• UniSFA's Constitution

Constitution for UniSFA (Passed 16/3/07)

1. Name

• 1.1 The name of the club shall be: the University Science Fiction Association

2. Definitions

• 2.1 UniSFA - the University Science Fiction Association
• 2.2 Guild - the Guild of Undergraduates of the University of Western Australia
• 2.3 University- the University of Western Australia
• 2.4 Library- the UniSFA collection of books and other science fiction and fantasy materials

3. Objectives

• 3.1 To encourage and facilitate science fiction and fantasy in all its forms and the University of Western Australia
• 3.2 To remain affilitated to the Societies Council of the Guild
• 3.3 To encourage and promote cooperation between the club and other affilitated societies representative of the University's interests
• 3.4 To encourage and promote cooperation between the club and other community-based organisations
• 3.5 To do all things that are necessary and proper for the benefit or advancement of members of the club
• 3.6 UniSFA may not by way of gift, transmit any moneys, grants or property to any person except as detailed in Section 16.

4. Membership of UniSFA

• 4.1 Ordinary UniSFA membership shall be confined to:
  • 4.1.1 Financial Supporting Members of the Guild
  • 4.1.2 Associates of the Guild
  • 4.1.3 Honourary life associates of the Guild
  • 4.1.4 Members of the University Senate
  • 4.1.5 Members of the University Staff
  • 4.1.6 Honorary life members of UniSFA
  • 4.1.7 Students of the University
  • 4.1.8 Passed Ordinary Members of UniSFA
• 4.2 Associate UniSFA membership shall be made available to
  • 4.2.1 Past members of UniSFA
  • 4.2.2 Past members of the Guild
  • 4.2.3 Members of the general public
• 4.3 Honorary life membership may be conferred by a two-thirds majority of a General Meeting upon any member who has performed outstanding service to UniSFA
• 4.4 The annual subscription for members shall, from time-to time, be set by a General Meeting and shall not exceed five dollars more that the minimum subscription set by the Guild
• 4.5 Financial memberships shall expire on the first day of semester of the subsequent academic year
• 4.6 Members other than ordinary members shall have all the rights and priviledges of ordinary members, but shall not
  • 4.6.1 Be voting members of UniSFA
  • 4.6.2 Nominate candidates for the offices and committee of UniSFA
  • 4.6.3 Become or remain office bearers of UniSFA

5. Meetings of UniSFA

• 5.1 UniSFA shall hold its Annual General Meeting during the first three weeks of each academic year
• 5.2 There shall be at least one ordinary General Meeting of UniSFA in each academic semester
• 5.3 The Committee may at any time, call a Special General Meeting of UniSFA
• 5.4 The Secretary shall forthwith call a Special General Meeting upon receiving a written requisition from at least ten financial ordinary members of UniSFA, and such meeting shall be held not later than ten days immediately following receipt of such requ isition. If the secretary fails to call the meeting within that time, any of the signatories of the requistion may do so. Any business set out in the requisition shall have priority over all other business.
• 5.5 The folowing provisions govern General Meeting of UniSFA
  • 5.5.1 The secretary shall cause written notice of any General Meeting together with the agenda therefore to be posted on Guild notice boards, the UniSFA notice boards, or the Guilder at least seven days before the the date appointed for that meeting.
  • 5.5.2 No general Meeting may be held while a Guild General Meeting is in progress, provided that this shall not apply where the written notice of the meeting was given before the written notice of the Guild General Meeting. Any such meeting being conducted in contravention thereof shall disband immediately on the order of a disciplinary officer of the Guild
  • 5.5.3 The quorum of General Meeting shall consist of twenty ordinary members
  • 5.5.4 All General Meetings of UniSFA shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures in the Standing Rules and Orders of the Guild Council

