Singapore Polytechnic Act
(Chapter 303, Section 23(1))
Singapore Polytechnic (Students’ Union) Regulations
Rg 1
REVISED EDITION 1997
(15th June 1997)
[21st June 1996]
Citation
1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Singapore Polytechnic (Students’ Union) Regulations.*
*  Replaces Rg 1, 1990 Ed. (S 231/80).
Definitions
2.  In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —
“Chairman” means the Chairman of the Council;
“constituent body” means a constituent body of the Union;
“Council” means the Council of the Union;
“Executive Committee” means the Executive Committee of the Union;
“management committee” means the management committee of a constituent body;
“Polytechnic” means the Singapore Polytechnic;
“Principal” means the principal of the Polytechnic;
“student” means a student of the Polytechnic, but shall not include a member of the staff of the Polytechnic who is pursuing a course of study at the Polytechnic;
“Union” means the Singapore Polytechnic Students’ Union.
Name of Union
3.—(1)  The name of the Union shall be the Singapore Polytechnic Students’ Union.
(2)  The motto and crest of the Union shall be those of the Polytechnic.
(3)  The place of business of the Union shall be the Singapore Polytechnic, 500 Dover Road, Singapore 139651.
Aims and objectives
4.  The Union shall —
(a)promote and safeguard the interest of the Polytechnic and the Union;
(b)promote social, cultural and educational activities and sports among its members;
(c)foster among its members a collegiate spirit which shall not have any religious, racial or political bias; and
(d)promote a spirit of unity and patriotism.
Types of membership
5.—(1)  Every full-time student shall be an ordinary member of the Union.
(2)  Every part-time student shall be an associate member of the Union.
(3)  A person shall not be a member of the Union unless he is a student.
Subscription
6.—(1)  All ordinary and associate members of the Union shall each pay an entrance fee of $5 or such other amount as may be determined by the Board.
(2)  An ordinary member shall pay a subscription fee of $18 per academic year or such other amount as may be determined by the Board.
(3)  An associate member shall pay a subscription fee of $9 per academic year or such other amount as may be determined by the Board.
(4)  All ordinary and associate members shall pay their entrance fees and subscriptions through the Polytechnic at the beginning of each academic year together with their college fees.
(5)  There shall be no refund of any entrance fee or subscription which has been paid.
Privileges of members of Union
7.—(1)  An ordinary member may —
(a)speak and vote at a general meeting of the Union and participate in the Union’s activities;
(b)vote in and stand for election to the Council or Executive Committee or management committee of any constituent body of which he is a member; and
(c)use the Union’s facilities in accordance with such rules, regulations and conditions as may be issued from time to time by the Principal.
(2)  An associate member may —
(a)speak at a general meeting of the Union and participate in the Union’s activities; and
(b)use the Union’s facilities in accordance with such rules, regulations and conditions as may be issued from time to time by the Principal.
(3)  An associate member may not vote in or stand for election to the Council or the Executive Committee or any management committee.
(4)  No person other than a member of the Union shall participate in any activity of the Union.
(5)  Voting in every election shall be by ballot and a member may not vote by proxy in an election.
Obligations of members
8.  All ordinary and associate members —
(a)shall abide by these Regulations; and
(b)shall not act in any manner detrimental to the good name, interest or welfare of the Polytechnic or the Union.
Union to be managed by Council
9.—(1)  The Union shall have a Council to manage its affairs.
(2)  Where all the members of the Council resign from office, the administration of the Union shall be carried out by an interim council.
Council
10.—(1)  The Council shall consist of —
(a)Union representatives elected by the members of their respective management committees from amongst themselves; and
(b)members of the Executive Committee (who shall not concurrently be members of any management committee) elected by the members of their respective constituent bodies from amongst themselves.
(2)  The ratio of Union representatives to members of the respective management committees shall be not more than 1:5.
(3)  There shall be one Executive Committee member for a constituent body with up to 1,000 members and 2 Executive Committee members for a constituent body with more than 1,000 members.
(4)  Where there is a vacancy in the Executive Committee, the Executive Committee may co-opt an ordinary member of the Union to fill the vacancy.
(5)  The Executive Committee shall not co-opt person in accordance with paragraph (4) except with the approval of the Principal.
(6)  Where the Executive Committee fails to fill a vacancy in the Committee, the Principal may appoint a student to fill the vacancy.
