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This page was
last updated on
7 October 2005

Constitution of Tuorlan Astronomical Society

Tuorlan Astronomical Society was founded at Tuorla Observatory in Piikkiö, Finland on 16 Jan 2004.

Register of Associations, a division of National Board of Patents and Registration, accepted the declaration of association of the society. The society was given registration number 188847 and the official name of the society changed to Tuorlan tähtitieteellinen seura ry, with abbreviation ry, registred association, added to the end of the name.

Constitution of the society appears below in the form accepted by the Register of Associations. Further information on legislation on associations is found in Association Act and Accounting Act (the latter only in Finnish).

Note that this is an informal translation. If there are any conceptual differences between this and the Finnish version, the Finnish version is always considered the correct one.

1§ Name and home municipality of the association

Name of the association is Tuorlan Astronomical Society (Tuorlan tähtitieteellinen seura) and its home municipality is Piikkiö.

2§ Purpose and nature of activities

Purpose of the association is to sustain and support astronomical research and recreation, and promote general cognizance of astronomy among citizens.

To fulfill its purpose the association:

  - organizes information sessions, discussions, lectures, exhibitions, and other events of edification
  - organizes courses and education, excursions, parties and other recreational services
  - practises research, information, and publishing
  - acquires necessary equipment and other material for use of the association

To support its activities the association may accept grants, donations and wills, own chattels personal and real, arbitrate non-commercially equipment and supplies needed by its members in their research or leisure activities, collect entrance fees in events it organizes, with appropriate license, if required, and organize raffles, jumble sales and fund-raisings.

3§ Members

Members of the association include human members, community members, supporting members and honourary members. Human members are divided into annual members, family members and eternal members. A person who accepts the purpose of the association may be accepted as a human member. The council may accept as a family member a person who lives in the same household with an annual member. Post is not sent to and free membership material is not delivered to family members without a distinct decision of the council. A person who effects the eternal membership fee prescribed by the annual meeting may be accepted as an eternal member and therefore given excemption of paying annual fees. A community having legal capacity and accepting the purpose of the association may be accepted as a community member. A person, or community having legal capacity, who wants to support the purpose and activities of the association may be accepted as a supporting member. Human, community and supporting members are accepted by the council after an application. A person who has significantly progressed and supported the activities of the association may be appointed as an honourary member after a proposition of the council in a meeting of the association.

4§ Departing and discharging from the membership

A member has a right to depart from the association by making a written announcement to the council or its chairman or declaring in a meeting of the association the departing to be written to the minutes of the meeting.

The council may discharge a member from the association if the member fails to pay his membership fee in time or has failed to performs the duties he has committed to by joining in the association or has considerably damaged the association by his actions in the association or outside of it or does no longer fulfil the requirements of the membership set in the constitution or in the law.

Delivering membership material and giving membership benefits to a person who has neglected to pay his membership fee may be interrupted two days after the due date of the membership fee.

5§ Joining and membership fees

Annual meeting of the association decides on the quantity and date due of joining fee, annual membership fee and possible eternal membership fee separately for each group of members: the human members, community members and supporting members. Membership fees of annual members and family members may vary according to age. Honourary members do not pay membership fees.

6§ Council

The activity of the association is co-ordinated by a council, which consists of a chairman and between three and six other members and from zero to two (0-2) deputy members elected in the annual meeting. The annual meeting appoints vice chairman, secretary, treasurer and other required officials from the council members or leaves the appointment to be made by the council members themselves. Offices of secretary and treasurer may be held by the same person.

The term of office of the council is the time between annual meetings.

The council assembles by summons to a meeting by the chairman or, when he is prevented, by the vice chairman, when they deem there is valid reason for it or when at least half of the council members demands it. The council has a quorum when at least half of its members, chairman or vice chairman included, is present. Votings are decided by a simple majority of votes. When votes are divided equally, the vote of the chairman of the meeting is decisive; however, in elections the decision is made by a lot.

7§ Signatories

The name of the association is written by the chairman, vice chairman and other members of the council always two at the same time so that one of the signatories is either the chairman or the vice chairman.

8§ Financial year and auditing of the accounts

Fiscal year and the year of activity of the association begins on the first day of September and ends on the 31st day of August.

Closing of the accounts must be delivered to the auditors at least three weeks before the annual meeting. The auditors must give a written report to the council at least two weeks before the annual meeting.

9§ Association meetings

Annual meeting of the association is held during the last third of a year on a date determined by the council. An extraordinary meeting is held when the association meeting so decides or when the council decides one necessary or when at least one tenth (1/10) of the enfranchised members of the association demands in writing the council to hold one for a discussion of a specially announced matter. The meeting must be held within thirty days of presenting the demand to the council.

Each human member, community member and honourary member has one vote in the meetings of the association. The suffrage must be used personally. A community member may authorize a delegate with one vote to attend to the meeting. One person may represent only one community member. A supporting member has a right to be present and speak in the meetings.

The decision of the association meeting will be, unless otherwise declared in the constitution, the opinion, which was supported by more than half of votes. Votings are decided by a simple majority of votes. When votes are divided equally, the vote of the chairman is decisive; however, in elections the decision is made by a lot.

Unless meeting decides otherwise an open ballot is used in the association meetings. If a secret ballot is demanded in an election, one must be arranged.

10§ Convening the association meetings

Members are informed of association meetings at least ten days prior by a newsletter or an advertisement in a paper published in the home municipality of the association. The council may decide on additional ways of announcing the meeting.

11§ Annual meeting

The following topics are discussed in the annual meeting:

1) Opening the meeting and verifying the legitimacy and quorum.
2) Election of a chairman, secretary, two scrutinizers of the minutes and two scrutineers for the meeting.
3) Presentation of the annual report, the financial statement and the auditors' report.
4) Confirmation of the financial statement and discharging the council and other liable persons from liability for the accounts.
5) Discussion and confirmation of the plan of actions, budget and joining and membership fees.
6) Election of the chairman, other members and vice members of the council, according to section 6 of the constitution, and two auditors and one or two vice auditors for the new year of activity. Election of officials, according to section 6, or leaving the decision to the council.
7) Discussion of propositions by the council and those matters members have proposed that have been included in the notice of meeting.
8) Discussion of other matters possibly presented in the meeting.
9) Closing the meeting.

12§ Altering the constitution

A decision to alter the constitution has to be made in a meeting of the association by at least three quarters (3/4) majority of votes. The notice of the meeting must mention altering the constitution.

13§ Dissolution of the association

The decision to dissolve the association has to be made in two successive annual meetings of the association by at least three quarters (3/4) majority of votes. The notice of the meeting must mention dissolution of the association.

When the association is dissolved its property is redeployed for astronomical research and popularization of astronomy in the manner decided by the latter of the annual meetings in which the association was dissolved. Should the association be abolished the association property is used for the same purpose.