Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
CONSTITUTIONS
September 2003
Last Update: 20/9/2003
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Section I: General Stipulation................................................................................................................. 4
Article 1:
Article 2:
Article 3:
Article 4:
Official Name ........................................................................................................................ 4
Objective................................................................................................................................ 4
Official Language .................................................................................................................. 4
Logo ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Section II: Membership .............................................................................................................................. 5
Article 1: Definition of Membership ..................................................................................................... 5
Article 2: Associate Membership .......................................................................................................... 5
Article 3: Corporate Membership .......................................................................................................... 5
Article 4: Rights of Members ................................................................................................................ 5
Article 5: Obligation of Members.......................................................................................................... 5
Article 6: Awards and Penalties ............................................................................................................. 6
Section III Board of Directors .................................................................................................................. 7
Article 1:
Article 2:
Article 3:
Article 4:
Article 5:
Authorities ............................................................................................................................. 7
Responsibilities...................................................................................................................... 7
Structures ............................................................................................................................... 7
Board General ........................................................................................................................ 7
Official Status ........................................................................................................................ 8
Article 6:
Article 7:
Article 8:
Article 9:
Session of the Board .............................................................................................................. 8
Board Meetings ..................................................................................................................... 8
Election of the Board ............................................................................................................. 8
Vacancy of the Post of the Board .......................................................................................... 8
Section IV: Executive Committee ............................................................................................................ 9
Article 1:
Article 2:
Article 3:
Article 4:
Authorities ............................................................................................................................. 9
Responsibilities...................................................................................................................... 9
Structures ............................................................................................................................... 9
Duties of Officials ............................................................................................................... 10
Article 5:
Article 6:
Article 7:
Article 8:
Article 9:
Session of the Executive Committee ................................................................................... 10
Executive Committee Meetings .......................................................................................... 10
Election of the Committee ....................................................................................................11
Vacancy of the Post of the Committee .................................................................................11
Activities of a Year ...............................................................................................................11
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Table of Contents (cont’d)
Section V: General Meetings ................................................................................................................. 12
Article 1:
Article 2:
Article 3:
Article 4:
Article 5:
Annual General Meeting ..................................................................................................... 12
Extraordinary General Meeting ........................................................................................... 12
Quorum ................................................................................................................................ 12
Authority.............................................................................................................................. 12
Chairperson and Secretary of Meetings .............................................................................. 12
Section VI: Finance ..................................................................................................................................... 13
Article 1: Financial Year ...................................................................................................................... 13
Article 2: Annual Financial Report...................................................................................................... 13
Article 3: Band Account ...................................................................................................................... 13
Article 4: Fund and Liabilities ............................................................................................................. 13
Section VII:Revision of the Constitutions ........................................................................................... 14
Article 1: Amendments ........................................................................................................................ 14
Article 2: Interpretation ....................................................................................................................... 14
Section VIII:
Dissolution of the Union ............................................................................................ 15
Article 1: General Meetings................................................................................................................. 15
Article 2: Quorum ................................................................................................................................ 15
Article 3: Assets of the Union ............................................................................................................. 15
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Section I: General Stipulations
Article 1: Official Name
The organization shall be known as the “Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge” in English or “香港大
專橋聯” in Chinese, hereinafter referred to as “the Union”.
Article 2: Objective
The Union shall be a non profit-making cultural/recreational organization with the objects if:
 Promoting bridge-playing as yet another healthy and cultivating pastime for youths studying at
post-secondary education;
 Encouraging an exchange of experience among all post-secondary bridge players;
 Improving the overall standard of bridge-playing on the post-secondary education through tournaments;
and
 Organizing other types of cultural/recreational activities for its members and other qualified
post-secondary institutes
 Helping other non-member post-secondary institutions to establish or strengthen their bridge
organizations in order to promote bridge activities.
Article 3: Official Language
The official languages are English and Chinese and they should enjoy equal status. In case of discrepancy,
unless otherwise stated, the English version shall be referred to.
Article 4: Logo
The Union Logo shall be the one shown below.
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Section II: Membership
Article 1: Definition of Membership
Membership must be in unit of the unique bridge organization of a post-secondary institution which is
registered and recognized at
Article 2: Associate Membership
A.
Associate Membership is open to any post-secondary institutions that are willing to abide by this
constitution and pay the prescribed fees.
B.
The president of the Union must accept any application for the associate membership.
Article 3: Corporate Membership
A.
Any associate member may become a corporate member provided
i. has been an associate member for at least one year and regularly participated in bridge tournaments
prepared by the Union, or;
ii. has gained the exemption from the above qualification by the Executive Committee (hereinafter
referred to as “the EXCO”) and the Board of Directors of the Union.
B.
