The Constituion

CONSTITUTION OF THE GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI (SINGAPORE) Registered on 19 September 1992, Singapore
Constitution of the Golden Gate University Alumni (Singapore)
Article 1 - Name and Place of Business
1.1 The name of this organization shall be "The Golden Gate University Alumni (Singapore)", and shall hereinafter be referred to as the "Alumni".
1.2 The place of business of the Alumni shall be at 5 Faber Green, Singapore 129261 or such other address as may subsequently be decided upon by the Executive Committee and approved by the Registrar of Societies. The Alumni shall carry out its activities only in places and premises which have the prior written approval from the relevant authorities.
Article 2 - Objects
2.1 To serve as the central body for graduates and undergraduates of the Golden Gate University (GGU) extension programs in Singapore.
2.2 To encourage and foster networking, professional development, exchange of ideas and best practices amongst Members.
2.3 To serve as a link with GGU San Francisco and provide a formal means of communications with GGU San Francisco.
2.4 To promote interaction between the Alumni and the business communities, other Alumni, local and overseas graduate business schools and other organizations with similar or related interest.
2.5 To add value to the business, training and development (education) environment of Singapore through its activities such as offers for scholarship.
2.6 To keep its Members and the community up-to-date in the new developments in business and management education and practices.
2.7 To publish papers, journals, newsletter and other materials to achieve the above objectives.
2.8 To organize educational, social, cultural, civic activities and programs to achieve the above objectives.
2.9 To acquire, by purchase, lease or otherwise, land buildings, tenements or hereditaments and any movable or immovable properties for any of the objects of the Alumni.
2.10 To sell, manage, lease, mortgage, dispose of or otherwise deal with all or any of the property of the Alumni.
2.11 To have a provision to raise funds subject to Article 13, Clause 1 3.6 for the purposes deemed appropriate for the Alumni.
Article 3 - Membership
3.1 The Membership of the Alumni shall be: a. Ordinary Membership may be granted to: (1) Any person who has received a degree from GGU.
(2) Any person who has been a student in good standing for two-thirds of a degree program but is no longer in attendance at GGU. b. Affiliate Membership - may be granted to any person who is not otherwise eligible for Membership, and who is or has been associated with GGU, and whose interest in or service to GGU has been significant.
Associate Membership - membership may be granted to the spouse of Ordinary Member to facilitate a joint interest and support group.
3.2 All Ordinary Members who are above 18 years of age shall have the right:
a. To stand for election, to nominate or second a candidate or election. b. To speak and vote at Meetings of the Alumni. 3.3 All Affiliate and Associate Members shall have the right to attend . Meetings of the Alumni but not to speak, to vote or to stand for election, to nominate or second a candidate for election. 3.4 a. A person joining the Alumni shall submit an application in a prescribed form to the Honorary Secretary. b. The Executive Committee shall decide on the application, on a simple majority vote of its Members. c. A copy of the Constitution shall be furnished to every approved Member, upon payment of the entrance fee. Article 4 - Subscription 4.1 The entrance fee and subscription shall be reviewed and determined yearly at the Annual General Meeting. The entrance fee and subscription shall be payable in such manner as the Executive Committee may from time to time decide. 4.2 If any Member shall fail to pay his subscription within one month of such subscription becoming due, notice shall be sent to him calling his attention thereto, and if he does not pay the amount within one calendar month from the posting of such notice, the Executive Committee may remove/revoke rights relating to the Membership of the Association. But if at any time he gives to the Executive Committee a satisfactory explanation he may at the discretion of the Executive Committee, and upon payment of all arrears, be readmitted to Membership. 4.3 Any Member may at any time become a Member for life on pay all arrears of subscription and a sum equal to ten times the current subscription payable in a year, provided that the Executive Committee may in its absolute discretion suspend the operation of this clause for such periods as it considers necessary. 4.4 The entrance fee and subscription for retiree Members shall be waived and reduced to half respectively. Article 5 - Executive Committee 5.1 The Alumni shall be managed and administered by an Executive Committee which shall formulate its policies and create and direct such programs as may be necessary or proper to achieve its objects. 