The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Staff Club
Constitution
1. The name of this association is The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Staff Club, hereafter called the Staff Club. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University hereafter named the University.
2. The objects for which the Staff Club is established are:
a. To establish, maintain and conduct an association for the accommodation of members of the Staff Club and their guests and to provide premises and any other amenities such as might be expected of a club.
b. To promote and encourage social intercourse within The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and between The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the community in general.
3. The income and property of the Staff Club, however obtained, shall be applied exclusively towards the promotion of the objectives of the Staff Club as set forth in this Constitution.
4. True accounts shall be kept of the sums of money received and expended by the Staff Club and of the matters in respect of which such receipts and expenditure take place and of the property, assets and liabilities of the Staff Club shall be audited and the correctness of the balance sheet certified by one or more qualified auditors. The final accounts covering the year ending on thirtieth June^ shall be submitted to the next Annual General Meeting. The accounts of the Staff Club may at any time be inspected by the University Director of Finance who may impose requirements on the manner in which the accounts are kept in respect of the subvention by the University to the Staff Club.
5. The Members of the Staff Club shall be divided into the following classes:
(i) Ordinary Member
(ii) Associate Member
(iii) Retiree Member
(iv) Honorary Member
(v) Visiting Member
(vi) Joint Member
(vii) Departmental Membership
(viii) Dining Member
a. Ordinary Membership shall be open to all full-time members of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University staff.
b. Any person directly or indirectly associated with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and who in the opinion of the Staff Club Committee, is a fit and proper person to be admitted to membership, may, subject to the approval of the Staff Club Committee, become an Associate Member. Associate Members shall have all the privileges of Ordinary Members except that they shall not have the right to hold office or vote at or attend any General Meeting.
c. Any person who is a long serving retiree of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and has been an Ordinary Member of the Staff Club, for a period to be decided by the Staff Club Committee, may apply to become a Retiree Member. Retiree Members shall have all the privileges of Ordinary members except that they shall not have the right to hold office or vote at or attend any General Meeting.
d. The Staff Club Committee shall have power from time to time to invite any person or visitor of distinction, or former members of the Staff Club who have rendered meritorious service to the Staff Club to make use of the facilities of the Staff Club as Honorary Members without payment of any fee or subscription. Honorary Members shall not have the right to hold office or vote at any General Meeting.
e. Any person who is a bona fide academic visitor to the University for a period of up to three months duration may, subject to the approval of the Staff Club Committee, become a Visiting Member for the duration of the visit. Visiting Members shall have all the privileges of Ordinary Members except that they shall not have the right to hold office or vote at or attend any General Meeting.
f. An Ordinary Member, Retiree Member or Honorary Member may propose his/her spouse to become a Joint Member, provided that he/she undertakes to be responsible for any expenses or liabilities incurred in the Staff Club. Joint Members shall have all the privileges of Ordinary Members except that they shall not have the right to hold office or vote at or attend any General Meeting.
g. Departmental Membership shall be open to all departments of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, included its affiliations. A maximum of two Departmental Membership Cards will be issued to the Department. The department will be fully responsible for the use of the cards and any charges incurred with the use of the cards. The holder of Departmental Card shall have all the privileges of Ordinary Members except that they shall not have the right to hold office or vote at or attend any General Meeting.
h. Any staff member or any person who is formally affiliated with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University may apply for Dining Membership. Dining Members shall solely have the privilege of dining in the Staff Club Restaurant and they shall not have the privilege to join other Club activities opened for members and hold office or vote at or attend any General Meeting.
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
6. Every candidate for Ordinary Membership of the Staff Club shall make application in writing on such form or forms as the Staff Club Committee shall from time to time specify. Membership shall be effective as soon as any one member of the Staff Club Committee has satisfied himself that the applicant is qualified for membership under this category and has indicated to that effect in writing on the completed application form.
7. Every candidate for Associate Membership shall make application in writing on such form or forms as the Staff Club Committee may from time to time specify, and shall be proposed by one Ordinary Member except in the case of applicants who are part-time employees of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University who may be accepted for Associate Membership without a proposer at the discretion of the Staff Club Committee.
The proposer of an Associate Member shall be liable for all debts incurred in the Staff Club by the Associate Member. In the event of a candidate for Associate Membership being rejected, notice in writing shall be sent by the Staff Club Committee to the candidate and proposer as soon as possible.
