INTERPRETATION
"Pretoria Linux Users Group"
shall mean all members of the Group.
"Member" shall mean any
person who has complied with the requirements for
membership of the Group.
"Committee Member" indicates
a member of the Committee, who has been duly
elected in terms of this constitution,
including any member of the Group
who has been co-opted by the Committee
in terms of this constitution.
Except where otherwise stated words
denoting the plural shall include the
singular.
CONSTITUTION, NAME AND MEMBERSHIP
2.1 This Constitution shall govern the
Group and all its members.
2.2 The body shall be constituted as
the Pretoria Linux Users Group,
hereinafter
referred to as the "Group".
The Group shall be an association of
members pursuing
the same objectives and purposes
without pecuniary gain of any of
its members. The Group
shall be constituted as a separate
legal entity with its own assets
and liabilities.
2.3 Membership of the Group is open to
all persons interested in
furthering
the purposes of the Group and more
specifically the "Objectives"
enumerated
below.
MISSION STATEMENT
3.1 The mission of the Group is the
promotion of and the fostering of
interest
in Linux and open source software.
OBJECTIVES
4.1 The Group shall advocate the use
of Linux by:
4.1.2 Serving as a source of
information regarding Linux.
4.1.3 Compiling and maintaining a
database of regionally available Linux
expertise and resources.
4.1.4. Liasing with the press and
co-ordinate press releases relating
to Linux.
4.1.5 Maintaining a close working
relationship with other LUG 's in South
Africa, Africa and internationally.
4.1.6 Providing support to persons and
institutions wishing to use Linux.
4.1.7 Assisting in the further
development of Linux and open source
software generally.
4.1.8 Educating its members and the
public regarding various aspects of
Linux.
4.1.9 Supporting community
organisations especially in disadvantaged
communities.
4.1.10 Organising social functions for
its members.
COMMITTEE
5.1 The Committee shall be the
governing body of the Group.
5.2 The Committee shall consist of a
Chairperson, Deputy-Chairperson,
Secretary,
Treasurer, and three members elected
at the Annual General Meeting.
The Committee may co-opt up to three
other members deemed necessary
to fulfill
the purports of the Group.
5.3 The Committee shall consist only
of natural persons.
5.4 The Committee may establish
Sub-committees and/or Working Groups to
facilitate the achievement of the aims
and objectives of the Group.
Such
Sub-committees and Working Groups may
consist of members of the
Committee
and members of the Group.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
6.1 A quorum for Committee meetings
shall be 50 percent of the members
of
the Committee.
6.2 The Committee shall try to decide
all matters by consensus. In the
event
of consensus not being reached a
matter will be decided by means of
a majority
vote. In the event of an equal split
in the votes, the Chairperson
(or
acting Chairperson) may exercise a
casting vote.
6.3 Minutes of all meetings of the
Committee will be kept and made
available
to members of the Committee before the
following meeting.
FUNCTIONS OF OFFICE BEARERS
7.1 The Chairperson shall:
7.1.1 Decide all matters relating to
order and execute the other customary
duties of a Chairperson.
7.2 The Deputy-Chairperson shall:
7.2.1 Assist the Chairperson in the
governance of the Group and may act
in the stead of the Chairperson at his
or her request.
7.3 The Secretary shall:
7.3.1 Be responsible for the taking
and distribution of minutes of the
meetings.
7.4 The Treasurer shall:
7.4.1 Administer the banking account
in the name of the Group.
7.4.2 Keep all books of account of the
Group and present these, upon
reasonable
request, to any member.
7.4.3 Present a financial report at
every Annual General Meeting.
7.4.4 Disburse all moneys authorized
by the Committee in accordance with
the provisions of this constitution
and account for such
disbursement to
the Committee at the following
meeting.
7.4.5 Keep the financial affairs of
the Group separate at all times to
those
of any of its members and ensure there
is no conflict between the
interests
of the Group and any members. In the
event of such conflict, the
Treasurer
shall report the matter to the
Committee immediately.
7.4.6 Shall ensure that all legal
requirements of audit are met.
7.5 Additional Members shall:
7.5.1 Be responsible for executing any
duties assigned to them by the
Committee.
ELECTION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
8.1 Committee members shall be elected
at the Annual General Meeting by
means of a process of nomination. If
more than one person is
nominated,
the members shall determine by
majority vote which nominee shall
fill the
post.
8.2 Any Committee member so elected
will hold office for a period of one
year commencing from the day of the
AGM.
DISQUALIFICATION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
9.1 Any Committee member who uses his
position to furher his or her own
interest
to the exclusion of any other in the
Group shall be disqualified.
9.2 A Committee member who is guilty
of general misconduct shall be
disqualified
by a majority vote of two-thirds of
the whole Committee.
9.3 A Committee member who is absent
from three consecutive Committee
meetings
may be relieved of his or her duties.
MEETINGS
10.1 General Members Meetings of the
Group shall be held monthly, unless
otherwise
specified by the Committee
10.2 There shall be an AGM, and notice
and the agenda thereof shall be
posted
to all members at least twenty one
days before the date of such a
meeting.
10.3 The quorum for taking a decision
at a General Members Meeting shall
be
ten percent of the group or 10
members, whichever is the lesser.
The quorum for the AGM shall be thirty
percent of the Group or 20
members, whichever is the lesser.
For the purposes of determining a
quorum only those members normally
resident
in the Pretoria area will be counted.
MEMBERS
12.1 Members are natural persons who:
(a) Subscribe to the Group's Internet
mailing list; and,
(b) Have attended at least one meeting
of the Group; and,
(c) Have paid a membership fee, if
any, as determined by the
Committee.
11.2 The Committee may determine a
membership fee subject to approval by
a General
Members Meeting.
11.3 Membership may be revoked by the
Committee if it can be shown that
a member acts in any way detrimental
to the interests of the Group.
Grounds
for revocation of membership include,
but are not limited to:
(a) Breaching the rules of ethics for
the mailing list as set
about in the
information sheet sent to new
subscribers and available from
any member of
the Commitee;
(b) Any marketing e-mail being sent to
the mailing list without
the prior
approval of the mailing list
manager;
(c) Any actions at meetings, on the
mailing list or in the
capacity of the group
which constitute a crime under
any South-African law.
(d) Making public statements or
representations on behalf of the
Group
without the consent of the Committee.
11.4 Any member whose membership is
under consideration shall be notified
of possible revocation by means of a
correspondence sent not less
than seven days prior to the meeting
at which such decision is to be
taken.
Any member who is so notified shall
have the right to appear at
the meeting and present a defense. The
Committee is obliged to
consider
any reasons given for why the
membership should not be revoked.
ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT
12.1 This Constitution shall be
adopted by a vote more than fifty per
cent
of all members attending the first
AGM.
12.2 This Constitution may be amended
by a majority of two thirds of all
members attending an AGM. Such
amendment includes the temporary
waiver of
any provisions, the inclusion or
removal of any clauses and the
dissolution
of the Group.
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