AFRICAN STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (NEAR EAST UNIVERSITY) CONSTITUTION
Preamble
The African students association of Near East University North Cyprus is formed as a
platform to unite all individuals who are part of the promise of the future of Africa. Thus, in recognition and appreciation of our motherland, our dreams as young mind seeking for knowledge to serve our creator and our very own Africa, we resolve to ourselves this constitution.
This constitution is SUPREME and BINDING in its entirety and MUST be adhered to by all association members
Chapter 1:- Name
Chapter 2:- Motto
Chapter 3:- Logo
Chapter 4:- Aims
Chapter 5:- Membership
Chapter 6:- Rights of membership
Chapter 7:- Associations structure
Chapter 8:- Functions and responsibilities
Chapter 9:- Election
Chapter 10:- Meeting
Chapter 11:- Amendments
Chapter 12:- Query
Chapter 13:- Impeachment
Chapter 14:- Oath of office
CHAPTER 1 NAME
(1) (1) The name of the association shall be the African Students Association Near East
University (ASA).
CHAPTER 2 MOTTO
(2) (1) The motto of the association shall be "UNITY IN DIVERSITY".
CHAPTER 3 LOGO
(3) (1) The Association’s logo shall be a map of African embedded in the background of
Near East University logo.
CHAPTER 4 AIMS
(4) (1) The aims of the Association shall be -
(a) To ensure welfare of members
(b) To create a better understanding and a better relationship among fellow Africans.
(c) To project the African image in the Turkish society through social and cultural
activities
(d) To foster and enhance the intellectual and socio-cultural development of its
members through educational and socio-cultural activities.
CHAPTER 5 MEMBERSHIP
(5) (1) Membership shall be open to all students, faculty and staff of Near East University.
(6) (1) Every member shall pay a subscription fee each semester which must be paid on or
before the third meeting of that semester.
(7) (1) Active members are those that have attended at least 60% of the associations meeting
and have paid their subscription fee and showed passionate interest in the association’s
progress.
CHAPTER 6 RIGHTS OF MEMBERSHIP
(8)
(1) Each member has the right to -(a) Be heard
(b) Participate in discussions and initiate resolutions
(c) Vote and be voted for in accordance with the provision in article 15 of this
constitution.
CHAPTER 7 ASSOCIATIONS STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION
(9) (1) The Association shall be composed of
(a) All registered members
(b) The executive council of every year which shall be composed of
(i) President
(ii) Vice President
(iii) Secretary General
(iv) Deputy Secretary General
(v) Financial secretary
(vi) Director of socials
(vii) Deputy Director of Socials
(viii) Public relations officer
(ix) Deputy Public relations officer
(c) The senate
(d) Patron(s)
CHAPTER 8 FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
(10) (1) Registered members shall -
(a) fully and actively participate in activities of ASA
(b) attend general meetings convened by the executive council
(c) act in accordance with the constitution of ASA and the rules of Near East
University.
(11) (1) Executive Council shall-
(a) be responsible for organizing & coordinating activities & programs to program the objectives of the association.
(b) present to the general body at the beginning of each semester a tentative program
of activities after approval from the senate.
(c) abide by and enforce the constitution of ASA
(2) All contingencies not covered by the constitution shall be governed by the
executive council.
(3) Any member of the executive council can only run for two terms in office.
(4) The mandate of the out-going executive council ends on the 31 st December and the
new executive council come to office on 1at January.
(5) In a situation where the current executive council fails to organise general
elections before 31 st December, the current executive council relinquish power to the
senate president and Article 15 clause 17 applies.
(11) (2) The PRESIDENT:
(a) shall be an active member of the association and in good standing.
(b) will preside over all ASA meeting
(c) shall prepare in conjunction with the vice president the agenda for the general
meetings.
(d) shall approve or disapprove all legislation and amendments by the senate.
(e) shall conduct all necessary communication on behalf of ASA to necessary NEU
administrative, faculty, staff etc.
(f) shall read an end of year report at the completion of his/ her tenure in the Senate
House, in the presence of the incoming executive.
(g) may delegate additional responsibilities to any member or members of the
association.
(11) (3) The Vice President shall -
(a) be an active member of the association and in good standing.
(b) act in the absence of the president.
(c) chair committees or serve on committee as the President directs
(d) assist the President in execution of his/her duties.(e) be ASA liaison with other NEU organizations.
(11) (4) The Secretary General shall -
(a) be an active member of the association and in good standing.
(b) schedule and record minutes of ASA meetings
(c) manage ASA list-serve.
(d) manage communication between the executive committee and the members
(e) be the custodian of the constitution and minutes of all meetings
(f) read the minutes of the prior meeting at the beginning of each meeting
(g) make available minutes of general minutes to any member upon a written request.