Disqualification from holding office
11.  An ordinary member of the Union shall not be eligible for election to the Council or the Executive Committee thereof if he —
(a)has been found guilty of a disciplinary offence under any regulations made under the Act relating to the conduct and discipline of students; or
(b)is repeating a semester or stage of study.
Removal from office of member of Council
12.—(1)  A motion of censure or no confidence passed against the Council shall not take effect unless it obtains the endorsement of two-thirds of the management committees of the constituent bodies.
(2)  A Union representative shall not be removed from office except by a majority of members of the management committee which voted him in.
(3)  A member of the Executive Committee shall not be removed from office except by a majority of the members of the constituent body which voted him in and the endorsement of two-thirds of the members of the Council present at a meeting thereof.
(4)  A person who is co-opted into or appointed to the Council under regulation 10(4) or (6) shall not be removed from office except with the approval of the Principal.
Vacation of office
13.—(1)  A Union representative in the Council shall vacate his office if he ceases to be a member of the management committee of the constituent body which he represents in the Council.
(2)  A member of the Executive Committee shall vacate his office if he resigns from the Council.
Voting rights of Council and Executive Committee members
14.—(1)  A member of the Council shall have only one vote irregardless of the number of management committees he represents.
(2)  A member of the Executive Committee shall have only one vote irregardless of the number of constituent bodies he represents.
Subscriptions and expenditure
15.—(1)  The entrance fee and Union subscription of a student shall be collected and retained by the Bursar of the Polytechnic in the accounts of the Union and the constituent body of which the student is a member.
(2)  The Union and every constituent body shall submit their respective budgets for the approval of the Board.
(3)  Every payment in respect of expenditure properly incurred by the Union or any of its constituent bodies shall be made by the Bursar from the appropriate account.
(4)  All donations to, and funds raised by, the Union and its constituent bodies shall be paid to the Bursar for credit to the appropriate accounts.
Use of Polytechnic’s premises
16.  The Board may permit the Union to use any building or room of the Polytechnic on such conditions and for such periods as it thinks fit and the Board may, in its discretion, withdraw any such permission at any time.
Conditions for use of facilities
17.—(1)  The Board may impose such conditions as it thinks fit for the use by the Union and any of its constituent bodies of the Polytechnic’s premises or facilities.
(2)  A nominal sum to be determined from time to time by the Principal may be charged for such use.
Functions of Council
18.  The functions of the Council shall be —
(a)to formulate the policies of the Union consistent with these Regulations;
(b)to organise the social, cultural, educational and sports activities of the Union;
(c)to provide such facilities for the welfare of its members as it thinks fit;
(d)to publish the Union’s activities in an annual report which shall also include the Union’s annual accounts; and
(e)to publish such books, papers or articles as it thinks fit to promote the aims and objectives of the Union.
Powers of Council
19.  The Council shall have the power to —
(a)elect —
(i)its Chairman;
(ii)the office-bearers of the Executive Committee from among the members of that Committee; and
(iii)the members of the Union’s standing committees;
(b)delegate to its Executive Committee and standing committees such powers and duties as it may determine;
(c)exercise control over the Executive Committee and standing committees;
(d)ensure that the activities of the Executive Committee and standing committees are not prejudicial to the public interest, and that the Union’s publications comply with regulations 45 (2) and 46;
(e)recommend to any disciplinary committee, constituted under any regulations made under the Act relating to the conduct and discipline of students, such disciplinary action as it thinks fit against any member who has contravened or failed to comply with any provision of these Regulations; and
(f)cause any vacancy arising from the resignation of any member of the Council or Executive Committee or any other committee of the Union to be filled in accordance with these Regulations.
Term of office of Council member
20.—(1)  The term of office of a member of the Council shall be one academic year from the first annual general meeting after the election to the Council.
(2)  A member of the Council shall vacate his office when he ceases to be a full-time student of the Polytechnic.
Ordinary meeting of Council
21.—(1)  The Council shall hold at least one ordinary meeting per academic term.
(2)  The Honorary General Secretary of the Council shall give at least 7 days’ notice of such meeting.
(3)  The agenda for the meeting shall be posted on the Union’s notice boards at least 6 days before the date of the meeting.
(4)  Any subject for inclusion in the agenda for the meeting shall be submitted by a member of the Council to the Honorary General Secretary at least 3 days before the date of the meeting.
