ARTICLE I: THE NAME

The name of the society shall be "The University of York Hong Kong Society". All changes to the name could be made only with the consent of current members and committee;

ARTICLE II: AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aims and objectives of the Society are:

1. To act as a medium between Hong Kong people and other Chinese students;
2. To help first-year Hong Kongers adapt to university life and the environment of York;
3. To organise cultural, recreational and social activities for members;
4. To help collaborate members' participation in group activities organized by other student bodies (e.g. OSA);
5. To promote the awareness and appreciation of Hong Kong culture among members and in the University.

Section Two: Membership and Privileges

ARTICLE I: MEMBERSHIP

2.1.1. Membership will be open to students of the University of York, members of and alumni;

2.1.2. Only members have the right to nominate, stand in and vote in elections. In general meetings, members have the right to vote, propose and second motions, and to.

ARTICLE II: SUBSCRIPTION

2.2.1. The subscription fee per member per session is to be decided by the committee.

Section Three: Committee

ARTICLE I: COMPOSITION

3.1.1. The Committee shall include the following: Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, two Events Officers, Press and Publicity Officer and Webmaster. Any changes to the above structure has to comply with the Student Union's regulations;

ARTICLE II: FUNCTIONS

3.2.1. The Committee shall formulate the policies of the Society for the well being of its members.

3.2.2. The committee shall plan and execute the activities of the Society.

3.2.3. It shall carry out the resolutions of the General Meetings.

3.2.4. It is responsible to the General Meeting for all its actions.

3.2.5. It should decide on the subscription fees to be met by the members of the Society.

ARTICLE III: AUTHORITY

The authority of the Committee shall be second only to the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING and shall have the power:

3.3.1. To implement the aims of the Constitution and the policies laid by the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.

3.3.2. To approve membership of any sub-committee as may be formed by a committee member under the authority of the Committee.

3.3.3. To judge and decide necessary disciplinary action when a members' discipline might affect the reputation of the society. The heaviest disciplinary action taken with regard to the society is the invalidation of membership and ban from future participation in Society matters.

3.3.4. To ensure that expenditure made by the Society are in accordance with the Constitution and in the interests of all members.

3.3.5. To consider resignation of any Committee members.

3.3.6. To pass a vote of censor with the concurrence of two-thirds of the Committee members voting against a member of the Committee.

3.3.7. To pass a vote of NO CONFIDENCE (abstention to count against) in a general meeting against a Committee member if the circumstances make it necessary after a vote of censor has been passed in a Committee meeting.

3.3.8. To request for the resignation of any of the Committee members after a vote of censor and NO CONFIDENCE have been passed.

ARTICLE IV: RESPONSIBILITY

3.4.1. The Committee shall be responsible to the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING for all its undertakings.

3.4.2. The committee could place a motion to censor a Committee member who fails to attend two or more consecutive Committee meetings without a satisfactory written explanation.

3.4.3. The quorum of a Committee meeting should not be less than 50% of the total number of Committee members and must include the chairperson/vice-chairperson and secretary.

ARTICLE V: DUTIES AND REQUIREMENTS OF INDIVIDUAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS
All Committee members must perform the duties in the Constitution of Section Three Article II as well as the particulars of the following sub-section relevant to each Committee member.
Apart from the eligibility requirements as stated in Section Four Article III, additional requirements apply to the Chairperson, the Secretary and the Treasurer due to practical reasons.

3.5.1. The Duties of the Chairperson:
a. Chair General Meetings and Committee Meetings.
b. Represent the Society, or delegate the authority to represent, in all matters.
c. Be responsible for the coordination of the workings of the Society.
d. Appoint a deputy for any representative who is unable to fulfil his/her duties because of illness or temporary absence.
e. Make the final decision in the case of drawn vote.

The Additional Requirements for the Chairperson:
f. Is a holder of the Hong Kong ID Card and has the right of abode in Hong Kong
g. Has resided in Hong Kong for at least 10 years

3.5.2. The Vice-Chairperson shall:
a. Act for the Chairperson in his/her absence.
b. Support the Chairperson in the execution of his/her duties and welfare needed for member (especially freshers).

3.5.3. The Duties of the Secretary:
a. Deal with correspondence.
b. Arrange meetings of the Committee and the Society.
c. Prepare and circulate the agendas and minutes of the General Meetings and Committee meetings.

The Additional Requirements for the Secretary:
d. Fluent in both Cantonese and English
e. Has good written Chinese and English abilities
f. Has Chinese word processing skills

3.5.4. The Duties of the Treasurer:
a. Keep the accounts of the Society and present them to the Society at the Annual General Meeting.
b. Deal with any matters relating to the finances of the Society.
c. Liaise with relevant bodies of the University on matters of finance.

The Additional Requirements of the Treasurer:
d. Is a holder of the Hong Kong ID card and has the right of abode in Hong Kong

3.5.5. The Events Officer shall:
a. Co-ordinate the organisation of social events and other functions.
b. Assist in the publicising of events.
c. Be in Hong Kong during the summer holiday within their term of service to co-ordinate the organisation of summer holiday events.

3.5.6. The Press and Publicity Officer shall:
a. Co-ordinate the publicising of all events.
b. Be responsible for the printing and distribution of promotion materials.

