Please see below for the Bylaws of CUFSAA as approved by the membership incorporating the amendments proposed at the Annual General Meeting of CUFSAA held at Toronto Grand Banquet and Convention Centre, 30 Baywood Road, Toronto ON M9V 3Y8 Canada on September 02, 2023. These bylaws will be effective in its entirety from the 2023 Annual General Meeting of CUFSAA. Please check out the previous bylaws and approved amendments of the association at this link.
Constitution (By Laws) of the Colombo University Faculty of Science Alumni Association – NORTH AMERICA
(CUFSAA, CUFSAA-NA)
PREAMBLE
THE COLOMBO UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SCIENCE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION – NORTH AMERICA (hereafter abbreviated as CUFSAA or CUFSAA-NA wherever appropriate) is constituted to bring together the past students and academic staff of the Science Faculty of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka who are presently living in North America.
ARTICLE I
NAME, OFFICE, AND FOUNDER PRESIDENT
The legal name of the Association is “THE COLOMBO UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SCIENCE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION – NORTH AMERICA,” abbreviated as CUFSAA or CUFSAA-NA, and will be hereafter referred to as the “Association.”
The Association will conduct its business through in-person meetings, via electronic and/or using hybrid formats.
The physical business office and the official Association web domains will be listed in the FIRST SCHEDULE to these bylaws and will be updated as needed.
Section: I-A
Founder President
The Founder President of the Association is Professor L. M. Viranga Tillekeratne.
ARTICLE II
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The Association will be a Non-Profit organization. The purpose of the Association will be to create a social forum for the former students and academic staff of the Science Faculty of the University of Colombo to foster fellowship among themselves, and to do charitable community work including promoting science education, research, and scientific scholarship. The Association will abide by the Federal and State laws related to the EEOC Title VII of the civil rights act of 1964 and any amendments thereafter.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP
Membership Eligibility: Any past student or academic staff member of the Science Faculty of the University of Colombo residing in North America is eligible to apply for membership in the Association using the prescribed form described in the SECOND SCHEDULE to these bylaws. There will be no membership dues to become a member of the Association. Members are expected to update the information provided in the said application, as and when necessary, by contacting the Association Secretary via email or postal mail or by updating the membership form posted on the Association website.
Withdrawal from and Termination of Membership: Members are free to withdraw their membership of the Association by writing to the Secretary at any time. In the event a member has engaged in conduct that brings the Association in to disrepute then that person’s membership shall be immediately suspended by a two-thirds majority (2/3) of the full Executive Committee, with the stipulation of termination of membership after the following Annual General meeting. Members whose memberships were so suspended by the Executive Committee may successfully appeal via the Secretary to reinstate their membership at the following Annual General Meeting by receiving a simple majority vote of those present for the appeal.
ARTICLE IV
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
An Executive Committee elected as stipulated below will be responsible for the management of the Association.
Section: IV-A
Composition
The Executive Committee shall consist of twenty-five (25) members including: The President, The President-Elect, The Immediate Past President, Three Vice Presidents, The Secretary, The Assistant Secretary, The Treasurer, The Assistant Treasurer, and fifteen (15) additional Executive Committee Members.
The Office Bearers of the Association are: The President, The President-Elect, The Immediate Past President, The Vice Presidents, The Secretary, The Assistant Secretary, The Treasurer, and The Assistant Treasurer.
Section: IV-B
The Eligibility, Election and Terms of Office
Eligibility: Members of the Association in good standing and have participated or intend to participate in the Association activities are eligible to be nominated to the Executive Committee by submitting the Nomination Form available in the THIRD SCHEDULE. The current Executive Committee will review and elect the new Executive Committee Members for the next term of the Executive Committee.
Nomination Procedure: A call for nominations to elect new Members to the Executive Committee will be sent out approximately ninety (90) days prior to the Annual General Meeting. The nominees should complete and submit the Nomination Form to the Executive Committee forty-five (45) days prior to the Annual General meeting.
The outgoing Executive Committee will nominate and elect the President-Elect, the Vice Presidents, the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, the Treasurer and the Assistant Treasurer, and the Executive Committee Members for the next term of the Executive Committee. Out of the 15 Executive Committee Members, at least three (03) shall be new members.
All new Executive Committee members should be nominated and voted by Executive Committee at least thirty (30) days before the expiration of its term of office. The new Executive Committee will be ratified at the Annual General Meeting.
The Terms of Office: The term of the Executive Committee will be two years and will be effective until the new Executive Committee is ratified at the corresponding Annual General Meeting. The President and President-Elect cannot serve two full consecutive terms. The Vice Presidents, The Secretary, The Assistant Secretary, The Treasurer, The Assistant Treasurer, and all other Committee Members may serve multiple terms.