Extraordinary meeting of Council
22.—(1)  An extraordinary meeting shall be held when a matter requiring urgent attention arises or when a written request for such meeting signed by at least one-third of the members of the Council is received by the Honorary General Secretary.
(2)  The meeting shall be held within 5 days of the receipt of any such request.
(3)  Only those matters for which the meeting is convened shall be discussed at the meeting.
(4)  The Honorary General Secretary shall give at least 3 days’ notice of such meeting unless the urgency of the matter requires a shorter notice.
Meeting of Council
23.—(1)  Half of the number of Council members shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of the Council.
(2)  Where a quorum is not present, the meeting shall be postponed to a date within 7 days, but not less than 48 hours, of the postponed meeting.
(3)  The minutes of a meeting shall be submitted for adoption at the following meeting.
(4)  A general report of every meeting shall be put on the Union’s notice boards within 10 days of the meeting.
(5)  The Chairman shall preside at every meeting and in his absence one of the members present, other than a member of the Executive Committee, shall be elected to preside at the meeting.
Absence from meeting
24.—(1)  No member of the Council shall absent himself for more than 15 minutes from any meeting of the Council except with the permission of the Chairman.
(2)  A member of the Council shall not be absent from more than two-thirds of the total time in 3 successive meetings of the Council without reasonable cause acceptable to the Council.
(3)  At the meeting subsequent to the 3 successive meetings which a member is absent, the member shall submit a written explanation for his absence.
(4)  The Council shall at such meeting consider and decide by a simple majority of those present at the meeting whether the member concerned shall remain in the Council.
First meeting of Council
25.—(1)  The first ordinary meeting of the Council shall be convened by the Honorary General Secretary of the previous Council —
(a)before the end of the first term of the academic year; and
(b)not later than 2 weeks before the date fixed for the annual general meeting of the Union.
(2)  The first item on the agenda of that first meeting shall be the election of the Chairman of the new Council who shall not be a member of the Executive Committee.
(3)  The election of the Chairman of the new Council shall be presided by the Chairman of the previous Council who shall have no vote unless he is also a member of the new Council.
(4)  The Council, presided by the newly elected Chairman, shall then elect the office-bearers of the Executive Committee from among the members of that Committee.
(5)  The minutes of the first meeting shall be recorded by the Honorary General Secretary of the previous Council.
(6)  At the first meeting, the provisional budget for the ensuing year as proposed by the Finance Committee of the previous Council shall be considered and recommendations shall be submitted to the Principal for the approval of the Board.
Second meeting of Council
26.—(1)  The second ordinary meeting of the Council shall be held not later than 2 weeks after the annual general meeting.
(2)  The standing committees of the Union shall be appointed at that second meeting.
Executive Committee
27.—(1)  The Executive Committee shall consist of —
(a)a President who shall be both the Chairman of the Committee and the President of the Union;
(b)a Vice-President;
(c)a Honorary General Secretary;
(d)a Honorary Assistant General Secretary;
(e)a Financial Secretary;
(f)a Publications Secretary;
(g)a Student Welfare Secretary;
(h)a Social Secretary; and
(i)other members of the Committee elected or appointed under these Regulations.
(2)  All the members of the Executive Committee, except the Financial Secretary, shall be eligible for reappointment.
Functions of Executive Committee
28.—(1)  The Executive Committee shall carry out the policies of the Council.
(2)  All communications between the Union and the Polytechnic or any other person shall be carried out through the Executive Committee.
Powers of Executive Committee
29.  The Executive Committee shall —
(a)deal with the day-to-day administration of the Union;
(b)exercise control over all standing committees of the Union as and when required to do so by the Council;
(c)make rules regulating the proper management and use of such premises as may be let to the Union by the Board and ensure that such rules are complied with;
(d)on the resignation of any member of a standing committee, fill the vacancy thus arising; and
(e)convene every meeting of the Council or of the Union.
Term of office of Executive Committee
30.—(1)  A member of the Executive Committee shall hold office from the date of his appointment until the first meeting of the Council elected in the following academic year.
(2)  A member of the Executive Committee shall cease to be such when he ceases to be a full-time student of the Polytechnic.
(3)  A member of the Executive Committee shall not hold more than one office in the Executive Committee.
(4)  A person shall not be a member of the Executive Committee unless he is a citizen of Singapore.
Meetings of Executive Committee
31.—(1)  The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a month.
