Constitution of

Singapore Students Association

(Instated December 2007)

Preamble

We, members of Singapore Students Association do hereby establish this Constitution in order that our purpose and mission be realized to its fullest extent.

Article I - Name

i.        The name of the organization will be Singapore Students Association, hereafter abbreviated as SSA.

ii.       The organization is a student organization at Johns Hopkins University.

Article II - Purpose and Mission

i.        To represent Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents at Johns Hopkins University.

ii.       To act as a liaison between members and other official Singaporean organizations in the USA.

iii.     To promote Singapore and its culture to the campus community.

iv.    To provide platform for the interaction of students from Singapore, as well as students interested to know more about Singapore.

v.      To provide potential students from Singapore with information regarding the university.

Article III - Membership

i.        All Singaporeans enrolled into Johns Hopkins University are considered members of the SSA.

ii.       All Johns Hopkins University students, faculty and staff who are interested in interacting with Singaporeans and the culture of Singapore are eligible to become active members of the SSA.

iii.     No member will be discriminated against based upon race, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or handicap.

iv.    Only active members who are committed to the mission and purpose as outlined in Article II may hold office.

v.      All members have equal voting rights, as well as the right to abstain from voting in any election conducted by the SSA.

vi.    All members will be informed one week before an election is scheduled to be held, and no election should proceed if any member disagrees with the date of the election.

vii.   Any member who will be absent can run for election through a proxy, submit nominations or votes through a proxy, or abstain totally from the election.

viii. The Executive Committee reserves the right to refuse or revoke membership of an individual for breaching this Constitution or bringing the Association into disrepute.

Article IV – Organization

i.        The SSA will be comprised of general members and the Executive Committee which is elected on a yearly basis by the members.

ii.       The President will head the Executive Committee, and at least a Treasurer and a Secretary shall assist him/her.

Article V – Election Proceedings

I.      Nominations

i.        The Executive Committee of the SSA will comprise the following officers, all of whom should be elected to office in the elections, be full-time undergraduate students taking at least 6 credits at the Homewood campus and are in good standing with the University.

ii.       Nominations shall be made for the positions of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Representative, Cultural Representative, and Webmaster in that order. All nominations will have to be seconded before the nominated person shall be considered a candidate for the post.

iii.     Only Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents are entitled to run for the post of President and Treasurer.

iv.    The nominee shall then decide if he/she wants to accept or decline the nomination. Upon acceptance, the nominee shall become an official candidate for the position.

II.      Elections

i.        The election process will be conducted according to positions, starting with the President.

ii.       Candidates running for the same position will have to make a speech and have a question and answer session individually. All candidates can be present while other nominees of the same category make their speeches. The order of speeches will be determined among the candidates. If no consensus can be made, then the incumbent President will decide the order.

iii.     A secret ballot will be conducted for each committee post.

iv.    The result will be tabulated and announced at the end of each ballot.

v.      General members must be informed of the new Executive Committee organization within one week of the election.

vi.    The term of office of the Executive Committee is one year, from the election anytime between March and April in a year, until the following year.

Article VI – Officers/Roles

I.      Roles and Responsibility of Officers

i.        President

a.      Call for and chair meetings with the Executive Committee.

b.      Organize and oversee the activities of the SSA.

c.      Appoint Executive Committee members to handle various tasks necessary for success of events and activities.

d.      Authorize budget for various events with the assistance of the Treasurer.

e.      Official representative of the SSA to Johns Hopkins University and to external bodies.

ii.       Vice-President

a.      Assist the President in organizing events and delegating tasks to the Executive Committee members.

b.      Assume the roles of the President during his/her absence.

iii.     Secretary

a.      Be present at Executive Committee meetings and record minutes of the meetings.

b.      Send out minutes of the meetings to the rest of the members of the Executive Committee.

c.      Keep records of members’ details, and in charge of getting the list of new students.

iv.    Treasurer

a.      Maintain good order of the SSA’s finances and ensure that the SAC’s Financial Regulations are adhered to.

b.      Maintain an up-to-date account of all financial transactions.

c.      Advise the Executive Committee on expenditure of the budget.

v.      Public Relations Representative

a.      Responsible for disseminating appropriate information both to members and to other students as and when necessary.

b.      Assist the President in keeping contact with other organizations.

vi.    Cultural Representative

a.      Promote interaction of SSA with other cultural groups.

b.      Generate ideas on promoting the Singapore culture and execute them with the assistance and support of the Executive Committee.

vii.   Webmaster

a.      Create and maintain the SSA website to provide up-to-date information about the SSA and its events.

II.      Removal from Office

i.        Any officer will be removed from office if he/she were to be found to

a.      Breach his/her responsibilities to the SSA directly or indirectly, as witnessed and voiced out by any SSA member.

b.      Breach the moral obligations of a student of Johns Hopkins University.

c.      Breach the equality and nondiscriminatory values of Johns Hopkins University.

Article V - Amendments

i.        Any member may propose an amendment to the Constitution. The proposal must come in the form of a formal letter addressed to the Association.

ii.       The proposal must be approved by two-thirds of the executive committee before it is endorsed for open ballot. Should the executive committee decide not to endorse the proposal, the executive committee will have to write a formal letter to the proposer explaining the reasons why it was not endorsed.

iii.     After the executive committee endorses a proposal, an open ballot will be held at the next general meeting to validate the amendment.

iv.    An affirmative vote of two-thirds or three-quarters of the membership shall be required for adoption of an amendment.

This Constitution is submitted to the Student Activity Commission (SAC) of Johns Hopkins University on December 14, 2007.