- General
1.1. The RMIT University Student Union shall hereafter be referred to as RUSU
1.2. The RMIT University Student Union Clubs & Societies Department shall hereafter be referred to as the Clubs Department
1.3. Simple majority voting – for RUSU Clubs purposes, this means that a motion (formal action
statement) upon an item of business at a quorate club meeting is deemed carried (passed)
if at least 50 % of the eligible members attending the meeting plus one extra eligible voting
member votes in favour of that Motion.
1.4. A General Meeting of the Club is one to which all members of the Club are invited to
- Name
2.1. The name of the Club/Society/Association (hereafter referred to as “the Club”) shall be: The RMIT Computer Science and Information Technology Society
- Club Aims and Objectives
3.1. Act as an inclusive community for students to engage with others with similar interests in an educational and fun environment.
3.2. Provide an opportunity for students to connect with industry and potential employers in the form of technical workshops, hack-athons, industry presentations and regular meet-ups.
- Statement of Not for Profit Status
4.1. The assets and income of the Club shall be applied solely in furtherance of its’ above mentioned objectives and no portion shall be distributed directly or indirectly to the
Members of the association except as bona fide compensation for services rendered or
expenses incurred on behalf of the Club.
- Membership
5.1. Except as per 5.4., Full Membership shall be open to all currently enrolled RMIT University
students
5.2. Except as per 5.4., Associate Membership shall be open to Alumni, staff and other non -
RMIT students but these members must not comprise more than 25% of the total Club
membership nor hold Executive Positions on the Club Board of Management.
5.3. Life Membership is an honorary position, nominated and voted on by the Club Membership
at a General Meeting; Life Members shall have attendance rights of all Club Meetings but no
voting rights.
5.4. Where an individual was previously expelled from that club or subject to disciplinary
measures, it shall be at the discretion of the current club Executive (with advice from the
Clubs department) to approve or deny membership to the club and to set reasonable formal
terms of re-admission if necessary.
5.5. The Club may set an annual membership fee to be determined at a quorate Club General
Meeting and reviewed and changed by motion & vote not more than once per calendar year.
5.6. RMIT Student Members of the club shall always be charged a lower membership fee and
lower activity participation fee (e.g. ticket price) than Associate Members and others.
5.7. Applications for membership to the Club shall close upon the opening of nominations for
election to the Club Board of Management at an Annual or Special General Meeting
including full, annual Board elections and casual vacancy by-elections. Applications for
membership shall be suspended until the election is held and the outcome is finalised and
announced. No exceptions to this clause are permissible.
5.7.1. The opening of nominations (and suspension of processing of membership
applications) must occur at least two (2) weeks before the Annual or Special General
Meeting at which the election is to be held.
5.7.2. The official club membership list must be submitted to the RUSU Clubs department
immediately prior to the opening of nominations for election to the Club Board of
Management at an Annual or Special General Meeting.
- Club Board of Management
6.1. The Club shall be governed by a Board of Management.
6.2. Except with the Clubs Department approval, the Board shall, at a minimum, consist of an
elected Executive of four (4) but no more than seven (7) Executive Office Bearers including
a President, Secretary and Treasurer.
6.3. At least four (4) Executive Members of the Board shall gain financial membership of the
RMIT University Student Union (RUSU) during their period in office.
6.4. The Board may appoint Members to the Board as General Office Bearers in a non- Executive
capacity as deemed required.
6.5. The responsibilities of the Board are detailed in Section 7 of this Constitution.
6.6. The responsibilities of the Executive are detailed in Section 8 of this Constitution.
6.7. Where the Club is governed solely by an Executive, it shall hold all responsibilities as per
Sections 7 and 8 of this Constitution.
6.8. The Board may develop and modify Board Member duty statements/descriptors so long as the responsibilities allocated remain consistent with the responsibilities outlined in this
Constitution.
6.9. Only elected Executive Members of the Board shall have signatory control of the Club bank account as per Section 15 of this Constitution.
6.10. The Board shall meet, at a minimum, six (6) times per affiliation period.
6.11. The Board is always bound by the decisions of a Club General Meetings including Special General Meetings and Annual General Meetings.
