Adopted on: 01/07/2019
Constitution of Western Association of Computing and Mathematics (WACM)
Adopted on: (01/07/2019)
1. Name
The Name of the Student Club shall be Western Association of Computing and Mathematics, hereafter referred to as WACM, or 'the Club'.
2. Affiliation
a. WACM is affiliated to uwsconnect Ltd. Campus Life, and anything in the Constitution which is inconsistent with uwsconnect Ltd. Campus Life and Western Sydney University's policies, is null and void to the extent of the inconsistency.
b. WACM must fulfil all responsibilities and obligations, and abide by guidelines, outlined in the Student Clubs Handbook.
c. WACM must always have an Enabled Portal on the University's OrgSync platform, containing current Club information; to be managed by the Executive members.
d. uwsconnect Ltd. Campus Life accepts no responsibility for the actions or decisions taken by WACM or its' Executive; the Executive shall be deemed responsible for all decisions made for or on behalf of The Club.
e. uwsconnect Ltd. Campus Life accepts no responsibility for any financial debts or other liabilities incurred by The Club.
3. Aims
a. The aims of the Student Club shall be to:
i. Bring together as many like-minded Western Sydney University Students for the purpose of improving their social and cultural experience through offering member events and activities.
ii. Build a strong community amongst Computing, Data Science and Mathematics Students
iii. Provide events that enhance both the student experience and networking opportunities
iv. Support technical aspects of student academic studies
v. Enhance student employability and promote professional development
vi. Provide students the opportunity to network with industry
vii. Foster creative thinking and build a culture of entrepreneurship within its membership
b. WACM shall be empowered to do all things necessary for the attainment of the aims and objectives of the Club. In doing so, WACM will adhere to all Western Sydney University policies and procedural guidelines, and at no time shall the Club bring the University into disrepute.
4. Powers
In order to achieve its aims, the Student Club may:
a. Organise activities and events
b. Work with other groups and exchange information
c. Do anything that is lawful which will help it to fulfil its aims
d. Make requests for uwsconnect Ltd. Campus Life to acquire, hold, deal with, and dispose of, any real or personal property for use of The Club
e. Open and operate a bank account in conjunction with uwsconnect Ltd. Campus Life
f. Accept donations from sponsors, partners and other third parties, in line with the Student Clubs Handbook guidelines on Fundraising, and gifts in accordance with the aims of The Club
g. Print and publish any information by any media for the promotion of The Club with the prior approval of uwsconnect Ltd. Campus Life
h. Provide gifts and prizes in accordance with the aims of The Club
i. Enter into any other contract The Club considers necessary or desirable, with the prior approval of uwsconnect Ltd. Campus Life
5. Membership
a. Membership of The Club shall be open to any person who is a Western Sydney University student interested in helping it achieve its aims, and willing to abide by the rules of The Club, as well as any other student as elected by the general membership
b. Membership shall be available to anyone without regard to gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual preference, religion, or belief.
c. Membership to The Club shall never have a membership fee associated with it.
d. The Club must always maintain a minimum Membership of seven (7) currently enrolled Western Sydney University Students.
e. The Club must always maintain a Membership of at least 60% currently enrolled Western Sydney University Students.
f. Western Sydney University Alumni may be members of The Club subject to the requirements of 5.e. of the Constitution.
g. Every currently enrolled Western Sydney University Student member in attendance is entitled to one (1) vote per agenda item at Meetings of The Club.
h. University Alumni and Staff, and members of the community are not entitled to vote at Meetings of The Club.
i. The Membership of currently enrolled Western Sydney University Students to The Club will only be recognised if they are listed in the People Tool of The Club’s OrgSync Portal.
j. A roll recording the names of all Members of The Club is to be held and kept up to date by The Executive.
6. Termination of Membership
a. The Membership of The Club may, by a two-thirds majority vote and for good and proper reasons, remove any Member, provided that person has been offered an opportunity to be heard before a final decision is made.
b. Appeals against such a decision may be directed to The Executive, who will make a binding decision.
c. Appeals against a decision made by The Executive to uphold such a decision may be directed to Student Clubs Staff, whose decision is final.