(2)  The Honorary General Secretary shall give at least 7 days’ notice of such meeting unless the urgency of the matter requires a shorter notice.
(3)  A meeting of the Executive Committee shall be convened by the Honorary General Secretary when directed by the President of the Union or at the request of at least 3 members of the Executive Committee.
(4)  Half of the number of members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.
(5)  A member of the Executive Committee shall not absent himself from 3 successive meetings of the Executive Committee without reasonable cause.
(6)  At the meeting subsequent to the 3 successive meetings which a member is absent, the member shall submit a written explanation for his absence.
(7)  The Executive Committee shall consider and decide by a simple majority of those present at the meeting whether the member concerned shall remain in the Executive Committee.
(8)  The President, or in his absence the Vice-President, shall preside at a meeting of the Executive Committee.
(9)  In the absence of the President and the Vice-President, one of the members present, other than the Honorary General Secretary, shall be elected to preside at the meeting.
President
32.—(1)  The President of the Union —
(a)may call meetings of the Executive Committee, Council or the Union;
(b)shall countersign all bills, vouchers and invoices of the Union; and
(c)may monitor the files of the Union.
(2)  The President, or in his absence the Vice-President, shall have a casting vote at a meeting of the Executive Committee at which he presides.
Vice-President
33.  The Vice-President of the Union shall —
(a)in the absence of the President, carry out all the duties and functions of the President;
(b)succeed the President for the remainder of the President’s term of office if his office falls vacant; and
(c)assist the President in the performance of his duties.
Honorary General Secretary
34.  The Honorary General Secretary shall —
(a)take charge of the Union’s records and conduct the correspondence of the Union;
(b)keep minutes of every general meeting of the Union and of every meeting of the Council and Executive Committee and post them on the Union’s notice boards within 10 days of such meetings;
(c)circulate copies of those minutes to all members of the Council as well as to the Principal within 2 weeks of each meeting;
(d)submit at a meeting of the Executive Committee any matter received from a member of the Union for discussion;
(e)submit the records of the Union for the inspection by any member thereof who has given at least 10 days’ notice of his intention to inspect the records;
(f)record any interview between the holder of an office in the Union and the Principal as the Principal may require and submit such record to the Principal for his approval and signature and any such record may be inspected by a member of the Union;
(g)prepare and submit on behalf of the Council the annual report of the Union at the annual general meeting; and
(h)if the Council ceases to remain in office before the expiry of its term, prepare and submit to its successor a report of the Union’s activities during its period of office within 4 weeks from the date of assumption of office by the new Council.
Honorary Assistant General Secretary
35.  The Honorary Assistant General Secretary shall —
(a)assist the Honorary General Secretary in the performance of his duties;
(b)assume the duties of the Honorary General Secretary during his absence;
(c)if the Honorary General Secretary vacates his office, succeed him for the remainder of his term of office;
(d)maintain a record of all policy decisions made by the Union and all the important activities of the Union;
(e)keep a register of all members of the Union; and
(f)keep an inventory of all property belonging to the Union.
Financial Secretary
36.  The Financial Secretary shall —
(a)be the chairman of the Union’s Finance Committee;
(b)prepare and present on behalf of the Committee the provisional budget of the Union;
(c)receive from the Bursar and present on behalf of the Committee at the annual general meeting the audited statement of income and expenditure and balance-sheet of the Union;
(d)keep a record of the Union’s accounts;
(e)receive, on behalf of the Committee, any funds that may be paid to the Union;
(f)remit those funds to the Bursar to be credited to the Union’s accounts; and
(g)be responsible for posting up minutes of each meeting of the Committee on the Union’s notice boards within 7 days of the meeting, and for circulating those minutes to all members of the Council within 2 weeks of the meeting.
Publications Secretary
37.  The Publications Secretary shall —
(a)be the chairman of the Union’s Publications Committee;
(b)be an ex-officio member of every editorial board of the Union;
(c)act as a liaison officer between the Executive Committee and such editorial board;
(d)be responsible for co-ordinating the work of the editors of the Union’s publications;
(e)publicise such activities of the Union as may be directed by the Council or the Executive Committee; and
(f)disseminate such information as may be directed by the Council or the Executive Committee.
Student Welfare Secretary
38.  The Student Welfare Secretary shall —
(a)be the chairman of the Union’s Student Welfare Committee;
(b)look after the general welfare of Union members within the Polytechnic; and
(c)look into any written complaint or suggestion submitted by a Union member.
