Revision 6 (as amended further to EGM of May 2003)
1. Name
The name of the Club shall be "The Scholars" Club (hereinafter called the "Club")
2. Objects
The objects of the Club shall be to provide, promote and encourage for the use of its members, athletic, educational, cultural, recreational and social facilities.
3. Membership
The Club shall consist of the following categories of members:
(i) Ordinary members;
(ii) Honorary members; and
(iii) Temporary members
4. Ordinary members
No person under the age of 18 years shall be admitted as member of the Club.
Subject to this all persons shall be eligible for ordinary membership of the Club, who are registered members or officers or one of the staff of the Students Union situate on the Plassey Campus (hereinafter call the "Campus") or are members of the staff or Governing Bodies or University of Limerick Alumni or Boards of Management of any of these Institutions or are members of the staff and management of Companies or Institutions situate in Plassey Technological Park (hereinafter called the "Park") and whose application for membership is approved by the Committee of Management of the Club (hereinafter called the "Committee").
5. Admission of ordinary members shall be by ballot and each candidate for ordinary membership must be proposed by one member of the Club and seconded by another and the candidate's full name, address and occupation and the name of his/her proposer and seconder, shall be inserted in a "Book of Candidates" kept for the purpose fourteen days at least and posted on a conspicuous place on the Club premises seven days at least before the day of ballot. The proposer and seconder of each candidate shall be held responsible for his/her eligibility under these rules. Any omission or inaccuracy in the particulars relating to the description of any candidate shall render his/her election voidable at the discretion of the Committee.
6. At the ballot for membership every member of the Committee shall be entitled to vote in person for or against each candidate for admission at such election. The election shall be decided by simple majority. The decision of the Committee as to whether any candidate has been duly elected or not shall be final. Immediately upon the election of a member notice thereof shall be placed on a conspicuous place in the Club premises and he/she shall be entitled to be furnished with a copy of the Club rules by which he/she shall in any event be bound.
7. Subscription
The annual membership subscription shall be 10 cent in the case of all ordinary members who are full time students and 10 cent in the case of all other ordinary members for the whole or any part of the year.
8. All annual subscriptions, other than the first subscription of a new member, shall be payable by the 1st day of February in each year.
9. From and after 1st day of March in each year an ordinary member shall not be qualified to act as a member of the Committee nor to avail himself/herself of any of the privileges of membership until his/her subscription for the current year has been paid.
10. Honorary members
The Committee shall have the power, at its discretion, to elect persons of distinction or high position or persons who have given outstanding service to the Club as honorary members for such period as may be deemed proper.
11. Visiting Groups (1) Where members of a group are visiting the Club for the purpose of: (a) taking part in any pastime, sport, game or recreation there or (b) organising or taking part in the organisation of, or arrangements for, any such activity, intoxicating liquor may be supplied to them at the request and in the presence of an official of the Club on the occasion of the visit. (2) The Official shall enter the name of the group concerned, and the number of persons in it, in the Visitors Book. (3) In this rule “group” means a club (whether registered or unregistered) society or organisation
12. Temporary members
Temporary membership shall be open to all persons actively involved in such activities as may be promoted by the Club. The Secretary, or such officer of the Club as the Committee of Management may appoint for the purpose, shall have power, in the name of the Committee, to declare any such person to be a temporary member. Temporary membership shall not extend in any case beyond the period of six months.
13. Temporary members shall be entitled to all the benefits and privileges of membership save that they shall not be qualified to be officers or members of the Committee or to vote at meetings of the Club.
14. If the conduct of any member either in or out of the Club in the opinion of the Committee is or has been injurious to the character and interests of the Club or is or has been such as to render him/her unfit to continue as a member of the Club he/she shall be subject to expulsion on the decision of the Committee, provided that any such suspension shall be decided on by not less than four members of the Committee.
15. A member expelled by the Committee shall forfeit ipso facto all rights to or claim upon the Club or its property howsoever arising. If a member shall be convicted of an indictable offence or shall be adjudicated a Bankrupt or shall file a petition for arrangement or make a composition his/her creditors he/she shall thereupon ipso facto cease to be a member of the Club and shall forfeit all claims to the Club or its property howsoever arising; notwithstanding the foregoing the Committee shall have power, in its discretion to allow him/her to be nominated for re-election.
16. No member shall take or permit to be taken away from the Club under any circumstances whatsoever or shall destroy or injure any article or property of the Club or for the time being in the custody of the Club and any member found so doing shall be liable to immediate expulsion in accordance with Rule 14.
