The Constitution
CONSTITUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR COMPUTING MACHINERY
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP ON COMPUTER GRAPHICS (SINGAPORE CHAPTER)
NAME
This Society shall be known as the "Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics (Singapore Chapter)", herein after referred to as the "Society".
("The Association for Computing Machinery" will henceforth be referred to as ACM, and "Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics" as SIGGRAPH.)
PLACE OF BUSINESS
Its place of business shall be at Institute for Infocomm Research, A*STAR, 1 Fusionopolis Way, #21-01 Connexis (South Tower), Singapore 138632 or such other address as may subsequently be decided upon by the Committee and approved by the Registrar of Societies. The Society shall carry out its activities only in places and premises which have the prior written approval from the relevant authorities, where necessary.
OBJECTS
The Society is organised and will be operated exclusively for educational, scientific and artistic purposes. Its objects are:
1. To promote an increased knowledge of and interest in the educational, scientific and artistic aspects and applications of modern computing in computer graphics.
2. To provide a means of communication between persons having an interest in computer graphics.
3. To support activities complimentary to the ACM, SIGGRAPH, and other ACM and SIGGRAPH activities in Singapore.
MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATION AND RIGHTS
There will be two types of membership: voting and student.
Voting Membership in the Society shall be open to all ACM members and ACM SIGGRAPH members in the locality served by the Society upon request and payment of any local dues, as determined by the Management Committee. Voting membership is also open to all persons interested in computer graphics upon request and payment of local dues. Voting members have the right to vote.
Student membership shall be open to all full-time students; student membership dues shall be determined by the Management Committee.
Only members who are above 18 years of age shall have the right to vote and to hold office in the Society.
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
1. A person wishing to join the Society should submit his/her particulars to the Secretary on a prescribed form.
2. The Committee will decide on the application for membership.
3. A copy of the Constitution shall be furnished to every approved member.
ENTRANCE FEES, SUBSCRIPTIONS AND OTHER DUES
1. There shall be no entrance fee payable for all members.
2. Annual subscriptions are payable as follow:
a. Voting members: 30 Singapore Dollars.
b. Student members: 10 Singapore Dollars.
3. Membership shall be annual, expiring at the end of the quarter containing the date of joining. The ends of the quarters are the last days of the months of March, June, September and December.
4. For retiree memberships, the annual subscription is reduced by half.
5. Annual subscriptions are payable in advance within the first month of the new membership year. If a member falls into arrears with his/her subscription or other dues, he/she shall be informed immediately by the Treasurer. If he/she fails to settle his/her arrears within four weeks of their becoming due, the Chairman may order that his/her name be posted on the Society's notice board and that he/she be denied the privileges of membership until he/she settles his/her account. If he/she falls into arrears for more than 3 months, he/she will automatically cease to be a member.
6. Any additional fund required for special purposes may only be raised from members with the consent of the general meeting of the members.
SUPREME AUTHORITY AND GENERAL MEETINGS
1. The supreme authority of the Society is vested in a General Meeting of the members presided over by the Chairman.
2. An Annual General Meeting shall be held in March. The meetings shall be held in places that are open and accessible to all members of the Society.
3. At other times, an Extraordinary General Meeting must be called by the Chairman on the request in writing of not less than 25% of the total voting membership or 30 voting members, whichever is the lesser, and may be called at anytime by order of the Committee. The notice in writing shall be given to the Secretary setting forth the business that is to be transacted. The Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened within 2 months from receiving this request to convene the Extraordinary General Meeting.
4. If the Committee does not within 2 months after the date of the receipt of the written request proceed to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting, the members who requested for the Extraordinary General Meeting shall convene the Extraordinary General Meeting by giving 10 days' notice to voting members setting forth the business to be transacted and simultaneously posting the agenda on the Society's notice board.
5. At least 2 weeks' notice shall be given of an Annual General Meeting and at least 10 days' notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting. Notice of meeting stating the date, time and place of meeting shall be sent by the Secretary to all voting members. The particulars of the agenda shall be posted on the Society's notice board 4 days in advance of the meeting.
6. Unless otherwise stated in this Constitution, voting by proxy is allowed at all General Meetings.
7. The following points will be considered at the Annual General Meeting:
a. The previous financial year's accounts and annual report of the Committee
b. Where applicable, the election of office-bearers and Honorary Auditors for the following term
8. Any member who wishes to place an item on the agenda of a General Meeting may do so provided he/she gives notice to the Secretary 1 week before the meeting is due to be held.
9. At least 25% of the total voting membership or 30 voting members, whichever is the lesser, present at a General Meeting shall form a quorum. Proxies shall not be constituted as part of the quorum.
10. 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 should 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 of the existing Constitution.
MANAGEMENT AND COMMITTEE
1. The administration of the Society shall be entrusted to a Committee consisting of the following to be elected at each Annual General Meeting:
A Chairman, A Vice Chairman, A Secretary, A Treasurer, Six Ordinary Committee Members
Only voting members may be on the management committee. Only voting members who are also members of ACM and SIGGRAPH have the right to hold the offices of Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary in the management committee.
2. Names for the above officers shall be proposed and seconded at the Annual General Meeting and election will follow on a simple majority vote of the members. All office-bearers, except the Treasurer may be re-elected to the same post for a consecutive term of office. The term of office of the Committee is 2 years.
3. Election will be either by show of hands or, subject to the agreement of the majority of the voting members present, by a secret ballot. In the event of a tie, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote.