6. Annual General Meetings of UniSFA

• 6.1 Before the Annual General Meeting, the secretary shall call for nominations for the offices and Committee of UniSFA, and shall include the same in the notice of the Annual General Meeting. Nominations shall close at that meeting.
• 6.2 UniSFA may, at the Annual General Meeting, elect a patron who if they indicate their willingness to so act shall hold office until the succeeding Annual General Meeting.
• 6.3 The office bearers of UniSFA shall be elected by the financial ordinary members of UniSFA at the Annual General Meeting and
  • 6.3.1 Shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary, Tresurer, Librarian
  • 6.3.2 Only financial ordinary members of UniSFA who are financial supporting members of the Guild shall be eligible as office bearers
  • 6.3.3 The election shall be conducted by optional preferential ballot for each office in the order shown in section 6.3.1
  • 6.3.4 The office bearers powers and duties are defined in section 8

7. The Committee

• 7.1 After the Committee has been elected it shall forthwith proceed to appoint from amongst its members a delegate to any subsidiary Guild council to which UniSFA is affiliated
• 7.2 The office bearers and ordinary Committee members shall remain in office until the next Annual General Meeting or until they lose the confidence of a General Meeting, in which their position is declared vacant
• 7.3 If an office bearer resigns or ceases to hold office for any reason the remaining members of the Committee shall forthwith fill the vacancy so created by appointing thereto a member of the Committee, but such an appointment shall be subject to review at the next General Meeting
• 7.4 If an ordinary Committee member resigns or ceases to hold office for any reason, or is appointed an office bearer under section 7.3 above, then the vacancy shall be filled by appointment from the ordinary membership by the committee, subject to review at the next General Meeting
• 7.5 The Committee shall meet as such times and places as the President shall determine and
  • 7.5.1 The Secretary shall cause all members of the Committee to receive seven days notice of any such meeting including a list of the business to be discussed
  • 7.5.2 The Secretary shall forthwith call a Special Committee Meeting upon reciving a written requisition from at least two Committee members: and any such Special Meeting shall be held not later than seven days immediately following the receipt of such requisition. If the Secretary fails to call the meeting within that time, any one of the members signing the requisition may do so. Any business set out in the requisition shall have priority over all other business
  • 7.5.3 The quorum of the Committee shall be five, of who at least two shall be office bearers
  • 7.5.4 All meetings of the Committee shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures prescribed in the Standing Rules and Orders of the Guild Council
• 7.6 Subject to this Constitution, the Committee shall be responsible to the club in General Meeting for giving effect to the objects of the club as set down in section 3 and elsewhere in this Consitution and for carrying on its everyday business and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the committee shall have the power to
  • 7.6.1 Aquire and dispose of property; to dispose of monies; to open banking accounts; and to enter into contracts. Unless acting under a special enabling resolution of a General Meeting, however, the Committee shall not borrow money or incure debts or liabilities on behalf of or in the name of UniSFA to a greater amount than five dollars for each and every existing financial member of the club
  • 7.6.2 Make regulations for the orderly and proper management of the affairs of UniSFA, but so that no regulations is inconsistent or repugnant to this Constitution
  • 7.6.3 To make, alter, or repeal by-laws, and to impose fines for the breach therof. All by-laws and any alteration or amendment thereof shall be subject to ratification by Societies Council and Guild Council before coming into force. The maximum fine imposed may not exceed ten dollars