17. Members shall pay their bills for every expense they incur in the Club before leaving the premises.
18. Committee of Management
The business and affairs of the Club shall be under the management of a Committee consisting of eight members and will include a Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. The Committee shall be elected by the general body of members of the Club at the Annual General meeting and shall hold office until the following Annual General Meeting which shall be a period of not less than a year.
Two members of the Committee shall be elected from that section of members of the Club who are employees or members of Plassey Campus Centre Limited (excepting those members who are also members of the Students' Union). Two members shall be elected from that section of the Club who are employees of the University of Limerick and four members of the Committee shall be elected from that section of members of the Club who are members or employees of the Students' Union situate on the Campus.
19. The Committee each year shall propose three candidates to sit on the Committee. A list of candidates proposed by the Committee shall be posted on a conspicuous place in the Club premises fourteen days before the day of the Annual General Meeting. Any two members may propose any other candidate by notice in writing to the Secretary at least seven days before the Annual General Meeting and the Secretary shall forthwith add such candidates to the aforesaid list. The eight members shall be elected by proportional representation, each member having one transferable vote and the election shall be by secret ballot.
20. The Committee shall have power to appoint a member to fill any casual vacancy among the elected members of the Committee until the following Annual General Meeting.
21. The Committee shall hold monthly meetings to transact the business of the Club. All members of the committee shall be notified in writing seven days in advance by the Secretary. Four of the Committee shall form a quorum.
22. The Committee shall immediately after the Annual General Meeting each year elect from among its members a Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer and such other officers as it thinks fit. Officers so elected shall hold office until the succeeding Annual General Meeting.
23. At all meetings of the Committee in the event of a difference of opinion the question shall be decided by simple majority. In the event of an equality of votes, the Chairperson shall have a casting vote.
24. There shall be a Discipline Subcommittee of the Management Committee. This Committee shall be empowered to expel members from the Club for conduct injurious to the character and interests of the Club. This Discipline Committee shall be composed not less than two members of the Management Committee who have been nominated by the University of Limerick Students Union and not less than two members nominated by either the University of Limerick or Plassey Campus Centre Limited. The Discipline Committee shall also be specifically empowered to hear complaints against individual members of the Clubs from a person or persons who are not a member of the Club.
25. The Committee should have power to make such regulations consistent with these general Rules as it shall from time to time think necessary for the well-being of the Club and such regulations shall be binding on the members.
26. Accounts
The Committee shall cause correct accounts and books to be kept showing the financial affairs and receipts and disbursements of the Club and the accuracy thereof shall be ascertained at the end of each financial year by an Independent Accountant appointed by Plassey Campus Centre Limited. Such accounts shall be made available to any ordinary member, upon written request, within seven days of such request being made.
27. The financial year of the Club shall end on 28 day of February in each year to which day the accounts of the Club shall be balanced.
28. The Committee shall decide at the end of each financial year how any surplus funds accruing to the Club shall be applied.
29. Minute Book
The minutes of the committee shall record the proceedings of the Committee including all proposals made and decisions taken by the Committee. The minutes shall be kept in a book reserved for that purpose. Minutes of a meeting of the Committee shall be adopted at a subsequent meeting of the Committee, and immediately upon adoption shall be signed by the Chairperson of the meeting. Minutes so signed after approval by the Committee shall be sufficient evidence of the facts stated therein.
30. The Minute Book of the proceedings of the Committee for the past year shall be open to the inspection of any member of the Club, upon written request, within seven days of such a request being made.
31. Meetings
The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in the month of October. The Secretary of the Club shall give not less than 14 days written notice of the date of the Annual General Meeting by posting in a conspicuous place on the Club premises a notice giving the date, time and place of the Annual General Meeting. The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be:
(a) to adopt the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting;
(b) to receive the report of the outgoing Committee;
(c) to approve the audited accounts;
(d) to elect the members of the Committee for the ensuing year;
(e) to pass any rule that must be renewed annually;
(f) to decide on any resolution which duly submitted to the meeting as
hereinafter provided; and
(g) to transact the general business of the Club.
32. Any member desirous of moving any resolution at the Annual General Meeting shall give notice thereof in writing to the Secretary not less than fourteen days before the date of the meeting and a copy of such resolution, with the names of the proposed and a seconded and also of any resolution to place in the Club premises seven days prior to the date of the meeting.
