The LNM Institute of Information Technology

STUDENTS

Student Gymkhana

The LNM Institute of Information Technology JAIPUR STUDENTS’ GYMKHANA CONSTITUTION

1. PREAMBLE

We, the students of The LNM Institute of Information Technology Jaipur, do hereby constitute a self-governing democratic organization called Students’ Gymkhana.
The primary objective of creating this important organ of the Institute is:
“To provide a forum to the students of the Institute, to be managed by the students themselves, through which they can carry out various extra-curricular activities which essentially help them in their academic pursuits.”
Examples of the kinds of extra-curricular activities which can be carried out under the aegis of this forum are:

  • to organize games and sports, on a regular basis, in the Institute campus;
  • to participate in games and sports at the local/regional/state/national/international level;
  • to organize cultural activities, on a regular/periodic basis, in the Institute campus;
  • to organize cultural and other competitions in the Institute campus, in which participants from other well known Institutions can also participate;
  • to participate in cultural and other competitions organized by other well known Institutions of the country; to start and manage various hobby clubs, of interest to the students;
  • to initiate and participate in social service activities, of interest to the students and useful to the society at large;
  • to organize lectures and debates on current issues, including science and technology;
  • to participate in the academic administration of the Institute, wherever feasible and desirable;
  • to help Wardens in the management of hostel affairs, including the dining mess;
  • to participate in the administration of the Students’ Placement Committee;
  • to help in managing the transport facility between the campus and the city;
  • to help in the administration of the medical facility for students;
  • to promote the development of skills in leadership, communication, and self reliance, amongst the students;
  • to promote the core values of commitment, respect, excellence, and accountability, amongst the students;
  • reconciliation of differing opinions, amongst students, on various issues concerning the growth of the Institute;
  • reconciliation of differing opinions of students and Institute Administration, on various issues of importance to the Institute;
  • any other similar activity concerning the general welfare of fellow students and the growth of the Institute.

The management of such important activities, apart from the participation of a large number of students, requires a well defined organizational framework. We, therefore, resolve to adopt the following CONSTITUTION for this purpose. The guiding principles, which have been used for framing this Constitution, are:

  • the decision making process is democratic, at all stages, through committees rather than individuals;
  • transparency in decision-making and its implementation, at all levels;
  • participation of all students of the Institute in the decision-making process;
  • the elected/nominated representatives have the power only to execute the well thought out decisions, taken at various levels;
  • listening carefully to the opinions of others, before forming one’s own opinion on various issues of importance;
  • expressing one’s well formed opinions fearlessly, lucidly, effectively, and logically, irrespective of how much they differ from those of others, without hurting their sensitivities;
  • right to have access to all relevant information;
  • keeping the interest of the Institute above those of any individual.

2. CONSTITUENTS OF THE STUDENTS’ GYMKHANA

In this section, various constituents of the Students’ Gymkhana are described. The aim, responsibilities and duties, composition, and the manner of election/nomination of each of these constituents are stated in subsequent sections.

  • 2.1. All registered students of the Institute shall be members of the Students’ Gymkhana, and, shall constitute its General Body.
  • 2.2. The Director of the Institute shall be the Patron of the Students’ Gymkhana.
  • 2.3. The following posts of the Students’ Gymkhana shall be elected directly by the General Body:
    • (a) President of Students’ Gymkhana
    • (b) General Secretaries of Games, Cultural, and Science & Technology
  • 2.4. The required number of student representatives, called Senators, of each batch, shall be elected by the students of the respective batches.
  • 2.5. The Students’ Senate (referred to as Senate subsequently), shall comprise of all the elected students, as mentioned in clauses 2.3 and 2.4.
  • 2.6. The Convenor of the Senate is elected by the Senate, according to the interactive process described in clause 3.8.
  • 2.7. The Gymkhana Executive comprises of the President, General Secretary Games, General Secretary Cultural, General Secretary Science & Technology, and the Convenor of the Senate.
  • 2.8. The Senate shall nominate the Chief Election Officer, who is responsible for conducting all the Gymkhana elections, except that of the Convenor of the Senate.
  • 2.9. The Patron shall appoint the Chief Counselor of the Students’ Gymkhana, and other Counselors as and when required, from amongst the faculty members of the Institute, in consultation with the Senate.
  • 2.10. The Senate shall nominate the Chairpersons and other members of the following Standing Committees of the Senate:
    • (a) The Nominations Committee
    • (b) The Committee of Students for Hostel Affairs (COSHA)
    • (c) The Students’ Placement Committee
    • (d) The Finance Committee.
  • 2.11. In addition to the Standing Committees of the Senate, mentioned in clause 2.10, the Senate may also appoint ad-hoc committees to perform specific tasks. The Chairperson and members of any ad-hoc committee shall be nominated by the Senate.
  • 2.12. The Senate shall nominate the members of the following Gymkhana Councils:
    • (a) The Presidential Council
    • (b) The Games Council
    • (c) The Cultural Council
    • (d) The Science and Technology Council.

