CONSTITUTION OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

STUDENT ASSOCIATION AT THE UNIVERISTY OF THE

WEST INDIES, CAVEHILL CAMPUS

ENACTED NOVEMBER 1995

AMENDED OCTOBER 2011, SEPTEMBER 2014

The Constitution of the Antigua and Barbuda Association at the University of the West Indies,
Cave Hill Campus as outlined in the following sections shall come into effect on 6th
September,2014.
 THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA STUDENT ASSOCIATION

Chapter 1

The Association and its Membership

Section

1.Name of the Association

2. Status of the Association

3. Aims and Objectives of the Association

Chapter 2

The Executive

4. Organisation

5. Guidelines for Function

6. Duties and Powers

7. Resignation and Recall

Chapter 3

Membership, Finance and Meetings

8. Members

9. Finance

10. Meetings

Chapter 4

Election Protocol

11. Procedure & Guidelines

 Chapter 1

The Association and its Membership

Name of the Organisation

1.- There shall be an association referred to as the Antigua and Barbuda Students Association (hereafter
referred to as the A.B.S.A or the Association) at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill.

Status of the Association

2.- The Antigua and Barbuda Student Association shall:

a. be a member of the Inter-Clubs Committee of the Guild of Undergraduates of the University

of the West Indies, Cave Hill; and

b. be a member of the Combined Territories Association, which exists to provide interaction

between its member states notably during the Combined Territories Week.

Aims and Objectives of the Association

3.- The aims and the objectives of the Association are as follows:

a. to promote the general welfare of its members through ensuring access to assistance in
obtaining suitable accommodation, counselling, orientation and any other activities which
shall impact positively on the wellbeing of all members;

b. to foster greater interaction and cooperation through various events and activities among
members;

c. to pursue programs designed to enhance the cultural, social and educational

development among members and the community at large;

d. to foster and maintain relations with other student organisations at the University of the
West Indies, Cave Hill Campus;

e. to provide a medium where the concerns of the members can be clearly heard
whether at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus or in Antigua and Barbuda;
 f. to represent the members of the Association well, whether at the University of the West
Indies, Cave Hill Campus or in Antigua and Barbuda;

g. to assist in dealing with any other matter which, though not expressly stated above, may
impact the wellbeing of the members of the Association.

Chapter 2

The Executive

Organisation

4.-

1. An Executive Committee, comprising of the following positions, shall be assembled to

manage the affairs of the Association:

-President
-Vice-President
-Secretary
-Treasurer
-Public Relations Officer (P.R.O)
-Constitutional Chairperson
-Welfare officer

2. The Executive from time to time may consist of temporary positions appointed to assist the
holder of a substantive position. However, temporary positions are subject to the following:

a. a holder of a temporary position shall not attend every Executive meeting but may
attend only on the request of the Executive;

b. a holder of a temporary position shall not vote during Executive meetings;

c. a holder of a temporary position shall only act under the directive of the Executive
and may not make decisions without consultation.

3. The General Membership shall consist of all other persons according to Chapter 3, Section 8.

Guidelines for Function

5.-

1. The Executive shall be subject to the provisions of this Constitution.

 2. The Executive shall be elected in a manner set out in section 10 of the Constitution.

3. An outgoing Executive shall hold four (4) meetings alongside the new Executive so as to
facilitate a smooth transfer of responsibilities.

4. The Executive Committee may, without reference to the General Membership, make
decisions provided that within a reasonable time such action is reported and submitted to the
General Membership for ratification.

5. The Executive shall be accountable to the General Membership of the Association.

6. Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Executive Committee:

a. reserves the right to formulate rules for the administration of its own procedures;

b. may make rules or by-laws for the conduct of the affairs of the Association;

c. may regulate the conduct of its members.

7. The Executive Committee, in addition to the appointment of temporary Executive members,

may establish ad hoc and/or special sub-committees for the purpose of carrying out any
particular task which may be assigned as the need arises:

a. an ad hoc committee may be dissolved by the Executive with a majority vote.

b. a special sub- committee shall only exist for the duration of the task and shall not
extend beyond the life of the Executive committee by whom it was created.

8. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to temporarily fill any vacancy which may
occur until the next General or Extra-Ordinary meeting where a by-election shall be held.

