Draft Constitution of the Ghanaian Student Association - Donetsk PREAMBLE
We the members of Ghanaian Students’ Association – Donetsk , in Order to form a more perfect community, establish Justice, insure Tranquility, protect our constitutional right, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Ghanaian Students’ Association – Donetsk.
Article I: Supremacy Section 1 The Ghanaian Students' Association - Donetsk, hereinafter referred to as the "Association" or “GSA-D” shall be governed by this Constitution. Section 2 This Constitution shall supersede all other Constitutions, documents, and other related governing instruments of the Association Government and all Association Organizations. Section 3 This Constitution shall be enacted in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws, and University policies, but the Association Government shall not be responsible for the enforcement of such laws and policies. Section 4: Subordination 1. The GSA-D shall not be in subordination to other bodies except school authorities and higher Ukrainian Authorities. 2. The GSA-D may collaborate with other bodies sharing similar principles for a specified purpose.
Section 5 An Association member shall be defined as a currently registered, degree-seeking undergraduate or postgraduate student in the Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine. Section 6 All members of the Association, as defined In Article I, Section 5, shall have the right to vote in accordance with the election code. Section 7: Logo
Section 8: Motto The motto of the GSA shall be “excellence through solidarity and integrity”
Article 2 : Organisation
Section 1 : NAME The name of this organization shall be Ghanaian Students’ Association-Donetsk. Section 2: PRINCIPLES, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE GHANAIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION
A. PRINCIPLES B. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE GHANAIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION
I. To help promote academic excellence II. To foster unity among all Ghanaian students in Donetsk. III. To develop strong ties with the school administration. IV.To establish cordial relations with other student bodies. V. To assist members in case of any eventualities. VI.To uphold and defend the good name of Ghana. VII. To exhibit the rich Ghanaian culture to other nationals.
Section 3: MEMBERSHIP A. Membership of the association shall be open to every citizen of Ghana training in Donetsk irrespective of their religion, ethnic group, place of birth, sex , social status, provided that they accept the aims, objectives and principles of the Association.
B. Ghanaian Citizens 1. The intending member must: i. hold a valid Ghanaian passport with a resident permit ii. be a registered student of a tertiary institution in Donetsk Oblast 2. Admission of a new member shall take following procedures: i. The prospective member shall complete and submit a membership application form with a non-refundable application fee. The fee shall be reviewed by the General Assembly annually. ii. The application shall undergo review by the executive board. iii. Admission of intending member(s) shall then be approved by two-thirds of registered members present at a given general meeting. C. Non- Ghanaian citizens
1. Membership of the association shall be permissible to other nationals who fulfill the following: The intending member must: i. Accept the constitution. ii. be a member of their own national association(if it is existent in Ukraine)
2. The procedures for the admission of Non- Ghanaian members shall be as follows: i. An application letter stating the purpose of their intention to join the association shall be written and addressed to the president through the General Secretary. ii. The applicant shall be scrutinized thoroughly by the executive board or an ad-hoc committee set up for such a purpose. iii. The applicant shall either or not go through the subsequent admission procedures based on the findings of the scrutiny. iv. A prospective member shall complete and submit a membership application form with a non-refundable application fee. v. Admission of such member(s) shall be validated by the approval of two-thirds of registered members present at a given general meeting.
3. i. The non-Ghanaian member may participate in all activities organised by the association but shall not stand to be for voted for during elections for any office. ii. The non-Ghanaian member shall pay dues or any other levies required of a member for any event in full. C. Withdrawal and Termination of membership I.
Membership automatically terminates after 10 working
days from the day of dismissal or transfer out of the Oblast. II. A member at any moment may redraw their membership from the association through an official notice to the General Secretary. The withdrawal shall be validated 10 working days after submission. III. Ex-members shall be held accountable for all events that occurred prior to the validated day of withdrawal. Section 4: The Executive Board The Executive Board shall be the administrative body of the association and shall consist of the following: I. President II. Vice president III. General secretary IV.Financial secretary V. Organising secretary VI.Public Relations officer VII. Two Ex- Officio members
ARTICLE 3. POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE MEMBERS AND THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
A. ELECTORAL POWERS. Members shall have the power to elect the Executive
Board members.
C. INITIATIVE, RECALL, AND REFERENDUM POWERS. The members shall have the powers of initiative, recall, and referendum. The effect of any legislation passed pursuant to this provision shall have the same weight as similar legislation passed by the Executive Board. 1. INITIATIVE.
