CONSTITUTION

Jesus & Mary Association of the Convent Ex-Students (____________)

Articles of JM ACES

Definitions

In these rules and regulations, unless the context requires, the following expressions shall have the meanings respectively assigned, i.e. to say:
A) JM ACES: Means – the Jesus & Mary Association of the Convent Ex-Students.
B) THE FOUNDERS: Means – the Founder Patron-in-Chief, the Founder Chairperson who founded the Association.
C) THE ASSOCIATIONS: Means – The Association of the Convent of the Jesus & Mary Ex-Students (___________).
D) THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Means – The Executive Committee of JM ACES.
E) CJM: Means – The Convent of Jesus & Mary (___________).
F) THE GENERAL BODY: Means – The total membership of JM ACES constituting the Association of the Convent of Jesus & Mary Ex-Students (__________).

Article 1 Name / Title

The Jesus & Mary Association of the Convent Ex-Students (__________). JM ACES.

Article 2 The Registered Office

The Registered Office of the Association shall be at The Convent of Jesus & Mary, (________________).

Article 3 The Nature of the Association

JM ACES shall be a non-political, non-sectarian Association of the Convent of Jesus & Mary graduates of (____________).

Article 4 The Aims and Objectives

A) To work for the welfare and progress of CJM.
B) To strengthen the relationship between old and new graduates and to preserve and develop their bond with CJM.
C) To promote educational and social welfare of women and children in Pakistan and abroad.
D) To encourage and reward achievements of CJM students.
E) To collaborate with national and international organizations whose interests coincide with JM ACES acts.

Article 5 The Association

The Association shall consist of members whose names are registered in following categories.

CLASSIFICATION OF MEMBERS
• Patron-in-Chief: The Patron-in-Chief shall always be the Rev. Sr. Provincial.
• Chairperson: The Chairperson shall always be the Principal of the CJM (____________).
• Founder Members: Those members of JM ACES who have contributed towards founding of the Association and formulating the constitution at its inception. These founder members shall be nominated by the Founder Patron-in-Chief and Founder Chairperson. The founder members shall have the privilege to continue to hold the position of advisors for the Association.
• Life Members: They shall pay a life membership fee as per fixed by the Executive Committee.
• Regular Members: All graduates of the CJM (__________), who shall pay the annual subscription.
• Ex-Officio Members: The teaching staff of CJM (________) shall be the ex-officio members of the Association and shall continue to be the members as long as they are on the staff of the CJM (__________). They shall be required to pay the prescribed membership fee and annual subscription for the membership of the Association. They shall not hold any office of the Association, nor shall they vote or contest the elections.
• Honorary Members: Women of exceptional merit who have attained a position and status of prominence on account of their ability, service to humanity or any other achievements of a national and international nature may be offered honorary membership for life by the executive member. There is no annual subscription for honorary membership. They shall not hold any office of the Association nor shall they hold or contest elections.

Article 6 Method

A) In pursuance of its aims JM ACES may hold conferences, seminars and meetings of the members of the Association within the country and abroad.
B) To raise funds, receive donations, contributions and subscription from members, other philanthropic individuals and bodies for the purposes of the Association.
C) To organize and hold social meetings for the JM ACES members.

Article 7 Membership and Method of Enrolment

A) All graduates of CJM (___________) who agree and abide by the constitution will be eligible for membership.
B) Application for membership shall be made on a prescribed form and forwarded to the Secretary of the Association. The Secretary shall send all the applications to the executive committee for approval and inform the applicant about her enrolment and shall issue an appropriate membership card on payment.
C) The subscription shall be as follows:

CATEGORY MEMBERSHIP FEE ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION
Patron-In-Chief None None
Chairperson None None
Life Member Min. Rs. 10,000/- None
Regular Members Min. Rs. 500/- Rs. 300/-
Ex-Officio Members Min. Rs. 500/- Rs. 300/-
Honorary Members None None
• All of the fee mentioned above in any category shall be subject to change as per decision of the Executive Committee.