(h) keep record and handle all official correspondence
(i) undertake any additional responsibilities that would be given.
(11) (5) The Deputy Assistant Secretary General shall -
(a) be an active member and be in good standing
(b) act in the absence of the Secretary General.
(c) assist the Secretary General in the discharge of his /her duties.
(d) be responsible for any other duties that will be assigned to.
(11) (6) The Financial Secretary shall -
(a) be an active member and be in good standing
(b) be appointed by the executive in unison with the senate which means that the post
of the treasurer shall not be contested for in any election
(c) be responsible for the collection of subscription.
(d) be responsible for maintaining the correct amount of funds and in case any funds
are misplaced, it is his/hers responsibility to replace the funds.
(e) be responsible for handling and keeping record of financial affairs of the
association(f) seek the approval of the senate house and President before any fund is disbursed.
(g) make available to the association the financial statement at the beginning of each
semester for the previous semester
(h) prepare and present an end of year financial report.
(i) be responsible for any other duties that will be assigned to.
(11)
(7) The Public Relations Officer shall
(a) be an active member and be in good standing
(b) be responsible for publicity of all association's activities and programs
(c) manage press coverage of ASA events in the media
(d) be responsible for posting meeting minutes & other information on the website
(e) be responsible for any other duties that will be assigned to.
(11)
(8) The Deputy Public Relations Officer shall -
(a) be an active member and be in good standing
(b) act in the absence of the Public Relations Officer.
(c) assist the Public Relations Officer in the discharge of his /her duties.
(d) be responsible for any other duties that will be assigned to.
(11)
(9) The Director Of Socials shall -
(a) be an active member and be in good standing
(b) promote the association by organizing a variety of social events during his/her
tenure in consultation with the Executive Board.
(c) be responsible for the annual African day event in the school
(d) carry out his/her duties to encapsulate sports and entertainment
(e) be responsible for any other duties that will be assigned to.(11) (10) The Deputy Director Of Socials shall -
(a) be an active member and be in good standing
(b) act in the absence of the Director Of Socials.
(c) assist the Director Of Socials in the discharge of his /her duties.
(d) be responsible for any other duties that will be assigned to.
(12)
(1) The Patron(s) -
(a) shall be a member of faculty or staff of NEU
(b) will advise and council the association regarding its general affairs
(c) will attend meetings of the association when necessary
(d) will cooperate with the executive committee in organizing activities and programs
of the association
(e) will assist in settling any disputes in the association
(13)
(1) The Senate
(a) shall comprise of eleven (11) members. But note that the number can only increase
when new faculty(ies) or Department(s)
(b) shall comprise of six (6) representatives from the faculties and one (1) from each
level.
(i) one representative from Maritime and Tourism departments
(ii) one representative from Architecture & Psychology departments
(iii) one representative from International Relations, Business Administration or
Banking and Finance departments
(iv) one representative from Computer Information System or Political Science or
Economics department
(v) two representatives from various Engineering departments
(vi) five representatives from each of the five levels: level 100, 200, 300, 400 and
masters.
(2) All senators shall have tenure of one (1) year.(3) The senators shall be appointed by the newly elected Executive.
(4) The senate house shall be headed by a president and vice, elected on the first
meeting of the senate presided by the executive president. A Senator must get 50%
plus one votes to be elected as the president or vice.
(5) The senate shall perform their duties in accordance with the rules and regulations
of the university
(6) The senate shall be fair, impartial and secretive in performing their duties
(7) The senate shall vote to validate bills, letters or prospective actions presented to it
by the executive
(8) The decisions of the senate house can overrules the decision of the executive after
senators most have voted (majority vote) over executives action, letters or bills.
(9) The senate shall grant exception order to (7) & (8) above in cases that need urgent
attention of the executive which has nothing to do with appointments and finances but
this must be approved by the senate president
(10) Senate member cannot contest for any executive post while still in the senate but
he/she can contest after a duly signed letter of resignation approved by the senate
president and presented to the assembly.
(11) The Senate house needs a maximum of 5 members to form a Quorum.
(14) (1) The Electoral Committee shall -
(a) have the mandate to screen candidate solely guided by the constitution of the
association, conduct election and validate results
(b) administer the oath of office to the newly elected Executive.
(c) in their wisdom levy nomination form fee to prospective candidate approved by
the senate
(d) be inaugurated by the out-going executive for the next elections but dissolved by
the in-coming executives after every conclusive elections
(e) be inaugurated a month before the elections
(f) comprise of not less than three (3) members and not more than ten (10) members
(g) comprise of active members who have spent not less than three (3) semesters
(h) within themselves appoint a chairman and a secretaryCHAPTER 9 ELECTIONS
(15)
(1) There shall be an annual general election of all Executive positions based on secret
ballot system.