6.12. Any Board decision may be overturned by vote at a Club General Meeting.
6.13. The Board of Management of the shall consist of the following elected Executive positions:
6.13.1. President
6.13.2. Vice President
6.13.3. Operations Manager
6.13.4. Treasurer
6.13.5. Events Officer
6.13.4.1. In the event of a single casual vacancy within the Executive (due to
resignation, ineligibility, impeachment, death etc.), the remaining Executive
may appoint a Full Club Member to fulfil the position for the remainder of
the term.
6.13.4.2. In event of two or more concurrent resignations from the Executive, it is the
responsibility of the Board to call an election and convene a Special General
Meeting to fill the casual vacancies, at the soonest possible convenience.
6.15. The Board of Management Executive may also co-opt (appoint) General Members to the
Board to provide low level assistance with specific events or areas of operation. These
appointments and duties assigned shall be noted in Board Meeting Minutes.
6.16. Any change to the structure of the elected component of the Board must be approved by vote at a Club Special or Annual General Meeting.
6.17. Any change to the Club Board must be promptly reported to the Clubs Department.
- Responsibilities of the Board of Management
7.1 The core business of a Club Board of Management shall be:
7.1.1. Delivery of the Club's Annual Activity Plan ensuring that the Club’s activities are in
line with the Club’s stated aims and for the primary benefit of RMIT students
7.1.2. Promoting the Club, its’ aims, and activities
7.1.3. Administering club communication channels
7.1.4. Recruiting Members, maintaining required Club membership records and meeting
membership administrative requirements
7.1.5. Coordinating and maintaining the Club’s annual re affiliation to RUSU including:
7.1.5.1. Ensuring that minimum annual Club membership is achieved and maintained.
7.1.5.2. Attending and actively participate in compulsory club and club leader
development training as required by RUSU and/or the University.
7.1.5.3. Actively recruiting and training members to succeed the current Board for the
following affiliation period.
7.1.5.4. Supporting the new Board to re-affiliation in a timely manner.
7.1.5.5. Ensuring all Club records and assets are handed over to the following years
Board.
7.1.5.6. Supporting the incoming Club Board to successfully take over the
coordination of the Club.
7.1.6. Representing the Club (in a coordinated and agreed manner) within RUSU, RMIT and
the broader community noting that the elected President is the primary
spokesperson for the Club.
7.1.7. Organising, promoting, and running Club meetings (Board Meetings, the Annual
General Meeting, Special General Meetings etc.) including:
7.1.7.1. Preparing and distributing Club Meeting Agendas and other Meeting
documents in a timely manner
7.1.7.2. Taking and distributing accurate minutes of all Club Meetings.
7.1.7.3. Reporting regularly to the Club including the presentation of formal reports
to the club Annual General Meeting.
7.1.8. The presentation of membership, meeting, financial or other records to the Clubs Department upon request.
7.2. As a Board and as individual Members of the Board, ensuring both the Board and the Club
acts in accordance with the Club’s own Constitution, Regulations, Policy and Procedures,
RUSU Regulations, Policy and Procedures including the Clubs Code of Conduct, and with
University Regulations, Policy and Procedure especially in regards to use of University
resources, safety and security and the Student Code of Conduct and Student Charter (or
their replacement policies) and all relevant State, Federal and Local Government laws.
7.3. Seeking advice and support from the Clubs Department or other most appropriate authority
(for example, RMIT Safer Communities, RMIT Security, the Police etc.) where the Club as a
whole and/or the participants in club activities, are potentially at risk of or have breached
the law and/or the relevant rules and regulations
- Responsibilities of the Club Executive
8.1. The Club Executive shall have overall and day-to-day control of the governance and finances
of the Club specifically including all decisions related to:
8.1.1. Contracts
8.1.2. The management of club Finances including:
8.1.2.1. Approving club budgets (including annual budgets and specific activity
budgets)
8.1.2.2. Approving expenditure for club events and activities
8.1.2.3. Gaining and administration of club funding including grants, sponsorship,
membership fees and income pertaining to club events, activities, and
merchandise.
8.1.3. Constitutional matters and the delivery of compliant elections, Annual General
Meetings and Special General Meetings including:
8.1.3.1. The appointment of an appropriate person to act as Returning Officer (RO)
for the clubs’ Board elections and to ensure the RO has the practical
resources needed to run the elections in an organised and fair manner
8.1.4. Preparing formal reports for the club Annual General Meeting consistent with
templates provided by RUSU including an annual financial report
8.1.5. Co-opting (appointing), inducting and supporting non-Elected Members to the
Board.