7. The Executive
a. The Club shall be administered by The Executive, consisting of at least six (3) Members; to be elected at the Student Club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).
b. Those elected shall hold their positions until the next Annual General Meeting, or until they vacate their position, or until they are removed by an Executive vote.
c. An Executive Member may lose their position if they are absent from two or more (2+) meetings without submitting their apologies.
d. The Executive shall always consist of: the President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, plus any other positions as may be determined by The Club at any General Club Meeting, including Special General Meetings and Annual General Meetings, from time to time.
e. All of the Executive’s three or more (3+) positions must be held by currently enrolled Western Sydney University Students or alumni that have graduated in the past 6 months.
f. No person shall hold more than one position on The Executive at any one time.
g. The Executive may, by a two-thirds majority vote and for good and proper reasons, remove any Executive Member, provided that person has been offered an opportunity to be heard before a final decision is made.
i. Appeals against such a decision may be directed to Student Clubs staff, whose decision is final.
h. The Executive may appoint another member of the Student Club as an Executive Member to fill any vacancies that may occur between AGMs, provided the number of positions held, as set out in 7.d. of the Constitution, is not exceeded.
i. The Executive must appoint a new President immediately when the position is vacated between AGMs.
i. If there are no Executives to do this, Student Clubs staff will seek out & appoint a Member of The Club to be President, if deemed appropriate.
j. The Executive is at all times bound by the decisions of a General Club Meeting, including Special General Meetings and Annual General Meetings.
k. Any Executive decision may be overturned by a General Club Meeting vote.
Structure
- President
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- VP (Public Relations)
- VP (Marketing)
- Development Officers
- Education Director
- Publications Officers
- Social Media Officers
- Membership Officers
- Sponsorship Officers
8. Duties of the Executive
a. The duties of the President are to:
i. Chair meetings of the Executive and The Club.
01. Where this is not possible, those Members of The Club present must elect a Member to Chair.
ii. Represent The Club at functions/meetings that The Club has been invited to.
iii. Act as spokesperson for The Club when necessary.
iv. Present an Annual Report at The Club's Annual General Meeting.
v. Provide leadership and encouragement for The Club.
vi. In the event that either an Executive or General Meeting cannot be held, the President shall have the full executive power of The Club. All decisions made by the President that relate to The Club must be ratified by the next General Meeting of The Club.
b. The duties of the Secretary are to:
i. Take and keep minutes of all Club Meetings
ii. Prepare the agenda for Meetings of the Executive and The Club in consultation with the President.
iii. Maintain the membership roll.
iv. Conduct all correspondence in relation to The Club.
v. Collect and circulate any relevant information within The Club.
vi. Ensure that all Club records are properly maintained.
vii. Take the necessary action to implement Executive decisions.
c. The duties of the Treasurer are to:
i. Keep a detailed record of all The Club’s financial transactions, and transfer these, including the Club cheque book, to the care of the incoming Treasurer at the end of the current Treasurer’s period of office.
ii. Present a Financial Statement to each meeting of the Executive and The Club.
iii. Present an Audited Financial Report at The Club’s Annual General Meeting.
c. The duties of the VP (Public Relations) are to:
i. Maintain relationships with students, academic staff, internal and external organizations.
ii. Establish relations with other student clubs to promote and foster community engagement
iii. Encourage community building activities and represent The Club throughout events.
iv. Closely work with the School of Computing, Data and Mathematical Sciences in 2020 to promote and represent The Club and the school.
v. Closely work and oversee work of the sponsorship and membership officers.
d. The duties of the VP (Marketing) are to:
i. Act as the head of club reach and promotion, in charge of all social media accounts and promotion of events.
ii. Oversee website development and keep track of The Clubs collateral.
iii. Lead and revise on publication materials produced by The Club.
iv. Closely work and oversee work of the publication and social media officers.
v. Develop strategies to improve growth and increase reach of The Club intra and inter university.
e. The duties of the Social Media Officers are to:
i. Generate interest and reach of club activities through social media from students.
