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I. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1: Name
The name of the Association is “International Association of Political Science Students – Central European University.” The following abbreviation is to be used also for official reasons “IAPSS-CEU,” hereafter referred to as the Association.
Article 2: Characters
The Association is politically independent.
The Association is independent, non-discriminatory, non-profit and student-run.
The official language of the Association is English.
The Association is established for an indefinite period of time.
Article 3: Logo:
The logo of the Association consists of five blue circles connected among each other and the name of the Association.
Article 4: Legal Personality
The Association is an informal entity, until the members decide to register it with the Hungarian authorities.
Article 5: Public Transparency of the Activity
The activity of the Association and of its bodies is public and is conducted in accordance with the law. The public transparency of the activity of the Association is assured to the internal public (members) with public invitations to all the activities of the Association and with the possibility for permanent insight into the minutes and documentation on Association’s activities. The Association informs the external public of its activities through public means of communication and invites their representatives to Association’s events. The chairperson is responsible for the public transparency of the Association’s activities.
II. THE PURPOSE AND GOALS OF THE ASSOCIATION
Article 6: The Purpose
The purpose of the Association is to promote the development of a worldwide community of political science students.
Article 7: Goals
The Goals of the Association are:
1. Setting up and extending a network of political science students,
2. Promoting world-wide exchanges of students, information, research and knowledge in the political science;
3. Stimulating discussions about various topics of political science through the development and the support of specific projects;
5. Encouraging the contacts with other professional or youth associations in the field of political science or in related fields;
6. Encouraging in its membership and its journal, research and concern for significant contemporary political and social problems and policies, however controversial and subject to partisan discourse in the community at large these may be.
III. THE BODIES OF THE ASSOCIATION
Article 8: The General Assembly
1. The General Assembly, hereafter referred as the GA, is the highest decision making body of the Association.
2. The GA consists of all the members of the Association.
3. The GA reaches the quorum and can decide, if there are at least 50% of the members with voting right present.
4. The members of the Executive Committee, Honorary Members, and the Supervisor can also participate at the GA, but do not have the right to vote.
5. At least one meeting of the GA is held every year and it has to be mandated by the Executive Committee.
7. If the quorum of the GA is not reached, the session is to be postponed for one day. After one day the GA has reached the quorum, if one-third (1/3) of the members are present.
8. The GA takes decisions with the majority of votes of the members with voting right present.
9. The voting is usually public, except at the elections of the Executive Committee and the Supervisor where the voting is secret.
11. The Minutes of the GA are to be taken and signed by the Chair of the GA and the Secretary of the GA.
Article 9: Competences of the General Assembly
1. The GA adopts the agenda.
2. The GA adopts the vision, the values and the long-term Goals of the Association and the binding decisions called "Resolutions". The Executive Committee or the Members, depending on their content, must implement the Resolutions.
3. The GA discusses and votes upon the activities and reports of the previous and the current Executive Committee and the current Supervisor.
4. The GA elects and discharges the Members of the Executive Committee and Supervisor.
5. The GA adopts, changes and amends the statute and other general acts of the Association.
6. The GA adopts the financial plan and the final financial report for the past mandate.
7. The GA decides upon the complaints against decisions of the Association’s bodies.
8. The GA decides upon the dissolution and merger of the Association.
9. The GA sets the amount of the membership fee.
Article 10: Extraordinary GA meeting
1. The Executive Committee has to mandate an Extraordinary meeting of the GA when requested in written form by at least one-third (1/3) of the members of the Association with voting right or the Supervisor.
2. The extraordinary meeting of the GA is to be called by the Executive Committee not later than two (2) weeks after the submission of the request, but at least one (1) week before its opening session.
3. If the ExCom does not call for an Extraordinary GA than this is called by those who have requested the Extraordinary GA.
Article 11: The Executive Committee
1. The Executive Committee, hereafter referred as the ExCom, is the main decision making body, authorized for all actions and operations carried out in conformity with the statue, decisions of the GA, the vision, values and goals of the Association in between two sessions of the GA.
2. The ExCom consists of the Chairperson, the Secretary General, the Treasurer, Vice Chairperson, and at least one (1) and at the most four (3) Members elected by the GA.