In the event of any nomination being objected to at the Annual General Meeting, and the objection receiving the approval of a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote, the ratification of the objected nomination will be considered failed. The vacancy to the Executive Committee so created will be filled according to the Section IV-H below.
Section: IV-C
Quorum
A majority of Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.
Section: IV-D
The Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held each year at a time determined by the Executive Committee during the fourth quarter of the calendar year. In addition to these Annual General Meetings, Special General Membership Meetings may also be held if the Executive Committee resolves that such a meeting would be beneficial to the CUFSAA-NA.
The Annual General Meetings and Special General Membership Meetings should be held either in-person, virtually or a combination thereof as determined by the Executive Committee. Only members participating either in-person or virtually and verified by the Joint Secretaries will have the right to vote.
Fifteen (15) days prior to the Annual General Meeting, the Annual Report and the Financial Report will be distributed to the general membership via electronic mail. If there are objections, the membership will be requested to respond to the Executive Committee within ten (10) days. If no objections are received, the Executive Committee will finalize the reports. Any objections received and not resolved at the AGM will be resolved and finalized by the Executive Committee and will be communicated to the members within forty-five (45) days after the AGM.
The finalized Annual and Financial reports will be approved by the Executive Committee upon the acceptance by the general membership at the AGM.
Section: IV-E
Committee Meetings
The Executive Committee shall have regular meetings at least once in every ninety (90) days to accomplish the business of the Association. Meetings may be called for to occur through conference calls or by circulating items for vote by e-mail.
Minutes of all Executive Committee meetings will be sent to the members of the Executive Committee at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the next Executive Committee meeting.
Section: IV-F
Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be requested by the President, or by any five members of the Executive Committee by providing a minimum of three (03) days written notice by email or ordinary mail. Special Meetings may be called for to occur through conference calls or by circulating items for vote by email. Minutes of the meetings shall be sent to the members of the Executive Committee within two weeks after the meeting.
Section: IV-G
Procedures
Robert’s rules shall be followed.
Section: IV-H
Removal / Vacancies
An Executive committee member shall be subject to removal, with or without cause, at a special meeting called for that purpose with the approval of a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Executive Committee.
An Executive committee member with three (03) continuous unexcused absences from consecutive Executive Committee meetings may be administratively considered resigned from the Executive Committee.
Any vacancy that occurs on the Executive committee, whether by death, resignation, removal, or any other cause, should be filled by the nomination and seconding followed by a two-thirds majority (2/3) vote of the remaining Executive Committee members within ninety (90) days of occurrence of the vacancy. An Executive Committee member elected to fill a vacancy will serve the remaining term of his or her predecessor, or until a successor has been elected and qualified.
Section: IV-I
Ad Hoc Committees
The Standing Committees of the Association are listed in the FOURTH SCHEDULE. Each standing committee will be chaired by an Executive Committee member(s) who should report such committee findings at the Executive Committee meetings.
The President by an approved proposal of the Executive Committee may establish ad hoc committees consisting of members of the Association in addition to the standing committees of the Association listed in FOURTH SCHEDULE. The ad hoc committee duration will be no more than ninety (90) days from the date of the establishment, unless the duration is extended by the President in consultation with the Executive Committee.
Section: IV-J
Compensation
No Executive committee member shall be paid by the Association except for reasonable compensation for expenses incurred on behalf of The Association for which prior approval has been obtained.
ARTICLE V
POWERS AND DUTIES
President: The President will preside at all meetings, appoint ad hoc committees and generally perform the duties of the presiding officer. The President will be the chairperson of the Executive Committee and the Membership. The President in consultation with the Executive Committee may appoint qualified persons or entities to perform pecified tasks, duties, and activities for the Association as deemed necessary.
President-Elect: The President-Elect will become the President for the term immediately following the conclusion of the current term. In the absence of or in case of disability of the President, the President-Elect will assume Presidential duties and that will not count towards the term limits. President-Elect will lead the social and fund raising events of the Association.
Vice Presidents: In the absence of or in case of disability of the President and the President-Elect, one of the Vice President’s will assume Presidential duties and that will not count towards the term limits. Each of the three Vice Presidents will Chair the following committees: Project Evaluation Committee, Communications Committee, Membership and Outreach committee.
Secretary: The Secretary will handle Executive Committee affairs and minutes. The Secretary will keep minutes of all meetings and will sign them after they are duly adopted. The Secretary will also give due notice of motions and meetings to the members and maintains the membership roster. The Secretary or designee will be a member of Project Evaluation Committee, Membership and Outreach Committee, and any ad-hoc committee when directed by the President and will perform duties as the secretary of such committee.
Assistant Secretary: The Assistant Secretary will handle other communication matters such as surveys and emails and will assist the Secretary as needed. The Assistant Secretary or designee will be a member of Communications Committee and any ad-hoc committee when directed by the President and will perform duties as the secretary of such committee.
