1. Name of the Society

1. The name of the society shall be the Dublin City University Networking Society (DCUNS).

2. Aims and Objectives

The aims and objectives of the society shall be as follows:

1. To increase and promote awareness of electronic communication and related computer systems.
2. To provide a forum to discuss and gain experience in computer networking.
3. To help educate people in the usage of Internet utilities and resources.

3. Members

1. Membership of the society shall be open to all students and staff of the college.
2. Membership shall be obtained by paying the appropriate fee.
3. Honorary lifetime membership is awarded to the founding committee members.
4. All members shall be bound by this constitution.
5. • 0. The society recognises the importance that graduates and former students can play in the development of a society. It shall therefore endeavour to maintain contact with such former members as wish to retain their connection with the society.
   • 1. To this end the governing committee of the society shall be empowered to create a class of 'associate member' of the society.
   • 2. Graduate membership shall be open to former members of the society who are no longer students of Dublin City University.
   • 3. It shall not be a requirement of associate membership that such members should hold a degree or any other academic award given by Dublin City University.
   • 4. Associate members shall pay an annual membership fee to the society. The amount of this fee is to be as determined by the committee, but may be altered by a majority vote at a general meeting of the society. The associate membership fee shall be not less than the ordinary membership fee and no more than 10 (ten) times the ordinary membership fee.
   • 5. Associate members shall be ineligible for election to the society's governing committee.
   • 6. Associate members shall be entitled to attend all general meetings of the society. Voting rights of graduate members at general meetings of the society shall be determined by the committee. These rights may be altered by a majority vote at a general meeting of the society.
   • 7. Other rights of associate members shall be as determined by the committee. Rights of associate members may also be granted or revoked by a majority vote at a general meeting of the society.
   • 8. The rights of a associate member shall not exceed those of an ordinary member of the society. This sub-section refers to rights granted under sub-sections 6 & 7 of Article 3, Section 5.
   • 9. Nothing in this section shall prevent the society bestowing honorary membership upon a graduate or former student of Dublin City University.

4. Committee

1. The society shall have a governing committee.
2. The committee shall run the society on behalf of the members and in accordance with the aims and objectives.
3. Committee decisions shall be decided by majority voting.
4. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the current committee.
5. The committee shall consist of
   • Chairperson
   • Secretary
   • Treasurer
   • Public Relations Officer
   • Ents Officer
   • 3 x System Administrator
   • Webmaster
   • 2 x Education Officer
   • First Year Representative
6. A person should not hold the same office on the committee for more than two successive terms.

5. Election of Committee

1. The committee members shall be democratically elected at an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting.
2. To seek election to the committee each candidate must have 2 nominations by current members of the society.
3. To be deemed fit for election to the position of Systems Administrator or Webmaster, the candidate must either:
   1. Pass an Aptitude test, as devised by the outgoing webmaster for webmaster candidates, or system administrators for system administrator candidates. If it is deemed preferable to do so, the test may be set by a third party nominated by the webmaster (in the case of the webmaster examination), or by a majority of the system administrators (in the case of the system administrator exams). The current committee will nominate this third party.
   2. Be an outgoing Webmaster or Systems Administrator
4. All education candidates must sit and pass a test as devised by the outgoing education officer(s)

