Bylaws The University of Tokyo Alumni Association of India
Article I. Name
The name of this Association shall be The University of Tokyo Alumni Association of India – Aka Mon Kai
Article II. Purpose
The Association is a nonprofit organization, operated exclusively for the advancement of the educational purposes of The University of Tokyo by fostering mutual communication and support between the University and its alumni body and by encouraging alumni activities.
Article III. Membership
Section 1. Any person meeting one or more of the following qualifications, and/or any qualifications and/or the definition of "alumni" as published in the Universities alumni directory shall be a member of this Association:
- Member: Any person who has received a degree from The University of Tokyo as evidence of satisfactory completion of a course of study at The University of Tokyo.
- Associate Member:
- Any person who has not received a diploma/degree from the University of Tokyo but was registered with the University of Tokyo such as, but not limited to, Research student, Post-Doctoral research etc.
- Any person who has received a certificate of completion from an official program of The University of Tokyo providing that such program is included in the official list of “alumni-status” programs made available by the Office of Alumni Programs.
- In addition to the above mentioned criteria, such persons should not have withdrawn from study for disciplinary reasons and that such a person’s membership is approved by the University of Tokyo Alumni Office.
- Associate Members shall have all the rights and privileges of Members, with the exception that they may not be elected as Officers of the Board of the Association.
- Honorary Membership:
- Any person who has been conferred an honorary degree by The University of Tokyo.
- Any eminent person who is nominated by the Board of Aka Mon Kai and whose alumni status is further approved by The University of Tokyo.
- Honorary Members shall have all the rights and privileges of Members, with the exception that they may not be elected as Officers of the Board of the Association.
Section 2. Ex-officio members. Any person meeting one or more of the following qualifications, and/or any definition of ex officio alumni as defined by The University of Tokyo shall be considered an ex officio member of this Association:
- Any person who is a member of the faculty or administration of The University of Tokyo and who is not otherwise qualified to serve as an alumni member of the Association.
- Any person elected to honorary ex officio alumni status by the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors based upon criteria approved by The University of Tokyo.
- The Director of the Todai India Office during the period of his/her tenure as Director of the office.
Ex officio members shall have all the rights and privileges of alumni members with the exception that they may not be elected to the Board of the Association. This membership is entirely temporary and the individual shall cease to be an Ex-officio member of the Association as soon as s/he demits the office, on the basis of which the membership was granted.
Section 3. Procedure for application of membership
Individuals desirous of joining the Association as Members; Associate Members or Honorary Members, should fill up a form providing necessary details and send it to secretariat of the association with supporting documents. The Secretariat will compile and scrutinize all such applications and submit its recommendations to the Board (or EC), which will make a final decision. No application for the honorary membership is required and any member of the Association can make a request to the Board to confer the honorary membership on a particular individual giving appropriate details and justification. Such a nomination will also be scrutinized by the Secretariat with an appropriate recommendation will be submitted to the Board. Conditional to ratification by The University of Tokyo, the decision of the Board will be final.
Article IV. Restrictions on Activities
Section 1. All activities of the Association shall be conducted exclusively for the purpose of the Association and of The University of Tokyo. No substantial part of the activities of the Association shall be the carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation and the Association shall not participate in, nor intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.
Article V. Board of Directors and Officers
Section 1. To conduct the affairs of the Association and to develop, support and enhance the purposes of the Association, there shall be a Board of Directors, herein called the Board. The Board shall include the following officers: a President and three Vice Presidents, a Past President and three Past Vice Presidents, all of whom shall be alumni of the School. Vice Presidents and Past Vice Presidents each serve one year terms while the President and Past President serve a two-year term. The powers and duties of the officers shall be those usually pertaining to their respective offices.
Section 2. The purposes of the Board shall be: to communicate on an as needed basis, using a broadly representative group of alumni, to the President, faculty, staff and students of The University of Tokyo, the interests and concerns of the alumni in India; to propose, consider, and evaluate mechanisms to enhance the well-being of The University of Tokyo alumni, with an emphasis on improving the ongoing education and participation of The University of Tokyo alumni through activities which can be accomplished by the alumni without significant help from the University; to encourage communication of the University’s activities, priorities, and educational resources to the alumni.
Section 3. The Board shall consist of 15 elected members. Of these 15 elected members, 8 will be the officers of the Association, (President, Vice Presidents, the most recent Past President and Past Vice Presidents). Board members shall serve a three year term.
Section 4. The Board shall have full authority on all Association matters, including the power to remove officers or members of the Board for just cause. Each officer has full power to act in the designated capacity within bounds of Association policies as established in these Bylaws and in accordance with delegated authority. The Board may, at any time it deems fit and proper, constitute and register the Association as a trust, society or any other entity, as per applicable laws then in force.
