CONSTITUTION OF

HUA YI SECONDARY SCHOOL

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Written by:
Provisional Executive Committee of
HYSS Alumni Association (Youth Wing)
 CONSTITUTION OF
HUA YI SECONDARY SCHOOL (HYSS)
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

NAME & LOGO

1.1 This Society shall be known as the “HUA YI SECONDARY

SCHOOL (HYSS) ALUMNI ASSOCIATION” hereinafter referred
to as the “Association” in this Constitution.

1.2 The logo shall be as presented on the cover page of this

Constitution – an eagle bearing the logo of HYSS in an olive
wreath on its feet.

1.2.1 The logo symbolises the prevalence of peace and

prosperity (olive wreath) in HYSS and its graduates,
symbolising co-operation of the alumni and its roots, the
school. The logo (eagle) signifies the spirit of pioneering to
new heights upon graduation with its feet linked to the school
(HYSS logo) in remembrance of one of the important places
its graduates have gone through in life.

OBJECTS

2.1 The objectives of the Association are:

a. To represent the interests of alumni of Hua Yi Secondary
School Alumni Association, hereinafter referred to as the
“Association”, with the aim of promoting the welfare of
HYSS.
b. To provide services that develops the professional and
personal skills of Association members.
c. To facilitate networking amongst HYSS students and/or
graduates.
d. To foster positive communication between Association
members and other stakeholders of HYSS (Advisory
Committee, Management, Staff and Students).
e. To maintain close cooperation and strengthen the
relationship of all alumni and students of HYSS.

MEMBERSHIP & RIGHTS

3.1 Members of the Association will be divided into the

following classes:

a. Ordinary Members
b. Honorary Members
c. Associate Members

The Association’s Executive Committee (hereinafter referred

to as the “ExCo”) reserves the right to determine the class of
membership for all applicants based on the description
stipulated in each category.
3.1.2 Ordinary Members
Any student of HYSS who has successfully completed their
curriculum of study and graduated from HYSS is eligible to be
registered as an Ordinary Member of the Association.

3.1.3 Honorary Members

Honorary membership may be conferred by the Association
on individuals who have rendered outstanding service to
HYSS and/or the Association may become an Honorary
Member upon approval of the ExCo.

3.1.4 Associate Members

Associate membership shall be open to the following, subject
to the approval of the ExCo:

a. Persons who have completed at least 2 full years of

study in HYSS.
b. Exchange students who have attended lessons at HYSS.
c. Faculty and full time staff (both past and present) who
have taught or served in HYSS.
d. Persons who, in the opinion of the ExCo, would
contribute to and further the objects of the Association
and/or HYSS.

3.2 The ExCo shall have the power at any time to restrict the
number of members of any or all classes.

3.3 Only Ordinary Members shall have the right to vote and
to hold office in the Association.

3.4 A person wishing to join the Association should submit

his/her particulars to the Secretary on a prescribed form.

3.4.1 The ExCo will decide on the application for

membership. The ExCo will exercise its power to consider
carefully the suitability of the candidate for admission as a
member, having regard to the objectives of the Association,
but in no case shall application be unreasonably denied.

3.5 A copy of the Constitution shall be furnished to every

approved member.

3.6 Any member may resign from the Association by giving

to the Secretary notice in writing to that effect. If the member
wishes to re-enter the membership, he/she may do so as per
article 3.4.1.

SUPREME AUTHORITY AND GENERAL MEETINGS

5.1 The supreme authority of the Association is vested in a

General
Meeting of members presided over by the Chairperson (or the
Deputy Chairperson if the former is not available).
5.2 An Annual General Meeting shall normally be held within
the fourth quarter of each year.

5.3 At other times, an Emergency General Meeting may be

called by the Chairperson on the request in writing (including
email), of not less than 25% of the total membership or 30
members (whichever is more), and may be called at anytime
by order of the ExCo. The notice in writing shall be given by
the Secretary setting forth the agenda that is to be
discussed. The Emergency General Meeting shall be
convened within two months from receiving this request to
convene the Emergency General Meeting.

