Turku Swing Society's rules

THE NATIONAL BOARD OF PATENTS AND REGISTRATION
Register of associations

1. NAME AND DOMICILE OF THE ASSOCIATION

The name of the society is Turku Swing Society and its registered office is Turku.

2. PURPOSE AND NATURE OF ACTIVITIES

The purpose of the society is to promote rock'n'swing dancing and Argentinean tango and related music and to ensure that students in the Turku region have equal opportunities to practise the above-mentioned dance styles.

To achieve its aims, the association organises dance training, dance performances and dance competitions, lectures on the theory and history of rock'n'swing dance music, concert tours for its members and meetings with artists where possible.

To support its activities, the association organises dance events for which a fee is charged and collects membership fees. The association can accept financial contributions and legacies.

3. MEMBERS

Any person who accepts the purpose and activities of the Association may be admitted as a full member.

A private person or a legal entity that wishes to support the purpose and activities of the Association may be accepted as a profit-making member.

The Board of the Association shall approve applications for membership from full members and sustaining members.

Honorary President or Honorary Member may be proposed by the Board at a meeting of the Association and may be a person who has made a significant contribution to and supported the activities of the Association.

4. RESIGNATION AND EXPULSION OF A MEMBER

A member shall have the right to resign from the Association by giving written notice to the Board or its President, or by recording his/her resignation in the minutes of the Association's meeting.

The Board may expel a member from the Association if the member has failed to pay his/her membership fee when due or otherwise failed to fulfil the obligations to which he/she committed himself/herself by joining the Association, or if he/she has caused serious damage to the Association by his/her conduct within or outside the Association, or if he/she no longer fulfils the conditions of membership laid down by law or the Association's statutes.

5. JOINING AND MEMBERSHIP FEE

The amount of the joining fee and the annual membership fee for each category of member separately for the following calendar year shall be determined by the Association's Autumn Meeting for the following calendar year as specified in this and other articles of the Statutes. The Honorary President and Honorary Members shall not pay membership fees.

6. BOARD

The Association's affairs are managed by a Board, consisting of a chairman elected at the Association's autumn meeting and at least 2, but no more than 6 other full members and 2 deputy members.

The term of office of the Board is one calendar year.

The Board elects 1-2 Vice-Chairs from among its members. Two Vice-Chairs shall be elected if half of the Board members support this. The Board shall appoint from among its members or from outside the Association a Secretary, a Treasurer and other necessary officers.

If a full member of the Board resigns during his/her term of office, an alternate shall take his/her place.

The Board shall meet at the call of the President or, in his absence, of the Vice-President, whenever they consider it necessary or at the request of at least half of the members of the Board.

A quorum shall exist when at least half of the members of the Board, including the Chairperson or the Vice-Chairperson, are present. Votes shall be decided by a simple majority of votes. If required, a closed ballot shall be held. In the event of a tie, the chairman shall have the casting vote, but in the event of an election, it shall be decided by lot.

7. WRITING THE NAME OF THE ASSOCIATION

The name of the Association shall be written by the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman, the Secretary or the Treasurer of the Board, the two together.

The Chairman, the Vice-Chairman and the Treasurer or a person decided by the Board of Directors in a meeting shall have access to the Association's bank account.

8. FINANCIAL PERIOD AND AUDIT

The financial year of the Association shall be the calendar year.

The financial statement with the necessary documents and the annual report of the Board must be submitted to the auditors at least three weeks before the spring meeting of the Association. The auditors must submit their written statement to the Board at least two weeks before the annual meeting.

9. MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION

The Association holds two ordinary meetings each year. The spring meeting of the Association is held in January-March and the autumn meeting in October-December on dates determined by the Board.

An extra meeting shall be held when the Association's General Assembly so decides or when the Board considers it necessary or when at least one tenth (1/10) of the Association's members with voting rights request it in writing from the Board for a specifically notified matter. The meeting shall be held within thirty days from the date on which the request for a meeting is submitted to the Board.

At meetings of the Association, each Full Member, Honorary President and Honorary Member shall have one vote. A sustaining member shall have the right to attend and speak at the meeting.

A decision of the Association's meeting shall be taken by the opinion supported by more than half of the votes cast. In the event of a tie, the chairman of the meeting shall have the casting vote, but in the case of an election, the vote shall be by lot. If required, a closed ballot shall be held.

10. CALLING OF MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION

Meetings of the Association shall be convened by the Board at least seven days before the meeting by letter to members or by e-mail to members who have provided their e-mail address.

11. ANNUAL MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION

The following matters shall be considered at the Spring Meeting of the Association:

1. Opening of the meeting
2. Election of the chairman, secretary, two scrutineers and, if necessary, two tellers.
3. Establishment of the legality and quorum of the meeting
4. Approval of the rules of procedure of the meeting
5. Presentation of the accounts for the previous year, the annual report and the auditors' report
6. Approval of the annual accounts and grant discharge to the Board and the other persons responsible
7. Dealing of any other business required by these Statutes, prepared by the Governing Board for the Spring Meeting and specified in the invitation to the meeting.

The following matters shall be dealt with at the Association's autumn meeting:

1. Opening of the meeting
2. Election of the chairman, secretary, two scrutineers and, if necessary, two tellers.
3. Establishment of the legality and quorum of the meeting
4. Approval of the rules of procedure of the meeting
5. Approval of the program of activities, the budget and the amounts of membership and subscription fees for the next calendar year
6. Confirmation of the number of members of the Board within the limits of § 6 of the Association's statutes and elect the Chairman and other members of the Board for the next calendar year
7. Election of one or two auditors and their deputy auditors for the next calendar year
8. Dealing of any other business required by these Statutes, prepared by the Board for the Autumn Meeting and mentioned in the invitation to the meeting.

If a member of the Association wishes to have any business transacted at the Annual Meeting of the Association, he/she shall notify the Board in writing in sufficient time to be included in the notice of the meeting.

12. AMENDMENT OF THE STATUTES AND DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION

The decision to amend the by-laws and dissolve the Association shall be taken at a meeting of the Association by a majority of at least three-fourths (3/4) of the votes cast. The notice of the meeting must mention the amendment of the Statutes or the dissolution of the Association.

In the event of the dissolution of the Association, the assets of the Association shall be used to further the purposes of the Association in the manner determined by the meeting deciding on the dissolution. If the Association is dissolved, its assets shall be used for the same purpose.