• UniSFA's Constitution

Constitution for UniSFA (Passed 5/9/19)

1. Name

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

2. Definitions

• 2.1. UniSFA - the University Science Fiction and Fantasy Association
• 2.2. Guild - the University of Western Australia Student Guild
• 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 within the University of Western Australia
• 3.2. To remain affiliated to the Societies Council of the Guild
• 3.3. To encourage and promote cooperation between the club and other affiliated 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 encourage the advancement of the 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. Members of the Guild
  • 4.1.2. Associates of the Guild
  • 4.1.3. Honorary life associates of the Guild
  • 4.1.4. Members of the University Senate
  • 4.1.5. Members of the University Staff
  • 4.1.6. Students of the University
  • 4.1.7. Past 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 than 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. Associate members and honorary life members shall have all the rights and privileges 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 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 requisition. If the secretary fails to call the meeting within that time, any of the signatories of the requisition may do so. Any business set out in the requisition shall have priority over all other business
• 5.5. The following provisions govern General Meetings 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 and the UniSFA notice boards at least seven days before 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 a 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
• 5.6. An ordinary member who is unable to attend a General Meeting may assign absentee voting rights to the secretary
  • 5.6.1. Absentee votes must be in writing and signed and dated by the ordinary member who is assigning voting rights
  • 5.6.2. These voting rights may only include detailed votes for candidates running for a specified position, and, where voting on motions provided prior to the meeting, a simple vote for or against the motion.
  • 5.6.3. For any motion amended during the General Meeting absentee votes will not be counted, except in the instance that, according to the chair’s discretion, they can clearly be said to still apply.
  • 5.6.4. These votes will be collated by the Secretary and provided to the returning officers prior to voting.

6. Annual General Meetings of UniSFA

• 6.1. During the Annual General Meeting, the Returning Officers shall call for nominations for the offices and Committee of UniSFA
• 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, Treasurer, Librarian
  • 6.3.2. The office bearers’ powers and duties are defined in section 8
• 6.4. All other committee positions shall be elected by the financial ordinary members of UniSFA at the Annual General Meeting and
  • 6.4.1. Shall consist of three (3) ordinary committee members and the first year representative
• 6.5. The following provisions govern the election for the offices and Committee of UniSFA
  • 6.5.1. Elections for all positions shall be conducted by approval voting in the order President, First Year Representative, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian, Ordinary Committee Members
  • 6.5.2. Only financial ordinary members of UniSFA who are financial members of the Guild shall be eligible as office bearers
  • 6.5.3. Only financial ordinary members of UniSFA shall be eligible for ordinary committee member positions
  • 6.5.4. Only financial ordinary members of UniSFA who became financial members for the first time that year shall be eligible for the position of First Year Representative
  • 6.5.5. No candidate for a position can vote for that position with the exception of candidates for the First Year Representative