A corporate membership is valid if and only if it is approved by both the EXCO and the Board of
Directors of the Union.
Article 4: Rights of Members
A.
All members are entitled to enjoy the benefits provided by the Union and to make recommendations to
the EXCO directly or through their representatives.
B.
All Corporate members are in addition, entitled to elect for and being elected as EXCO members, and
are eligible on any bridge tournaments if so instructed by the President.
Article 5: Obligation of Members
A.
All members shall abide by the constitutions of the Union and the resolutions passed by the EXCO or
any General Meetings.
B.
All members shall pay the prescribed membership fee and the annual fee at the rate decided by the
EXCO.
C.
The rate and the other conditions regarding payment of membership fees are subject to revision by the
EXCO.
D.
All members shall pay the prescribed admission fees when taking part in bridge tournaments organized
by the Union. The amount of the admission fee to be paid shall be also be subject to revision by the
EXCO.
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Article 5: Obligation of Members (cont’d)
E.
All members shall exercise their self-discipline and be considerate of the others when participating in
activities organized by the Union.
F.
All Corporate members shall to require sending TWO representatives to become the EXCO members
while one of them must be either the President or Vice-president of the member and the other must be in
the administrative party of the member.
Article 6: Awards and Penalties
A.
On the recommendation of the EXCO or the Board of Directors, letters of recommendation or souvenir
may be presented to those who have offered significant services to the Union.
B.
Members who commit any of the following breaches may, subject to the approval of the EXCO and the
Board of Directors, be suspended, reprimanded or expelled from the Union by the president:
Infringement of the Constitutions or the resolutions passed by the EXCO pr any General Meetings.
False use of the name of the Union in an unlawful act, thereby impairing its reputation.
Arrears of payment of the membership fee for half a year, despite a written warning given by the
President.
C.
EXCO shall have the sole right to suspend any membership in case of misbehave itself with a maximum
penalty of one year.
D.
Fees already paid or donations made by the member who withdraw voluntarily or expelled from the
Union shall not be recoverable.
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Section III: Board of Directors
Article 1: Authorities
The Board of Directors (hereinafter to as “the Board”) shall be responsible for matters relating to revision of
constitution, approval and general supervision of the Executive Committee to guard against any
unconstitutional conducts.
Article 2: Responsibilities
A.
The Board is to make final decisions on drafting amendments to the constitutions prepared by the EXCO
and to examine accounts prepared by the Treasurers to ensure that they are correct and in order before
submitting them to any General Meetings for final approval.
B.
The president of the EXCO should consult and obtain the consent of the Board regarding the award of
honorary titles to outsiders.
C.
The Board has the duty of ratifying the list of new EXCO members submitted by the President after
election in the Annual General Meeting.
D.
In exercising its supervisory duties, the Board or its representatives should sit all EXCO meetings and
warn (either verbally or in writing) the EXCO for any unconstitutional conducts discovered and, if the
wrong-doings were still not rectified, convene a special Board meeting to decide whether the EXCO
should be dissolved. However, if the EXCO requests for a fair trial, then the Board should call an
Extraordinary General Meeting to make final decision on the matter.
Article 3: Structures
A.
The Board of Directors shall comprise the following persons:
B.
Two advisors from Hong Kong Contract Bridge Association Limited (HKCBA),
C.
One post-HKPUB EXCO in last session, and;
D.
Student directors who are not belonging to the administrative parties of any members.
Article 4: Board-General
A.
The Board should elect a Board-General (hereinafter referred to as “the BG”) among themselves in their
first meeting
B.
The BG should have the right to represent the Board in all matters, but the representation must follow the
decision of the Board.
C.
The BG should be responsible to call for and chair a Board meeting.
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Article 5: Official Status
Members of the Board are, by virtue of their special status, NOT EXCO members of the Union.
Article 6: Session of the Board
The session of the Board shall commence on the next day of the Annual Meeting and terminate after the next
Annual General Meeting.
Article 7: Board Meetings
A.
A Board Meeting is called when it deems necessary or EXCO requests.
B.
On each occasion, members of the Board shall be notified by the BG seven days in advance.
C.
Quorum of a Board Meeting shall be two-third of all Board members.
D.
Motions at all Board Meetings shall be carried by the approval of over half of those present. In general,
the BG shall not put a voice in any motions. If a tie occurs in voting, the BG shall put his casting vote for
the decision.
E.
If the BG is absent from a meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned.
F.
Minutes are to be taken of what is discussed and decided at meetings for future reference and recording
purpose, copy of which will be distributed to all Board members for information and, if necessary, also
to the President for the information by the EXCO.
Article 8: Election of the Board
A.
Advisors from HKCBA are appointed by the Council of HKCBA.