5.4 At least ten working days notice shall be given for an

Annual General Meeting or an Emergency General Meeting.
Notice of meeting stating the date, time and place of meeting
shall be sent (by such means as the Secretary may so
decide) by the Secretary to all voting members to the last
known address/contact details, if available, of the voting
members. The particulars of the agenda shall be posted on
the Association's noticeboard no less than four working days
in advance of the meeting.

5.5 Unless otherwise stated in this Constitution, voting by

proxy is allowed at all General Meetings.

5.6 The Secretary shall duly notify members (by such means
as the
Secretary may so decide) of any other voting systems
available to members. Postal (including text messages) and
online voting systems are acceptable and will be used at the
discretion of the ExCo.

5.7 The following points may be considered at the Annual

General Meeting:

a. The previous year’s activities and events and annual

report of the Association.
b. Where applicable, the election and/or induction of office
bearers for the following term.

5.8 Any member who wishes to place an item on the agenda

of a General Meeting may do so provided he gives notice to
the Secretary not less than five working days before the
meeting is due to be held.

5.9 At least 25% of the total voting membership or 30 voting

members, whichever is more, present at a General Meeting
shall form a quorum. Proxies shall not be constituted as part
of the quorum.

5.10 In the event of there being no quorum at the

commencement of a General Meeting, the meeting shall be
adjourned for half an hour and should the number then
present be insufficient to form a quorum, the meeting shall
not be allowed to commence.
5.11 A simple majority is required to affect a resolution. In
the event of a tie, the Chairman of the meeting will have a
casting vote.

MANAGEMENT AND COMMITTEE

(refer to Appendix A)

6.1 The administration of the Association shall be entrusted

to an ExCo consisting of the following to be, subject to article
6.7, elected at each Annual General Meeting:

A Chairperson
A Deputy-Chairperson
A Secretary
A Treasurer
Up to 11 ExCo Members

6.2 Names for the offices of Chairperson, Deputy-

Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer shall be proposed and
seconded at the Annual General Meeting and election will
follow on a simple majority vote of the members present at
the meeting and/or vote cast online during a time specific
period as determined by the ExCo. The term of office of the
ExCo is one year, with an extendable one year with approval
by the Advisory Committee (refer to article 9). All office-
bearers may be re-elected for a maximum of 2 terms.

6.3 Election will be either by show of hands and/or any other

voting systems as determined by the ExCo. In the event of a
tie, a re-vote shall be taken and if it still results in a tie, a lot
shall be drawn to determine who shall be the successful
candidate unless the contesting candidate(s) withdrew in
favour of one of themselves.

6.4 The duty of the ExCo is to organise and supervise the

activities and/or events of the Association. The ExCo may not
act contrary to the expressed wishes of the General Meeting
of members without prior reference to it and always remains
subordinate to the General Meetings of members.

6.5 The ExCo and its members shall always exercise its
powers in a responsible manner and in the best interest of
the Association.
Save for cases involving gross negligence or wilful default,
the
ExCo (or its individual members) is not liable for any debts
and/or liabilities of the Association whether legally incurred or
not, and the ExCo shall be fully discharged of such liabilities
as mentioned above.

DUTIES AND POWERS OF COMMITTEE

(refer to Appendix A)

7.1 The ExCo shall have the power to appoint an ExCo

member to fill any vacancy in the ExCo. The member
appointed to fill such vacancy shall hold office for the
duration of the term of the member being replaced.

7.2 In the event of any vacancy arising in respect of the

office of
Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer, the
ExCo shall at its next meeting or as soon as may be
thereafter elect one of its members to fill the vacancy.

7.3 In the absence of the Chairperson and the Deputy-

Chairperson of the Association at an ExCo meeting, the
members of the ExCo present at the meeting shall elect a
Chairman from amongst the ExCo members subject to the
quorum conditions being satisfied.

7.4 The ExCo shall meet once every two months during each
year to examine and/or arrange the affairs of the Association.
Half of the ExCo shall form a quorum. Minutes shall be kept of
all the proceedings of the ExCo and shall be open to the
inspection of any member with at least seven days of written
notice to the Secretary.

7.5 The ExCo may from time to time appoint sub-committees

as it may deem necessary or expedient, and may delegate to
them such powers and duties of the ExCo as the ExCo may
determine. Such sub-committees shall report their
proceedings to the ExCo as required by the ExCo, and shall
conduct their business in accordance with the direction of the
ExCo.
7.6 The ExCo shall, subject always to the need to exercise
sound and prudent judgment, have power to appoint, control,
pay and dismiss employees employed by the Association, and
such administrative powers as may be necessary for the
proper carrying out of the objects of the Association in
accordance with this Constitution.