3. ELECTIONS

  • 3.1. All elections, except that of the Convenor of the Senate, whenever required, shall be conducted by the Chief Election Officer, to be nominated by the Senate. S/he can take the help of other students in conducting elections.
  • 3.2. The Annual Gymkhana Election shall be held around 20th of January every year. However, under exceptional situations, the annual elections can be postponed, by the Senate, for a maximum period of one month.
  • 3.3. The Gymkhana President and the General Secretaries of the Games, Cultural, and Science & Technology Councils shall be elected from the General Body on the basis of a single transferable preferential voting system. Thus, for a particular post, if there are n candidates, the voters shall be required to give up to preferences. In the first round of counting, only the first preferences of the voters shall be considered, and, the candidate receiving the least number of first preference votes shall be declared unsuccessful. In the next round, the second preference votes of the unsuccessful candidate shall be added to the first preference count of continuing candidates. Again, the candidate with the lowest tally shall be declared unsuccessful. This procedure shall be repeated, until a candidate, who shall be declared successful, secures 50 percent or more of the total valid votes cast. In the kth round of this procedure, the kth preference votes, of the voters voting for the unsuccessful candidate, will be considered.
  • 3.4. In a batch of n students, Senators will be elected, the voters being the n students of the batch.
  • 3.5. Senators, representing a batch, shall be elected on the basis of a preferential voting system. Each voter shall have three preferences to be cast in favor of three different candidates amongst those seeking to represent the batch. The first, second, and third preference shall carry 5, 3, and 1 points respectively. Senators, representing a batch of n students, shall be declared elected in the following way. The names of all the candidates will be listed according to the decreasing number of first preference points received by them. If more than candidates receive 225 or more first preference points, then the first m candidates of the list will be declared elected, giving the required number of Senators representing the batch. Otherwise, those getting 225 or more points will be declared elected, and the rest will be listed again according to the first and second preference points together. Now, 225 points of the first iteration will be replaced by 350 points and the procedure repeated. In case m Senators are still not elected, then the third preference points will also be considered and the required number of successful candidates declared on the basis of all the first, second, and third preference points.
  • 3.6. All PhD students of the Institute will be assumed to form one batch. Similarly, all MS/MTech students of the Institute will be assumed to form one batch.
  • 3.7. The strength of female Senators must be at least 10% of the total strength of the Senate. In case fewer female students are elected members, then the Senate shall nominate additional female Senators to the extent required.
  • 3.8. The Convenor of the Senate will be elected, from amongst the students elected as per clause 3.5. However, the electoral college shall consists of all members of Senate elected/nominated as per clauses 3.3, 3.5, and 3.7. The election will be through an interactive process. In each round of voting the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated. At any stage, a candidate who receives 50% or more votes of those present and voting shall be declared as the Convenor of the Senate. The Convenor of the outgoing Senate shall conduct the election for the Convenor of the new Senate.
  • 3.9. The Chief Election Officer shall ensure that the candidates seeking election, for any position of the Students’ Gymkhana, is not expected to complete his academic Programme during the period he is expected to represent the interests of the students. This clause will not be applicable for electing senators to represent the final year under-graduate students.
  • 3.10. The Chief Election Officer shall ensure that the students falling in any one or more of the following categories are not allowed to contest election for any position of the Students’ Gymkhana:
    • (a) Students whose CPI is less than 7.0;
    • (b) Students on whom the AC SAC has imposed any penalty, for whatever misconduct, during their stay in the Institute.
  • 3.11. In case the AC SAC imposes some penalty on a student, while s/he is holding some post of the Students’ Gymkhana, then s/he shall cease to hold that post with effect from the date the penalty is imposed.
  • 3.12. In case, the CPI of the student, while s/he is holding some post of the Students' Gymkhana, falls below 7.0, then s/he shall cease to hold that post immediately
  • 3.13. The Convenor of the Senate shall ensure that the students barred from contesting Gymkhana elections, in clauses 3.9 and 3.10, are not nominated for any post of Students’ Gymkhana, and are replaced immediately, if they are affected by clauses 3.11 and 3.12.
  • 3.14. The Chief Election Officer and the Convenor of the Senate shall ensure that a student is not elected/nominated for more than one post of the Students’ Gymkhana.
  • 3.15. Whenever a vacancy arises, for any post of the Students’ Gymkhana, due to various unforeseen reasons, the Senate shall take any one of the following actions:
    • (a) nominate some eligible student;
    • (b) order mid-term election for the post
    • (c) not fill the post, if desirable.
  • 3.16. Norms and modalities for holding any election shall be fixed by the Chief Election Officer. However, the Senate has the right to modify any such norms or modalities.
  • 3.17. Charge shall be handed over to the next Senate within two weeks of completing all the election formalities of the incoming Senate.