Social Secretary
39.  The Social Secretary shall —
(a)be the chairman of the Union’s Social Committee; and
(b)be responsible for organising any social function for the members of the Union.
Resignation of Council and interim council
40.—(1)  If the membership of the Council falls below two-thirds of its possible maximum number of members through resignation or any other cause or where a vote of no confidence is passed on the Council, the entire Council shall resign.
(2)  The Council may also resign en bloc, but only at an extraordinary general meeting of the Union convened for that purpose.
(3)  Where the Council resigns from office, a new Council shall be elected within 4 weeks in accordance with these Regulations.
(4)  Pending the election of a new Council, there shall be an interim council.
(5)  The interim council shall consist of not more than 20 members comprising not more than 2 representatives from each management committee of the Union’s constituent bodies.
(6)  The members of the interim council shall be elected at a meeting of all the management committees of the Union’s constituent bodies.
(7)  The meeting shall be convened as early as possible by the out-going Honorary General Secretary.
(8)  The members of the interim council shall appoint a Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer from among themselves.
Functions and powers of interim council
41.  The interim council shall carry out all the duties and functions of the Council under these Regulations and shall exercise such powers as are conferred on the Council by these Regulations.
Term of office of interim council
42.  The interim council shall be dissolved on the election of a new Council.
Standing committees
43.  The Union shall have the following standing committees:
(a)the Finance Committee;
(b)the Publications Committee;
(c)the Student Welfare Committee; and
(d)the Social Committee.
Finance Committee
44.—(1)  The Union’s Finance Committee shall consist of —
(a)the Financial Secretary who shall be its chairman;
(b)3 other members (who shall not be members of the Executive Committee) elected from among the members of the Council; and
(c)an ex-officio member nominated by the Principal.
(2)  The Finance Committee shall elect a secretary from among its own members.
(3)  The Finance Committee shall —
(a)prepare the Union’s budget to be presented to the new Council and for the approval of the Board;
(b)submit to the Council a report on the financial affairs of the Union at the end of each term; and
(c)undertake any project of the Union that may be assigned to it by the Executive Committee or Council.
Publications Committee
45.—(1)  The Union’s Publications Committee shall consist of —
(a)the Publications Secretary who shall be its chairman;
(b)the editor and business manager of every publication of the Union; and
(c)a secretary and not more than 2 other members who are elected from the Council and are not members of the Executive Committee.
(2)  The Publications Committee shall —
(a)promote the Union’s policies in the publications of the Union;
(b)be responsible for all publications of the Union; and
(c)ensure that the publications of the Union is consistent with the aims and objectives of the Union.
Publication policy
46.—(1)  The policy of every publication of the Union or a constituent body thereof shall be decided by the Council.
(2)  The policy shall reflect the aims of the Union as spelt out in these Regulations.
(3)  No matter of Union policy may be published without a written directive from the Council.
(4)  No printed matter of the Union shall be published unless it is submitted by a member of the Union or a member of the Polytechnic staff.
(5)  Every article submitted to the Publications Committee shall bear the name of the author, but a pseudonym may be used when the article is printed.
(6)  An article from a publication other than that of the Union may be reprinted in a Union publication if the source of that article is specified in the article with the permission of the publisher.
Editor of publication
47.  Every editor of a publication of the Union or a constituent body thereof shall —
(a)be responsible for obtaining such permit for the publication as is required by the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act (Cap. 206);
(b)ensure that the Union’s publication policy is complied with; and
(c)be answerable to the Council for any deviation from the Union’s publication policy.
Business manager of publication
48.  Every business manager of a publication of the Union shall —
(a)be responsible for the distribution of the publication;
(b)submit the estimates of income and expenditure through the Financial Secretary to the Council for approval and transmission to the Bursar of the Polytechnic;
(c)remit all funds received to the Bursar for credit to the appropriate account; and
(d)keep a record of the accounts of the publication.
Student Welfare Committee
49.—(1)  The Union’s Student Welfare Committee shall consist of —
(a)the Student Welfare Secretary who shall be its chairman; and
(b)4 other members who are not members of the Council from among whom a secretary shall be elected.