6. Duties of Committee

1. The Chairperson shall be the chief officer of the society whose functions include chairing all meetings of the committee and officiating at meetings of the society. They shall preserve order and decorum, and shall construe and enforce the Constitution.
2. The Secretary's function shall be to deal with all correspondence and records of the society and to notify all members of meeting times. They shall duly record the minutes of both committee and general assembly meetings.
3. The Treasurer 's function shall be to administer the funds of the society and to maintain accounts and budgets. They shall act as liaison with related industries and co-ordinate obtaining sponsorship for the society with the office of PRO.
4. The Public Relations Officer (PRO) shall be responsible for the advertising of all functions of the society through all means possible. The office of PRO shall have the responsibility of organising all receptions held by the society, aided where necessary by other committee members.
5. The System Administrators shall be held ultimately responsible for the administration, security, and maintenance of the society's computer systems. They shall be responsible for the notification of the committee in regard to any breaches of the rules and regulations of the system. They are hereby authorised to take any administrative action necessary to discharge their duties, so long as such actions are constitutional. Such actions are open to review by the committee.
6. The Webmaster shall be responsible for the design, implementation, and maintenance of the web site. They shall work in conjunction with other members of the committee in order to publicise society details via the web.
7. The Education Officer's role is to answer the system-related questions of the society's membership, and to detail, organise, andimplement beneficial tutorials for the members.
8. The Ents Officer shall have the responsibility of organising all receptions held by the society.
9. The First Year Rep shall work with the committee to make the society more accessible for first years. As part of this they shall work with the Events, Public Relations & Education officers where applicable. The First Year Rep shall be elected at an EGM in semester one, and must be in their first year as an undergraduate student at DCU
10. The committee shall endeavour to meet fortnightly during term time, at which a majority of the committee must attend.
11. Any committee member that misses more then 3 committee meetings without the permission of the chair will be deemed to have resigned.

7. Dismissal & Resignation of Committee Members

1. No member of the committee shall be dismissed from the office unless:
   1. Written notice of a resolution to seek such dismissal, signed by at least 10% of the members of the society, is received seven days prior to a meeting at which such resolution shall be debated.
   2. The resolution is passed by at least a two thirds voting majority at the meeting.
2. A committee member wishing to resign must submit a letter in writing declaring that intention to the secretary, who will immediately inform the committee as a whole. The committee member must remain in office for a minimum time period of two weeks thereafter, so that an EGM can be held to elect a replacement. In cases where an EGM cannot be held by said date their responsibilities shall be delegated to another committee member until such an election can take place.

8. Equipment

1. Any equipment loaned to the society by individuals may only be withdrawn if:
   1. Notice is given by the individual at least two weeks prior to the date of withdrawal.
   2. Or by the express approval of a committee majority.
2. The society shall seek to return any loaned equipment.
   1. Any equipment donated to the society shall therein be the property of the society.
   2. Any equipment which is damaged or destroyed whilst on loan to the society will have it's replacement cost paid to it's loaner.
   3. Administration of loaned or donated equipment shall be the exclusive responsibility of the committee.

9. Meetings

1. There shall be an Annual General Meeting (AGM) held each year.
2. A quorum of a meeting shall be a majority of the committee members and the square-root of the number of ordinary members, rounded-up.
3. The business of the AGM shall also include an annual report given by the outgoing chairperson and treasurer.
4. An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) shall be convened if
   1. 5% of the ordinary membership of the society request one
   2. A quorum of the committee request one
   3. A vacancy on the current committee occurs and there is a need to elect a replacement.
5. Elections for the offices of the committee shall take place at the AGM, and at an EGM under Article 9.4.3, except in cases where there are no eligible candidates.
6. The committee shall convene a General Meeting when appropriate.
7. Notice of all general meetings shall given to the membership at least seven days prior to the date of the meeting.
8. At a meeting any member may propose a resolution relating to the business of the society. The resolution shall be voted on by a show of hands and a declaration of the chairperson that the resolution is carried, unless a secret ballot is demanded by any two members, shall be conclusive evidence that the resolution has passed or failed.
9. No resolution may contravene DCU policy.

10. General

1. There shall be a president of the society who shall be a full staff member in compliance with the regulations set down by the Society and Publications Committee (SPC) of DCU.
2. The membership fee shall be in compliance with the conditions set by the SPC.
3. All committee positions shall be honorary.
4. Notice of a proposal to seek an amendment to this constitution shall be given to members at least five days prior to the meeting at which such proposal shall be considered. Such a proposal must receive the approval of two thirds of the ordinary members present at such meeting.
5. Each member shall be entitled to receive a copy of this constitution, on demand, free of charge.
6. In joining the society, members agree to be bound by the rules & regulations of the system as stipulated by the committee. Members violating these rules may be have their:
   1. Computer system account suspended for a period of time decided by the System Administrators.
   2. Membership revoked and no monies refunded, for persistent breaches or extremely serious breaches, as deemed by a majority of the committee.