Treasurer: The Treasurer will have full charge of the Association’s funds and the checkbook(s) and the Treasurer or another authorized person will sign checks on the Association’s bank account(s) and carryout other financial transactions as approved by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer will submit a statement on the funds at each regular meeting of the Executive Committee and submit a professionally audited audit report and a financial statement for distribution among the members fifteen (15) days before the Annual General Meeting.
Assistant Treasurer: The duty of the Assistant Treasurer is to assist the Treasurer.
The Immediate Past President: The Immediate Past President will function in an advisory role and chair the Nominations Committee for the next Executive Committee.
ARTICLE VI
DISSOLUTION
In the event the membership is unable to support the Association the assets of the Association shall be sold and the remaining cash assets, after paying all outstanding debts, shall be donated to one or more exempted purpose organizations within the meaning of section 501c (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
ARTICLE VII
AMENDING BYLAWS
These bylaws may be amended as needed at any Annual General meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of all the members present at the Annual General Meeting.
Proposals for such amendments should be sent to the Executive Committee at least forty-five (45) days prior to an Annual General Meeting, and the committee should inform the membership of such proposals received at least thirty (30) days prior to the Annual General Meeting.
ARTICLE VIII
GOVERNING LAWS
All action pertaining to the affairs of the Association shall be governed by and be subjected to the Laws and Regulations of the State of New Jersey, and the United States of America.
FIRST SCHEDULE
OFFICIAL ADDRESS
The registered address of the Association shall be Colombo University Faculty of Science Alumni Association, 15 Karnell Drive, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
The official web domains of the Association shall be cufsaa.org and cufsaa.com.
SECOND SCHEDULE
MEMBERSHIP FORM
1. Name* ______________________________________________________________
2. Postal Address (Provide address or just the City and the State, if preferred.)*
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Telephone Numbers _____________________________________________________
4. Email Address* ________________________________________________________
5. Nature of Association with the Faculty of Science of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Tell if you were a staff member, undergraduate student, graduate student, etc.)*
_____________________________________________________________________
6. Duration of your association with the Faculty of Science of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Please let us know the beginning and ending year of your association. *
_____________________________________________________________________
7. References (Please name any CUFSAA member/ current or former Colombo University Science Faculty academic staff member we may contact as a reference to verify your stated association with the Faculty of Science of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, if necessary).*
_____________________________________________________________________
8. Additional Remarks (if any)
_____________________________________________________________________
Items with Asterisks (*) on the form indicate required information.
CUFSAA Privacy Policy: Any personal information collected through the Membership Form and other forms of the Association will be used exclusively for CUFSAA activities and will not be shared or sold to any third party. Your information will be utilized only to reach out and promote CUFSAA events and activities.
STANDING COMMITTEES
1. Project Evaluation Committee
This committee is charged with evaluating new project proposals and on-going projects received by the Association and preparing a report to the Executive Committee who will take appropriate action by majority vote.
2. Communications Committee
This committee is charged with creating content for newsletters, website, and other social media communication instruments.
3. Membership and Outreach Committee
This committee is charged with membership drives, outreach activities, and member engagement.
4. Nomination Committee
The nomination committee will review applications to the Executive Committee Membership. The Nomination Committee will consist of The Founder President, The President, The President Elect and the Immediate Past President (Chair of the Committee).
5. Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee shall consist of the Founder President and no more than two Past Presidents other than the Immediate Past President, elected by the majority vote of the Executive Committee. If the Founder President is not available, there can be up to three Past Presidents, other than the Immediate Past President.
FOURTH SCHEDULE
Form for Nomination to the Executive Committee
CUFSAA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE NOMINATION FORM
Nominations due to the Secretary by Month, Date, Year
Eligibility: Members of the Association in good standing and have participated in the Association activities are eligible to be nominated to the Executive Committee by submitting the Nomination form.
Terms: The Members will serve in the Executive Committee for a two-year term. At the end of the two-year term, the committee member’s term may be extended through a nomination followed by the vote of the current Executive Committee.
The signature of the nominee in the form certifies the understanding of the time commitment and the willingness to participate actively in the Association and serve in this capacity.
Nominee Information
1. Nominee name __________________________________________
2. Phone Number __________________________________________
3. Email Address __________________________________________
4. Position: Executive Committee Member __________________________________________
5. Nominee Bio (no more than 250 words) – Please attach
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
6. Nominee Signature and Date __________________________________________
Self Nominations are perfectly fine and encouraged. In that case, please disregard the following information.
Nominator Information (if applicable)
1. Nominee name __________________________________________
2. Nominator Name __________________________________________
3. Nominator Phone Number __________________________________________
4. Nominator Email Address __________________________________________
The signature of the nominator in the form certifies that the nominee had been consulted and informed about the time commitment. It further certifies that nominee indicated the willingness to participate actively in the Association and serve in this capacity.
5. Nominator Signature and Date __________________________________________