(2)  The Student Welfare Committee shall —
(a)be responsible for the proper maintenance of the premises let to the Union by the Board;
(b)bring to the attention of the Council any problem affecting the welfare of a member of the Union within the Polytechnic;
(c)recommend to the Council such action for improving student welfare within the Polytechnic as it thinks fit;
(d)implement any decision of the Council relating to student welfare; and
(e)ensure that the use of any premises let to the Union by the Board is used in accordance with any condition imposed by the Board and with the aims of the Union.
Social Committee
50.—(1)  The Union’s Social Committee shall consist of —
(a)the Social Secretary who shall be its chairman; and
(b)not more than 4 other members to be appointed by the Council, from among whom a secretary shall be elected.
(2)  The Social Committee shall organise dinners, dances, concerts, and such social or other functions as may be specified by the Council.
Finance
51.—(1)  The financial year of the Union shall be the financial year of the Polytechnic.
(2)  All fees and subscriptions shall be paid by a member of the Union directly to the Bursar of the Polytechnic.
(3)  Any income of the Union shall be paid by the Financial Secretary to the Bursar for credit to the appropriate account.
(4)  All bills of expenditure of the Union and any of its committees, properly incurred in accordance with any budget approved by the Council, shall be submitted to the Financial Secretary.
(5)  All such bills shall be signed by the Financial Secretary and countersigned by the President of the Union and the Principal’s nominee in the Union’s Finance Committee and submitted to the Bursar for payment.
(6)  The Union and its committees shall not operate any bank account.
(7)  The Polytechnic’s auditor or such other auditor as may be appointed annually by the Principal in consultation with the Auditor-General shall be the auditor of the Union’s accounts.
(8)  The fees for the audit of the Union’s accounts shall be paid from the Union’s funds.
(9)  Any application for special or supplementary grants to any of the Union’s committees shall be presented by the Financial Secretary to the Council and submitted thereafter by the Council to the Board for approval.
(10)  All committees of the Council shall, before making any collection on behalf of the Union, obtain the approval of the Executive Committee and the Board.
(11)  All funds collected shall be paid by the Financial Secretary to the Bursar for credit to the appropriate account.
Election of member of Executive Committee
52.  The election of a member to the Executive Committee shall be conducted and supervised by a returning officer who shall be the Polytechnic’s officer-in-charge of the Union and clubs.
Notice of election
53.—(1)  The returning officer shall give notice of the election at least 7 days before the date fixed for the receipt of nomination papers.
(2)  The returning officer shall then publish the register of voters and announce the seats that are to be filled in accordance with these Regulations.
Nomination
54.—(1)  Each candidate nominated for election shall have a proposer and a seconder.
(2)  No proposer or seconder may sign more nomination papers than there are vacancies to be filled.
Signing nomination papers
55.  A nomination form shall be signed by the proposer and seconder and shall contain the written consent of the candidate for election as a member of the Executive Committee.
Receipt of nomination
56.  The returning officer shall announce to members of the Union the time and place at which he shall receive the nomination papers.
Rejection of nomination
57.  The returning officer shall reject any nomination that does not comply with any of the provisions of these Regulations.
Appeal
58.  A candidate whose nomination has been rejected by the returning officer may appeal to the returning officer.
Elected candidates
59.—(1)  On the close of nominations, if the valid nominations received by the returning officer is less than the vacancies to be filled, he shall declare the candidates nominated to be elected.
(2)  If the returning officer receives more valid nominations than there are vacancies to be filled, a secret ballot shall be held for the contested seats.
Ballot
60.—(1)  Balloting shall take place not earlier than one week and not later than 10 days after the close of nominations.
(2)  The time, date and place for such ballot shall be announced on the Union’s notice boards by the returning officer.
Returning officer
61.  The returning officer shall be in charge of the ballot with the assistance of all the election officers appointed by him.
General meeting
62.—(1)  A member of the Union may attend and speak at a general meeting thereof.
(2)  A person who is not a member of the Council or an ordinary member of the Union shall not table any motion at a general meeting of the Union.
(3)  A person who is a member of the Board, an official of the Polytechnic or the auditor of the Union may attend and speak at a general meeting of the Union.
(4)  The Honorary General Secretary shall convene the following meetings:
(a)the annual general meeting;
(b)any extraordinary general meeting; and
(c)any emergency general meeting.
(5)  The meetings referred to in paragraph (4) shall not be convened during the Polytechnic’s vacations, or on a Sunday or public holiday.
(6)  All decisions made at a general meeting shall be binding on the Union.
