Student Association Organizational Charter, Department of Political Economy, National Sun Yat-sen University

 

Date formulated: October 2001

Drafting committee: Lin Tingxuan (original name: 林亭萱), Wang Tongju (original name: 王統巨), You Boyan (original name: 尤博彥), Yan Tongling (original name: 顏彤凌), and Chen Lijun (original name: 陳俐君)

Date revised: September 24, 2014 (Article 36)

 

Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1 The Association shall be named the “Student Association of the Department of Political Economy, National Sun Yat-sen University,” hereinafter referred to as the Association.

 

Article 2 The purposes of the Association are as follows:

To represent all students of the Department of Political Economy of National Sun Yat-sen University (hereinafter the Department).

To strengthen faculty–student connections; foster members’ fellowship and cooperation; seek and safeguard members’ rights; promote academic research; enrich extracurricular activities; cultivate an excellent departmental culture; strengthen exchanges with related departments at universities in Taiwan and abroad; and assist the development of related clubs at senior high schools.

 

Chapter 2 Membership

Article 3 Every student of the Department is a member of the Association.

Article 4 A member’s membership automatically terminates upon transfer to another department or institution, graduation, withdrawal from the University, or expulsion.

Article 5 A Department student who takes a leave of absence has membership automatically suspended; membership automatically resumes upon return to study.

Article 6 Where a member’s conduct seriously harms the reputation of the Department or Association, the Association may revoke membership upon a motion by at least one-half of the General Assembly, attendance by at least three-fourths of the General Assembly, and a resolution by at least two-thirds of members present.

 

Chapter 3 Members’ Rights and Obligations

Article 7 Members have the following rights:

1. To attend the General Assembly.

2. To elect the president.

3. Members who have paid dues may receive priority participation in activities held by the Association.

4. Members who have paid dues may use the Association’s equipment and facilities.

5. Members who have paid dues may, with the Association’s consent, participate in training and study activities in the Association’s name.

6. Other rights prescribed by this Charter.

Article 8 Members have the following obligations:

1. To observe this Charter.

2. To comply with General Assembly resolutions.

3. To attend the General Assembly.

4. To support activities held by the Association.

5. To pay Student Association dues.

6. To maintain the Association’s equipment and facilities.

 

Chapter 4 Organization and Powers

 

Section 1 General Assembly

Article 9 The General Assembly consists of all members and is the Association’s highest authority.

Article 10 The General Assembly has the following powers:

1. To adopt and amend this Charter.

2. To recall the president.

3. To approve officers.

4. To introduce major motions.

5. To resolve major motions.

6. To review the budget (deleted).

7. To approve the final accounts (deleted).

8. To approve the Association’s activity plan.

9. To hear activity reports.

10. To require Student Association officers to explain policies.

11. To revoke membership.

Article 11 The General Assembly is of the following two types:

1. Regular General Assembly meetings: the president convenes one each at the beginning, middle, and end of every semester.

Standalone source fragment: “Beginning and end of semester.”

2. Extraordinary General Assembly meetings: may be convened upon a petition signed by at least one-third of members, a presidential recall, or the president’s stated need, with approval by the Officers’ Council.

Article 12 The Library and Information Group shall issue notice of a General Assembly meeting at least one week before it is held, stating its purpose, agenda, and related matters.

 

Section 2 Officers’ Council

Article 13 The Association establishes an Officers’ Council as its highest administrative body; its organization and duties are as follows:

(1) President

The president is elected by universal vote of all members for a one-year term and may be reelected once. If recalled by the General Assembly, a new election must be held within two weeks.

The president’s duties are as follows:

1. Internally, to make and implement decisions concerning Association affairs and coordinate and supervise officers’ work.

2. To represent the Association externally.

3. To convene and chair the General Assembly and Officers’ Council.

4. To appoint and dismiss officers, subject to General Assembly approval.

5. To appoint and dismiss Department student representatives to on- and off-campus meetings at every level, subject to General Assembly approval.

6. To present the semester’s activity plan and budget to the General Assembly at the beginning of each semester.

7. To present the semester’s activity report and final accounts to the General Assembly at the end of each semester.

 

(2) Vice President

The Association has one vice president to assist the president. A presidential candidate must nominate a vice-presidential candidate to run jointly; the vice president’s term is the same as the president’s. When the president cannot attend a meeting, perform duties, or conduct affairs, the vice president acts on the president’s behalf.

 

(3) Library and Information Group

It has one group leader, with the following duties:

1. To collect, organize, and archive the Association’s materials, documents, and correspondence.

2. To publish the Association journal (deleted) and directory, and to keep meeting minutes.

3. To manage the Department notice board.

4. To establish and maintain the Department website.

5. To acquire additional books.

6. To manage computer-related equipment belonging to the Student Association.

 

(4) Art and Publicity Group

It has one group leader, with the following duties:

1. To produce Association posters, envelopes, and departmental clothing.

2. To publicize Association activities.

3. To keep publicity equipment.

4. To arrange the Department reading room and Student Association office.

5. To distribute notices (deleted).

6. To assist with the design of the departmental journal and provide design support to every group.

7. To publish the Student Association handbook at the beginning of the first semester.

 

(5) General Affairs Group

It has one group leader responsible for Student Association revenue and expenditure and the safekeeping of public property, with a Finance Unit and an Equipment Unit, whose duties are as follows:

1. Finance Unit

To safeguard Association property, handle receipts and disbursements, retain vouchers, prepare budgets, and review final accounts.

