ARTICLE I
The name of the organization shall be Malaysian and Singaporean Student Association also known as MSSA.

AIM AND PURPOSE

ARTICLE II
The aim and purpose of MSSA shall be:
  1. To promote integration and understanding among Malaysian and Singaporean students about University of Houston.
  2. To furnish cultural, social information and programs regarding Malaysia and Singapore for those interested in these countries.
MEMBERSHIP
ARTICLE III
  1. There shall be two categories in MSSA.
    • Regular members will be Malaysians and Singaporeans at University of Houston. This will include their family members.
    • Affiliate members will be all other non-Malaysian and non-Singaporean students.
  2. All members shall have equal privileges and duties.
  3. Membership fees
    • All the members shall pay, per academic semester, membership fees as agreed upon by the General Assembly.
    • The fees shall be US$5/semester for each individual member.
  4. Responsibility of the members shall be:
    • To uphold the principles of MSSA.
    • To punctually pay their membership dues.
    • To take part in the activities of the association.
    • To exercise care when utilizing the property of MSSA.
    • To uphold the image of the association as well as the image of Malaysia and Singapore.
  5. Rights of members
    To forward any suggestions or opinions as well as to vote during the meetings of the association.
  6. Termination
    All members who return to Malaysia , Singapore or leave the U.S. will automatically have their memberships terminated.
ORGANIZATION

ARTICLE IV
The MSSA shall consist of the membership made up by the General Assembly and the Executive Committee henceforth known as the Assembly and the Executive respectively.
  1. The duties of the Assembly shall be:
    • To elect new Executive members every year.
    • To approve any amendments to the constitution as proposed by the Executive.
    • To revise any decision made by the Executive.
    • All decisions of the Assembly shall be by majority, with a quorum of 2/3 of the membership.
  2. The Executive shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Webmaster, a Social Chairman and a Public Relations Officer.
    1. The Executive shall have the following duties:
      • To appoint and dissolve special committees as needed.
      • To serve as the governing body of the MSSA.
      • To seek sources of revenue.
      • To convene meetings of the Assembly.
      • To submit a report to the Assembly of all activities of the MSSA at the beginning of each major semester.
    2. The duties of the President shall be:
      • To be the official representative of the MSSA.
      • To call meetings of the Executive.
      • To preside over the meetings of the Executive and Assembly.
      • Whenever he/she feels it is necessary, he/she may delegate part of his/her duties to other members of the Executive on a temporary basis.
      • To authorize payments made to or by MSSA.
    3. The duties of the Vice-President shall be:
      • To assist the President in his/her duties.
      • In case of resignation or inability of the President to complete his/her term of office, the Vice-President shall automatically become President and call an Assembly meeting to fill the position of the Vice-President within two weeks.
    4. The duties of the Secretary shall be:
      • To maintain a record of all meetings of the Executive and the Assembly and to furnish minutes of the Executive meeting seven days prior to the next Executive meeting.
      • To be the acting President whenever the posts of the President and Vice-President are vacant due to any reason. In such cases, he/she shall call a meeting of the Assembly with the approval of the Executive to fill these posts within two weeks of his/her assuming the role of the acting President.
    5. The duties of the Treasurer shall be:
      • To keep record of all financial transactions and make all authorized payments promptly.
      • To present a semi-annual report of all the association's expenditures to the Assembly.
      • To collect membership dues and to maintain and update a list of all members. Such a list may be released only with the approval of the Executive.
      • All collections must be deposited in the Student Finance Center within 24 hours of receiving it.
    6. The duties of the Webmaster shall be:
      • To organize and maintain all matters pertaining to the MSSA official website
    7. The duties of the Public Relations Officer shall be:
      • To ensure that the members of the MSSA are informed of all MSSA activities.
      • To be responsible for the dissemination of certain information both to members and to students at large.
    8. The duties of the Committee Members shall be:
      • To render advice during Executive Meetings.
      • To accept duties delegated by the Executive.
ADVISOR

ARTICLE V
  1. The Advisor shall be a faculty/staff member at the University of Houston University and will be nominated by the Assembly.
  2. The Advisor may appoint an interim Executive until regular elections are held should this become necessary for the existence of MSSA.
ARTICLE VI
  1. Elections shall be held in April every year.
    1. The election shall be held according to the following procedure:
      • An election chairman shall be nominated from among the members to conduct the elections and assist the current advisor.
    2. To eligible for the Executive position, a candidate shall:
      • Have and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better.
      • Not be on probation or suspension.
      • Be attending University of Houston University on a full-time basis.
    3. The tenure of the elected officers shall be for one year beginning from the first day of the Fall semester following their election in April.
    4. A new election shall be held to fill any vacant position(s) in the Executive.
  2. An officer of the Executive may be removed from the office when a member motions for his/her removal and submits a written grievance in an Assembly meeting. After being seconded, the following procedure shall be followed.
    • The officer concerned shall be given an opportunity to defend himself during that meeting or the next Executive meeting, whichever he or she chooses.
    • During the meeting in which he/she presents his/her defense, the Executive may remove him/her by a majority affirmative vote. Otherwise he/she will remain in his/her position.
SPECIAL MEETING

ARTICLE VII
A special meeting shall be called if 75% or more of the members petition for it, and specify its purpose. If the Executive fails to call a meeting within two weeks, it shall be the advisor's responsibility to do so.

DISCIPLINE

ARTICLE VIII
The presiding officer may remove any person from the meeting if in his/her opinion the said person is causing a disruption in the progress of the agenda.

AMENDMENTS & REVISION

ARTICLE IX
  1. Amendments to the Constitution must be submitted to the Executive by a written petition of a majority of members. The proposed amendment must be distributed to the Assembly members by the Executive at least two weeks prior to it being voted upon.
  2. The executive may also submit amendment(s) to the General Assembly under the same conditions.
  3. Amendment(s) must be approved by a majority of the Assembly present and voted at a meeting with quorum of 2/3 or more.
  4. This document must be reviewed every two years and resubmitted to the Student Activities Office.
RATIFICATION

ARTICLE X
Ratification of this Constitution shall be by majority vote of the General Assembly, becoming effective as of that date.
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Last Update: September 17th, 2002
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