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The Constitution of

Management Students Association,


Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Students Union

Section 1: General

Section 2: Membership

Section 3: General Meeting

Section 4: General Polling

Section 5: The Executive Committee

Section 6: Annual Election

Section 7: Association Finance

Section 8: Amendment of the Constitution

Section 9: Dissolution

Last Updated: 1st February, 2017


Section 1: General

Article 1: Name
The full name of the Association shall be the "Management Students' Association, Hong Kong
University of Science and Technology Students Union", and the Chinese name shall be
, hereinafter referred to as the Association.

Article 2: Objectives
1. To encourage the study of Management and its applications.
2. To enhance sense of unity and promote welfare among members.
3. To foster a closer relationship between staff and students.
4. To cultivate good relationship with other clubs and societies within the University in
academic, social and cultural aspects.

Article 3: Official language


The official languages are English and Chinese, and they should enjoy equal status. In case of
discrepancy, unless otherwise stated, the English version shall prevail.

Article 4: Session and Financial Year


The session and financial year of the Association commence on the conclusion of the Annual
General Meeting and end at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting.

Article 5: Affiliation
The Association is affiliated to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Students Union
(HKUSTSU). The Association should not apply or accept any loan beyond HKUSTSU. The
Association shall not apply for any other affiliation within the Hong Kong University of Science a nd
Technology (HKUST).
Section 2: Membership

Article 1: Full Membership


The following students in HKUST shall be eligible for full membership upon membership application:

1. All full-time Management major undergraduates; or


Year 1 Business and Management (B&M) students; or
Year 1 Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) students; or
Year 1 Economics and Finance (ECOF) students; or
Year 1 Environmental Management and Technology (EVMT) students; or
Year 1 Quantitative Finance (QFIN) students; or
Year 1 Risk Management and Business Intelligence (RMBI) students; or
Year 1 Dual Degree Program in Technology and Management (TM) students; or
Year 1 Biotechnology and Business (BIBU) students; or
Year 1 Mathematics and Economics (MAEC) students; and
2. Full members of HKUSTSU

Article 2: Associate Membership


All members of the staff, all students registered and past graduates in HKUST shall be eligible for
associate membership.

Article 3: Honorary Membership


1. All honorary members of the Association shall fulfill the following criteria:
a. Graduated from HKUST.
b. Full or associate member of the Association.
c. Made contribution to the Association in the past. All ex-office bearers of the
Association shall be eligible for Honorary Member of the Association.
d. Approved by the Executive Committee of the Association.
2. All honorary members of the Association shall enjoy all privileges of a full member
except the right to vote in polling.

Article 4: Privileges and Obligations


1. All members of the Association shall enjoy the following privileges:
a. To use facilities provided by the Association.
b. To take part in the functions arranged by the Association.
2. Full members of the Association shall enjoy the following privileges:
a. To vote in General Meeting(s) and General Polling(s).
b.. To be eligible for election and to hold office in the Executive Committee of the
Association.
3. All members of the Association shall have the following obligation:
a. To pay the prescribed membership fees adopted in the Annual General
Meeting for the coming session.
4. All members of the Association shall have the following obligation:
a. To abide by the Constitution.
Section 3: General Meeting

Article 1: Authority
The highest authority in the Association shall be rested on the Annual General Meeting, any
Extraordinary General Meeting(s) or any General Polling(s).

Article 2: General
1. Convening
a. All General Meeting shall be convened by the Chairperson of the Executive
Committee.
b. No General Meeting shall be held unless it is conducted by the Chairperson of the
Executive Committee at the request of Executive Committee or
a written requisition signed by not less than half of all full members of
the Association.
c. A public notice of General Meeting, the agenda and motion(s) to be put to the
meeting shall be posted seven clear days in advance of the meeting.
2. Quorum
a. No less than two---thirds of the Executive Committee of the Association shall
form a quorum of a General Meeting.
b. If a quorum is not reached after half an hour of the time scheduled for the
commencement of the General Meeting, the meeting shall be postponed for a
week. If at that meeting, a quorum is still not reached, all full members present
shall form a quorum.