5.2 The Executive Committee shall consist of 11 Ordinary Members. They are: two months after giving seven day’s notice to the Executive Committee Members. at every Meeting, not less than half of the Executive Committee Members shall constitute a quorum. 5.10 Any Member of the Executive Committee absenting himself from three Meetings consecutively without any satisfactory explanation shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Executive Committee and a successor may be co-opted by the Executive Committee to serve until the next Annual General Meeting. Any change in the Executive Committee shall be notified to the Registrar of Societies within two weeks of the change. Article 6 - Duties and Powers of Members of the Executive Committee 6.1 The President shall: a. Be the Chief Executive Officer of the Alumni and shall have a general supervision of the business of the Alumni. b. Preside at all Meetings of the Alumni and the Executive Committee. c. Be the main signatory of all contracts and agreements. d. Execute all contracts and agreements authorized by the Executive Committee. e. Represent the Alumni at Meetings with GGU and other organizations. f. Represent he Alumni on appropriate occasions. g. Authorize expenditure of less than $10,000 from the Alumni’s funds. h. Perform such other duties as may be directed by the Eecutive Committee. 6.2 The Vice-President shall assist the President and deputize for him/her in his/her absence. 6.3 The Honorary Secretary shall: a. Be responsible for convening all Meetings of the Alumni and of the Executive Committee. b. Keep minutes of Meetings of the Alumni and of the Executive Committee. c. Carry out the decisions of the Alumni and of the Executive Committee. d. Have charge of all Alumni records except financial and conduct the correspondence of the Alumni. e. Submit at Executive Committee Meetings, any matter for discussion received from Members of the Alumni. f. Submit the records of the Alumni for inspection by any Member of the Alumni who shall have given one week’s notice of intention to inspect the records. g. Prepare the Annual Report of the Alumni for presentation to Members. h. Maintain an up-to-date Register of Members at all times 6.4 The Assistant Honorary Secretary shall assist the Honorary Secretary and deputize for him in his absence. 6.5 The Honorary y Treasurer shall: a. Keep all funds and collect and disburse all monies on behalf of the Alumni. b. Keep an account of all monetary transactions in a proper manner and shall be responsible for their correctness. c. Have power to retain in his/her hand for petty expenses of the Alumni a sum of money not exceeding S$200 in cash and to deposit the excess of this in a bank to be named by the Executive Committee. d. Be responsible for making all payments on behalf of the Alumni and all such payments exceeding the sum of S$200 shall be made by cheque drawn in the name of the payee. e. Sign all cheques issued in conjunction with the President or the Vice-President on behalf of the Alumni. f. Make financial reports at regular intervals prescribed by the Executive Committee. 6.6 The Ordinary Committee Members shall head sub-committees appointed by the Executive Committee and perform other duties assigned by the Executive Committee from time to time. Article 7 - Financial Year and Audit 7.1 The Financial Year of the Alumni shall begin on 1st July and end 30th June of the following year. 7.2 Two voting Members, not being Members of the Executive Committee shall be elected as Honorary Auditors at each General Meeting and will hold office for a term of one year and shall not be re-elected for consecutive terms. They: a. Will be required to audit each year9s account and present a report upon them to the Annual General Meeting. b. Be required by the President to audit the Alumni account for any period within their tenure of office at any date and make a report to the Executive Committee. Article 8 - Supreme Authority and General Meetings 8.1 The supreme authority of the Alumni is vested in a General Meeting of the Members presided over by the President. 8.2 The General Meetings of the Alumni shall be the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). 8.3 The AGM of the Alumni shall be held in September each year, at a place upon a date and time to be fixed by the Executive Committee for the following purposes: a. To receive from the Executive Committee a report of the activities of the Alumni during the preceding year and the audited Statement of Accounts for the previous Financial Year and a list of current Members. b. To elect Members of the Executive Committee and two Honorary Auditors for the following year. c. To decide on any resolution which may be duly submitted to the General Meeting as provided under Article 8 Clause 8.14. 8.4 Notice of the AGM stating the date and place of meeting, shall be sent by the Honorary Secretary to all Members not less than 14 days before the date fixed for the Meeting. 