The power of the membership to directly propose and initiate legislation in the
nature of by-laws, rules and amendments. 2. RECALL.
The power of the membership to directly remove any Executive Board Member at
any time upon a showing of good cause. 3. REFERENDUM.
The power of the membership to directly eliminate, nullify, or revoke an
existing by-law, rule or amendment.
SECTION 2. EXECUTIVE BOARD
A. PRESIDENT 1. To serve as the official spokesperson for the Association in accordance with the policy officially adopted by the General Assembly. 2. To coordinate and supervise the successful running of the Association and the activities of the various offices 3. To attend and preside over all meetings of the Executive Board and the General Assembly 4. To attend all University Student Representative Council meetings as well as any other meetings that require the presence of the President and to make reports to the Board and the General Assembly about the activities of each. 5. To maintain continuous communication with all relevant authorities. 6. To vote, only in the case of a tie vote, at any Board meeting. 7. To excuse any member of the Board from attending a meeting for good cause shown. 8. To establish such committees as are necessary only with the advice and consent of a majority of the Executive Board and the approval of the General Assembly. 9. To make all appointments to said committees as are necessary only with the advice and consent of a majority of the Executive Board, in accordance with the rules, procedures, and by-laws promulgated and accepted by the General Assembly for such purpose. 10. To set an agenda for each Executive Board meeting. 11. To liaise between members and other associations. 12. To be a signatory to the accounts of the Association.
B. VICE PRESIDENT 1. To assist the President to perform the duties assigned to that office. 2. To act in the absence of the President and in case of a permanent absence of the President, to assume full responsibility of the office of President until the next general election with the approval of the General Assembly. 3. To faithfully serve in any and all other assigned or appointed capacities.
C. GENERAL SECRETARY 1. To register new members. 2. To keep records of all official meetings. 3. To maintain documents and records of all GSA-D activities. 4. To publish the minutes of all official meetings of the Executive Board within 12 hours and General Assembly within 48 hours. 5. To keep records of past and present membership of the GSA-D. 6. To prepare the agenda for all meetings in consultation with the Executive Board. 7. To faithfully serve in any and all other assigned or appointed capacities. D. FINANCIAL SECRETARY 1. To keep and maintain current records of all financial transactions of the GSA-D. 2. To give quarterly financial reports to the General Assembly. 3. To render current financial report to any member(s) upon demand. 4. To collect the monthly dues, levies, fines and all other forms of funds. 5. To keep money (maximum permissible amount approved by the General Assembly) 6. To be a signatory to GSA-D account(s). 7. To faithfully serve in any and all other assigned or appointed capacities.
E. ORGANIZING SECRETARY 1. To keep detailed records of the contacts of all the members. 2. To organise the venue of all official GSA-D gatherings. 3. To liaise between the Executive Board and the Organisation Committee 4. To keep an inventory of the association’s assets. 5. To faithfully serve in any and all other assigned or appointed capacities.
F. PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER 1. To be responsible for the proper dissemination of information. 2. To publicise the Association 3. To act as a link between the Association and the general public. 4. To faithfully serve in any and all other assigned or appointed capacities.
G. EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS 1. To be non-voting members of the Executive Board. 2. To advise the executive board. 3. To serve as an experiential knowledge base for the Executive Board. 4. To faithfully serve in any and all other assigned or appointed capacities.
ARTICLE 4. COMMITTEES, CLUBS AND SOCIETIES SECTION 1. COMMITTEES
A. STANDING COMMITTEES 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS 1.1 Members of standing committees shall be appointed by the President upon nomination by the Executive Board and the General Assembly and followed by the approval of 2/3 of the General Assembly. 1.2 All committees shall have a chairperson and secretary who shall be appointed by the respective committee during their first meeting. 1.3 The tenure of office of each committee shall be one academic year. A member may serve a maximum of two terms on the same committee. 1.4 No member shall serve on more than two committees simultaneously. 1.5 The maximum number of people on a committee shall be between 5 to 9 persons. 1.6 A committee member at any moment may redraw their membership from the committee through an official notice to the Chairman and the President. The withdrawal will be validated only after 10 working days after submission. 1.7 A replacement or addition can be made to a committee through nomination by the General Assembly or the committee in concern and approval by 2/3 of the General Assembly provided the maximum number of people on the committee is not exceeded. 1.8 A committee member may be relieved of their duties (recall) by a written petition containing the full details of the reasons with the signatures of not less than 10 percent (10%) of the student members submitted to the General Secretary who shall call for a special vote to occur within ten (10) working days for consideration by the entire membership. 1.9 All committees must submit a yearly report.