Article 3: Annual General Meeting


1. General
a. The Chairperson of the Executive Committee shall preside at an Annual
General Meeting.
b. The date of Annual General Meeting shall be decided and announced by the
Executive Committee at least seven clear days in advance.
c. A public notice of Annual General meeting and the agenda shall be prepared by the
Internal Secretary of the Executive Committee and shall be posted at
least seven clear days in advance.
d. The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be:
(1) To receive and adopt the minutes of the previous Annual General
Meeting together with the minutes of all Extraordinary General
Meetings, which may have been held since the previous Annual
General Meeting.
(2) To receive and adopt the Annual Report of the Internal Secretary for the
current session.
(3) To receive and adopt the Financial Report of the Financial Secretary, the
audited statement of Accounts and the Balance Sheet of the Association
for the current session.
(4) To introduce the office bearers of the coming session.
(5) To receive and adopt the Year Plan of the Executive Committee for the
coming session.
(6) To pass the proposed membership fees.
(7) To receive and adopt the Annual Budget for the coming session.
(8) To discuss and vote for any amendment of the Constitution, if any.
(9) Any Other Business specified in the agenda of the meeting.
e.In the agenda of the Annual General Meeting, all A.O.B. have to be listed. If there
is any A.O.B. proposed during the meeting, it cannot be discussed during the
meeting

2. Quorum
a. No less than 13% of the full members of the Association shall form a quorum of an
Annual General Meeting.
b. If a quorum is not reached after an hour of time scheduled for the commencement of
the Annual General Meeting, the meeting shall be postponed for a week. If at that
meeting a quorum is still not reached, all full members present shall form a quorum.

Article 4: Extraordinary General Meeting


1. General
a. The Chairperson of the Executive Committee shall preside at an Extraordinary
General Meeting of any purpose whenever necessary.
b. A public notice of Extraordinary General meeting and the agenda specifying the
business to be executed shall be prepared by the Internal Secretary of
the Executive Committee and shall be posted at least seven clear days in
advance.
2. Quorum
a. No less than 17% of the full members of the Association shall form a
quorum of an Extraordinary General Meeting.
b. If a quorum is not reached after an hour of the time scheduled for the
commencement of the Extraordinary General Meeting, the meeting shall be
postponed for a week. If at that meeting, a quorum is still not reached, all full
members present shall form a quorum.

Article 5: Regulations and procedures of the General Meeting


1. Only full members and honorary members shall have the speaking right. Only full
members shall have the right to raise motion, to second and to vote in General
Meeting(s). The Chairperson shall have no right to participate in debates of any
matter.
2. The chairperson shall have a casting vote only.
3. The Internal Secretary of the Association shall be responsible for preparing agenda and
minutes of all General Meetings. In the absence of the Internal Secretary, the full
members present shall elect one of them to preside as the Secretary.
4. With the permission of the Chairperson, any non---full members can have the
speaking right.
5. A simple majority of the vote cast is required to pass resolutions except for the
resolutions involving any amendment of the Constitution or vote of non---confidence for
which two---thirds of the vote cast is required.
6. At any General Meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on
a show of hands, unless the meeting decides on a procedural motion to vote on the
resolution by secret ballot, or unless the Chairperson decides to do so in which a vote by
secret ballot shall be held.
Section 4: General Polling

Article 1: Authority
The General Polling, possessing equal status with the Annual General Meeting and
Extraordinary General Meeting(s), shall be the highest authority in all matters concerning the
Association.

Article 2: Supervision
1. The Chairperson of the Executive Committee shall conduct the General Polling. In the
absence of the Chairperson, the Internal Vice-Chairperson shall be present to conduct the
whole process.
2. At least one staff member of HKUST shall be invited as the Returning Officer to
supervise the counting procedure.
3. An election board shall consist of 4 members of the Executive Committees and one other full
member of the Association shall act as an adviser of the election board.
The election board shall have one chairperson and the following authorities:
a. To receive and adjudicate any complaints.
b. To monitor the promotion fees of the nominated cabinet(s).
c. The chairperson of the election board shall have the final judgment on the validity
of votes.

Article 3: Procedure
1. A General Polling shall only be held by the Chairperson at the request of the
Executive Committee, or not less than one-fifth of the full-members of the
Association.
2. A public notice of General Polling shall be posted at least seven clear days in advance.
3. Voting at General Polling shall be by secret ballots.
4. Voting shall be opened for at least eight continuous hours.
5. Counting of ballots shall be finished within twenty---four hours after closure of voting.

Article 4: Result
1. A simple majority of the vote is required to pass resolutions. Two---thirds of the vote cast is
required to pass resolutions involving any amendment of the Constitution.
2. A temporary result shall be announced immediately after the counting of ballots
3. If no complaints are received, an official result shall be made in twenty-four hours
after the announcement of the temporary result.

Article 5: Validity
General Polling is valid only in receiving valid votes from at least one-third of the full members.

