Constitution of German-English Association as drafted at an Extraordinary Committee Meeting held 10.06.89 and ratified at Extraordinary General Meeting 29.9.89 The Association has no separate legal existence and consists only of its members meeting together. What follows are guidelines, intended to preserve the nature of the Association. The Association shall elect a committee at least once a year at a general meeting (of club members). Details of the election shall be announced at least one month in advance. The duty of the committee is to manage the affairs of the Association and to meet at least monthly to produce and publish a regular programme of events. The committee shall consist of from 6 to 10 members, at least 2 of whom must be citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany and at least 2 British citizens. If necessary the committee can vote to coopt, during any one electoral year, one or two club members of the appropriate nationality to preserve this proportion. The committee shall elect 3 of its members as officers by a simple majority vote of the whole committee and may replace any of them at any time by the same method. The 3 offices are :- a) chairman b) secretary c) treasurer The duties of these officials are:— a) chairman,— to help and encourage the committee and to chair its meetings. At all meetings the chairman has only a casting vote. b) secretary,— to take minutes at meetings and to coordinate production and distribution of monthly programme. c) treasurer,- to keep a record of all transactions and safeguard the monies of the Association. The committee is quorate (has a quorum) when 2/3 of its members are present. Resolutions affecting the affairs of the Association shall only be considered passed at a quorate meeting, and when voted for by a majority of the total standing committee. Resolutions affecting monthly programme planning and production may be passed by a simple majority of those present at a committee meeting, which for this purpose may be less than quorate. If appropriate, in order to safeguard the aims of the Association, the committee may deem it necessary to compile a register of people who regularly attend, which could also be used as a voting register (for committee elections Q; in the annual general meeting). Costs of events are normally covered by the participants. Money spent by the committee on items such as free programme distribution is kept to a minimum and will be raised from the surplus on events such as dances. 10 11 12 The chairman is permitted to authorize incidental expenditure of Association funds, up to the sum of DM 100,- when he has the agreement of at least 2 other committee members, who must not have incurred the expense, one of whom should be the treasurer. If this authorization is challenged at the subsequent committee meeting, then the chairman must justify his decision and, if necessary, a vote taken on its correctness. Should the majority vote of the full committee go against the chairman then he must refund the said expense from his own resources. There is no other expenditure without committee approval. The Association will not become financially dependent on any other organization. Changes to this constitution must be proposed at a quorate extra- ordinary committee meeting and approved by a majority of the whole committee. A draft of the changes must be made available to all (club) members at least one month before ratification at an extra~ ordinary general meeting, details of which are to be publicized with the said proposed changes/amendments. affiliated to or"