2. ACADEMIC COMMITTEE The function of the Academic Committee shall be as follows: 2.1. To design schemes to help improve the academic performance of members. 2.2. To organise regular symposia. 2.3. To form and see to the function of study groups at all levels. 2.4. To organise career guidance and counseling sessions. 2.5. To create and maintain a concise database of lectures, books and timetable for each academic year. 2.6. To organise pre-semester orientation for members [appendix 1] 2.7. To make policies to enhance their functioning in the GSA-D. 2.8. To faithfully serve in any capacity with bearing on academics.
3. Organising Committee The committee shall be chaired by the Organising Secretary. 3.1. To make organisational plans for every occasion. 3.2. To assist other committees in organising functions 3.3. To maintain and prepare the GSA-D Hall for all functions [appendix 3] 3.4. To draw up an entertainment schedule for the academic year 3.5. To be responsible for taking inventory and keeping of GSA-D assets 3.6. Keep records of all GSA-D activities. [Appendix 2]
4. WELFARE COMMITTEE
4.1 access and respond to the needs of the members. 4.2 To see to it that hospitalized members are visited and cared for regularly. 4.3 40% of the annual dues should be allocated and reserved for the welfare of the members. 4.4 To organize fund -raising for a specific purpose in consultation with the Executives Board.
5. Judicial Committee 5.1 To settle disputes among members 5.2 To give disciplinary measures when required according to the by-laws. 5.3 To interpret the constitution 5.4 To write and revise the code of conduct in the by-laws 5.5
To carry out impeachment procedures against Executives 6. ELECTORAL COMMITTEE [article 5 section3]
B. AD-HOC COMMITTEES 1. Members of ad-hoc committees shall be appointed by the President upon nomination and aproval by the Board. 2. The General Assembly must be informed of such a committee and its functions prior to the commencement of their duties. 3. The committees shall have a chairperson and secretary who shall be appointed by the respective committee during their first meeting. 4. No member shall serve on more than two committees simultaneously. 5. A committee member at any moment may redraw his/her membership from the committee through an official notice to the Chairman and the President. The withdrawal will be validated 5 working days after submission. 6. A replace or addition can be made to a committee through nomination by the Executive Board or the committee in concern and approval by the Executive Board. 7. A committee member may be relieved of his duties (recall) by a written petition containing the full details of the reasons with the signatures of not less than 10 percent (10%) of the members submitted to the General Secretary who shall call for a special vote to occur within ten (10) working days for consideration by the entire membership. 8. All committees must submit a report after completion of task.
1. AUDIT COMMITTEE 1.1 There shall be a three-man audit committee to be nominated by the General Assembly after the annual report hearing of the Executives Board. The Audit Committee shall be empowered to look into the financial activities of the outgoing executives. The Audit Committee shall render its reports and recommendations on the day of inauguration.
SECTION 2. CLUBS AND SOCIETIES. A. FORMATION OF CLUBS AND SOCIETIES. 1. Where deemed viable, clubs and societies shall be formed by the Executive Board or members. 2. Clubs and societies shall be formed by a minimum of five (5) eligible GSA-D members. 3. Prior to the formation of a club or society, a complete proposal which defines their aims and objectives shall be submitted to the Judicial Committee through the General Secretary. 4. The Judicial Committee shall investigate and present its submissions to the General Assembly within 20 working days. 5. A 2/3 majority vote shall be required to accept a the club or society 6. All clubs and societies shall operate as semi autonomous bodies; however their activities should not conflict with any GSA-D activities or policies. B. AFFILIATIONS AND COLLABORATIONS. a) The GSA-D can affiliate with any body after a 2/3 majority vote of members present at a General Assembly. b) Prior to this the Judicial Committee shall investigate the activities and ascertain that the aims and objectives of such an organization or body are legal and does not conflict with any of the values of the GSA-D. c) Any club, society or association seeking to affiliate with the GSA-D shall present a complete proposal to the Judicial Committee through the General Secretary of the GSA-D. d) GSA-D shall be affiliated to such an association upon a 2/3 majority votes of members. e) Voting by the General Assembly shall follow the presentation of the final report of the Judicial Committee. f) The GSA-D shall act on behalf of a second party as a non-commercial contractor after approval of the General Assembly with a well spelt out memorandum of understanding. g) Under no circumstance shall a serving GSA-D executive be a commercial contractor. Such an Executive shall face impeachment.
