PPU Constitution

Past Pupil's Union Constitution:

  1. The union shall be called the St. Mary's College (C.S.Sp.) Union. The aims of the union shall be:
    1. To stimulate friendship and co-operation among past pupils.
    2. To strengthen and continue the good relations between the College and the union and to offer the services of the Past Pupils to assist the College in any way appropriate.
    3. To encourage Catholic Action.
  2. Membership of the Union shall be confined to:
    1. Past pupils of St. Mary's College (C.S.Sp.) who have reached their seventeenth birthday and have paid the annual subscription.
    2. The Principals of the Junior and Senior School of St. Mary's College (C.S.Sp.), Rathmines or their representatives.
  3. The committee shall have power to decide the categories of membership to which a particular subscription shall apply and to vary the subscriptions as required.
  4. The official Union year shall commence on the first day of September in each year. All subscriptions shall be payable in advance and shall be due on the 1st July in each year and members whose subscriptions shall be in arrears after the 31st of December may have their names erased from the list of members at the discretion of the committee.
  5. The officers of the Union shall be the President, Vice President, Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Membership Secretary.
  6. The business of the Union shall be conducted by a committee consisting of:
    1. The 5 officers.
    2. 8 ordinary members.
    3. A representative from each affiliated club or society accepted in accordance with Rule 22.
    4. Two students who have just completed their time at college. These two students will be co-opted by the committee for one year at the first committee meeting following the Annual General meeting.
  7. Five members of the committee shall form a quorum one of whom must be an officer.
  8. The Secretary shall summon a meeting of the committee as often as occasion shall require provided however that the committee shall meet on at least four occasions in each year.
  9. If there is a vacancy on the committee the committee shall have the power to co-opt a member to fill this vacancy for the remainder of that Union year.
  10. The Annual General Meeting shall be held in September of each year on such date and at such place as may be decided by the committee. The Secretary shall give at least 12 days-notice of any General Meeting to all members. Members must be given at least 14 days prior notice of any proposal to change the rules.
  11. The President and Vice-President shall be appointed at the Annual general Meeting on the nomination of the committee and shall hold office for one year or until their successors are appointed. Members desiring to suggest a candidate for the Vice Presidency are to send suggestions to the committee 60 days prior to the Annual General meeting.
  12. The Honorary Secretary, the Honorary Treasurer and the honorary Membership Secretary and the ordinary members of the committee shall be elected by the members of the Union voting in person at the Annual General Meeting.
    Note: One half of the ordinary members shall retire annually in rotation and the vacancies shall be filled as provided in Rule 12.
  13. The officers and committee shall at each Annual General meeting present a report and Statement of Account. The Statement of Account will be duly audited by two members of the Union appointed at the previous Annual General meeting for that purpose. The auditors shall not be members of the committee.
  14. If any member shall, in the opinion of the committee, be guilty of conduct, discreditable to the Union, the committee, after giving such member an opportunity of being heard, may at a meeting of the committee specially convened for that purpose, by a two thirds majority of those present and voting, remove him from membership of the Union.
  15. The committee shall have power to expend the funds of the Union for any purpose which they may deem beneficial to the Union.
  16. The committee shall have power to make by-laws on any subject not dealt with in the foregoing Rules until withdrawn or ratified at a General meeting of the Union.
  17. An Extraordinary General meeting may be summoned by a requisition of:
    1. The President of the Union.
    2. A majority of the committee of the Union.
    3. Twenty ordinary members of the Union.
    4. The Extraordinary General Meeting shall be held within 30 days of receipt of the requisition to hold the meeting. The notice convening the meeting shall specify the business which is to be laid before the meeting and no other business shall be transacted.
  18. In the absence of the President or Vice-President at any General Meeting or Ordinary Meeting of the committee the members present shall elect their own Chairman, and the Chairman at any meeting shall have, if necessary, a casting vote.
  19. A change of rules will require a 2/3 majority of those present and voting.
  20. The committee shall arrange for the celebration of a Mass annually in the Chapel in St. Mary's College for all past students living and dead.
  21. At the first meeting of the newly elected committee which shall take place as soon as possible after the Annual General Meeting the programme for the year shall be drawn up.
  22. The committee of the Union shall have power to affiliate all clubs and societies bearing the name of the College. The committee are authorised to accept as a member of the committee one representative from each such affiliated club or society such representative already being a member of the Union.
  23. In the event of the Union being disbanded for any reason, any remaining funds of the Union shall be forwarded to the Principals of the Junior and Senior School for the use at their discretion for the benefit of St. Mary's College (C.S.Sp.) Senior and Junior Schools.