Annual general meeting
63.—(1)  The annual general meeting shall be held not later than the second week of the second term of each academic year.
(2)  The agenda for the annual general meeting shall consist of —
(a)an address by the President of the club;
(b)the adoption of minutes of the previous year’s annual general meeting;
(c)the annual report;
(d)the audited statement of income and expenditure and balance-sheet for the previous financial year;
(e)the budget approved by the Board; and
(f)any other matter of which notice in writing has been given to the Honorary General Secretary at least 5 days before the meeting.
(3)  The notice for the annual general meeting shall be posted on the Union’s notice boards together with the provisional agenda at least 14 days before the meeting.
(4)  Any business for inclusion in the final agenda shall be handed in to the Honorary General Secretary by any 2 members of the Union at least 5 days before the meeting.
Extraordinary general meeting
64.—(1)  An extraordinary general meeting of the Union shall be held —
(a)when the Council or the Executive Committee thinks it necessary;
(b)if a written notice specifying the purpose of the meeting is given to the Honorary General Secretary by at least 50 members of the Union, within 14 days of the receipt of the notice; or
(c)on the instructions of the President of the Union.
(2)  A notice of an extraordinary general meeting shall be posted on the Union’s notice boards not less than 5 days before the date of the meeting.
(3)  No matter other than that for which the extraordinary general meeting has been called shall be included in the agenda.
Emergency general meeting
65.—(1)  An emergency general meeting of the Union shall be held when the Executive Committee or the President of the Union thinks it necessary.
(2)  A notice of an emergency general meeting shall be posted on all the Union’s notice boards not less than 12 hours before the meeting.
(3)  No matter other than that for which the emergency general meeting has been called shall be included in the agenda.
Quorum
66.—(1)  Five per cent of the ordinary members of the Union or 200 such ordinary members, whichever is the less, shall constitute the quorum for an annual general meeting or extraordinary general meeting.
(2)  If the quorum is not present, the meeting shall be postponed to a date within one week, but not less than 72 hours, of the postponed meeting and at such meeting, the ordinary members who are present shall constitute the quorum.
(3)  No alteration of the agenda shall be made during the postponement.
(4)  Ten per cent of the ordinary members of the Union or 400 such ordinary members, whichever is the less, shall constitute the quorum for an emergency general meeting and where the quorum is not present, the meeting shall be cancelled.
Meeting of Union
67.  The Chairman shall preside at all general meetings of the Union and in his absence one of the Council members present, other than a member of the Executive Committee, shall be elected to preside at the meeting.
Voting at general meeting
68.—(1)  A member shall not vote by proxy at a general meeting.
(2)  Voting at a general meeting shall be by ballot.
(3)  Voting other than by ballot may be carried out with the unanimous consent of the members present at the meeting.
(4)  A motion at a general meeting of the Union shall be decided by a simple majority vote.
Vote of censure or no confidence
69.—(1)  A vote of censure or no confidence against the Council or any member thereof may be taken only at an annual general meeting, extraordinary general meeting or emergency general meeting if a motion to that effect is included in the agenda for that meeting.
(2)  When such a vote is passed against the entire Council, the motion of censure or no confidence shall take effect only if it is approved by at least two-thirds of the members of all the management committees of the constituent bodies.
(3)  When such a vote is passed against a representative of the Union, the motion of censure or no confidence shall take effect only if it is approved by a majority of the members of the management committee of the constituent body which elected him to the Council.
(4)  When such a vote is passed against a member of the Executive Committee, the motion of censure or no confidence shall take effect only if it is approved by —
(a)a majority of the members of the constituent body which voted him in; and
(b)at least two-thirds of the members of the Council present.
Disciplinary action
70.—(1)  All members shall comply with the provisions of such Standing Orders of the Union as may be approved by the Board.
(2)  The disciplinary committee constituted under regulation 71 may recommend that one or more of the following punishments be imposed by the Council against a member who contravenes or fails to comply with any of the provisions of these Regulations or any Standing Orders of the Union:
(a)a fine not exceeding twice the annual subscription of an ordinary member;
(b)suspension from any or all of the privileges of a member of the Union for a period not exceeding one year; or
(c)both such fine and suspension.
(3)  The recommended disciplinary action shall be approved by at least two-thirds of the members of the Council present at a meeting thereof in which such approval is given.