B.
Post-HKPUB EXCO is elected by the EXCO of the last session.
C.
Student directors are appointed by the above persons.
Article 9: Vacancy of the Post of the Board
A.
If any member withdraws from the Board, the vacancy shall be filled by a person with the same
background through a by-election in the next meeting of the Board.
B.
If there is only one member come from the specified background elected or appointed into the Board, the
remaining place will be left vacant until there exists a candidate with that particular background and
passed a by-election in any Board Meeting.
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Section IV: Executive Committee
Article 1: Authorities
The Executive Committee (EXCO) shall be the executive body of the Union unless otherwise ruled the any
General Meetings, and shall have the power to:
A.
Represent the Union in all matters concerning the Union.
B.
Make all regulation and exercise all authorities which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into
execution the authorities vested by the constitutions.
Article 2: Responsibilities
The EXCO shall be responsible for:
A.
Comprising all office-bearers of the Union who shall receive no remuneration from it.
B.
Managing the overall business of the Union, formulating the policies and procedures and working out
the activities and developing programmes of the Union.
C.
Implementing resolutions passed by the Annual General Meeting of members.
D.
Drawing up general regulations of the Union which shall be complementary to and in conformity with
the constitutions.
Article 3: Structures
There shall be an EXCO which shall be composed the following posts with not more than 21 office-bearers:
A.
President
B.
Internal Vice-President
C.
External Vice-President
D.
Internal Secretary
E.
External Secretary
F.
Internal Treasurer
G.
External Treasurer
H.
Committee Member(s)
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Article 4: Duties of Officials
A.
The president shall be the leader, chief representative and principal administrator of the Union, who shall
direct all other EXCO members in their work, co-ordinate their varied duties, assume full responsibility
for its smooth functioning and preside over all its matters.
B.
The Internal Vice-President shall assist the President in conducting the internal affairs of the Union.
C.
The External Vice-President shall assist the President in conducting the external affairs of the Union.
D.
The Internal Secretary shall draft all internal correspondence, notices and circulars; attend to all the
secretarial work and compile the agenda and record the minutes of the EXCO meetings.
E.
The External Secretary shall draft all external official correspondence.
F.
The Internal Treasurer shall, with the co-operation of the External Treasurer, take the charge of all
financial matters of the Union; collect membership and admission fees; prepare the annual budget and
compile the annual financial report which shall be presented to the Annual General Meeting for adoption
after examination by the Auditor.
G.
The External Treasurer shall co-operate with the Internal Treasurer to take all his/her duties.
H.
The Committee Member shall co-operate with all EXCO members and attend to all work which does not
fall within the characters of other EXCO members.
Article 5: Session of the Executive Committee
A.
The session of the EXCO shall commence on the next day of the Annual General meeting and terminate
after the next Annual General Meeting.
B.
All EXCO members shall be eligible for re-election or re-appointment.
Article 6: Executive Committee Meetings
A.
The EXCO shall meet once every three months while extraordinary meetings may be convened at a
day’s notice by the President.
B.
Quorum of an EXCO Meeting shall be two-third of all EXCO members.
C.
The BG or a representative of the Board must be present in all EXCO meeting for supervisory and
advising purposes. The BG and representative(s) of the Board shall not vote in any motion in any EXCO
meeting. However, in the absence of the BG or a representative of the Board, the meeting adjourned.
D.
All motions and resolutions made in all EXCO meeting shall require a majority vote with the President
being given an additional casting vote whenever a tie occurs.
E.
In the absence of the President, the Internal Vice-President shall act as the chairperson, and in the
absence of the Internal Vice-President, the External Vice-President shall act as the chairperson. In the
absence of three, the meeting adjourned.
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Article 6: Executive Committee Meetings (cont’d)
F.
In the absence of the Internal Secretary, the External Secretary shall take all secretarial works of the
meeting. In the absence of two, the chairperson of the meeting shall appoint an EXCO to take the work.
G.
Minutes shall be taken of all discussions and resolutions made in the meeting and copied to all
Committee and Board members for action/information and should be disclosed on request for general
information of all members.
Article 7: Election of the Committee
A.
Both the President and the Vice-Presidents shall be separately elected by a secret ballot during the
Annual General Meeting/Extraordinary General Meeting by all members present.
B.
Any member who is absent may authorize any other representatives of the member in writing to
represent them in voting.
C.
All candidates of the new EXCO shall be in the administrative parties of their representing members.
D.
In case of more than 21 EXCO members in a year, the Board will carry out a meeting to decide which 21
members could be allowed to join the EXCO.
Article 8: Vacancy of the Post of the Committee
A.
If any member withdraws from the EXCO, the vacancy shall be filled by a person from the same
member through a by-election in the next EXCO meeting.