Article 6: Complaint
1. Complaint(s) shall be directed to the election board within twenty---four hours after
the announcement of the temporary result.
2. A meeting shall be convened within three days to adjudicate the complaint(s) received.
3. The official result shall be announced immediately after the complaint(s) have been
settled.
Section 5: The Executive Committee

Article 1: Authority
The Executive Committee shall be the executive body of the Association, and is subjected to the
highest authority of the Annual General Meeting, the Extraordinary General Meeting(s) and General
Polling(s).

Article 2: Responsibilities and Rights


The Executive Committee shall:
1. Be responsible for all matters of the Association in the whole session between two
successive Annual General Meetings.
2. Convene all General Meetings of the Association for any purpose whenever
necessary.
3. Prepare and proclaim an Annual Budget and a Year Plan for the current session.
4. Have the power to appoint sub---committee whenever deemed necessary.
5. Have the power to appoint representatives for the Association to participate in
meetings and activities.
6. Have the right to vote in General Meeting(s) and General Polling(s).
7. Reserve the right of explaining the spirit of the Constitution in General Meeting(s).
8. Restrain the Chairperson, the Vice---chairpersons and the Financial Secretary from
holding any other positions in the Association.

Article 3: The Office Bearers


The Executive Committee shall consist of the following eighteen office bearers:
1. Chairperson
2. Internal Vice---Chairperson
3. External Vice---Chairperson
4. Internal Secretary
5. External Secretary
6. Financial Secretary
7. Welfare Secretary
8. Academic Secretary
9. Publication Secretary
10. Up to a maximum of three Marketing Officers
11. Up to a maximum of three Promotion Secretaries
12. Public Relations Secretary
13. Information Technology Secretary
14. Sports Captain

There shall be at least seven office bearers which include:


1. Chairperson
2. Internal Vice---Chairperson
3. External Vice---Chairperson
4. Internal Secretary
5. External Secretary
6. Financial Secretary
7. Welfare Secretary

Article 4: Duties of Individual Office Bearers


1. The Chairperson shall be the chief executive, represent the Association in all affair, and
preside at all General Meeting(s) and meetings of the Executive Committee.
2. The Internal Vice-Chairperson shall assist the Chairperson in all internal affairs, and
act as the Acting Chairperson of the Executive Committee in the absence
of the Chairperson.
3. The External Vice---Chairperson shall assist the Chairperson in all external affairs,
and promote the Association to outsiders.
4. The Internal Secretary shall be responsible for the general executive duties including
keeping all records of the Association, preparing agendas and minutes of the
Executive Committee meetings and General Meeting(s).
5. The External Secretary shall assist the External Vice-chairperson in all his/her duties
and keep track of all written records of the external affairs.
6. The Financial Secretary shall prepare one Financial Budget and one Financial
Report for the current session, and keep all financial records of the Association.
7. The Welfare Secretary shall be responsible for all affairs concerning the general
welfare of members of the Association.
8. The Academic Secretary shall be in charge of all academic activities of the Association
the Association, and encourage the study of Management.
9. The Publication Secretary shall be responsible for all publication and publicity
matters concerning the Association.
10. The Marketing Officer(s) shall be responsible for all marketing matters.
11. The Promotion Secretary(ies) shall be in charge of all matters concerning promotion.
12. The Public Relations Secretary shall maintain good relationship between the Association and
outside parties including the Department of Management and the public, and handle any
complains or suggestion from members.
13. The Information Technology Secretary shall be in charge of any technical support and
keep track of all electronic records of the Association.
14. The Sports Captain shall be responsible for all recreational and sports activities
of the Association.

Article 5: Committee Meeting


1. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once within one session and the Chairperson
shall preside at all committee meetings. In case of absence of the Chairperson, the
Internal Vice---Chairperson shall preside at the meeting.
2. The Chairperson shall convene a committee meeting upon receiving a requisition
signed by at least over half of the Executive Committee members.
3. The Chairperson shall not participate in debates of any matter and shall have the
casting vote only in the committee meeting.
4. Quorum
Two---thirds of the Executive Committee members shall form a quorum of a
committee meeting.
Section 6: Annual Election