The Staff Club Committee shall have the right of refusing any application for Associate Membership without assigning any reason. Following approval by the Staff Club Committee, Associate Membership shall be effective forthwith upon payment of the fees in effect at that time. If the Associate Member fails to settle the annual membership fee for 2 years, his/her membership shall be cancelled and the deposit will automatically be forfeited after deducting any outstanding membership fee. Associate Membership shall be terminated when the proposer is no longer an Ordinary member of the Club.
8. Candidates for Honorary Membership may be proposed by any Ordinary Member of the Staff Club in writing to the Staff Club Committee. Following approval by the Staff Club Committee, Honorary Membership shall be effective immediately upon acceptance by the individual concerned.
9. Every candidate for Visiting Membership of the Staff Club shall make application in writing on such form or forms as the Staff Club Committee shall from time to time specify. Application of Visiting Membership shall be proposed by one Ordinary Member who shall agree to be responsible for any unpaid expenses or liabilities incurred by the Visiting Member in the Staff Club. The Visiting Membership shall be terminated when the original proposer is no longer an Ordinary member of the Club. Depending on the length of the visitor’s visit to the University, all deposits and subscriptions shall be paid in advance, at the time of membership application.
10. Every candidate for Joint Membership of the Staff Club shall make application in writing on such form or forms as the Staff Club Committee shall from time to time specify. Application of Joint Membership shall be proposed by an Ordinary Member, Retiree Member or Honorary Member who shall agree to be responsible for all expenses or liabilities incurred by the Joint Member in the Staff Club. Joint Membership shall be terminated when the original proposer is no longer an Ordinary member, Retiree Member or Honorary Member of the Club.
11. For Departmental Membership, departments of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University shall make application in writing on such form or forms as the Staff Club Committee may from time to time specify. Subsidiary and related organization, as determined by the Staff Club Committee is also eligible to apply as Departmental Membership on payment of a deposit of $5,000.
12. Every candidate for Dining Membership of the Staff Club shall make application in writing on such form or forms as the Staff Club Committee shall from time to time specify on the day of dining at the Staff Club Restaurant.
MEMBERSHIP FEES
13. Membership fees including entrance fees, subscriptions and extraordinary fees shall be determined at a General Meeting.
14. Entrance fees, if any, are due and payable in advance. Payment of all other types of membership fee shall be determined at a General Meeting.
MEETINGS
15. An annual general meeting shall be held not later than the 30th day of November in every year for the purpose of receiving the report of the staff club committee chairman, of examining the accounts of the previous financial year, of electing members of the Staff Club Committee and of transacting general business.
16. An Extra-ordinary General Meeting may be convened either on the requisition in writing of not fewer than twenty five percent of the Ordinary Members, addressed to the Honorary Secretary, or by the decision of the Staff Club Committee.
17. At least seven day’s notice of all general meetings specifying the place, the day and the hour of meeting and the agenda shall be posted in the premises of the Staff Club. The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting shall not invalidate the proceedings at any meeting.
18. No business shall be transacted by any general meeting unless a quorum of ten Ordinary Members is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business, provided that if within twenty minutes from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, if convened upon the request of members, shall be dissolved; in any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week at the same time and place, and if at that time ten ordinary members are not present within twenty minutes from the time appointed for the meeting the members present shall be a quorum.
19. The Chairman, or in his absence the Vice-Chairman, shall preside as chairman at every general meeting of the Staff Club. If at any meeting the Chairman or Vice-Chairman is not be present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting one of the members of the Staff Club Committee shall preside, or if no Staff Club Committee member is present or willing to take the chair, the members present shall choose one of their number to take the chair.
20. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman of the meeting shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.
21. The Staff Club Committee shall have power to decide procedure at general meeting.
STAFF CLUB COMMITTEE
22. The Staff Club shall have a Staff Club Committee, hereafter called the Committee, consisting of eight Ordinary Members and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Director of Finance as an ex-officio member. The term of office of the elected Committee members shall be two years and four such members shall be elected biennially with the remaining four such members also elected biennially in alternate years. For the purpose of maintaining this arrangement the Staff Club Committee shall have the power to decide that, from time to time, vacancies on the Committee shall be filled by a member elected for a term of one year.
23. At the first meeting following the annual general meeting, the Staff Club Committee shall elect from amongst the elected members of the Committee a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer.