ii. Capture events and meetings for marketing purposes.
iii. Actively update VP (Marketing) on tasks.
officers.
f. The duties of the Publications Officers are to:
i. Generate articles about the club and club events.
ii. Work on publishing articles to WSU and external outlets including but not limited to W’SUP, The Academy and blogs.
iii. Actively update VP (Marketing) on tasks.
g. The duties of the Education Director are to:
i. As a school based club, aim to organize and plan workshops and academic activities for both technology and mathematics students.
ii. Develop relations and communication with academic staff regarding such events.
iii. Work with MATS, WiSE, PASS and other academic departments to collaborate on events
h. The duties of the Development Officers are to:
i. Aim to develop and build a website on the school server or independently hosted.
ii. Develop key website functions such as a homepage, contact page, blog and event page, and possibly email hosting functionality.
iii. Develop strategies to get a functioning website up and running by mid 2020 and actively maintain and update as needed and requested by the executive.
i. The duties of the Membership Officers are to:
i. Keep detailed record of new members and their details.
ii. Encourage members to join and handle the fomal logistical process of doing so, encouraging memberships of students of all genders across all WSU campuses.
iii. Actively update VP(Relations) on tasks.
j. The duties of the Sponsorship Officers are to:
i. Assist the Treasurer in financial matters regarding events and sponsorships.
ii. Seek sponsorships from external and university organizations for partnerships including financial agreements for collaborative events with other clubs.
iii. Actively update VP (Relations) and Treasurer on tasks.
k. The duties of Members of The Executive are to:
i. Provide general assistance with the management of The Club.
ii. Where necessary, Executive Members shall accept responsibility for specific duties delegated by the Executive.
l . Executive Members may nominate an Ordinary Member of The Club to temporarily represent themselves on their behalf.
9. Meetings
a. Annual General Meeting
i. The Club shall hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) once a year, and must be held prior to the end of Stuvac of Semester 2.
ii. The Secretary shall give all Members at least fourteen (14) days’ notice, in writing, of the date of the AGM to the Members.
iii. Notice of the AGM shall clearly set out the business for which the meeting has been called.
iv. All Members of The Club shall be entitled to attend, and those persons invited by the Executive.
v. The quorum at the AGM shall be ten (10) currently enrolled Western Sydney University Student Members.
01. If, at the end of 30 minutes after the time appointed in the notice for the opening of the Meeting, the quorum is not met, the meeting shall stand and adjourn for one (1) week.
02. If at such an adjourned Meeting there is no quorum met, those Members present shall be competent to discharge the business of the Meeting.
vi. The business of the AGM shall include:
01. Receiving a report from the President on The Club’s activities over the year.
02. Receiving a report from the Treasurer on the finances of The Club.
03. Electing a new Executive; and
04. Considering any other matter as may be decided.
b. General Meetings
i. The Club shall hold a General Meeting at least once per Semester.
ii. All Members of The Club shall be entitled to attend, and those persons invited by the Executive.
iii. The quorum at General Meetings shall be ten (10) currently enrolled Western Sydney University Student Members.
01. If quorum is not met, no decisions can be made, or votes be held, that will be considered valid and binding by The Club, except by the provisions of 8.a.vi. of the Constitution.
iv. General Meetings may be called by the Executive Committee, or the President.
v. The Secretary shall give at least seven (7) days’ notice, in writing, of the date of the General Meeting to the Members.
vi. Notice of the General Meeting shall clearly set out the business for which the meeting has been called.
c. Executive Meetings
i. The Executive shall meet at least once per Semester.
ii. All Executive Members of The Club shall be entitled to attend, and those persons invited by the Executive.
iii. The quorum at Executive Meetings shall be three (3) Executive Members.