Article 1: Nomination
1. Nomination(s) for the Executive Committee of the Association shall be opened at
least two weeks in advance of the election.
2. The new Executive Committee shall be nominated in the form of a cabinet and the cabinet
shall submit their nomination to the current Executive Committee within the nomination
period. The nomination must be seconded by at least one full member of the Association
who does not belong to the cabinet he/she nominates.
3. Each candidate can only join one cabinet.
4. The cabinet shall at least comprise of seven candidates including Chairperson,
Internal Vice-Chairperson, External Vice-Chairperson, Internal Secretary,
External Secretary, Financial Secretary and Welfare Secretary.
5. The cabinet shall comprise of full members of the Association only.
6. The promotion and miscellaneous expenses of the coming cabinet should not exceed
the upper---limit of $7000.
7. The posts of the nominated cabinet shall only be changed once, if necessary, after the
nomination period and seven clear days in advance of the Election, with the approval of the
Election Board.
8. The posts of the proposed cabinet, after Election, shall only be changed once,
if necessary, seven clear days in advance of the Annual General Meeting, with
the approval of the current executive committee.
9. In case of absence of nomination, the Annual General Meeting shall resolve the matter.
10. An election board shall be set up to handle all matters concerning the annual election. It shall
consist of 4 members of the Executive Committee and one other full member of the association.
All nominators or nominees cannot be any members of election committee. The election board
shall have one chairperson and the following authorities:

a. To receive and adjudicate any complaints within twenty-four hours.


b. To monitor the promotion fees of the nominated cabinet(s).
c. The chairperson of the election board shall have the final judgment on the validity of
votes.
11. The Election Board shall be set up at least at least seven clear days in advance of the
nomination period.

Article 2: Voting
1. As stated in Section 2 Article 4(no.2), only full members of the Association shall have the
right to vote.
2. Upon nomination(s), an election must be held before the Annual General Meeting, and
the confident votes must exceed the non- confident votes for the cabinet to become the
new office of the Association.
3. In case of two or more cabinets, the cabinet with the highest votes shall be elected
into the office.
4. The total number of votes in the voting shall be at least half of the total number of full members
to be reported in the Annual General Meeting.
5. The result of the election shall be prepared by the Election Board and shall be posted within
seven clear days.

Article 3: Vacancies and Resignation


1. Should the Chairperson resign his/her post or receive a vote of non-confident, an
Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened to elect a new Chairperson.
2. A vacancy in the Executive Committee other than the Chairperson can be filled by any full
member of the Association appointed by the Executive Committee.
3. Any office bearers, if having committed any infringement of the Constitution, used the name
of the Association in illegal or corruptive acts, been notice to any negligence of duties, failed
to attend Executive Committee meetings without prior notice to any permission from decision
of Association, may be demanded by the Executive Committee to resign at an Extraordinary
General.
4. Any Executive Committee members whose term of office has been suspended
or dismissed shall have the right to appeal to an Annual General Meeting or
Extraordinary general Meeting of which the decision shall be final.
5. In case of any changes of the office bearers, a public notice shall be posted within seven
clear days.
Section 7: Association Finance

Article 1: Budget and Financial Report


1. The Executive Committee shall prepare the annual financial budget and the annual
financial report and present them in their Annual General Meeting. The Annual
General Meeting shall consider and approve them.

2. Budgets with detailed explanation concerning an activities organized by the sub ------
committee shall be submitted to the Executive Committee for prior approval. Detailed financial
reports shall be submitted to the Financial Secretary and kept as records by the activity
organizing sub-committee within two weeks after the activity held.

Article 2: Association Funds

Association funds shall be used solely for administrative and activity expenses of the
Association. All members of the Executive Committee for the current session shall be
responsible for any loans owed in that session.

Article 3: Income
1. Income of the Association shall consist of subscriptions, subsidies, donations and
revenues from the services provided by the Association.
2. The Association should not apply or accept any loan beyond HKUSTSU.

Article 4: Membership Fees


1. General
a.Full Membership
The membership shall last for whole course of the Bachelor Degree on
payment of a membership fee.
b. Association Membership
The membership fees shall be collected on an annual basis.
No membership fee is refundable.
2. Revision of Membership Fees
The Membership fees shall be revised by the Executive Committee and passed
through the Annual General Meeting.
Section 8: Amendment of the Constitution
Article 1: The Constitution may be amended by a resolution passed by two-thirds of full members
present at a General Meeting or two-thirds of votes cast for a motion in General Polling.

Article 2: A public notice of the proposed amendments shall be posted at least seven clear days in
advance of the General Meeting or General Polling.
Section 9: Dissolution

Article 1: The dissolution of the Association shall only be passed by a resolution made in
Referendum with a three-quarters majority.

Article 2: After dissolution, members of the Executive Committee shall be responsible for all
matters of the dissolved body.

Article 3: A public notice of the dissolution shall be posted within twenty-four hours for no less than
seven clear days.

Article 4: Members of the Executive Committee shall not take any share of the profits or any share
of the assets upon dissolution.

END

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