B.
If there is only one member come from the member, the remaining place will be left vacant until there
exists a candidate from that member has been brought up and passed a by-election in any EXCO
meeting.
Article 9: Activities of a Year
The EXCO shall have to organize the following activities in each session year in which only members are
allowed to join:
A.
The Inter Post-Secondary Bridge Championship
i.
It should be held at the end of June to the end of August.
ii.
It is recommended that the Final of the tournament shall be held together with the Inter-city
Tournament held by HKCBA.
B.
The Inter Post-Secondary League
i.
It should be held from the September to April within an Academic year.
ii.
Schedule shall be prepared by the EXCO and all tournaments in the League must be
supervised by at least one EXCO member.
C.
Other tournaments or activities
i.
It is up to the current session EXCO’s interest.
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Section V: General Meetings
Article 1: Annual General Meeting
A.
The Annual General Meeting (hereinafter referred to as “AGM”) shall be held annually and attended by
two third members of the Union, convened and presided over the President.
B.
The AGM shall be held in May each year.
C.
All members shall be notified of the meeting fourteen days in advance in writing.
D.
The President and the Treasurer(s) shall present an annual report and an audited financial report
respectively for adoption by the AGM.
E.
The President of the following year shall also bring up the following year’s activity programme and the
budget for open discussion by all members.
Article 2: Extraordinary General Meeting
A.
An Extraordinary General Meeting (hereinafter referred to as “EGM”) may be held in the
recommendation of the EXCO or the Board or upon a request from over half of all members, who shall
raise such a request in written form, bearing their signatures, to the President.
B.
The President or BG shall cause the EGM to be held within fourteen days, while the way of notifying
members shall be the same as that of AGM.
C.
Discussion held and resolutions passed at the EGM shall be confined to only those points listed in the
recommendation/joint request.
Article 3: Quorum
A.
The quorum of the General Meetings shall consist of at least two-third of all the members.
B.
In the absence of a quorum, the meeting shall be adjourned and be convened again within fourteen days,
of which members shall again be notified while a quorum shall no longer be required for the adjourned
meeting.
Article 4: Authority
The highest authority in all matters affecting the Union goes to the resolutions passed in the General
Meetings.
Article 5: Chairperson and Secretary of Meetings
The President/BG and the Internal Secretary of the Union shall chair and take all secretarial works
respectively for all General Meetings.
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Section VI: Finance
Article 1: Financial Year
The financial year shall follow the session of the current EXCO.
Article 2: Annual Financial Report
A.
Two Treasurers shall co-operate well to hold the financial of the Union throughout the financial year.
B.
They shall prepare an annual financial report at the end of each financial year.
C.
The annual financial report shall be audited by the Board with all necessary financial statements before it
is brought up and presented by either Treasurers of the Union in the following AGM for adoption.
Article 3: Bank Account
The Union may open a current and/or saving account in any Government approved financial institution with
the name of two Treasurers and the President, provided that fund can be withdrawn always with at least two
signatures in which one of them must be the signature of the President.
Article 4: Fund and Liabilities
A.
Funds of the Union shall be applied solely to meet its recurrent expenditures as well as for promoting the
work and realizing the objects of the Union as stipulated in these Constitutions.
B.
Apart from the recurrent expenditure, extraordinary expenses totally less than HK$100 may be
authorized by the President, but if the sum exceed HK$100, approval from the EXCO shall be obtained.
C.
All members of the EXCO shall be liable for all debts incurred in their term and shall also be held fully
responsible for their conducts.
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Section VII: Revision of the Constitutions
Article 1: Amendments
A.
The EXCO shall be responsible for the reviewing and preparing draft amendments to the constitutions
for the approval by the Board which may reject them or require a re-drafting as it sees fit.
B.
Any proposed amendments approved by the Board are to be copied, printed and sent to individual
members for their comments.
C.
Any such amendments shall be passed by the AGM or EGM and approved by the corresponding
Government organizations before it comes into effect.
Article 2: Interpretation
Both the Board and the EXCO shall be responsible for the interpretation, and have the sole right of
interpreting the Constitutions of the Union.
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Constitution of Hong Kong Post-Secondary Union of Bridge
Section VIII: Dissolution of the Union
Article 1: General Meetings
A General Meeting shall be convened by the Board to discuss the matters concerning the dissolution of the
Union, if necessary.
Article 2: Quorum
A.
The Union will dissolve if the dissolution is agreed by:
B.
Three-fourth of all members, or;
C.
If there are only three or less Corporate Members in the Union.
Article 3: Assets of the Union
Any remaining funds and assets of the Union shall be donated to Hong Kong Contract Bridge Association
Limited (HKCBA).
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