4. STUDENTS’ SENATE

  • 4.1. The Gymkhana shall function through the Senate and its four Executive Councils, namely, the Presidential Council, the Games Council, the Cultural Council, and the Science & Technology Council.
  • 4.2. The Senate shall comprise of:
    • (a) the Gymkhana Executives, namely: the President, General Secretary Games, General Secretary Cultural, General Secretary Science & Technology; and the Convenor of the Senate;
    • (b) Senators representing different batches of students (with a special provision for female students, as in clause 3.7)
  • 4.3. The Senate shall be the Central Representative, Legislative and Supervisory body of the students. It shall
    • (a) serve as the main forum of expression of student opinion;
    • (b) be in continuous touch with the general body, consult the students and act as a feedback system;
    • (c) act as the central policy making body;
    • (d) guide and check the functioning of the executive wings of the Gymkhana;
    • (e) guide and check the functioning of its standing and ad-hoc committees.
  • 4.4. The Convenor of the Senate shall convene and preside over all the meetings of the Senate. S/he shall ensure that the decisions of the Senate are implemented, to the extent possible. Difficulties, if any, while implementing the Senate decisions must be discussed in the next meeting of the Senate.
  • 4.5. All meetings of the Senate shall be open to the students of the Institute, as observers only (i.e., they cannot participate during the discussion or at the time of taking decisions).
  • 4.6. The Senate shall discharge its responsibilities mainly through itself and its Standing Committees. The Senate shall ensure that the following Standing Committees are formed:
    • (a) The Nominations Committee
    • (b) The Committee of Students for Hostel Affairs (COSHA)
    • (c) The Students’ Placement Committee
    • (d) The Finance Committee.
  • 4.7. The Senate may, from time to time, appoint any other ad-hoc committees to perform specific tasks.
  • 4.8. In all the decision making bodies of the Gymkhana, at all levels, the decision making process shall be democratic, i.e., decorum is maintained during discussion and the decisions are based on well defined majority opinions.
  • 4.9. The Convenor of the Senate shall prepare the Agenda for discussion in the Senate. The items shall be categorized, prior to discussion, for decision making as follows:
    • (a) routine items, which require a simple majority (of those present and voting) for approval;
    • (b) critical items, which require at least two-third majority (of those present and voting), and at least half the total strength of the Senate, for approval;
  • 4.10. In case a majority of the Senate members (of those present and voting) favor approval of the items mentioned in clause 4.9 (b), which is not adequate for Senate approval, then the Senate may consider referring such issues to the General Body for its decision.
  • 4.11. The Minutes of the meetings of the Senate shall be written by the Convenor of the Senate. The Minutes shall be circulated to all the members of the Senate, for their comments, within a specified time. The President and the Convenor of the Senate shall examine the comments received, if any, and approve the minutes to the extent possible. The items for which the minutes are approved can be implemented by the Convenor of the Senate. Other items, on which comments have been received and cannot be reconciled, shall be discussed in the next meeting of the Senate.
  • 4.12. The Chief Counselor/Counselors shall be invited to all the meetings of the Senate.