(2) Elections of the Executives shall be held at the second or third Friday of
December.
(3) Annual elections shall be conducted by the electoral committee under the
supervision of the university management via the international office
(4) A president shall be elected together with a running mate whom must be unveiled
before the elections
(5) Any member who is not recognized as an active member, article 7 (1), will not be
eligible to take part in elections
(6) Members must show a prove of payment of dues to be eligible to contest for any
position in the association
(7) In a situation whereby the vice president assumes the office of the president, he
shall appoint his vice in conformity with the provision in this constitution
(8) Any office holder has a maximum of two tenures.
(9) Voters on election day must show a copy of their membership card to be allowed
to vote.
(10)
(a) The president and vice presidential candidates must run on one ticket
(b) The presidential and vice presidential candidates must have at-least spent
three semesters in the school as a regular student before been elected, in case
of a master student, one semester
(11)
(a) with the exception of the presidential and vice presidential candidates, All
other prospective candidates must run independently
(b) all other candidates must have been in the school at least (2) semesters, in
case of a masters student one semester.
(12) All candidates contesting for any post must submit a copy of a current student
letter and school identity card during electoral registration
(13) A presidential debate shall be held a week before elections where each
prospective candidate shall present a manifesto.
(14) All prospective candidates must be fully registered on or before three weeks to
the election or will not be allowed to contest(15) The presidential and vice presidential candidates must have a CGPA of not less
than 2.00
(16) In the case of the Director of Socials, Secretary General and Public Relation
Officer, if more than one candidate emerges, the winner is the main, while the runner
up stands as the deputy.
(17) In a situation whereby the office of the president and vice president becomes
vacant
(a) the senate president assumes the office of the president
(b) election would be held within 3 weeks if the rest of the tenure is more than
three months
CHAPTER 10 MEETING
(16)
(1) There shall be at least one (1) general meeting each semester, other meetings shall
be conveyed when necessary
(2) The executive shall have a minimum of one (1) sitting in a month
(3) The senate shall have a minimum of one (1) sitting in a month
(4) A joint meeting of the senate and the executive can be held if necessary
(5) Failure of an executive or senator to attend three consecutive meetings of the
executive or senate or general meetings without a reasonable cause shall call for a
query
CHAPTER 11 AMENDMENTS
(17)
(1) This constitution is subject to POSITIVE amendments by any CURRENT
assembly of the senate as the need arises.
(2) The constitution may be amended upon a motion moved by a senate member, and
then approval of two-thirds of the senate
(3) The motion on the proposed amendments to the constitution shall be moved at
least one meeting prior to the voting on the issue
CHAPTER 12
(18)QUERY
(1) The Senate is empowered to query an executive member(s) if the said member(s)
fails to perform their duties in accordance with the constitution of the association.(2) The Senate will issue a query letter to the respondent, informing him or her of the
date on which appearance and answer should be made.
(3) On the date established by the Senate, the respondent shall appear in person. The
respondent may also choose not to appear. In the latter event, we will assume he or
she has pleaded guilty.
(4) The senate will determine the appropriate sanction to be meted out to the said
member(s) if answers are not satisfactory.
(5) The senate president shall preside on all query trials. The vice president of the
senate may preside in the absence of the senate president.
CHAPTER 13
(19)IMPEACHMENT
(1) The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.
(2) Impeachment can proceed when the said executive member has been queried twice
already that same term of office.
(3) Impeachment can also proceed when an executive member is arrested by the
police for committing a crime.
(4) Impeachment proceedings of an executive member may be commenced in the
Senate House by a Member declaring a charge of impeachment on his or her own
initiative.
(5) The Senate House has to examine the charges prior to entertaining any vote. This
investigation would be carried out by a select or special committee.
(6) The Senate House may dismiss impeachment charges against any executive
member if the select or special committee report of no wrong doing by the executive
member in question.
(7) If charges are sustained, then the Senate House will issue a writ of summons to the
respondent, informing him or her of the date on which appearance and answer should
be made.
(8) On the date established by the Senate, the respondent may appear in person or by a
friend. The respondent may also choose not to appear. In the latter event, we will
assume he or she has pleaded guilty.
(9) The senate president shall preside on all impeachment trials. The vice president of
the senate may preside in the absence of the senate president.
(10) No Person shall be convicted without Concurrence of two-thirds of the Senate
Members present.
CHAPTER 14 OATH OF OFFICE
Before entering into office, all elected officials shall take the following oath.
"I (state your name) do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the office of (state your
office) of the African students association of Near east university, and that i will to the best of my ability, preserve and defend the constitution of the ASA, the rules and regulations of Near east university and the rules of Cyprus"•
======>>>>>>Long live Africa our motherland<<<<<<======
