SCUNA History 1963-1988:

1975 SCUNA Constitution

SCUNA history » 1975 SCUNA Constitution

The current SCUNA constitution can be found on the SCUNA website.

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CONSTITUTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CHORAL SOCIETY

1. NAME
   1. The name of the society shall be the AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CHORAL SOCIETY.
   2. The only authorized abbreviated form of the Society's name shall be "SCUNA".
2. DEFINITIONS
   In this Constitution, unless the contrary intention appears:-
   1. "the Society" means the Australian National University Choral Society,
   2. "member" means a member of the Society, and
   3. "the Committee" means the Executive Committee elected by and at the relevant General Meetings of the Society.
3. AFFILIATIONS
   1. This Society is affiliated under Section 9 of the Clubs and Societies Regulations of the Students' Association and anything in this Constitution or any act of the Society or its office-bearers which is inconsistent with the said Regulations or any amendments thereto or special rule thereunder shall be null and void insofar as it is inconsistent.
   2. This Society shall be affiliated with the Australian Intervarsity Choral Societies' Association.
4. OBJECTS
   The objects of this Society shall be:-
   1. to promote interest in choral singing,
   2. to provide an opportunity for members of the University and others to participate in this form of art and learn its techniques,
   3. to participate in Intervarsity Choral Festivals,
   4. to perform at functions inside and outside the University, and
   5. to bring together socially those members of the University and others interested in choral singing.
5. MEMBERSHIP
   Members of this Society shall be all persons who have paid the subscription fee levied by the Society and
   1. who are members of the Australian National University Students' Association, the Research Students' Association, the staff of the Australian National University, or who have at some time in the past been enrolled students at the Australian National University, or
   2. who are not eligible under Section 5(1) of this Constitution but whose membership is approved by the Committee of the Society.
6. GENERAL MEETINGS
   1. The General Meeting shall be the controlling body of the Society.

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6. [GENERAL MEETINGS continued]
   2. The Annual General Meeting shall be held within four (4) weeks of the commencement of third term.
   3. General Meetings shall be convened by the Committee at its discretion or within fourteen (14) days of the receipt by the Secretary of a written request stating the object of such meeting and signed by no fewer then seven (7) members.
   4. Seven (7) days' notice shall be given of a General Meeting by the Secretary.
   5. The Chairperson of any General Meeting shall be the President, or in his/her absence the Secretary; or, in the absence of both, those present shall elect one of their number to preside.
   6. A quorum at a General Meeting shall be one third (1/3) of the current membership of the Society.
7. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
   1. Eligibility for election to the Committee of the Society shall be restricted to members who are members of the Australian National University Students' Association, the Research Students' Association, or the staff of the Australian National University. Except that where the Immediate Past President is no longer within the above-mentioned categories but remains an active member of the Society, he/she shall retain his/her position on the Committee.
   2. At no time shall all the members of the Committee be final-year students.
   3. No person shall hold office in one capacity for more than two (2) consecutive years.
   4. The Committee of the Society shall consist of a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Librarian, a Publicity Officer, a First-year Representative, two (2) non-executive members and the Immediate Past President. Except that where a President has a second term of office, or where the Immediate Past President ceases to be an active member of the Society, the position of Immediate Past President shall lapse for that year and be replaced by a third non-executive member.
   5. The members of the Committee shall, with the exception of the Immediate Past President and the First-year Representative, be elected by the Annual General Meeting of the Society. Except that where a President has a second term of office, the position of Immediate Past President shall lapse for that year and be replaced by a third non-executive member elected by the Annual General Meeting of the Society.
   6. The First-year Representative shall be elected by a General Meeting during the first term of the academic year and in the event of the occupant being elected to the full Committee by the Annual General Meeting, the office shall remain open until filled by a General Meeting during the first term of the following academic year. Nominated members shall be pursuing the initial year of their first undergraduate degree.