8. Office Bearers

• 8.1 Office Bearers shall be financial supporting members of the Guild
• 8.2 The President shall have the following duties, in addition to those elsewhere in the Constitution and in by-laws and regulations:
  • 8.2.1 to coordinate and supervise the work of the office bearers subject to the authority of the UniSFA General Meeting
  • 8.2.2 To generally carry out the policy of UniSFA
  • 8.2.3 To chair Committee and General Meetings of UniSFA
• 8.3 The Vice President shall be responsible for assisting the President wherever possible, in addition to duties listed in this Consititution and in any by-laws and regulations
• 8.4 The Secretary shall have the following duties, in addition to those elsewhere in the constitution and in any by-laws and regulations:
  • 8.4.1 To record all proceedings of UniSFA in the minute book which the Secretary shall cause to provided for that purpose
  • 8.4.2 To conduct and keep copies of all correspondence of UniSFA
  • 8.4.3 To provide the Guild with information about UniSFA that it requests
• 8.5 The Treasurer shall have the following duties, in addition to those elsewhere in the Constitution and in any by-laws and regulations:
  • 8.5.1 To keep proper books of account dealing with the property and finances of UniSFA and to furnish the Committee with such accounts and information relating to the finances and property of UniSFA as the Committee from time-to-time requires
  • 8.5.2 To arrange and be responsible for the handling of the petty cash and to render and account to each Committee member of all petty cash
  • 8.5.3 To prepare a financial statement showing all receipts and payments during their term of office, for presentation at the Annual General Meeting
  • 8.5.4 To produce and deliver all necessary books, vouchers and other documents to the persons appointed by the Guild Finance committee for the purpose of conducting and audit, insofar as such persons require
• 8.6 The Librarian shall have the following duties, in addition to those elsewhere in the Constitution and in any by-laws and regulations:
  • 8.6.1 To maintain the libary
  • 8.6.2 To maintain the catalogue and the borrowers records
  • 8.6.3 To enforce regulations regarding the library as set by UniSFA in General Meeting or by Committee

9. Deposits and Withdrawals of Monies

• 9.1 All monies due and payable to UniSFA shall be received by the Treasurer who shall lodge them without undue delay in the UniSFA Banking Account for the credit of UniSFA
• 9.2 The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Librarian (any two to sign) shall be empowered to jointly sign cheques or forms of authority for the withdrawal of any money standing to credit of the Club in the UniSFA Banking Account

10. Payments

10.1 No payments shall be made on behalf or in the name of UniSFA unless it has been authorised by the Committee

11. Major Obligations to the Guild

11.1 UniSFA shall comply with the regulations of the Guild, the rules of Societies Council, and all other provisions enrolled upon the Guild Statues Book, and the offices and the members shall be jointly and severally responsible for such compliance, and shall be deemed liable in the event on non-compliance therewith

12. Expulsion of Members

• 12.1 The Committee may by unanimous vote request any member or associate to resign from UniSFA, and in the event shall cause written notification of such request to be served upon the member concerned
• 12.2 Should such a request prove ineffectual after fourteen days written notification, the Committee may serve written notice of intended expulsion on the member concerned, and should thay not have resigned seven days thereafter, the Committee may after unanimous vote expell him or her from UniSFA; but such expulsion shall be subject to review at the next General Meeting

13. Availability of Constitution

13.1 The Committee shall make available on request to all ordinary members copies of this Constitution for less than one dollar per copy

14. Alteration of Constitution

• 14.1 To amend this Constitution, the following steps must be taken
  • 14.1.1 Any two financial ordinary members of UniSFA may not less than three days before the day appointed for the next General Meeting submit to the Secretary a notice of motion by them proposing an alteration to the Constitution
  • 14.1.2 The motion may then be considered by UniSFA at it next meeting and amendments which are relevent to the subject matter thereof may be moved without notice
  • 14.1.3 The motion or any amendment thereto shall not be deemed adopted unless it recevies a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting
  • 14.1.4 The motion as adopted with any amendments shall come into force upon receiving the approval of Societies Council

15. Library

• 15.1 The Library is UniSFA's primary asset and as such
  • 15.1.1 Activites detrimental to the Liraries contents or use are not permitted
  • 15.1.2 It is one of the main duties of UniSFA and the Committee to maintain the Library and expand it
  • 15.1.3 At least 50% of UniSFA's annual Membership fees should be expended on improving the library and attendant materials.
• 15.2 The Library shall be available to all members except as determined by UniSFA regulations or by-laws

16. Disposition of Donations

• 16.1 In the event of UniSFA's de-registration or cessation of activity, items donated to UniSFA shall be returned to their donors.