5. GYMKHANA PRESIDENT

  • 5.1. The President shall be the Chief Executive of the Gymkhana. S/he shall supervise and coordinate the general affairs of the General Body.
  • 5.2. There shall be a Gymkhana Office, which will be managed by the President and the Convenor of the Senate. All records of the Gymkhana shall be kept in the Gymkhana Office, electronically, as far as possible. At the end of each Gymkhana year, a folder containing the description of all the Gymkhana activities during the year, shall be created, and kept in the Gymkhana Office.
  • 5.3. All records in the Gymkhana Office shall be open to the students of the Institute.
  • 5.4. The President, as the Chief Executive of the Gymkhana, shall have the power to requisition a meeting of the Senate, or any Executive Council, or any Standing or ad-hoc Committee of the Senate, and shall have the power to attend the meeting as a full-fledged member.

6. GYMKHANA COUNCILS

  • 6.1. The Gymkhana shall have the following Gymkhana Councils:
    • (a) The Presidential Council;
    • (b) The Games Council;
    • (c) The Cultural Council;
    • (d) The Science & Technology Council.
  • 6.2. The President shall be the Chairperson of the Presidential Council. The Chairpersons of the other three Gymkhana Councils, the Convenor of the Senate, and the Convenor of the Finance Committee, shall be the members of the Presidential Council. The aim of the Presidential Council shall be to help the President in discharging his/her duties and any other duty assigned to him/her by the Senate.
  • 6.3. The General Secretaries of Games, Cultural, Science & Technology shall propose, for ratification/consideration of the Senate, the names of students to be appointed in their respective positions as Members/Secretaries/ Coordinators/Captains as members of their respective Councils.
  • 6.4. The aim of the Games Council is to organize and promote all extra-curricular activities in the field of games and sports and any other duties assigned to it by the Senate.
    • (a) The General Secretary Games shall be the Chairperson of the Games Council and shall supervise and coordinate all its activities;
    • (b) The Games Council shall consist of the General Secretary Games, the President (or his/her nominee), one member of the Finance Committee, and other members approved by the Senate (clause 6.3);
    • (c) The Secretaries shall be responsible for the organizational part of the work, especially the off-field activities, whereas, the Captains shall be responsible for on-field activities.
  • 6.5. The aim of the Cultural Council is to organize and promote all cultural extra-curricular activities including festivals and competitions, and any other duty assigned to it by the Senate
    • (a) The General Secretary Cultural shall be the Chairperson of the Cultural Council and shall supervise and coordinate all cultural activities;
    • (b) The Cultural Council shall consist of the General Secretary Cultural, the President (or his/her nominee), one member of the Finance Committee, and other members approved by the Senate (clause 6.3);
    • (c) The Coordinators shall be responsible for the organization of all the cultural Programmes whereas the Secretaries shall promote the club activities.
  • 6.6. The aim of the Science & Technology Council shall be to organize and promote all scientific and technological activities, and any other duty assigned to it by the Senate. (a) The General Secretary Science & Technology shall be the Chairperson of the Science & Technology Council, and shall supervise and coordinate all its activities; (b) The Science & Technology Council shall consist of the General Secretary Science & Technology, the President (or his/her nominee), one member of the Finance Committee, and other members approved by the Senate (clause 6.3). 7. STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE SENATE 7.1 The Senate shall have the following Standing Committees (a) The Nominations Committee (b) The Committee for Hostel Affairs (COSHA) (c) The Students’ Placement Committee (d) The Finance Committee. 7.2 The Nominations Committee shall nominate the students’ representatives to the various Institute Committees, whenever required. (a) The Nominations Committee shall consist of the President, the Convenor of the Senate, and two Senators (at least one member of the committee shall be female); (b) The President shall be the ex-officio Chairperson of the Nominations Committee. 7.3 The Committee of Students’ for Hostel Affairs (COSHA) shall supervise and coordinate all matters of common interest to all the hostels. (a) The COSHA shall consist of the President, the Senator In-Charge Hostel Affairs (to be elected by the Senate from amongst the Senators), and Hall Representatives (two from each hostel). (b) The Senator In-Charge Hostel Affairs, shall be the Convenor of the COSHA. The meetings of the COSHA shall be chaired by the President. (c) The Chief Warden/Wardens shall be invited to all the meetings of COSHA for their opinions on various issues. 