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7. [EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE continued]
   7. Nominations for positions on the Committee shall be received up until the commencement of voting.
   8. The candidate shall be deemed elected who receives the greatest number of votes. In the event of two or more candidates receiving an equal number of votes, a second ballot shall be held, with the Chairperson of the General Meeting having a second or casting vote if necessary. The method of election shall be determined by the General Meeting.
   9. A member of the Committee shall vacate his/her office if:-
      1. he/she has his/her resignation accepted by the Committee,
      2. he/she is voted unfit to hold office by two-thirds (2/3) of the members present and voting at a General Meeting, or
      3. he/she has been absent from more than two (2) meetings of the Committee without apology and without reasonable excuse.
      4. The Committee shall co-opt members to fill vacancies in its ranks until the next Annual General Meeting of the Society.
8. EXECUTIVE OFFICE-BEARERS
   The executive office-bearers of the Committee shall be the President, the Secretary, the Treasurer and the Librarian, and their duties shall be as follows:-
   1. The President shall:-
      1. preside at Committee and General Meetings,
      2. present an annual Presidential Report to the Annual General Meeting of the Society, and
      3. be ex-officio a member of any other committee or sub-committee within the Society.
   2. The Secretary shall:-
      1. preside at Committee and General Meetings in the absence of the President, handle the correspondence of the Society,
      2. give notice and keep minutes of all meetings,
      3. forward within fourteen (14) days of the Annual General Meeting to the Chairpersons of the Clubs and Societies Committee and the Cultural Affairs Committee a copy of the Annual Presidential Report adopted by the Annual General Meeting, the names of new office-bearers, a statement of accounts, and a statement of anticipated expenditure and an application for a grant from the Cultural Affairs Committee, and
      4. forward to the Australian Intervarsity Choral Societies' Association and the Choral and Musical Societies of other universities the names of new office-bearers.
   3. The Treasurer shall:-
      1. handle all monies of the Society subject to this Constitution,
      2. keep an account book of all receipts and payments which can be examined from time to time by a General Meeting, a Committee Meeting, or by the Students' Association,

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8. [EXECUTIVE OFFICE-BEARERS continued]
   3. [Treasurer continued]
      3. present to the Annual General Meeting of the Society a balance sheet of the Society's books audited at the end of his/her own term of office, and
      4. prepare within fourteen (14) days of the Annual General Meeting a statement of anticipated expenditure and an application for a grant from the Cultural Affairs Committee and resubmit such statement and application to the Cultural Affairs Committee at the commencement of the next academic year.
   4. The Librarian shall:-
      1. be responsible for the buying, hiring, borrowing, printing and orderly maintenance of the Society's music,
      2. handle inter-Society music lending and borrowing,
      3. keep a record of the distribution of music to the members of the Society, and
      4. submit from time to time an amended catalogue of the Society's music to the Librarian of the Australian Intervarsity Choral Societies' Association.
9. POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
   The Committee shall have complete executive powers subject only to the dissension of a General Meeting of the Society.
10. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE QUORUM
    A quorum shall be six (6) members of the Committee. Except that where the First-year Representative has been elected to the full Committee by the Annual General Meeting of the Society a quorum shall be five (5) members of the Committee until the election of a First-year representative by a General Meeting in the first term of the next academic year.
11. SPEAKING RIGHTS
    The Conductor, the Concert Manager and the Archivist, where such persons are not already members of the Committee, shall have speaking rights but no voting rights at Committee meetings.
12. THE CONDUCTOR
    1. The Committee shall appoint a Conductor for a term of twelve months.
    2. The Committee shall have the power to dismiss a Conductor before the expiry of his/her term.
    3. An honorarium, the size of which shall be determined by the Committee, shall be offered to the Conductor.
    4. The Conductor shall decide all matters of musical programme in consultation with the Committee and shall have the final decision in such matters subject to a veto by the Committee based on financial considerations.
13. THE CONCERT MANAGER
    The Committee shall at the commencement of each academic year appoint from within its own ranks or from within the

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13. [THE CONCERT MANAGER continued]
    Society as a whole a person to act as Concert Manager for the entire year.
14. THE ARCHIVIST
    The Committee shall from time to time appoint from within its own ranks or from within the Society as a whole an Archivist.
15. HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP
    Any member of the Society may be elected an Honorary Life Member of the Society by a simple majority of a General Meeting of the Society.
16. GENERAL
    1. This Constitution may be amended by a resolution, of which at least seven (7) days' notice has been given, passed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the members present and voting at a General Meeting convened for that purpose.
    2. The subscription fee shall be determined by the Annual General Meeting of the Society.
    3. In the case of any dispute as to the interpretation of this Constitution, a two-thirds (2/3) majority decision of a General Meeting shall be final.
    4. The Society shall not be dissolved or wound up except by resolution of a General Meeting convened for that purpose. Provided that such a resolution to be effective shall be carried by a majority numbering at least two-thirds (2/3) of the total membership of the Society.
    5. All meetings of the Society shall be conducted in accordance with the Standing Orders of the Australian National University Students' Association.
    6. Copies of this Constitution shall be available on demand from the Secretary.
17. COMMENCEMENT
    This Constitution shall come into operation on the date of the Annual General Meeting of the Society, 1975.