8.5 The Executive Committee may at any time for any special reason call an EGM of the Alumni and shall do so within two months upon the requisition in writing of at least ten voting Members of the Alumni stating the objects or reasons for such a Meeting. 8.6 Notice calling an EGM stating the date and place of meeting shall be sent by the Honorary Secretary to all Members not less than 14 days before the date fixed for such Meeting and shall state the business to be discussed. 8.7 If the Executive Committee does not within two months after the date of the receipt of the written request proceed to convene an EGM, the Members who requested for the EGM shall convene the EGM by giving ten days9 notice to voting Members setting forth the business to be transacted. 8.8 Unless otherwise provided, a motion or resolution at any General Meeting shall be carried by a simple majority of voting Members present. 8.9 Unless otherwise provided, voting shall be by a show of hands unless ballot is demanded by the person presiding or by at least ten Members present and eligible to vote. 8.10 Voting by proxy is not permissible except under Article 11 and Article 12. a. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing in a form prescribed by the Executive Committee or as near thereto as possible. A Member shall only appoint as his proxy a Member who is entitled to exercise a vote at a Meeting of the Alumni. b. The proxy shall be valid for use at one Meeting only or for any adjournment of that Meeting. c. The instrument in proper form appointing a proxy must be deposited with the Honorary Secretary of the Alumni not ` less than forty-eight hours before the Meeting at which it is intended to be used. 8.11 On a show of hands every Member present shall have one vote. Upon a ballot every Member present in person or by proxy shall have one vote. The person presiding shall have a second or casting vote whether the issue is to be decided by a simple or other stipulated majority. 8.12 At lease one-quarter of the total voting Membership of the Alumni present at a General Meeting shall form a quorum. 8.13 In the event of there being no quorum at the commencement of a General Meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned for half an hour and shout the number then present be insufficient to form a quorum, those present shall be considered a quorum, but they shall have no power to amend any clause of the existing Constitution. 8.14 Any Member who wishes to place an item on the agenda of a General Meeting may do so provided the Member gives notice to the Honorary Secretary one week before the Meeting is due to be held. The proposed motion must be supported by two Members. Article 9 - Nomination and Election of Executive Committee 9.1 A notice calling for nomination for election of Members to the Executive Committee shall be sent by the Honorary Secretary to all Members not less than 30 days before the AGM. 9.2 All such nominations in a form prescribed by the Executive Committee must be returned to the Honorary Secretary not later than three days before the AGM. 9.3 Each nomination form shall be signed by the proposer and seconder and shall contain the written consent of the candidate for election as an Executive Committee. 9.4 a. Should the number of nomination received three days before the AGM be insufficient to fill all the posts in the Executive Committee, those already nominated shall be deemed to have been elected to their respective posts in the Executive Committee. b. Nominations may then be made from amongst, and by those present at the AGM and those so nominated may be elected to fill the remaining vacancies in the manner prescribed in Article 9, Clause 9.5. 9.5 The election procedure shall be as follows: a. The Executive Committee shall appoint two Members to act as scrutineers; the persons so appointed shall not be Members of the Executive Committee nor shall they be candidates for election at the Meeting. b. Scrutineers shall examine the nominations and where there is only one nomination to an office or only sufficient nominations in respect of the vacancies for Executive Committee under Article 5, Clause 5.2, they shall advise the person presiding at the Meeting who shall forthwith declare the person so nominated to be elected. c. Where there is more than one nomination for an office or more than a sufficient number of nomination for Members o of the Executive Committee under Article 5, Clause 5, the scrutineers shall issue ballot papers to all those present and entitled to vote, and after the papers have been marked, shall collect them and shall report the numbers of votes cast for each person nominated to the person presiding at the Meeting who shall announce the result of the ballot. d. In the event of an equality of votes the election shall be determined by a second or subsequent ballot. Article 10 - Trustees 10.1 If the Alumni by any time acquires any immovable property, such property shall be vested in trustees subject to a declaration of trust. 