For our first meeting in which we'll choose a committee and decide on other matters like the statute, I propose Saturday 13th December in the morning, unless there are objections (in which case please voice them). It's a public holiday and not too close to Christmas/New Year, which tends to be disruptive for such activities. Exact time and place will be announced later in any case.
I've seen a variety of statutes/constitutions/bylaws of other LUGs, and have come up with a draft for one of our own. I've also collected some links to other LUGs' statutes for you to look through. Belfast: http://www.belfastlinux.org/article/c2001 Ireland: http://www.linux.ie/legal/constitution.php Imperial College UK: http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/linux/constitution.pdf Australia: http://linux.org.au/org/new/constitution.phtml (proposed new const.) Kitsap Peninsula: http://www.kplug.org/template.php3?insert=bylaws.html Metro Detroit: http://www.mdlug.org/mdlug/admin/bylaws.html Linux Enthusiasts & Professionals: http://www.leap-cf.org/article.php3?article=bylaws Cincinnati: http://www.clug.org/about/clug-bylaws-20000826.html Ontario Canada: http://www.oclug.on.ca/bylaws.php S.Mississippi: http://www.smlug.org/bylaws.php and http://www.smlug.org/constitution.php Hong Kong: http://www.linux.org.hk/hklug_agreement.php3?lang=en On the other hand there are a number of LUGs which do without a statute, such as Edinburgh. I tried to keep the statute simple - some of the ones above need a team of lawyers just to interpret them. The statute is not carved in stone, so we could adopt one to begin with and then refine it as we go along. Here's another link which might be useful: http://www.linux.org/docs/ldp/howto/User-Group-HOWTO.html ________________________________________________________________________ Proposed Statute of the MLUG Name of organisation i. The name of the organisation shall be Malta Linux User Group (MLUG). 2. Organisation i. The MLUG is an independent, non-profit organisation, operated by its members. 3. Aims i. To provide a forum for discussing and gaining experience on the GNU/Linux operating system and open-source software (OSS). ii. To increase awareness and promote the use of the GNU/Linux operating system and OSS in Malta. 4. Membership i. Membership in the MLUG is open to individuals who agree with these aims and accept this Statute. ii. Membership is obtained by subscribing to the mailing list. iii. There is currently no membership fee. 5. Committee i. The MLUG shall have a committee which runs the society on behalf of its members. ii. The committee consists of five members, who will decide between them the following roles. Other roles may be created as necessary. a. Chairperson. The responsibility of the chairperson is to chair committee and general meetings. b. Secretary. The responsibility of the Secretary is to document meeting proceedings, and deal with correspondence. c. Public Relations Officer. The PRO is responsible for the MLUG’s public image. d. Assistant chairperson, and assistant secretary, to take over these roles in the absence of the chairperson or secretary. e. Treasurer. The treasurer is responsible for any assets belonging to the MLUG. iii. Committee decisions shall be decided by majority voting. A quorum for a committee meeting shall consist of 3 members. iv. All committee members should strive to assist one another in accomplishing all necessary tasks. v. The term of office is one year, after which committee members may seek reelection. 6. Committee elections i. The committee is elected during annual (AGM) or extraordinary general meetings (EGM). ii. Elections are done via a democratic vote, with each member being entitled to one vote, if there are more candidates than positions in the committee. iii. Any person who has been a member for at least 1 month prior to election is entitled to vote in the election or any other votes taken, and may stand for election. iv. In the event of a resignation, the runner-up, if any, can automatically take his/her place without the need for an EGM. 7. Meetings i. An annual general meeting is held each year in the month of October. Notice of the date and place must be given at least two weeks in advance via the mailing list. ii. The annual general meeting will include reports from the outgoing committee and an election of the new committee. iii. An extraordinary general meeting will be held if requested by a majority of the committee, or 10% of members. 8. General i. This statute can be modified only by a 50% approval at a general meeting. ii. The views and opinions of the MLUG are completely independent of those of its sponsors or other organisations. ________________________________________________________________________ Ramon Casha Malta Linux User Group (http://linux.org.mt)
