive Board who fails to attend three consecutive meetings without prior written apologies to the Secretary shall cease to be a member of the Executive Board. 17. ESTABLISHMENT OF SUB COMMITTEES OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD The Executive Board shall appoint Working/Standing Committees and ad hoc Sub committees to deal with various activities undertaken by the Chapter All the members of the sub committees shall be appointed by the Executive Board to hold office for the duration of the planned activity. They shall cease to hold such offices with the expiry of the term of office of the Executive Board but would be eligible to be reappointed to such offices for a further term/s A sub Committee established by the Executive Board shall have the powers to co-opt not less than three members into the Committee to ensure that there is a gender, racial, geographical and skill balance Each subcommittee should be presided by one of the Vice Presidents or an Office bearer appointed by the Executive Board to chair the Sub Committee. 18. CONDUCT OF MEETING The Chapter President and in his/her absence the Vice President - Local Chapter Coordination shall convene a meeting of the Executive Board within 8 weeks from the previous Executive Board meeting The Executive board will designate a Working Committee which will meet regularly which will act upon consents of Article Executive Board meeting procedure A quorum for an Executive Board meeting shall be 50% plus one of the total voting Executed members and must include the Chapter President and/or Vice President All motions, unless otherwise stated in the Bylaws, shall be carried by a simple majority. Any tied votes shall be declared lost.

9 A vote of no-confidence in an Officer or a Committee Member of Executive Board, to be successful, shall: Require that at least 14 days written notice be given to that officer or committee member of the motion; Require a 2/3rd majority of those persons present at the meeting casting a vote in the affirmative; and Upon the carrying of a no confidence motion, the subject positions shall be declared vacant. 19. FINANCES OF THE CHAPTER, FISCAL YEAR AND ACCOUNTING PROCEDURE AND OPERATIONAL DETAILS RELATING TO THE FUND OF THE CHAPTER The Fiscal year of the Chapter shall be 1st of January to the 31st of December of each year The Chapter shall establish and maintain a fund titled Curtin Alumni Chapter of Sri Lanka Fund at any reputed bank as decided by the Executive Board of the Chapter The Chapter Fund shall consist of, Membership Fees, Donations and Grants, Generated Income from approved events launched, Interest from investments, Secured Sponsorships, and Any other means of fund generation as approved by the Executive Board and/or by the General Membership at the AGM`s The Chapter Fund may be utilized by the Executive Board for activities approved by the Executive Board to achieve the declared objectives of the Chapter and to meet the day to day running expenses including capital item purchases, consumable purchases,wages if any of hired personnel and to meet any miscellaneous expenses of the Chapter`s Secretariat The Chapter Fund shall be administered by the Treasurer of the Chapter under the direction of the Executive Board and guidance of the Advisory Board All transactions under the Chapter Fund shall be carried out with the consent of the Executive Board and all transactions carried out with approval of the President and the Secretary of the Chapter shall be reported to the monthly meetings of the Executive Board by the Treasurer of the Chapter for ratification All Projects planned to be undertaken by the Chapter shall commence with the formulation of a budget which should be considered and approved by the Executive Board before commencement of the Project. It shall be the responsibility of the Treasurer of the Chapter to submit the accounts pertaining to the project within one month from the date of completion of the project to the Executive Board for information and approval Income received in relation to a project undertaken shall immediately be deposited in the Account of the Chapter Fund by the treasurer as and when such income is received and any surplus fund remaining in terms of the budget shall be so deposited immediately after the Executive Board.

10 19.9. The Treasurer of the Chapter shall be allowed to retain a petty cash imprest to meet any contingency and any unforeseen expenditure of the Chapter Secretariat and the Executive Board and the amount of the petty cash imprest to be so retained shall be decided from time to time by the Executive Board depending on the actual need The Executive Board shall determine the approving limits of the President, the Secretary, Editor and the Vice Presidents All payments from the Chapter Fund shall be made with approval of the President/ The Secretary and the Vice Presidents (in the absence of the President). All vouchers and cheques shall carry two signatures namely those of the Treasurer/Assistant Treasurer and President or one of the members of Executive Board nominated by the President The Treasurer of the Chapter shall table the Audited Accounts of the Chapter pertaining to the past fiscal year at the AGM of the Chapter for examination and passing the same by the General Membership with our without amendments. 20. INDEPENDENT AUDIT There shall be an independent Audit for the Chapter who shall be appointed with the consensus of the General Membership of the Chapter obtained at the inaugural Annual General meeting of the Chapter. The Audit would be eligible for reappointment by the General Membership at the subsequent AGM`s. 21. CHAPTER RELATIONS OFFICE There shall be a Chapter Relations Office which would hereinafter be cited in these Bylaws as the Office which shall serve as the Chapter Secretariat. The Chapter Secretariat shall maintain the records and the data base of the Chapter and would be located in a location determined by the Executive Committee in consultation of the Advisory Board The Office shall operate under the administrative control of the Executive committee and shall be comprised of one or more than a full/part time employee engaged in service by the Executive Committee The Office, under the direction of the Executive Committee shall be responsible for the following Co-ordination of the Sri Lanka Alumni Handle Sri Lanka Alumni functions governed by the sole discretion of the Executive Board; Act as the contact point of the Sri Lanka Alumni; Co-ordinate the activities between the Local and overseas Chapters defined along geographic lines within the location where each Chapter is based Run the souvenir shop. 22. REGIONAL OFFICES OF THE CHAPTER The Chapter may promote the establishment of its regional offices involving its own graduates located in various parts of the country Such regional offices will be bound to act under the Executive Board of the Chapter.

11 22.3. Each regional office shall have a regional coordinator/s who preferably a member of the executive board of the chapter Regional office shall have their own rights to organize events among their respective regional members. 23. CHAPTER PUBLICATIONS The Editor will liaise closely with the Executive Committee and Edit publications mentioned below and take a leading role in developing a vision for Chapter publications and driving future publishing strategy The Executive Committee shall appoint an Editorial Board comprising members of the Executive Committee and any member co-opted by the Executive Committee to assist the Editor The Editor will have ultimate responsibility for the content of all alumni publications List of Alumni publications Chapter Magazine Chapter Website/Web portal Monthly News Letter Curtin/SLIIT Year book Chapter Directory 24. FOCUS AREA OF ACTIVITIES The Chapter may, indulge in the following activities as its main focus areas and not limiting itself to them alone, may embark on other areas of activities that would assist the Chapter to achieve the objectives declared under this Bylaws Conferences Fellowship Entertainment 25. AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS Amendments to the Bylaws shall be considered at Annual General Meetings of the Chapter Honorary and Ordinary members and the Office Bearers shall be eligible to propose amendments to the Bylaws Such proposals should be addressed to the Secretary of the Executive Committee in the form of draft resolutions to be listed for consideration and a decision by the general membership at the AGM or at an Extraordinary General Meeting convened by a decision of the Executive Committee if and when found necessary Amendments to the Bylaws shall require a 2/3rd majority from the members with voting rights who would be present in person at the AGM. 26. DISSOLUTION Chapter may be dissolved by the carrying of a resolution by a two-thirds majority at an Extraordinary General Meeting called for that purpose.

12 26.2. In the event of dissolution of the Chapter all assets and funds of Chapter shall automatically be vested in the Advisory Board of the Chapter to be held in trust until an organization with similar aims and objectives is formed.

13 ANNEX A Founding Members of the chapter 1. Lakmal Chameera Embuldeniya 2. Bathiya Lakmal Priyadarshana 3. Chamila Kohona 4. Kalith Guruge