D) Financial Year: The Financial Year of JM ACES shall commence from 1st July and shall end on 30th June each year.
E) All remittances shall be made to the Treasurer and a receipt obtained.

Article 8 Registration of Members

There shall be a computerized and manual register of the members of the Association, in which the names of all the members shall be entered in their respective categories along with other particulars. This register shall be treated as a confidential document.

Article 9 Privileges of Members

A) To participate in all activities of the Association.
B) To vote for the office bearers.
C) To stand for any office of this Association at the time of the elections, provided they are proposed and seconded by two members from the general body, and fulfil the requirements.

Article 10 Cessation and Suspension of Membership

1. A member shall cease to be a member of the Association if
- She resigns from her membership in writing.
- If she is considered by the general body members to have either violated the constitution or to have acted against the general interest of the Association.
2. A member who fails to pay their dues by the end of the financial year shall automatically be suspended from the membership. If however she clears the dues in three months time from the date of suspension she may be reinstated by the executive committee on payment of registration fee as well.

Article 11 The Patron-in-Chief

The Rev. Sr. Provincial by virtue of her office shall be the Patron-in-Chief of the Association and will continue in this capacity for the tenure of her office. She shall be automatically succeeded by the next incumbent to the post.

Article 12 The Executive Committee

The executive committee shall consist of:

A) Four office bearers
B) Eight executive members

Office Bearers: All the office bearers will be chosen by elections for the following office.

1. President
2. Vice-President
3. General Secretary
4. Treasurer
5. Advisors

• A joint-secretary and joint-finance secretary may be co-opted from the executive committee by the executive committee.

The Chairperson: The Chairperson will attend all the meetings and represent the interest of the school.

The President: The President shall preside over all the meetings of the executive committee and of the general body of the JM ACES. She shall ensure that the decisions of the executive committee are implemented. She shall, along with the Chairperson, represent the Association before all other official and private organizations. The President shall be the Chief Executive of the Association.

The Vice-President: The Vice-President shall preside at the meeting of the executive committee in the absence of the President. The Vice-President will assist the President in the performance of her duties.

The General Secretary: The General Secretary shall maintain office records, attendance register of the members, keep minutes of all the meetings, conduct correspondence on behalf of the Association, convene meetings, prepare agenda, issue notice of meetings and conduct the ordinary business of the Association under the general supervision of the President and The Executive Committee. She will be a graduate of the CJM (____________) and be a staff member of the school.

The Joint Secretary: The Joint Secretary will assist the General Secretary in her duties and will act as the Secretary in her absence.

The Treasurer: The Treasurer shall maintain and be responsible for the accounts of the Association. She shall prepare and present statements of the accounts before the Executive Committee and the General Body of the Association. She shall prepare the budget and shall get the accounts of the Association audited once every three years. All cheques will be signed by the Chairperson along with the Treasurer and the General Secretary.

The Advisors: The Advisors shall have the privilege to attend the Executive Committee meetings, and assist the Patron-in-Chief and the Chairperson in the holding of the elections, if not standing for an office herself.

In the event of a member of the Executive Committee being absent for four consecutive meetings without a valid reason, will automatically cease to be a member, and the Executive Committee will nominate a new member in her place.

Article 13/A Term and Manner of Elections

The officer bearers shall be elected at the annual meeting of the general body of the JM ACES, and will hold office for a term of 3 years. They shall be eligible for re-election to the same post for two consecutive terms only. The vacancies occurring in the Executive Committee during the course of the term shall be filled by the Executive Committee by nomination.
Article 13/B Manner of Elections

1. Election will be held after a term of three years at the CJM (____________) premises.
2. The date of the elections will be intimated by correspondence three months in advance.
3. Nomination papers will be filed 30 days prior to the date fixed for the elections.
4. All nomination papers will be scrutinized by the Executive Committee.
5. Only those candidates will be eligible who use the prescribed forms and submit the required fee.