01. If quorum is not met, no decisions can be made, or votes be held, that will be considered valid and binding by The Club, except by the provisions of 8.a.vi. of the Constitution.
iv. Executive Meetings may be called by the Executive Committee, or the President.
v. The Secretary shall give at least seven (7) days’ notice, in writing, of the date of the Executive Meeting to the Executive Members.
vi. Notice of the Executive Meeting shall set out clearly the business for which the meeting has been called.
d. Special General Meetings
i. A Special General Meeting must be called by the Executive within ten (10) academic days of being presented with a petition signed by at least ten (10) Members of The Club setting out the purpose for which such a Meeting is being requested.
e. Voting
i. Only currently enrolled Western Sydney University Student Members shall be entitled to vote at all Meetings of The Club.
ii. Each currently enrolled Western Sydney University Student Member present is entitled to one (1) vote per agenda item.
iii. The President shall be entitled to a deliberate vote, and in the event of a tied vote, the President shall exercise a casting vote.
iv. Except where otherwise stated in this Constitution, decisions and the results of votes of The Club are carried by a simple majority of currently enrolled Western Sydney University Student Members present who cast a vote.
v. The Executive shall appoint a person to act as Returning Officer for The Club’s Executive elections at the AGM, ensuring they have the practical resources needed to run the elections in an organised and fair manner.
vi. Members may contact Student Clubs staff if they believe the election to be invalid; or otherwise unfair, and those Staff will have authority to resolve the situation by whatever means deemed appropriate, with their decision being final.
10. Finance
a. Any money obtained by The Club shall be used only for the Student Club.
b. Any money obtained by The Club shall be deposited into The Club’s account either with the University via the Campus Life Officer, or at such bank or recognised financial institution as the Executive may determine which has also been approved by Student Clubs Staff.
c. Any accounts opened for The Club shall be in the name of The Club.
d. All accounts due by The Club shall be paid by cheque, direct debit, or cash, after having being passed for payment at an Executive Meeting; and when immediate payment is necessary, accounts shall be paid and the action endorsed at the next Executive Meeting.
e. The Secretary shall not spend more than a set amount Petty Cash without the consent of the Executive Committee, and shall keep a record of such expenditure in a Petty Cash Book.
f. The Financial Year of The Club shall commence on January 1st each year.
g. The signatories to The Club’s accounts will be the Treasurer, the Campus Life Officer, and one (1) or more of the following: President, Secretary.
h. Any cheques issued shall be signed by the Treasurer, the Campus Life Officer, and one other signatory.
i. All property and income of The Club will apply solely to the promotion of the objects of The Club and no part of that property or income shall be paid or otherwise distributed, directly, or indirectly, to Members, except in good faith in the promotion of these objects.
11. Interpretation of, and Alterations to, the Constitution
a. If a dispute arises as to the interpretation of this Constitution, or a dispute arises for which there is no provision made in this Constitution, the matter must be referred to the Executive, who will make a binding decision.
b. Appeals against an interpretation made by The Executive must be directed to Student Clubs staff, whose decision is final.
c. The Constitution may be amended by a resolution carried by a 75% majority (special resolution) of all currently enrolled Western Sydney University Students present and voting at a General Meeting of the Club, however, such amendments are subject to rectification by the Executive, and then by Student Clubs staff who must endorse the proposed amendments and whose decision is final.
d. Proposed amendments must be made in writing to the Secretary at least five (5) days prior to the General Meeting.
e. The Secretary must include a notice of proposed amendments in the notice of business for the General Meeting.
12. Dissolution
a. The Club can be dissolved by:
i. A 75% majority (special resolution) of all currently enrolled Western Sydney University Students present and voting at a General Meeting of the Club.
ii. The Club ceasing to operate due to no Members being elected to the Executive positions.
iii. The Club ceasing to function for a period of one (1) year through natural attrition.
b. In the event of The Club being dissolved, any and all assets remaining after all debts have been paid shall be given over to uwsconnect Ltd. Campus Life.
This constitution was adopted at a general meeting of the Student Club on: (01/07/2019)
Signed by:
Sajit Gurubacharya
President
18892488@student.westernsydney.edu.au
Sylvia Rais
Secretary
18993022@student.westernsydney.edu.au
Ishmamul Haque
Treasurer
19478584@student.westernsydney.edu.au
Approved by:
Student Clubs Staff