7.4. The primary aim of the Students’ Placement Committee (SPC) is to express the students’ opinion regarding placements and it will act as the students’ central advisory body for the Students’ Placement Cell of the Institute. (a) The SPC shall consist of four members, all of whom shall be nominated by the Senate; (b) The four members of the SPC shall distribute the work of the Committee, as they deem fit 7.5. The primary aim of the Finance Committee (FC) is to manage the finances of the Gymkhana. The FC shall consist of four members, including its Convenor, all of whom shall be nominated by the Senate. 7.6. The Finance Committee shall control and supervise the expenditure incurred by the Executive Wings of the Gymkhana. The FC shall report the financial position to the Senate, periodically, as prescribed by the Senate. 8. GYMKHANA FINANCES 8.1. The total funds of the Gymkhana shall comprise of: (a) Contributions made by the Institute; (b) Contributions from other sources collected by the students (e.g. fees of clubs, sponsorship). 8.2 After taking into consideration the total yearly income, and the financial requirements of various Gymkhana Councils, the FC shall prepare the Annual Budget Proposals of the Gymkhana. While preparing the annual budget proposals, FC shall seek the advice of the Chief Counselor. The Annual Budget Proposals of the FC shall be considered by the Senate. 8.3 The Annual Budget, approved by the Senate, with or without modifications of the budget proposals, shall be frozen for the whole year. 8.4 The Chief Counselor shall ensure that in the budget approved by the Senate, the anticipated expenses do not exceed the total funds available to the Gymkhana during the year. 8.5 The FC shall ensure that the expenses incurred, throughout the year, conform to the Annual Budget approved by the Senate. 8.6 Approval of the competent authority, as given in clause 8.7 below, must be obtained before contemplating to spend the Gymkhana funds. 8.7 The competent authority to approve the payment from the Gymkhana funds shall be as follows (a) Upto Rs 1000/-, with the approval of the President; (b) Upto Rs 20,000/- with the approval of the Chief Counselor; (c) Any Gymkhana expense, including those mentioned in (a) and (b) above, with the approval of the Patron. 8.8. The guiding spirit in the expenditure of the Gymkhana funds shall be economy, at all stages, and in all possible ways. 8.9. The standard norms for all official financial transactions shall be followed. A brief note of such important norms (to be prepared by the Accounts Section of the Institute) shall be kept in the Gymkhana Office. All those students who utilize the Gymkhana funds, at any time, must follow these norms. 8.10. The FC shall present its final report before the joint session of the Senate. This report must include: (a) The approved Annual Budget (b) A balance sheet (of income/expenditure) (c) Any exceptional expenditure; (d) Recommended action, if any. 9. BYLAWS 9.1. Amendment of any article of the existing Constitution shall require the support of at least two-third of the total strength of the Senate. The amendment, after approval of the Senate, must be reported to the Academic Council of the Institute, which reserves the right to disallow the amendment. 9.2. Critical items of the agenda will include: (a) Impeachment of an elected Executive of the Gymkhana. (b) Approval of Finance committee (c) Approval of Annual Budget (d) Approval of Chief Election Officer (e) Any other item, so decided by Senate. 9.3. The Senate can withdraw the nomination of any person to any committee/post, whom it had nominated initially. 9.4. The President shall call and chair the General Body meetings. S/he shall be obliged to call a General Body meeting if requisitioned by the Convenor of the Senate, or at least 1/3 of the total strength of the Senate, or at least ¼ of the total strength of the General Body. The President may call a General Body meeting on his own also. 9.5. The decisions in the General Body shall, normally, be taken by a referendum, unless all the members present share the same opinion (without any exception). The referendum shall be conducted by the Chief Election Officer. 9.6. The Convenor of the Senate shall be obliged to call a meeting of the Senate, within 48 hours, if requisitioned by the President or by at least 1/3 of the total strength of the Senate. 9.7. The Chairperson/Convenor of any Council/Standing or Ad-hoc Committee of the Senate shall be obliged to call a meeting of the same, within 48 hours, if requisitioned by at least 1/3 of its total strength. 9.8. The Senate shall prepare the “Rules and Procedures” to be followed by all the wings of the Gymkhana. Any change in the existing Rules and Procedures shall be considered a critical agenda item.

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