Constitution

1. Name of the Club
1.1 The name of the club shall be Dublin City University Karate Club, herein called the Club.

2. Aims of the Club
2.1 The aims of the Club are:

• To facilitate the playing & practice of shotokan style karate in all its forms.
• The promotion of shotokan style karate in all its forms.
  
• To foster the development of members in shotokan style karate and general fitness and well being.
• To provide a forum to for members to interact and socialise through playing and non-playing activities.
• To assist Club members to represent the Club at a higher level.

3. Membership of the Club
3.1 Full Membership is open to all registered students, staff and graduates of DCU who pay the appropriate fee.
3.2 Membership fee shall be in compliance with the conditions set by the SCC.
3.3 Membership is conferred ex-officio on all employed Coaches in the Club.
3.4 It is deemed that all members shall have agreed to abide by the Club constitution.

4. Affiliation
4.1 The Club shall be affiliated to the SCC and the ISI (Irish Shotokan Institute).
4.2 The rules of the SCC and the ISI shall be observed in all competitions and in the general running of the Club.

5. Committee
5.1 The Club shall have a governing Committee.
5.2 The Committee shall run the Club on behalf of the members and in accordance with the aims of the Club.
5.3 Committee decisions shall be decided by majority voting. The vote shall be preceded by debate on the topic.
5.4 The Committee shall endeavour to meet once a month.
5.5 The Chairperson shall cast the deciding vote in the event of hung decision.
5.6 The Committee shall consist of the following members..

• President
• Chairperson
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Public Relations Officer (PRO)
• Equipment Officer
• Safety Officer
• Captain
• Webmaster

All of the above positions with the exception of President are executive. Positions may be shared if necessary.
5.7 The Committee shall be elected democratically at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of the Club.
5.8 The term of office of these elected officers shall be one year.
5.9 A General Meeting may overturn any Committee decision.
5.10 The roles of the committee members are set out during the election.

6. Indemnity
6.1 Every officer of the club committee shall be entitled to be indemnified out of the assets of the club against all losses or liability which s/he may sustain or incur in or about the execution of his or her office or otherwise in the relation thereto and no officer shall be liable for any loss, damage or misfortune, which may happen to or be incurred by the club in the execution of the duties of his or her office or in relation thereto. Provided that nothing in this clause shall affect their liability for the consequences of any negligent act on their part.

7. Dismissal of Committee Members
7.1 No member of the committee shall be dismissed from office unless:

• Notice of a resolution to seek such dismissal, signed by at least 10% of the active members of the club is received 4 working days prior to a General Meeting at which such a resolution shall be debated.
• A two-thirds majority at the meeting will pass the resolution.

8. Dismissal of Members
8.1 The committee will have power to censor or expel from the club for a period that it decides, for:

• Violation of Safety Codes as laid down by the club.
• Violation of Safety Codes as laid down by any association to which the club is affiliated.
• Conduct deemed to be prejudicial to the good name of the club.
• The committee has the power to immediately suspend any member who they believe has or could endanger oneself or others.
• The committee will decide on any further action within 2 weeks.
• A member penalised may appeal the decision to a General Meeting once only in any college year, where a simple majority vote will be required to overrule the decision of the committee.

9. General
9.1 Alterations to the constitution may only be made at General Meetings
9.2 The annual accounts of the club may be open to audit by persons acting on behalf of DCU or an organisation to which the club is affiliated.
9.3 If, at any time, circumstances arise for which there is no provision in this Constitution, the Committee shall take such action as seems reasonable and necessary.
9.4 All previous constitutions are hereby revoked. However, elections and decisions adopted under the previous Constitution are not invalidated or made inoperable as a result of this revocation. The new constitution shall come into force immediately on its adoption at a General Meeting.
9.5 This constitution must be available for free at all times on the club website.