10.2 The trustees of the Alumni shall: a. Not be more than four and not less than two in number. b. Be appointed and approved by a General Meeting of Members. c. Not affect any sale or mortgage of property without the prior approval of the General Meeting of Members. 10.3 The office of the trustee shall be vacated: a. If the trustee dies or becomes a lunatic or of unsound mind. b. If he is absent from the Republic of Singapore for a period of more than one year. c. If he is guilty of misconduct of such a kind as to render it undesirable that he continues as a trustee. d. If he submits notice of resignation from his trusteeship. 10.4 Notice of any proposal to remove a trustee from his trusteeship or to appoint a new trustee to fill a vacancy must be given by posting it on the notice board in the Alumni9s premises at least two weeks before the General Meeting at which the proposal is to be discussed. The result of such General Meeting shall then be notified to the Registrar of Societies. 10.5 The addresses of immovable properties, names of trustees and any subsequent change must be notified to the Registrar of Societies. Article 11 - Amendments to Constitution 11.1 This constitution shall continue until a resolution for its amendment shall be passed at least by two-thirds of the total voting Members of the Alumni for the time being resident in Singapore appearing in person or proxy in favour of that resolution at a General Meeting duly convened for that purpose. Such amendment shall not be enforced or applied until it has been submitted to and approved by the Registrar of Societies. 11.2 Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed by the Executive Committee or by a petition fro amendment signed by the Member of the Alumni filed with the Honorary Secretary for review by the Executive Committee who shall review the proposal and document in report, the reasons for the proposal and its deliberations and discussions. This report shall be sent to all Members two weeks prior to the voting at the General Meeting. 11.3 The resulting change in the Constitution must be made known to all members. Article 12 - Dissolution 12.1 The Alumni shall not be dissolved except with the consent of not less than two -thirds of the total voting Members of the Alumni for the time being resident in Singapore expressed either in person or by proxy at a General Meeting convened for the purpose. 12.2 In the event of the Alumni being dissolved as provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Alumni shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds shall be donated to an approved charity or charities in Singapore or disposed off in the way as decided by the Members at the General Meeting. 12.3 All Alumni Members shall be informed of the intention for dissolution one month before the date of voting at the General Meeting. 12.4 A Certificate of Dissolution shall be given within seven (7) days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies. Article 13 - Prohibitions 13.1 Gambling of any kind whether for stakes or not is forbidden on the Alumni9s premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or taking of prohibited drugs and bad characters into the premises is prohibited. 13.2 The funds of the Alumni shall not be used to pay the fines of Members who have been convicted in Court. 13.3 The Alumni shall not engage in any Trade Union activity as defined in any written law relating to Trade Unions for the time being in force in Singapore. 13.4 The Alumni shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes. 13.5 The Alumni shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its Members or not, in the name of the Alumni or its office-bearers, Executive Committee or Members, unless with the prior approval of the relevant authorities. 13.6 The Alumni shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purposes without the prior approval in writing of the Director of Criminal Investigation Department and other relevant authorities. 13.7 The Alumni shall not be use for any advertising for individual purposes. 13.8 The Alumni shall not attempt to restrict or interfere with trade or make directly or indirectly any recommendation to, any arrangement with its Members which has the purpose or is likely to have the effect of controlling the price or any discount, allowance or rebate relating to any goods or services which adversely affects consumer interest. Article 14 - Interpretation In the event of any question or matter arising out of any point which is not expressly provided for in the Constitution, the Executive Committee shall have the power to use its own discretion. The decision of the Executive Committee shall be final unless it is reversed at a General Meeting of Members. Article 15 - Disputes In the event of any dispute arising amongst Members, they shall attempt to resolve the matter at an EGM in accordance with the Rules in the Constitution. Should the Members fail to resolve the matter, they may bring the matter to a court of law for settlement.

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