8.2. The Board may establish role descriptions
8.3. Noting that any Executive or Board decision must be consistent with those made at Club
General Meetings and may be over tuned by vote at a such meetings (as per Sections 6.11
and 6.12 of this Constitution), only Executive Members of the Board may exercise a vote on
the matters included in Section 8.1 above with a vote deemed carried by a majority (at least
50% of votes plus one additional vote) of Executive Members in attendance at a quorate
Board Meeting (as per Section 11 of this Constitution).
- Annual General Meeting (AGM)
9.1. There shall be one Club Annual General Meeting every affiliation year, which shall be held
at a regular period during the RMIT academic period as required by RUSU.
9.2. The Agenda of the AGM must include:
9.2.1. Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Annual General Meeting
9.2.2. The presentation of a written General Report meeting at least the requirements of
the template provided by RUSU
9.2.3. The presentation of the Clubs’ annual affiliation period financial report meeting at
least the requirements of the template provided by RUSU
9.2.4. Ratification of the Club’s Constitution and/or changes made to it
9.2.5. The election of the following affiliation year Club Board of Management
9.2.6. Approval of the signatories to the club bank account from amongst the elected club
Executive as per Section 15.6.
9.2.7. Approval of the Club Annual Activity Plan for the following affiliation period
9.2.8. Other business and other motions as moved.
- Other meetings
10.1. A General Meeting is defined as any meeting other than an Annual General or Special
General or Club Executive Meeting.
10.2. The Board shall meet at least six (6) times per affiliation period.
10.3. If ten, or one third of the membership, whichever is smaller, should petition the Board for a Full Club General Meeting, such a meeting must be held within fifteen working days, at a
date set by the Executive.
10.4. A Special General Meeting is defined as separate from a General, Annual General or Club Board Meeting, and shall be requested in writing to the Club Board, to address a set item of importance to Club Business, by a minimum of 10 Full Members or 1/3 of the total Membership, whichever is the lesser number of Members.
- Quorum
11.1. Quorum is the minimum number of Members required to attend a Club meeting for
decisions made at that meeting to be considered valid Club decisions.
11.2. At an Annual, Special or General Meeting, Quorum shall be a minimum of 10 members of
which at least 75% attending must be Full Members or 1/3 of the Membership of which 75%
attending must be Full Members, whichever is smallest.
11.3. At a Club Board Meeting, Quorum shall be ½ the elected Executive Members plus one to the
nearest whole number.
- Notice of Meetings
12.1. The Board shall give at least five academic days’ notice to all Club Members of a General
Meeting and ten academic days’ notice for Special General and Annual General Meeting.
12.1.1. Such notice must, as a minimum, be email notification using the club’s official email.
- Voting
13.1. Voting at Club Meetings shall be democratic, with a majority (at least 50% of votes plus one)
of eligible Full Members attending a quorate meeting (as per Section 11) required for the
passage of a Motion.
13.2. All tied motions are lost.
13.2.1. Members must attend the meeting to participate in a vote on any matter including
in elections.
13.2.2. No proxy voting shall be permitted.
13.3. Constitutional changes require a majority (at least 50% of votes plus one) of Full Members
attending a quorate (as per Section 11) Special or Annual General Meeting and take effect
from the end of the meeting.
13.4. Constitutional motions must be presented in writing to the Board at least ten academic days
before the meeting and notice of these shall be given to the Membership.
13.5. Proposed Constitutional changes must be approved by the Clubs Department before they
are presented to the Board and/or General Membership to ensure the changes are
consistent with this Constitution and RUSU Clubs Regulations.
- Dismissal from Club Board and/or Expulsion from the Club
14.1. The process for dismissing an Executive Member of the Board can begin with a motion of
the Executive or Board, or a petition bearing the names of at least 10 Full Members when
the Club is classified by RUSU as a small or medium sized club or 25 Full members when it
is classified by RUSU as a large or very large club.
14.1.1. At the next Special General Meeting or Annual General Meeting, a motion shall be
put to dismiss the Executive Member, provided that at least ten working days’ notice
has been given to the Membership and to the Member concerned in writing.
14.1.1.1. The Executive Committee Member to be impeached will be given at least
five minutes to speak before the vote is taken.