Duties and Powers

6.-

1. The President:

a. is the head of the Executive Committee and shall have overall responsibility for
directing and coordinating the work of the Association;

b. shall preside over all Executive and General Meetings except where he/she so
delegates the duty to any other member of the Executive;

c. The President shall present an Annual Report at the end of his / her term;

d. The President may, after consultation with the Executive, create ad hoc or special
committees as becomes necessary;
 e. The President, with the consent of the executive, is empowered to sign cheques on
behalf of the Association.

2. The Vice President:

a. shall assist the President in his/her functions;

b. in the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall assume the responsibilities
and perform all the duties of the President;

c. shall, with the assistance of the Constitutional Chair, oversee any ad hoc committees
created under s 7 (1) (d);

d. shall coordinate all the activities of the ad hoc committees reference in the above
sub-section;

3. The Secretary:

a. shall be responsible for recording and taking of notes of all Executive and General
Meetings;

b. shall deal with all internal correspondence;

c. shall prepare the Annual Report of the Associations activities for presentation at the
Annual General Meeting.

d. shall keep a current register of all members of the Association;

e. may be delegated duties by the Executive from time to time which he/she must
perform;

4. The Treasurer:

a. shall have the sole responsibility of all monies due to and received by the Association;

b. is required to keep clear, detailed records of any monies due to or received by the
Association;

c. must present at General meetings and at the end of his term, a full and accurate
financial statement of the Association;

i. The Treasurer, with reasonable notice from the Executive, must be fully
prepared to present the same at any other time requested

d. shall chair the Fundraising Committee whose responsibility is to strategize methods

relating to fundraising for the Association;

e. is empowered to sign cheques on behalf of the Association;

 f. shall not disburse funds without the prior approval of the Executive unless such funds
are equal to and less than fifty dollars, and the disbursement so urgent in nature that
approval could not have been sought;

g. must be currently pursuing a degree in Accounting or Banking and Finance.

i. However, in the event that no one is currently pursuing a degree in

Accounting or Banking and Finance, then someone who completed CAPE
Economics or Accounting can be eligible for the position subject to the
following conditions:

-If there is no one apart of the association that is currently pursuing

Accounting or Banking and Finance.

- If there is someone currently doing Accounting or Banking and Finance

and that person is not willing to run for the position.

5. The Public Relations Officer, hereafter referred to as the P.R.O:

a. shall be responsible for the promotion and coordination of activities with specific
responsibility to activities related to entertainment, events and programs, of the
Association;

b. shall be responsible for maintaining communication between the

Association and on-site organizations on the Cave Hill Campus and shall have the sole
responsibility of relaying such communications to the Executive and more specifically
the Secretary who will then relay such communications to the wider ABSA
membership;

c. is empowered to relay official communications on behalf of the Executive and the

Association.

6. The Constitutional Chairperson/Returning Officer:

a. shall be responsible for any amendments or modifications which are necessary to the
Constitution;

b. shall be responsible for the adjudication of any matters relating to the interpretation
of the Constitution.

c. may select a Constitutional Committee, if so desired, to aid with Constitutional

Reform;

d. The Constitutional Chairperson may be delegated duties by the Executive from time
to time which he/she must perform;
 e. The Constitutional Chairperson shall also act as Returning Officer;

i. In this capacity, he/she shall oversee the election process and set narrow
Election Protocols within the broad framework, as stipulated by the
Constitution;

f. must be currently pursuing a degree in Law.

i. However, in the event that no one is currently pursuing a degree in

Law, then a prospective candidate must have some academic experience with
law subject to the following conditions:

-If there is no one apart of the association that is currently pursuing law.

- If there is someone currently doing law and that person is not willing
to run for the position.

7. The Welfare Officer:

a. shall assist with members' travel arrangements between Barbados and Antigua;

b. shall assist members in finding suitable accommodation in Barbados;

c. liaison between the students and the Executive to ensure their interests are met;

d. assist in promoting the general welfare of ABSA and deal with any other matters that
are of particular concern to members and the Guild of Students;

e. liaison with the treasurer to carry out fund raising activities in order to assist
members and organise charity events.

Resignation and Recall

7.-

1. Resignation

a. If an Executive member wishes to resign, he or she may do so by communicating this

intention via letter to the Returning Officer;

b. The resignation will be effective upon receipt of the aforementioned letter;

c. In the event of a resignation, the President may appoint a member to fill the vacancy
until the by-elections are held. If the President resigns, the Vice-President shall fill the
vacancy until the by-elections are held.
 d. By-elections must be held no later than one (1) month after the resignation of the
Executive member.