C. DISSOLUTION OF AFFILATIONS OR COLLABORATIONS. a) Upon completion of terms and agreements pertaining to the affiliations or collaborations, the GSA-D shall be totally dissociated from such bodies. b) A two-third (2/3) majority votes of members present at a General Assembly meeting shall be required to dissociate GSA-D from any affiliation or collaboration with an organisation, club or society. c) Prior to this procedure, a petition should be presented to the Judicial Committee through the General Secretary by member stating the reasons for the dissociation or affiliation. d) Upon breech of any of the terms or conditions of affiliation or collaboration with body, the GSA may dissociate from further partnership with such body with or without the prior consent of the defaulting body.
ARTICLE 5. ELECTIONS
SECTION 1. ELIGIBILITY OF VOTERS Any registered member of the GSA-D is eligible to vote.
SECTION 2. ELILIGIBILTY OF CANDIDATES
Any paid non-associate member is eligible to run for any portfolio. The aspirant however must meet the qualification of being a candidate as specified in the election by-laws.
i. not be a holder of an executive position in another organization. ii. agree not to accept an executive position in another organization if elected. iii. not be a commercial contractor and must undertake not to engage in commercial contract activities if elected.
SECTION 3. ELECTORAL COMMISSION A) i. The Judiciary Committee in consultation with the General Assembly shall nominate and appoint members of the Electoral Commission not later than two (2) months before elections. ii. The committee shall serve for one year. B) The Electoral Commission shall consist of 3 commissioners who shall administer all GSA-D general and special elections in a fair and orderly manner. C) The criteria for selection, duties and responsibilities of the Electoral Commission shall be affirmed in the election by-laws [election code] .
SECTION 4. GENERAL ELECTIONS A. ELIGIBILITY OF VOTERS Any registered member of the GSA-D is eligible to vote. B. ELIGIBILITY OF CANDIDATES Any paid non-associate member is eligible to run for any of the Executive Board position as specified in Article I Section 4 except the position of Ex-officio members. The aspirant must meet the set criteria in the Election by-laws and successfully undergo an open vetting process during the pre-election period. C. TIMES AND DATES General elections shall be conducted annually, not later than the last week of February.
SECTION 5. INAUGURATION A. The inauguration of new members shall be done on the third week in the month of March. B. Incoming executives shall familiarise with their respective offices two (2) weeks prior to their inauguration.
SECTION 6. TERM OF OFFICE A. The time between two general inaugurations shall constitute a GSA-D year and term of office. B. All executive members shall hold office from the date of their inauguration till the date of inauguration of new executives. C. An Executive Board member is eligible to serve a maximum of two (2) terms for a particular office. SECTION 7.
A. In the event of a vacant position in the Executive Board. The President and the General Assembly may nominate up to three (3) persons and a special election overseen by the Electoral Commission shall elect a replacement by a majority vote. B. Individuals who are eligible can nominate themselves for any vacant position. C. The Vice President shall assume the role as the Acting President in the event of vacancy of the office of the President. This provision shall persist until the next General Meeting.
ARTICLE 6: MEETINGS
8.
During meetings decision are taken with simple
majority votes unless otherwise stipulated in this Constitution.
ARTICLE 7: ASSETS, INVENTORY AND SERVICES
1. Organising Secretary shall be responsible for all assets of GSA-D. 2. The needs of GSA-D superseedes the needs of other groups or fellowships on the use of its assets. 3. All fellowships and groups shall present monthly calendar to the Organising Secretary for date confirmation and use of asset. 4. Prior notice should be given to the Organizing Secretary for confirmation and use of asset(s). 5. Breakages and damages of GSA-D asset(s) due to negligence on the part of any member shall be payable. 6. Breakages and damages of GSA-D asset(s) by a second party shall be payable.
ARTICLE 8: IMPEACHMENT AND VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE
APPENDIX Appendix 1 The orientation should include: 1. The location of the departments 2. Head of departments 3. Course outline
Appendix 2 The Organising Committee should keep video records of functions and meetings of GSA-D, photo album and video records. Appendix 3 They are to see to the cleanliness of the hall and furniture. Maintenance of all gadgets and all other measures to keep the hall in a respectable state.  |