Section 5. Meetings of the Board may be called upon seven days’ written, electronic or oral notice by an officer of the Association. A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of elected members of the Board, and the Board may act on any matter by a majority vote of those present at a meeting at which there is a quorum. Any matter (except an amendment to the Bylaws) which is referred to the full Board by the Executive Committee may be acted upon by the Board without a meeting in the following manner: the President shall send either an electronic or written notice to all members of the Board specifying the action proposed and enclosing a ballot to be marked and returned by the member to the President within 30 days. An affirmative or negative vote by a majority of said members shall constitute the action of the Board.
Article VI. Executive Committee
Section 1. There shall be an Executive Committee of the Board, which shall consist of all the officers of the Association, and the Director of The University of Tokyo India Office, as members ex officio. All terms shall expire at the close of the Annual Meeting of the Association, the committee being reconstituted at that time. The President of the Association (or any other officer elected by a majority of those present at any meeting at which there is quorum) shall serve as Chairman of the Executive Committee. A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the Committee, and the Committee may act on any matter by a majority vote of those present at a meeting at which there is a quorum.
Section 2. Subject to the general supervision of the Board, the Executive Committee shall have power to conduct all business of the Association. The Executive Committee may refer to the Board any matter which it decides should be acted upon by the Board rather than by the Executive Committee. Any such matter may be acted upon by the Board at its next meeting, or prior thereto without meeting as provided in section 5 of Article V of these bylaws.
Section 3. The Executive Committee shall meet when necessary and at such time and place designated by the President or by utilizing electronic communication.
Article VII. Interim Appointments
Section 1. In the event the office of President is vacant, the Executive Committee shall appoint one of the Vice Presidents to assume the duties of President until the next Board meeting, when the office of President shall be filled by the Board. The President of the Association shall have the power to appoint a successor for any other vacant position to serve until the next annual election.
Article VIII. Committee Appointments
Section 1. There shall be committees made up of alumni members of the Board as the Board deems proper from time to time. The President of the Association shall appoint chairmen for each committee with the exception of the Nominations Committee, which shall be chaired by the most recent past President of the Association. The President of the Association and the Director of The University of Tokyo India Office shall be members ex officio of all committees. Each chairman shall have full authority to act for the committee for the purpose of receiving their advice and keeping them informed.
Article IX. Annual Meeting
Section 1. The Annual Meeting of the Association shall be held at Bangalore on such day in February or March as the Board may fix, or at such other time and place as the Board may determine.
Article X. Nominations
Section 1. The Nominations Committee shall consist of the President and the most recent past President of the Association, no less than three members of the Board, and the Director of The University of Tokyo India Office.
Section 2. The Nominations Committee is directed to select candidates' representative of the entire alumni body whose capabilities and willingness to serve will be in the best interests of the University of Tokyo Alumni Association of India and The University of Tokyo. Said candidates must also qualify as alumni of The University of Tokyo (see Article III, Section 1).
Section 3. Further, the Nominations Committee is directed to solicit the entire alumni body by suitable means (for example, through a notice in the xxx or similar publication) for qualified candidates.
Article XI. Elections of Officers and of Board Members
Section 1. At the Annual Meeting the Board shall elect one member for each of the officer positions from the slate submitted by the Nominations Committee. At this time, Vice Presidents from the past year become “Past Vice Presidents” and, if the President’s two-year term is finished, he/she becomes Past President.
Section 2. All members of who constitute the very first Board (appointed in Februrary/March 2012) of the Association will serve for a period of 3 years as Board members. At the end of the first 3 year term, in each subsequent year the Board shall elect and induct 5 new members to serve a 3-year term. Thus the last of the 5 members of the original 15 will demit as Board members at the end of the 5th year i.e. in February/March 2017.
Section 3. The newly elected officers and Board members shall take office as of April 1 following their election.
Article XII. Amendment
These Bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 majority of the Board, provided, however, that no amendment shall authorize the affairs of the Association to be conducted in any manner or for any purpose contrary to the provisions of any applicable laws in India now in force or hereafter amended. An amendment of the provisions of this Article XII (or any amendment thereof) shall be valid only to the extent such amendment further restricts the amending power.
Article XIII. Secretariat of the Association
The Secretariat of the Association will comprise of the resident Director of the Todai India Office, who will hold the position of Secretary General of the Association, and a Secretary. This office will assist the Board in running the Association effectively. The Secretary General and the Secretary need not be members of the Association. Ex-officio membership will be conferred on her/him for the duration of their being in office.