2. Recall

a. An executive member may be recalled from his or her position on one or more of the
following grounds:

i. Misconduct;

ii. Incompetence;

iii. Misappropriation of Funds.

b. The Recall Process shall be announced at least one (1) week ahead of the scheduled
and must be conducted via secret ballot.

c. If an Executive member receives 2/3 of the no-confidence vote; he or she will be

recalled from his or her position.

d. A by-election must be held within one (1) month of the Recall to fill the vacant seat.

Chapter 3

Membership, Finance and Meetings

Members

8.-

1. Any national of Antigua and Barbuda studying at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill
Campus shall be eligible for full membership with the Association;

2. Any national of Antigua and Barbuda studying at other learning institutions in Barbados shall
be eligible for associate membership with the Association;

3. Any person who, though being ineligible for membership by virtue of section 8 (1) and (2), is
either a national of Antigua and Barbuda or by virtue of close association is desirous of being a
part of the Association, and resides or is domiciled in Barbados shall be eligible for Honorary
Membership;

a. Honorary Membership referred to in section 8(3) shall be granted only after the
application made to the Executive is considered and approved;

b. Honorary members are expected to pay dues and are entitled to all rights enjoyed by
the general membership except the right to stand for elections.
 c. Full members who recommend honorary members to the Association must also be in
good financial standings with the Association.

5. Members are required to pay an annual subscription fee as provided in section 9(1).
Members:

a. who have paid the annual subscription fee shall enjoy all the privileges
which are granted to members and shall be entitled to fully participate in the
activities of the Association;

b. who fails to pay the annual subscription fee may be liable to forfeit membership
privileges or may be debarred from full participation in A.B.S.A. If the aforementioned
member continues to neglect or refuses to pay the said fee, he or she may be liable
to be removed the Annual Members Register at the discretion of the Executive;

c. eligible to vote or to stand for elections under section 8(6) shall be ineligible if he or
she is not in good standing.

6. All members, except Honorary Members are entitle to a single vote at General meetings and
Elections.

7. Only full and associate members are entitled to the right to stand for elections and hold
office.

8. A member may relinquish membership by formally submitting written correspondence stating

such to the Executive.

Finance

9.-

1. Members, whether full or associate, are required to pay an annual subscription fee at the
commencement of the first semester of each academic year.

2. The Executive may, on behalf of the Association, solicit contributions or donations from
sources outside the membership.

a. All monies collected, whether by subscription or donation, shall be held in the name
of the Association

3. The Treasurer is required to give a statement with regards to the funds at the Annual General
Meeting.
Meetings

10.-

1. A general meeting of the Association shall be convened within the first four weeks of each
semester.

2. There must be an Annual General Meeting held no later than six weeks before the end of the
second semester.

3. Meetings must be chaired and convened by the President, in absence of proper delegation to
another member of the Executive.

4. Members must be given adequate notice of all general meetings. The notice must state the
date, time and matters of the agenda.

5. In order for a meeting to commence the specified quorum must be fulfilled:

a. there must be at least three (3) members of the Executive present;

b. There must be at least two thirds () of the registered members who have fully paid
their dues present for a general or extraordinary meetings;

c. Where constitutional amendments are proposed, there must be three quarters (3/4)
of all members present;

d. Subject to decisions affecting the dissolution of the group and constitutional

amendments, decisions at General Meetings are based on a two third, majority of the
members present.

6. At each General Meeting, the agenda shall include the reading and confirmation of the
minutes of the previous meeting.

7. An extra-ordinary General Meeting may be convened by the Executive Committee on its own
initiative, or at the request of at least six (6) of the general membership by a petition duly
signed and presented to the Secretary, specifying the purpose for such meeting.
 Chapter 4

Election Protocol

Procedure and Guidelines

11.-

1. In order for Elections to be Constitutional, the date must be announced at least two (2)
weeks before the actual election.

2. Persons seeking to run for a post on the Executive must make available to the Returning
Officer their name, the position in which they intend to contest along with the name of two
(2) nominees.

a. The information discussed in section 2 above must be provided no later than eight (8)
days after the intended election date is announced.

3. A member may stand for election provided that he or she is:

a. In good financial standing

b. Satisfy the requirements stipulated under section 6.

4. Voting must be conducted by secret ballot.

5. Where there are more than one candidates standing for a position, the winner must obtain
the majority of the votes.

6. Where is only one candidate standing for a position, he or she must obtain at least seventy-
five percent (75%) of the confidence votes.