14.1.1.2. If this Motion passed by a two thirds majority, that Executive position will
become vacant and a new election held immediately.
14.1.2. The misuse of this dismissal process for vexatious reasons may lead to disciplinary
action.
14.2. The process for dismissing a Non-Executive Member of the Board shall be by a majority vote
of the Board (executive and non-executive members). The grounds for dismissal of a NonExecutive Board Member’ are:
- failure to meet reasonable participation requirements including regular attendance
of Board and General Meetings, completion of agreed duties, completion of agreed
duties in a competent manner, and/or
- non-compliance with the RUSU Clubs Code of Conduct or RMIT Student Code of
Conduct
- bringing the Club and/or RUSU into disrepute
- conduct that conflicts with and/or undermines the stated aims and objectives of the
Club
14.2.1. The misuse of this dismissal process for vexatious reasons may lead to disciplinary
action.
14.3 The process to expel a Club Member shall begin with a motion of the Club Executive or Board
or a petition with the names of at least 10 Full Members when the Club is classified by RUSU
as a small or medium sized club or 25 Full members when it is classified by RUSU as a large
or very large club.
14.3.1 The process to expel a Club Member shall be by a majority vote of the Board
(executive and non-executive members). If the motion is carried, the result is the
voiding of the person’s membership to the Club.
14.3.2. It shall be at the Board’s discretion (following consultation with the RUSU Clubs
department) to re-open Membership to an expelled Member. The Board may
choose to implement a probation period on the membership or to articulate
behaviours/ conduct required for the membership to remain valid.
14.3.3. The misuse of this expulsion process for vexatious reasons may lead to disciplinary
action.
14.4 No Member may be dismissed, impeached, or expelled from the Board or Club on the
grounds of race, sex, religion, sexual orientation, or political views.
14.5 Any alleged misconduct involving financial mismanagement or suspected fraud, must be
reported to the RUSU Clubs Department.
14.6 Any action taken under this section must be reported to the Clubs Department.
14.7 Appeals under this section shall be directed to the Clubs Department
- Finance & Other Assets
15.1. A record of non-monetary club assets (such as equipment, promotional items) shall be
maintained by the Club and overseen by the Treasurer.
15.1.1. The Club shall be solely responsible for storage of such assets.
15.2. The Club Treasurer shall keep and maintain records for all Club income and expenditure
(including all receipts) and ensure these are transferred to the care of the incoming
Treasurer at the end of the current Treasurer’s period of office. This transfer shall include
the club cheque book (if the Club has one) and the like.
15.3. The Club shall maintain Club financial records for a period of five (5) years and may request
that the Clubs Department store these records on their behalf.
15.4. All Club funds shall be lodged in a dual signatory Society bank account nominated by the
Clubs Department.
15.5. The Club President shall be the Chief Officer of the Club bank account and ensure that this authority is successfully transferred to the next President.
15.6. The Club President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be signatories to the Club bank account and ensure that this authority is successfully transferred to their successors.
15.6.1 Should the Club wish to add additional Executive Board Members as signatories to
the Club bank account, this shall be voted upon at a General Meeting.
15.7. The Club authorises RUSU to have access to a standard range of information about the club
bank account as required by the Clubs Department.
15.8. Club funds and assets shall only be used for the purpose of achieving the clubs stated aims in
accordance with the Clubs’ approved annual activity plan and relevant RUSU Regulations and
Policy.
15.9. The Club shall bear all responsibility for identifying and meeting the Clubs’ Taxation liabilities.
- Dissolution Clause
16.1. In the event of the Club being dissolved, all Club assets that remain after such dissolution
and the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall be transferred to RUSU.
16.2. The Club shall be deemed dissolved if:
16.2.1. The Club formally dissolves by majority vote at an quorate Annual General or
Special General Meeting and provides RUSU with a copy of the minutes of that
Meeting or;
16.2.2. The Club fails to re-affiliate with RUSU for two (2) consecutive affiliation periods.
- Responsibility/Disclaimer
17.1. RUSU accepts no responsibility for actions or decisions taken by a Club Executive or its’ full
Board of Management: the Club Board of Management shall be deemed responsible for all
decisions made for or on behalf of the Club.
17.2. RUSU accepts no responsibility for any financial debts or other liabilities incurred by the
Club.