2. Equipment Unit

To manage Association equipment; assist in managing Department equipment, the reading room, meeting room, and lounge.

 

(6) Sports Group

It has one group leader responsible for all types of athletic activities and supervising departmental teams; the Sports Group includes each team captain.

 

(7) Activities Group

It has one group leader responsible for departmental welcome and farewell events and all recreational and service activities. The Association organizes welcome activities, which are implemented by the second-year class association. Farewell activities are implemented by the third-year class.

 

(8) Public Relations Group

It has one group leader responsible for Association reception, correspondence, liaison and cooperation with other departments, schools, and relevant entities, and assisting the Association in raising funds.

 

(9) Academic Exchange Group

It has one group leader responsible for academic activities, lectures, forums, literary and artistic exchanges, book and journal discussions, collecting and organizing information on domestic and overseas graduate study and study abroad, and publishing the Department journal.

 

(10) Project Teams

Project teams execute specified tasks. The president appoints relevant and willing members to establish them; each project team may have one leader. A project team’s name and members must be submitted to the General Assembly for approval.

 

Article 14 If a group leader of the Officers’ Council resigns or a position becomes vacant, the president shall appoint and announce a replacement within one week and submit the appointment for approval at the next General Assembly.

Article 15 All Officers’ Council personnel have the obligations to serve members, attend meetings, report Association affairs, accept questioning, implement resolutions, and complete assigned work in accordance with this Charter and its implementing rules.

Article 16 An Association officer shall immediately leave office if any of the following occurs: the president leaves office or the officer loses membership.

Article 17 Within one week after a major activity ends, the project chief coordinator or responsible group shall convene a review meeting; within two weeks, it shall publish a review report and submit detailed income and expenditure accounts to the General Affairs Group.

 

Section 3 Joint Council of Member Representatives

Article 18 The Association establishes a Joint Council of Member Representatives as its standing body.

Article 19 Member representatives are elected by universal vote in each class at the end of the second semester. The Election Committee shall announce the representative list within two weeks after the presidential election.

Article 20 The Joint Council consists of two representatives each from the first-, second-, and fourth-year classes and three from the third-year class. Their term is one year and they may not be reelected. Officers’ Council members may not be member representatives.

Article 21 The Joint Council exercises the following powers:

1. To review activity content submitted by the president and activity budgets and final accounts submitted by the General Affairs Group.

2. To consent to Officers’ Council activities outside the budget, which must still be ratified by the General Assembly.

3. To impeach derelict officers.

4. If a president cannot be duly elected, to take over the Student Association until a new president is chosen.

Article 22 Member representatives of the Joint Council shall elect one chair. The Council meets regularly at the beginning and end of each semester, acts for the General Assembly in supervising Association affairs, and presents a report on the semester’s work at the General Assembly at the end of the semester [the corresponding source phrase appears truncated or mistyped]. The chair must also convene an extraordinary meeting upon a petition signed by at least one-half of member representatives.

Article 23 A Joint Council meeting requires attendance by at least two-thirds of all representatives to be constituted; a relative majority of those present is sufficient for a vote to pass.

Article 24 When necessary, the chair must convene the Joint Council upon a petition signed by at least one-half of Officers’ Council officers.

Article 25 If a member representative is derelict, the representative’s class may convene a class meeting to recall and elect a replacement.

Article 26 The Officers’ Council shall comply with Joint Council resolutions. A Joint Council resolution that conflicts with a General Assembly resolution or this Charter is void.

 

Section 4 Advisers

Article 27 The Association establishes 2–4 advisers as its consultative body.

Article 28 Former presidents and vice presidents are ex officio advisers. As required by each term, the president appoints suitable persons at the beginning of the second semester; advisers must be members of the Student Association of the Department of Political Economy and serve one-year terms. Advisers may not serve on the Officers’ Council or as supervisory committee members.

Article 29 Advisers exercise the following powers:

1. To guide the Officers’ Council based on their experience.

2. To attend Officers’ Council meetings at the beginning of a semester.

 

Chapter 5 Supplementary Provisions

Article 30 The Association’s advising bodies are the Department and the Office of Student Affairs of National Sun Yat-sen University.

Article 31 The Association’s faculty adviser is appointed by the Department and approved by the General Assembly.

Article 32 This Charter takes effect after adoption by the General Assembly.

Article 33 After this Charter is adopted, the Association’s first president shall be elected by the first General Assembly.

Article 34 An amendment to this Charter requires a proposal signed by at least one-sixth of members and submitted to the General Assembly (stating the provision to be amended and how). It passes with attendance by at least one-half of members and approval by at least two-thirds of members present.

Article 35 The Association establishes a Charter Interpretation Committee responsible for resolving questions concerning interpretation of this Charter. The president and faculty adviser are ex officio committee members; other members are nominated by the president from among members and approved by the General Assembly.

Article 36 Student Association dues are collected in one payment when first-year students enroll. The amount is determined by the officers of the current term according to that term’s planning and practical considerations, then submitted to the Joint Council of Member Representatives for approval before implementation.