7. The Committee

• 7.1. The Committee members shall remain in office until the next Annual General Meeting or until they lose the confidence of a General Meeting held no sooner than 3 months into their term, in which their position is declared vacant
  • 7.1.1. A vote of no confidence can be scheduled if it meets the requirements for an SGM as detailed in Section 5.4
  • 7.1.2. The vote succeeds only with an absolute majority, that is if over 50% of all ordinary members present at the meeting votes in favour of no confidence
  • 7.1.3. Should the vote succeed an election will immediately follow within the General Meeting as monitored by the President, or Vice President in the President’s absence
• 7.2. 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
• 7.3. If an ordinary Committee member resigns or ceases to hold office for any reason, or is appointed an office bearer under section 7.2 above, then the vacancy shall be filled by appointment from the ordinary membership by the committee, subject to review at the next General Meeting
• 7.4. Committee appointments are reviewed by a vote of confidence at the next general meeting, in which a simple majority confirms the appointment
  • 7.4.1. Should the vote fail an election must be held at an SGM within ten (10) days as conducted by the President, or Vice President in the President’s absence
• 7.5. The Committee shall meet at such times and places as the President shall determine and
  • 7.5.1. The Secretary shall cause all members of the Committee to receive two 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 receiving 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 whom 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 Constitution and for carrying on its everyday business and without limiting it to the following, the committee shall have the power to
  • 7.6.1. Acquire 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 incur 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 regulation is inconsistent or repugnant to this Constitution
  • 7.6.3. Make, alter, or repeal by-laws, and to impose fines for the breach thereof. 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. The President shall have the following duties, in addition to those elsewhere in the Constitution and in by-laws and regulations:
  • 8.1.1. To coordinate and supervise the work of the office bearers subject to the authority of the UniSFA General Meeting
  • 8.1.2. To generally carry out the policy of UniSFA
  • 8.1.3. To chair Committee and General Meetings of UniSFA
• 8.2. The Vice President shall have the following duties, in addition to those elsewhere in the Constitution and in any by-laws and regulations
  • 8.2.1. To assist the President wherever possible
  • 8.2.2. To supervise the organisation of all events run by the club
• 8.3. The Secretary shall have the following duties, in addition to those elsewhere in the constitution and in any by-laws and regulations:
  • 8.3.1. To record all proceedings of UniSFA meetings and make those records available to the members of the club
  • 8.3.2. To conduct and keep copies of all correspondence of UniSFA
  • 8.3.3. To provide the Guild with information about UniSFA that it requests
• 8.4. The Treasurer shall have the following duties, in addition to those elsewhere in the Constitution and in any by-laws and regulations:
  • 8.4.1. 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
  • 8.4.2. 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
  • 8.4.3. To prepare a financial statement summarising all club expenditure and revenue during the prior year, for presentation at the Annual General Meeting
  • 8.4.4. 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 an audit, insofar as such persons require
• 8.5. The Librarian shall have the following duties, in addition to those elsewhere in the Constitution and in any by-laws and regulations:
  • 8.5.1. To maintain the library
  • 8.5.2. To maintain the catalogue and the borrowers records
  • 8.5.3. 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 Statute 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 they not have resigned seven days thereafter, the Committee may after unanimous vote expel them 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 its next meeting and amendments which are relevant 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 receives 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. Activities detrimental to the Library’s 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
    • 15.1.2.1. The term 'maintain' where used throughout this constitution shall include the option of disposing of 'doubles' and other undesirable Library items by an appropriate method selected by the committee on a case by case basis; promoting access to the library visually, physically, and electronically; and improving library operation and management systems.
    • 15.1.2.2. The term 'double' in this context refers to library items of which UniSFA possesses two or more copies. The decision of which copy (or copies) will be disposed of is to be made by the librarian in discussion with Committee, having regard to the value, condition, or other significance of the items, the most desirable to be retained for the UniSFA library
    • 15.1.2.3. The appropriate method of disposal shall be decided by a unanimous vote of committee and shall have regard to sections 3.6 and 16.1. Examples of appropriate methods include but are not limited to; second hand book sales, raffles, and so forth
  • 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. Disposal of Library Items

• 16.1. In the event of UniSFA's de-registration or cessation of activity, items donated to UniSFA shall be returned to their donors where reasonably practicable
• 16.2. ‘Doubles’ may be disposed of with consideration as per 15.1.2.2., by the Librarian in discussion with Committee, having regard to the value, condition, or other significance of the items, the most desirable to be retained for the UniSFA library
• 16.3. Library items may be disposed of, with due consideration, on the simple majority vote of Committee
  • 16.3.1. The committee shall make all reasonable attempts to provide a list of the items and the reasoning for their proposed removal from the Library to the club for consideration and appeal of removal from the Library for at least two weeks after committee approves their proposed disposal
  • 16.3.2. Should an item receive appeals by five (5) of more members it must be retained in the Library
  • 16.3.3. Except those subject to section 16.3.2, items with appeals must be reconsidered by Committee at the next committee meeting and not disposed of until after another successful simple majority vote of Committee
  • 16.3.4. Any item in receipt of one (1) or more appeals must be retained until at least one Annual General Meeting has occurred before it may be eligible for further consideration
  • 16.3.5. Any item disposed of in this way must first be offered to the donor, where applicable and reasonably practicable, and then the membership at no cost for at least four weeks. Otherwise, after four weeks if any item(s) remains unclaimed after this period, it may be disposed of by the librarian without consideration.
  • 16.3.6. To account for the removal of library items from the Library, a number of new items must be obtained no less than one-fifth as many of the total items removed and added to the Library. This is in addition to the requirements of section 15.1.3
  • 16.3.7. 100% of any monies raised shall be earmarked for improving the library and attendant materials.