(4)  Any disciplinary action against a student shall be taken by any disciplinary committee constituted under any regulations made under the Act relating to the conduct and discipline of students.
(5)  The name of any member against whom disciplinary action is taken shall be posted on the Union’s notice boards for a period of one week by the Honorary General Secretary.
(6)  Where any disciplinary action has been carried out, the Honorary General Secretary shall post on the Union’s notice boards a notice restoring to the member the privileges which he has been deprived of by the disciplinary action.
Disciplinary committee
71.—(1)  There shall be a disciplinary committee which shall consist of 5 students appointed by the Council from among the most senior students of the Polytechnic with not more than one student from a department.
(2)  The members of the disciplinary committee shall elect a chairman from among themselves.
(3)  The Honorary General Secretary shall be the secretary to the Committee but he shall not take part in its deliberations.
(4)  The members of the disciplinary committee appointed by the Council shall serve a term of one academic year.
Functions of disciplinary committee
72.—(1)  The Disciplinary Committee shall —
(a)investigate every disciplinary case in respect of any student referred to it by the President of the Union or the Council; and
(b)submit a report on the case to the President of the Union and to the Council.
(2)  The Disciplinary Committee shall not investigate any case relating to the ragging of a student.
(3)  The Disciplinary Committee may in its report recommend to the Council that disciplinary action be taken against a student for any contravention of or failure to comply with any of the provisions of these Regulations.
(4)  In any such investigation, every party affected may be present and shall have an opportunity of being heard.
Regulations Committee
73.—(1)  There shall be a Regulations Committee consisting of 7 Council members and 2 officers nominated by the Principal.
(2)  The 7 Council members shall be selected by majority vote from among the most senior students of the Council.
(3)  The members of the Regulations Committee shall elect a chairman and a secretary from among themselves.
(4)  The members of the Regulations Committee appointed shall serve for a term of one academic year.
Functions of Regulations Committee
74.—(1)  The Regulations Committee may propose, with reasons in support thereof, any amendments to the regulations made under section 23 of the Act to the Council before submitting the proposals to the Board.
(2)  The Regulations Committee shall represent the Council in referring to the Principal any dispute arising over the interpretation of any provision of these Regulations.
Consideration of amendment to these Regulations
75.  The Council may request the Board to consider the making of such amendments to these Regulations as the Council thinks fit if not less than two-thirds of the members of the Council vote in favour of the amendment.
Resignation
76.—(1)  The holder of an office in the Union may resign his office at any time.
(2)  Such resignation from an office in the Union shall be sent to the Honorary General Secretary for consideration by the Council and, on the acceptance of the resignation, the Council shall cause that vacancy to be filled by the management committee of the constituent body from which the member was elected.
(3)  Any member of a committee of the Council, other than the Executive Committee, who wishes to resign shall hand in his resignation to the Executive Committee through the secretary to the committee concerned and, on the acceptance of the resignation, the Executive Committee shall appoint a new member to fill the vacancy.
Vacancy
77.  Where an office in the Council or any committee of the Council is vacant for any cause other than resignation, the vacancy shall be filled in the manner in which that office was previously filled.
Interpretation of these Regulations
78.—(1)  Any dispute arising over the interpretation of any provision of these Regulations shall be referred to the Principal.
(2)  The Principal to whom a dispute is referred under paragraph (1) shall hear and determine the dispute and his decision shall be binding on all parties without appeal.
General
79.—(1)  The Executive Committee may, with the approval of the Board, draw up Standing Orders to regulate the procedures for all General, Council and Executive Committee meetings of the Union and of the standing committees of the Union.
(2)  The names of the members of the Council and all standing committees of the Union shall be submitted to the Principal within one week of their election to office.
Statement to press
80.—(1)  Any statement by the Union to the press on any matter relating to the Union shall be made by the President or the Honorary General Secretary of the Union only.
(2)  Such statements shall be posted on the Union’s notice boards immediately after its release and a copy shall be submitted to the Principal.
Saving of appointments
81.  A person who immediately before 21st June 1996 was holding office in the Council, including the Executive Committee thereof, shall continue to hold such office under these Regulations as if he had been appointed under these Regulations on the same terms and conditions for a term expiring on the day on which the appointment under the Singapore Polytechnic (Students’ Union) Regulations (Rg 1, 1990 Ed.) revoked by these Regulations would expire.
[G.N. No. S 276/96]
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Last updated 28 Nov 2024
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