33. At all Annual General Meetings of the Club, the Chairperson shall be Chairperson of the outgoing Committee. The Chairperson with the consent of the meeting adjourn any meeting from time to time. A poll may be demanded by any five members and if so demanded, it shall be taken in such manner as the Chairperson directs and in the case of the equality of votes the Chairperson shall have a second or casting vote.
34. The Committee may at any time call an Extraordinary General Meeting on giving fourteen days notice specifying in the form of a resolution the subject intended to be submitted and the discussion shall be confined to that subject only. Such a meeting shall be called by the Committee on receiving a written requisition signed by six ordinary members of the Club setting out in the form of a resolution the subject intended to be submitted.
35. At any Extraordinary General Meeting sixty members shall be necessary to form a quorum and no resolution other than a motion for adjournment shall be adopted at such meeting without the sanction of a majority of two thirds of the number of members present and the number as present in voting shall in no case be less than sixty.
36. The property of the Club shall be vested in the Trustees of the Club who shall be appointed for the time being by the Directors of Plassey Campus Centre Limited. The number of the Trustees shall be not more than five and not less than two. The Trustees shall respectively hold office until death or resignation unless removed from office by the Directors of Plassey Campus Centre Limited.
37. Sale of Excisable Liquor
37.1 No excisable liquor shall be sold or supplied in the Club premises to any person or be consumed on the Club premises by any person under 18 years of age.
37.2 No excisable liquor shall be supplied for consumption on the Club premises to any person (other than a member of the Club lodging in the Club premises) or be consumed on the Club premises by any other person (other than a member of the Club lodging in the Club premises) -
(1) At any time on Christmas Day or Good Friday
or
(2) On any other day outside the hours specified in section 2 (1)(b) (as substituted by section 3 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act, 2000) of this act
37.3 Nothing contained in the Registration of Club Acts 1904 to 1999 or contained by virtue only of
the operation of Sub-section (1) of this section, or in the Rules of the Club shall operate to prohibit the supply for consumption on the Club premises of excisable liquor to any person, or the consumption of excisable liquor of the Club premises by any person:
(a) on Christmas Day between 12.00 midday and 10.00pm, or
(b) on any other day, for one hour after the expiration of any period in respect of that day during which it is lawful for the club, by virtue of sub-section (1) (b), to supply any excisable liquor for consumption on the club premises.
(d) if, in each case, the excisable liquor is:
(1) ordered by that person at the same time as a substantial meal is ordered
by him/her,
(2) consumed at the same time as and with the meal.
37.4 No excisable liquors shall be sold or supplied for consumption outside the premises of the Club, except to members of the Club, between the hours of eight o’clock in the morning and ten o’clock at night.
38. No member of the Committee and no manager or servant in the Club shall have any personal interest in the sale of excisable liquor therein or in the profits arising from such sale.
39. Visitors
A visitor shall not be supplied with excisable liquor in the Club premises unless on the invitation and in the company of a member and the member shall upon the admission of such a visitor of the Club premises or immediately upon his being supplied with such liquor enter his own name and the name and purpose and which shall show the date of each visit. The member shall be responsible for the conduct in the Club of any person introduced by him.
40. Miscellaneous
The Committee shall be empowered to close the Club premises or any part of it for such time as they may deem necessary for vacation cleaning or repairs subject always to the provisions of the Registration of Clubs Act, 1904 and the licensing laws in force in the State.
41. No member shall except for professional services rendered at the request of the Committee receive any emolument from the funds of the Club.
42. Any complaint regarding the facilities, services or goods rendered, or inattention or misconduct of a servant shall be made to the senior member of staff on duty at the time. The Committee shall be responsible for ensuring a satisfactory outcome of any such complaint.
43. No gambling or game of mere chance shall be permitted in the Club premises. No collections for any purpose shall be made in the Club premises save as authorised by the Committee.
44. Rules
A copy of these Rules shall on request of a member of the Club be delivered to such member or transmitted to his address but no member shall be absolved from the effect of these Rules on any allegation of not having received them.
45. The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of these Rules and of any regulations made thereunder and their decision shall be final and binding on the members.
47. The foregoing Rules may be added to or any of them may be altered or amended or rescinded provided that any proposed addition, alteration, amendment or rescission shall first be approved of by the members wither at the Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting and provided that fourteen days notice shall be given of the proposed addition, alteration, amendment or rescission and that such proposed addition, alteration, amendment or rescission shall be in compliance with the law and does not contravene the terms and conditions of the Lease of the Club premises