3. The composition of the ExCom underlines the following restrictions:
4. All the candidates for the ExCom are to present themselves in front of the GA.
5. All the Members of the ExCom are obliged to meet at least twice every month.
6. The Chairperson convenes the ExCom and coordinates and leads its work.
7. The Executive Committee reaches the quorum and can take decisions if at least half of its members are present.
8. The Executive Committee takes decisions with the majority of present members.
9. The member of the Executive Committee can be discharged of its function by her/his own will or by the GA, when she/he violates the statute or other general acts.
10. If the member of the ExCom resigns or is discharged of its function, the tasks are divided among the remaining ExCom members. If the majority of the ExCom members resign or are discharged of their function, remaining members of the ExCom should mandate an extraordinary GA, where the substitute ExCom members are elected. Their mandate starts right after the elections and lasts until the end of the mandate for which the preceding discharged ExCom members were elected.
11. In case of the lack of capabilities of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson becomes Interim Chairperson, whose mandate lasts until the next meeting of the GA.
12. The ExCom is responsible for its work to the GA.
Article 12: Competences of the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee has the following tasks and duties:
1. Managing the Association with the global coordination of the Association’s bodies and programs, execution of the GA’s decisions, promotion of the vision, mission, values and goals of the Association and the quality assurance of all Association’s activities.
2. Maintaining regular contact with the Members.
3. Stimulating contacts in between the Members.
4. Publishing and sending a political science student journal.
5. Maintaining regular contact with the Supervisor.
6. To convene and conduct the GA of the Association.
7. To take care of the execution of the Operational plan of the Association.
8. To adopt all acts managing the activities of the Association.
9. Managing the financing of the Association and the preparation of the preliminary and the final Annual Report of the ExCom. The final Annual Report has to be published in the period of one month after the end of the mandate of the ExCom, both on the web site and in the Newsletter and sent to all Members.
Article 13: The Chairperson
1. The Chairperson represents the Association outwards and signs all the acts of the Association unless she/he authorizes for this another member of the ExCom.
2. The Chairperson is responsible for financial and material operation of the Association.
3. The Chairperson is responsible for the activity of the Association in the accordance with the statute.
4. The Chairperson is responsible for the execution of the decisions of the GA.
5. The Chairperson is for his work responsible to the GA and to the ExCom.
6. The Chairperson convenes and manages the ExCom meetings and casts the decision vote in the case of equal voting of the ExCom.
7. She/he orders all expenditures.
8. She/he shares this financial responsibility and power with the Treasurer.
9. Reports to the GA about the activities of the Association and is responsible for the preparation of preliminary and final Annual Report.
10. In the case of her/his absence she/he can transfer her/his powers to the Vice-Chairperson of the Association.
Article 14: The Secretary General
1. The Secretary General must ensure a good communication within the Association.
2. The Secretary General is responsible for the management of the Office.
3. The Secretary General is responsible for archiving all relevant documentation of the Association and its transfer to the next ExCom.
4. Organizes the work of the bodies in the Association (timely prepares of the materials, minutes and announces the list of members on regularly bases) and confirms the membership.
Article 15: The Treasurer
1. The Treasurer maintains the accounts of the Association.
2. The Treasurer conducts all financial transactions.
3. She/he has the right to refuse to make payments that are not authorized by a vote of the ExCom.
4. She/he is responsible for preparation of the financial part of the preliminary and final Annual Report, for the preparation of the financial plan and she/he collects financial means.
Article 16: Vice-Chairperson
The Vice-Chairperson is responsible for managing and developing specific projects in the Association.
Article 17: ExCom members
ExCom members conduct the tasks for which they are authorized by the ExCom.
Article 18: The Supervisor
1. The position of Supervisor is not compatible with the membership in the ExCom.
2. The Supervisor is responsible to the GA for its work.
Article 19: Competences of the Supervisor
1. The Supervisor monitors the work of the ExCom, the implementation of the operational plan and conducts the supervision over financial and material operation of the Association.
2. It reports to the GA at least once per year.
3. The Supervisor is available for help and assistance to the ExCom.
4. If the Executive Committee violates the statute, the Supervisor has, after preliminary warning, the right to demand an extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly.