24. The business of the Staff Club shall be managed by the Committee. The Committee shall exercise all powers of the Staff Club subject to the regulation of these articles and to any other regulations or provisions prescribed by the Staff Club in general meeting.
25. The Committee shall have the power at any time to appoint not more than three Ordinary Members, Associate Members or Honorary Members as additional members thereof. These should not be appointed as a matter of course but only in special circumstances to take advantage of special knowledge or experience.
26. The Committee shall cause minutes to be kept of all resolutions and proceedings at all general meetings, Committee meetings and Sub-Committee meetings.
27. The Committee shall have the power from time to time to make, add to, alter and rescind such By-Laws as they may deem necessary or convenient for the proper conduct and management of the Staff Club and in particular, though not exclusively, they may by such By-Laws regulate:
a. The hours of opening and closing of the Staff Club’s premises or any part thereof.
b. The charges to be paid for participation in any activity of the Staff Club and for the use or supply of any property of the Staff Club.
c. The admission of guests to the premises and facilities of the Staff Club.
d. The prohibition of any activity in the Staff Club’s premises entirely or at any particular time or times.
e. The conduct of any class of member in relation to one another and to the Staff Club’s servants or employees.
f. The setting aside of any part of the Staff Club’s premises for particular purposes.
g. The election and expulsion of any member.
Provided always that any By-Laws made, added to or rescinded by the Committee shall only have effect from such time as it is posted on the notice board of the Staff Club and provided that any such By-Laws which deals with or purports to refer to those matters contained in paragraph (g) of this Article shall confer on the Executive Committee powers exercisable only for cause, such cause to be expressed at the time of such exercise. Where the effect of any exercise of any such power is to terminate the membership of any member, of whatever class, of the Staff Club, the member in question must be given at least two weeks notice to attend a Committee Meeting to defend himself, and the decision of the Committee shall be the subject of report to the General Meeting of the Staff Club next after the decision.
Provided also that no By-Laws shall be inconsistent with or shall alter or repeal anything contained in these Articles and that any By-Laws may be set aside at a general meeting of the Staff Club where at least two-thirds of the Ordinary Members present are in favour of a proposal so to set aside the By-Laws.
28. The Committee shall have the power to appoint and remove all employees of the Staff Club and to fix the amount of their remuneration, subject to any limitation which may be imposed by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in respect of its subvention to the Staff Club.
29. The Committee shall have the power at any time and from time to time to appoint Sub-Committees for such purposes as they deem fit and may determine the powers, functions and duties of such Sub-Committees.
30. The Committee shall be responsible for the regulation of all financial affairs of the Staff Club subject to any limitation which may be imposed by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in respect of its subvention to the Staff Club.
31. The Committee may meet together for the transaction of business, adjourn and otherwise regulate their meetings as they think fit provided that the quorum shall be five members.
32. Any question as to interpretation of the foregoing Articles and the By-Laws, if any, shall be left to the Committee. Provided always that, where any interpretation of the foregoing articles or By-Laws shall touch and affect matters relating to membership and use of the Staff Club, the Committee shall state the reasons for any such decision.
33. All matters not specially provided for by these Articles or by valid resolutions made at general meetings shall be left to the discretion of the Committee, the exercise of such discretion to be a matter of report to the general meeting next following the exercise of the discretion. And if the matter in relation to which it has been necessary to exercise such discretion is, in the judgment of the Committee, a matter which is likely to call for the exercise of their discretion under the provisions of this Article at some future time, then they shall, as speedily as may be, propose an amendment to these Articles relating to the said matter.
34. These Articles may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Ordinary Members present at a general meeting.
DISSOLUTION
35. The Staff Club shall not be dissolved except with the recommendation of the Staff Club Committee and with the consent of two-thirds of the Ordinary Membership obtained by means of a secret ballot.
36. In the event of the Staff Club being dissolved, the assets of the Club shall be used to discharge all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Club after which any remaining assets shall be divided by the Staff Club Committee amongst all Ordinary Members in equal proportions.
November 1995
November 1998
December 2001
November 2009
December 2017
December 2018
December 2019
November 2020
December 2021
June 2022
^At the 2020 AGM, a motion of changing the financial year end from thirtieth September to thirtieth June of each year to take effect after the current financial year was passed. The change will take effect from 1 October 2021with the next financial year from 1 October 2021 to 30 June 2022 (9 months). Thereafter from 1 July 2022, financial years shall be from 1 July of each year to the following 30 June (12 months).