7.7 The ExCo may from time to time make, amend or repeal
the
Association’s Rules and Regulations, as they think expedient,
for the internal management and well-being of the
Association providing that all such decisions shall require the
concurrence of at least 50% of the ExCo members. The ExCo
shall have full power to decide all queries relating to the
management of the Association and all questions arising out
of or not covered by the Association’s Regulations or any
other rule or bylaws. Such decision shall be final unless and
until altered or reversed by the resolution of the members of
the Association at a General Meeting.

7.8 Any member of the ExCo who is absent from three

successive meetings of the ExCo without a written
explanation to the Secretary, shall be deemed to have
withdrawn from the ExCo and a successor may be selected
by the ExCo to serve until the next Annual General Meeting. If
at the third meeting a written explanation for such absence is
submitted, the ExCo shall consider such explanation and
decide by a simple majority vote of the ExCo whether or not
the absent member shall remain in the ExCo. Leave of
absence for a period not exceeding three months may be
granted on application.

7.9 The ExCo shall propose any financial expenditure and

budgets to the Advisory Committee for its approval.

7.10 All complaints shall be made in writing to the Secretary

who, if unable to deal with them, shall submit them to the
ExCo whose decision shall be final.

DUTIES OF OFFICE BEARERS

8.1 The Chairperson (or the Deputy Chairperson, as the case

may be) shall chair all General and ExCo meetings. He/She
shall also represent the Association in its dealings with
external parties. He/she shall work collaboratively with
Advisory Committee to pursue the objectives of the
Association.

8.2 The Deputy Chairperson shall assist the Chairperson and

deputise for him/her in his/her absence.

8.3 The Secretary shall keep all records, except financial, of

the Association and shall be responsible for their correctness.
He/She will keep minutes of all General and ExCo meetings.
He/She shall maintain an up-to-date register of members at
all times. He/She will summon all general meetings of the
Association and meeting of the committee and disseminate
information to members on the activities.

8.5 The Treasurer shall assess all funds and collect and
disburse all moneys on behalf of the Association and shall
keep an account of all monetary transactions and shall be
responsible for their correctness. Withdrawals from the bank
will be signed by the Treasurer and either the Chairperson or
the Deputy Chairperson or the Secretary, in order of
availability. Any changes to the above limits or signatories
shall only be permitted with a written resolution to be passed
by all the ExCo members.

8.6 ExCo Members shall assist in the general administration

of the Association and perform duties assigned by the ExCo
from time to time.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE
(refer to Appendix B)

9.1 The function and duty of the Advisory Committee,

hereinafter referred to as the AdCo is to preserve and protect
the constitution and treasury. They will provide advice and
guidance and/or assistance as a whole to the Committee
where deemed necessary. Financial expenditures, budgets
and judgements made by the ExCo will also have to be
examined by the Advisory Committee.

The AdCo will consist of the following:

a. Chief Advisor
b. Deputy Advisor
c. Honorary Auditor
d. Up to 5 other Advisors

9.1.2 Chief Advisor

The HYSS Principal shall appoint a HYSS Staff member to be
the Chief Advisor of the AdCo. The role of the Chief Advisor is
to support the Association by steering the Association in the
direction that meets the objectives of HYSS and the
Association.

9.1.3 Deputy Advisor

The Chief Advisor may elect another member of the HYSS
Staff to be his/her Deputy Advisor to assist him/herself in
his/her work subject to the approval and acknowledgement of
the ExCo and the AdCo. The Deputy Advisor will assume and
perform duties in the absence of the Chief Advisor.

9.1.4 Honorary Auditor

The AdCo shall enlist an Honorary Auditor, preferably of the
HYSS Staff, to ensure validity and reliability of the
Association’s finances and assess the Association as a whole.

9.1.5 Advisors
Up to 5 Advisors from the previous ExCo of the Association
may become part of the AdCo to share experience, guide
and/or assist the ExCo where deemed necessary.

FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS AND FUND-RAISING MATTERS

10.1 The ExCo and the Association shall ensure that HYSS
does not assume any financial responsibility whatsoever
(unless expressly agreed otherwise) for any projects
undertaken or initiated by the Association.

PROHIBITIONS

11.1 The Association shall not raise funds from the public for
whatever purposes without the prior approval in writing of
the Head, Licensing Division, Singapore Police Force and
other relevant authorities.

11.2 Under any incident that the ExCo becomes

dysfunctional for any reason thereby acting against the
Constitution, the AdCo shall be charged with taking
necessary actions to resolve the problem at its source. If
necessary, the AdCo shall be tasked with the relief of the
ExCo from duty and shall act as a Provisional Committee. At
the next Annual General Meeting, there will be the election of
the new ExCo.

AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION
12.1 No alteration or addition/deletion to this Constitution
shall be made except at a General Meeting and with the
consent of no less than two-thirds of the voting members
present at the General Meeting, and, if required under any
applicable laws or regulations, they shall not come into force
without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies or such
other bodies as may be applicable.

INTERPRETATION

13.1 In the event of any question or matter pertaining to

administration which is not expressly provided for in this
Constitution, the ExCo shall have power to use its own
discretion. The decision of the ExCo shall be final unless it is
reversed at a General Meeting of members.

DISSOLUTION

14.1 The Association shall not be dissolved, except with the

consent of not less than two-thirds of the total voting
membership of the
Association for the time being resident in Singapore
expressed, either in person or by proxy, at a General Meeting
convened for the purpose.

14.2 In the event of the Association being dissolved as

provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on
behalf of the Association shall be first fully discharged, and
the remaining funds will be disposed of in such manner as
the General Meeting of members may determine or donated
to an approved charity or charities in
Singapore.

14.3 A Certificate of Dissolution shall be given within seven

days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies.
Appendix A-1

Structure of Executive Committee, HYSS Alumni Association.

Executive Committee

Chairperson
Deputy Chairperson

Secretary

Treasurer

(Up to 11)
Executive Committee Members
Appendix A-2

DUTIES AND POWERS OF COMMITTEE

1. Chairperson
Head of the executive committee, chair meetings, plan and implement
activities; promote the Group to alumni to increase “membership”;
recruit volunteers; represent the group to people outside it; key contact
person with HYSS and HYSSAA Advisory Committee.

2. Vice Chairperson
Assist the Chairperson in his duties. Perform the duties of the
Chairperson in his/her absence.

3. Secretary
In charge of recording minutes of all meetings and communicating them
to all committee members; publicise events and activities; handle all
correspondence and administration work, notices of meetings, and
maintain the group’s members contact information list.

4. Treasurer
In charge of financial matters, including collecting entrance fees for
events; liaise with banks in matters about the group accounts; keep
accurate records and prepare periodic and annual statements of the
group accounts where needed.

5. Executive Committee Members

Assist in administration of the Executive Committee, where needed.
Future/Next
"Generation" chairperson could hold this position as Chair-elect, for
smooth leadership transition and opportunities to develop other
committee members as well.

6. Sub-Group Committee Heads/Representatives

Represent their respective alumni sub-groups (CCAs, Student groups,
etc.) and is also part of the Executive Committee.
Appendix B

Advisory Committee (AdCo)

Preserve, protect and defend the constitution and treasury.
Provide advice and guidance to the Committee and managed by staffs
who are appointed by the school and the past ExCo.

Chief Advisor
Current/Former HYSS Staff. Gives opinions and advise the Committee.
Also the Chief Liaising Officer to HYSS. Assist the Chairperson or his/her
deputy, if necessary.

Deputy Advisor
Current/Former HYSS Staff. Gives opinions and advise the Executive
Committee. Assist the Chief Advisor in his/her work. Perform duties in
his/her absence. Assist the Chairperson of his/her deputy if necessary.

Advisors (Up to 5)
Former Executive Committee Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson,
Secretary, Treasurer or Members. Share experience, guide and gives
opinion to the Executive Committee. Assist the Executive Committee, if
necessary.

Honorary Auditor
Enlisted by the HYSSAA Advisory Committee, preferably held by a HYSS
Staff. To ensure the validity and reliability of finances done by the
Committee. Able to assess the HYSS Alumni Association as a whole.