4. A Committee Meeting shall be held at least once every three months after giving seven days' notice to Committee Members. The Chairman may call a Committee Meeting at any time by giving five days' notice. At least half of the Committee Members must be present for its proceedings to be valid.
5. Any member of the Committee absenting himself from three meetings consecutively without satisfactory explanations shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Committee and a successor may be co-opted by the Committee to serve until the next Annual General Meeting. Any changes in the Committee shall be notified to the Registrar of Societies within two weeks of the change.
6. The duty of the Committee is to organise and supervise the daily activities of the Society. The Committee may not act contrary to the expressed wishes of the General Meeting without prior reference to it and always remains subordinate to the General Meetings.
7. The Committee has the power to authorise the expenditure of a sum not exceeding $30,000 per month from the Society's funds for the Society's purposes.
DUTIES OF OFFICE BEARERS
1. The Chairman is the principal officer and is responsible for leading the Society and managing its activities in accordance with the policies and procedures of the ACM. The Chairman shall preside at all general and committee meetings of the Society. He/she shall also represent the Society in its dealings with outside persons.
2. The Vice Chairman shall preside at meetings in the absence of the Chairman, assist the Chairman in the management of the Society and perform other duties that may be assigned by the Chairman.
3. The Secretary shall keep all records, except financial, of the Society and shall be responsible for their correctness. He/she will keep minutes of all General and Committee meetings. He/she shall maintain an up-to-date Register of Members at all times
4. The Treasurer shall keep all funds and collect and disburse all moneys on behalf of the Society and shall keep an account of all monetary transactions and shall be responsible for their correctness. He/she is authorised to expend up to $200 per month for petty expenses on behalf of the Society. He/she will not keep more than $500 in the form of cash and money in excess of this will be deposited in a bank to be named by the Committee. Cheques, etc. for withdrawals from the bank will be signed by the Treasurer and either the Chairman or the Vice Chairman or the Secretary.
5. Ordinary Committee Members shall assist in the general administration of the Society and perform duties assigned by the Committee from time to time.
AUDIT AND FINANCIAL YEAR
1. Two voting members, not being members of the Committee, shall be elected as Honorary Auditors at each Annual General Meeting and will hold office for a term of 1 year only and shall not be re-elected for a consecutive term.
2. They will be required to audit each year's accounts and present a report upon them to the Annual General Meeting.
3. They may be required by the Chairman to audit the Society's accounts for any period within their tenure of office at any date and make a report to the Committee.
4. The financial year shall be from 1st January to 31st December.
TRUSTEES
1. If the Society at any time acquires any immovable property, such property shall be vested in trustees subject to a declaration of trust.
2. The trustees of the Society shall...
a. not be more than 4 and not less than 2 in number
b. be elected by a General Meeting of members
c. not effect any sale or mortgage of property without the prior approval of the General Meeting of members
3. not effect any sale or mortgage of property without the prior approval of the General Meeting of members
a. if the trustee dies or becomes a lunatic or of unsound mind
b. if he/she is absent from the Republic of Singapore for a period of more than one year
c. if he/she is guilty of misconduct of such a kind as to render it undesirable that he/she continues as a trustee
d. if he/she submits notice of resignation from his/her trusteeship.
4. Notice of any proposal to remove a trustee from his/her trusteeship or to appoint a new trustee to fill a vacancy must be given by posting it on the notice board in the Society's 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.
5. The address of each immovable property, name of each trustee and any subsequent change must be notified to the Registrar of Societies.
VISITORS AND GUESTS
Visitors and guests may be admitted into the premises of the Society but they shall not be admitted into the privileges of the Society. All visitors and guests shall abide by the Society's rules and regulations.
PROHIBITIONS
1. Gambling of any kind, whether for stakes or not, is forbidden on the Society's premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and of bad characters into the premises is prohibited.
2. The funds of the Society shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in a court of law.
3. The Society 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.
4. The Society 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 fixing or controlling the price or any discount, allowance or rebate relating to any goods or service which adversely affect consumer interests.
5. The Society shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.
6. The Society shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the Society or its office-bearers, Committee or members unless with the prior approval of the relevant authorities.
7. The Society shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purposes without the prior approval in writing of the Head, Licensing Division, Singapore Police Force and other relevant authorities.
AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION
1. All proposed changes to these Society Constitutions shall have been approved by the chairman of the ACM Membership Activities Board and the ACM Constitution and Bylaws Committee before being presented to the Society membership for a vote.
2. No alteration or addition/deletion to this Constitution shall be made except at a general meeting and with the consent of two-thirds of the voting members present at the General Meeting, and they shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies.
INTERPRETATION
In the event of any question or matter pertaining to day to day administration which is not expressly provided for in this Constitution, the Committee shall have the power to use their own discretion. The decision of the Committee shall be final unless it is reversed at a General Meeting of members
DISPUTES
In the event of any dispute arising amongst members, they shall attempt to resolve the matter at an Extraordinary General Meeting in accordance with this Constitution. Should the members fail to resolve the matter, they may bring the matter to a court of law for settlement.
DISSOLUTION
1. The Society shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of not less than 3/5 of the total voting membership of the Society for the time being resident in Singapore expressed, either in person or by proxy, at a General Meeting convened for the purpose.
2. In the event of the Society being dissolved as provided above, all assets, debts and liabilities shall be transferred to the ACM and shall be supervised by its Membership Activities Board.
3. A Certificate of Dissolution shall be given within seven days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies.
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