5. The Supervisor shall read the Annual Report of the ExCom and recommend acceptance or non-acceptance to the GA.
IV. THE MEMBERSHIP
Article 20: Membership
1. Member of the Association can be any student of CEU.
2. The membership in the Association is voluntary.
3. For membership the candidates have to fill-in the application form and pay the Annual fee.
5. If the application is in accordance with the statute the membership is confirmed by the Secretary General after the consent of the Supervisor.
6. The member who no longer wants to be a member of the Association has to submit the withdrawal form to the ExCom.
Article 21: Rights and duties of the members
1. Duties:
a. All Members are obliged to observe the Statute and the decisions taken by the General Assembly.
b. All Members are obliged to respect acts and decisions of the Association.
c. All Members are obliged to act in accordance with the Association’s vision, mission, values and goals.
2. Rights:
a. The Members have the right to participate in all activities organized by the Association.
b. The Members have the right to candidate in all Association’s bodies.
c. Members have the right to the insight in the financial and material operation of the Association.
e. Members have the right to vote at the GA if they have paid the Annual Fee.
Article 22: Honorary Membership
1. The Association, in accordance with its Internal Regulations, may grant the title of Honorary Member to persons having rendered important services to the Association.
2. This title is to be given by the GA with two-thirds (2/3) majority.
3. The Honorary Members do not have the right to vote in the bodies of the Association.
Article 23: Ending of the Membership
1. The Membership ends with the resignation of the member or the exclusion of the member.
2. The GA can exclude the member when he is not acting in accordance with the statute. The decision is taken by the 2/3 majority vote after the warning by the ExCom or Supervisor. The member does not have the right to take part in the process of decision-making in this case.
V. PROCEDURES
Article 24: Candidatures and Elections
1. The members of the ExCom and the Supervisor are elected at the GA.
2. The mandate of the ExCom and Supervisor lasts for 1 year starting at the moment of the GA.
Article 25: The existence and financial year
1. The Association is established for indefinite time.
2. Financial year lasts from September 15th until September 14th next year.
Article 26: The financial means
1. The financial means for the realization of the aforementioned goals are obtained from:
a. The Members’ Annual Fee by the Members. The amount of the Annual Fee for the coming mandate is decided by a simple majority of votes in the General Assembly upon the proposal of the ExCom.
b. Subsidies, legacies, donations, revenues from advertisements and all other revenues.
2. Payments by political parties or other organizations aligned to political parties cannot be accepted, unless these are non-binding and do not conflict with the existing statute.
3. Payments by illegal organizations are unacceptable.
4. The Association must not run into debts.
5. If the Association creates a surplus of revenues over the costs, these have to be used for the activity for which the association has been established.
6. Every distribution of the property of the Association among its members is null and void.
7. Material and financial operation have to follow the principles for associations and be in accordance with the valid rules.
8. The association can have a movable or real estate property that has to be registered in the inventory book.
9. The movable property can only be bought or alienated based on the decision of the ExCom.
10. The real-estate property can be only bought or sold after the decision of the GA.
11. The Association has its bank account.
Article 27: Amendments to the Statute
1. The General Assembly has to approve an amendment of the Statute with a two-third (2/3) majority vote.
2. The Executive Committee sends the amendments to the Members one month before the General Assembly meeting.
4. An amendment of the Statute becomes effective immediately adoption.
Article 28: Internal Regulations
1. Besides the Statute, the Association has the Internal Regulations that further regulate internal affairs of the Association.
2. Internal Regulations are adopted and changed by the GA.
VI. FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 29: Dissolution
1. The Association can be dissolved by the Members with a two third (2/3) majority vote in the General Assembly.
2. The remaining funds constituting the net assets of the Association shall be transferred to the association with goals similar to those of the Association. This is to be written in the decision, which includes the assessment that the Association is dissolved. If no such association exists, the property is transmitted to IAPSS International.
Article 30: Foundation
The statute was adopted at the founding session of the IAPSS-CEU, November 24, 2005, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary. Recognized Founding Date: October 10, 2005.
Name and Signature of Chair of the Founding General Assembly: Stefan Cibian
Name and Signature of Chairperson of IAPSS CEU: Dion Curry |