The validity of the office bearers will depend on the following criteria:

1. They should be graduates of CJM (___________).
2. They should have been a student of good standing for a minimum period of six years.
3. They should not be less than 20 years of age to contest for the post of the President, the Vice-President, the General Secretary and the Treasurer and should have the membership of five years with JM ACES (____________) (relaxable by the Patron-in-Chief only). Other executive members to be not less than 20 years of age with a three year membership with the JM ACES Lahore (relaxable by the Patron-in-Chief only).
4. They should be proposed and seconded by the graduates of CJM (____________).
5. They shall at the time of an election stand for one office only.

Article 13/C Manner of Election

1. The elections shall be presided over by the Patron-in-Chief and the Chairperson.
2. They shall be assisted by the Advisors not contesting the elections.
3. Voting shall be done by a secret ballot.
4. No proxy votes or postal ballots will be considered valid.
5. All results of the election will be considered final.

Article 14 The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall act as the governing body and shall implement the decision of the Association.

Meetings:
1. The Executive Committee shall hold not less than three meetings a year or as frequently as deemed necessary by the President.
2. 50% members shall constitute the quorum for the Executive Committee meetings.
3. An emergency meeting maybe called by the President or the Patron-in-Chief at a shorter notice than the normal, when considered necessary, or at the request of four members of the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee shall take all decisions by a majority vote of the members present and voting. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the control of expenditure. All expenditure incurred shall be subsequently reported to the Executive Committee at the next meeting.

The Executive Committee shall make representation, arrange for deputations to meet persons concerned on matters of collective welfare, except such as pertaining to an individual capacity.

The Sub-Committee:

The Executive Committee may appoint special sub-committees from amongst the members of the Association for considering or attending to special problems. At least two members of the Executive Committee will serve on each sub-committee.

Article 15 The General Body of the JM ACES

1. It will consist of all the members and shall be the supreme body of the Association with overall powers and its decision shall be final.
2. The general body shall meet once a year at the CJM (____________) or at any other place fixed by the Executive Committee, and shall take all ordinary decisions by a majority of members present and voting. It shall transact the following work during its annual meeting.
- Shall receive and adopt the annual report of the Association.
- Pass the budget of the Association. This function may be delegated by the general body to the Executive Committee.
- Approve the audited income and expenditure statement of the Association.
- Elect the office bearer and the members of the Executive Committee at the end of its tenure.
- Discuss the proposal submitted in writing and signed by at least ten members of the Association, and other matters tabled by the Executive Committee.
- One month clear notice of the date of the meeting shall be duly given through correspondence.
- Quorum for the meetings shall be called whenever considered necessary by the Executive Committee / the President / the Patron-in-Chief.
- If due to lack of quorum a meeting of the general body is adjourned, the meeting may be called by the President after one week at the same place and time.

Article 16 Audit of Accounts

1. The financial year of the Association shall be from 1st July to 30th June.
2. The accounts of the Association shall be kept in a scheduled bank and shall be jointly operated by the Chairperson, Treasurer, and the General Secretary.
3. An internal audit of the Association shall be done at least once every three years, before the accounts are audited by the registered auditor’s appointed by the Executive Committee.
4. The income and property when so ever derived shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objectives of the Association as set forth in this memorandum of the Association. No portion thereof shall be paid or transferred or distributed directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus, interest, or otherwise by way of project to the members of the Association.

Article 17 Amendments

These articles of the Association shall be amended by the general body by a majority of members present and voting, provided a notice of the proposed amendments is incorporated in the agenda of such a meeting and a clear one month notice is given for all such meetings.

Article 18 The By-Laws

The Executive Committee is authorized to frame by-laws of the Association for the smooth working of the Association, by a majority vote, provided these by-laws are not repugnant to this constitution. Such by-laws may be amended by the Executive Committee by a majority vote at any of its meetings.

Article 19 Dissolution of the Association

The Association of the JM ACES shall only be dissolved by the Patron-in-Chief.