3.5.7. The Webmaster shall:
1. Co-ordinate the publicity on the Internet.
2. Update and maintain the Hong Kong Society homepage.

Section Four: Meetings and Elections

ARTICLE I: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

4.1.1. There shall be an Annual General Meeting in the Autumn Term to elect the Committee for the next session.

4.1.2. Nominations for candidates to stand in the election of the Committee shall be received at least 3 days before the Annual General Meeting is due to be held. In circumstances in which the Committees posts have received no nominations, the Committee may appoint members to take over the posts after the A.G.M.

4.1.3. By a decision of the Committee, or at the request in writing signed by more than 10 members of the Society, the Secretary shall forthwith call an Extraordinary General Meeting.

4.1.4. 30% of the members of the Society or 10 members (whichever is higher) shall constitute a quorum at a General Meeting.

4.1.5. Examined accounts shall be presented at a General Meeting of the Society at least once in a session.

ARTICLE II: COMMITTEE MEETINGS

4.2.1. There shall be at least three Committee Meetings in each term.

4.2.2. There shall be an EXTRAORDINARY COMMITTEE MEETING at the request of at least three Committee members.

ARTICLE III: ELECTIONS

4.3.1. The election of the Committee shall take place during the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.

4.3.2. Eligibility of candidates consists of the following:
Every candidate must have an in-depth understanding of Hong Kong culture.
The ability to speak fluent Cantonese is highly recommended.
No candidate shall be eligible for more than one post.

ARTICLE IV: VACANCY PROCEDURE OF COMMITTEE

4.4.1. If as a result of the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, the post of the Chairperson remains vacant, or less than half of the Committee posts are filled, then the vacant posts shall be temporarily filled by the corresponding outgoing Committee members (including Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer) until the EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING. The newly elected Committee members and the temporary Committee members shall then call an EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING within 30 days to receive and consider nominations for the vacancies, or in the absence of nominations, appoint suitable members.

4.4.2. Subject to item 4.4.1 above, the Committee elected in the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING shall have the power to appoint full members to fill vacant Committee posts, and also in the event of resignation of any of the Committee members.

4.4.3. Complaints about the election must be directed to the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Chairperson in writing before the end of the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.

ARTICLE V: METHOD OF VOTING

4.5.1. When there is only one candidate for the post, a single majority vote should be held.

4.5.2. When there are two candidates for the post, a straight ballot shall be held. A re-election shall be ordered by the Chairperson of the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING whenever a tie occurs in the voting of the election as is deemed necessary by two-thirds affirmative vote of the meeting.

4.5.3. When there are more than two candidates for one post, electors shall indicate on their ballot papers their choice of candidate. In the event of a tie at the last count, a re-election shall be ordered as in 4.5.2 above.

ARTICLE VI: DISCIPLINE

4.6.1. Any member acting in a manner derogatory to the Society or in any way violating the Constitution or the standing orders of the Committee may receive any one of the following disciplinary actions:
Suspension of membership may be moved against any member who does not fulfil his/her obligations as member with the concurrence of two-thirds of the Committee.
A vote of censure may be passed against any member of the Society with the concurrence of two-thirds of the Committee.
a motion of NO CONFIDENCE may be moved by the members against any member of the Committee for the infringement of the Constitution, neglect of duties or unbecoming conduct. A motion of NO CONFIDENCE against any Committee member must be resolved in the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING or EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

4.6.2. Disciplinary action shall be taken by the Committee and the majority of at least two-thirds of all members.

4.6.3. The name and full particulars of any member who has received any disciplinary action shall be notified to all members.

4.6.4. Notice of restoration of membership to the member whose membership has been suspended shall be notified to each member of the Society.

4.6.5. Members can appeal for a GENERAL MEETING providing that other members second his/her idea.

ARTICLE VII: DISSOLUTION

4.7.1. The dissolution of the Society shall not be affected unless:
full information on the state of the Society and financial position of the Society and comments on the consequence of the dissolution are presented to all the members of the Society.
with the concurrence of three-quarters of the members voting for it in a postal ballot taken especially for such a purpose.
all debts and assets of the Society have been settled according to the decision of the members in the same postal ballot.

ARTICLE VIII: EXECUTIVE REPORT

4.8.1. The Committee shall circulate a written report on activities undertaken, mandates fulfilled since the last meeting and mandates not yet fulfilled. Verbal reports shall be given on any activities undertaken between the time of the written report and the meeting. During the AGM, the Committee shall deliver a report on activities undertaken, mandates fulfilled since the last meeting and mandates not yet fulfilled.

4.8.2. Members may ask questions about the reports. Any questions must be answered verbally at the meeting.

Section Five: Legal Proceedings

5.1. The Treasurer for the time being of the Society is authorised to sue and may, if he so consents in writing, be sued, in a representative capacity, on behalf of the Society, and shall be entitled to indemnify himself out of the assets of the Society against any liabilities he say incur in consequence.

Section Six: Amendments to the Constitution

6.1. The Constitution may be changed only by a two-thirds majority at a General Meeting.

6.2. All amendments shall be notified to the Student Union.