This is a translation of the rules of INTO. In case of disagreement between this document and the Finnish document, the parsing of the Finnish document overrules.
I Name, domicile and purpose
1 § The association’s name is International Teekkari Guild INTO Tampere ry. We may use the informal abbreviation INTO.
2 § The association’s domicile is Tampere.
3 § The association’s working language is English.
4 § The association continues the work of INTO (est 6.3.2007), later ESN INTO (2009-2021). Its purpose is to connect Finnish and international engineering (technical fields’) and architecture students, help the previously mentioned international students to integrate better into Finnish society, promote “internationalisation at home”, and develop and maintain teekkari culture in English.
5 § To reach the above-mentioned goals the association can for example: – cooperate with the guilds, Student Union, International Mobility Services and Student Services of Tampere University, other Finnish higher education institutes (HEIs), non-profit associations, members of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) and business life in Finland; – arrange study, work-related and recreational excursions, meetings, seminars, evening gatherings, discussion groups and other events; – provide information about the association’s activities to all students at Tampere University; – publish a magazine.
6 § To support its activities the association can receive financial support and donations, practice sales and other activities and arrange entertainment events and lotteries with the necessary licences.
II Membership
7 § The organisation can have actual members, support members, and honorary members.
8 § An actual member can be any degree, postgraduate and exchange student in technical fields or architecture of Tampere University, who is interested in the activities of the association, accepts its purpose and rules and pays the sign-up fee. The general meeting decides upon discounts of the sign-up fee.
9 § Any person or legal entity interested in supporting the activities of the association can become a support member by paying the support membership fee.
10 § The board accepts all actual and support members.
11 § The association can invite persons to become honorary members with a three quarters (3/4) majority of general meeting votes. Honorary members can be people who have contributed to the activities of the association or otherwise facilitated its aims significantly.
12 § The proposal for honorary membership is made by the association’s executive board or by a group of at least fifteen (15) actual members.
13 § When a Guild member resigns or gives up their Guild membership, they must pay their possible debts to the Guild, and return to the Guild any property they are in custody of. In case of resignation, the membership fee that was paid by the member is not refunded.
14 § A member of the Guild has the right to resign from the Guild by leaving a written notice for the Guild’s executive board or its chairperson. The executive board acknowledges the resignation in the next executive board meeting. The person can announce their resignation also in a general meeting to be recorded in the minutes.
15 § The actual members of the Guild are obliged to pay a membership fee to the Guild every academic year (1.6.-31.5.). The membership fee for the actual members of the Guild is decided in the spring general meeting of every year.
16 § The support members of the Guild are obliged to pay a support membership fee to the Guild every calendar year. The membership fee for the support members of the Guild is decided in the spring general meeting of every year.
17 § Honorary members of the Guild do not need to pay a membership fee.
18 § If an actual member of the Guild has not paid the membership fee by the end of September, their membership ceases.
19 § The board can expel a Guild member if: – they have not fulfilled the obligations they have committed themselves to when joining the Guild; – they do not fulfill anymore the terms of the membership mentioned in the law or the rules of the Guild.
20 § The general meeting can expel a member if they have considerably damaged the Guild with their actions inside or outside the Guild. The motion to expel the member must be mentioned in the agenda of the meeting. Before making a decision the concerned party should get a chance to explain themselves.
21§ The executive board can forbid a member from participating in Guild events if they have harmed the Guild with their behaviour or actions and therefore made the operation of the Guild more difficult or as a representative of the Guild they have harmed the public image of the Guild. Before making a decision the concerned party should get a chance to explain themselves.
22 § The Guild maintains a membership register of its members containing each member’s full name and domicile.III General Meetings
23 § Meetings of the Guild are called general meetings. They are the spring general meeting, the autumn general meeting, and extraordinary meetings. The general meetings of the Guild are called by the executive board of the Guild.
24 § The spring general meeting must be held by the end of April, and at least the following matters concerning the next term of office must be discussed: – the chairperson and other members of the executive board are elected; – the two operations auditors and their personal deputies are elected; – the membership fee, sign-up fee and support membership fee of the Guild are decided; – the budget and action plan are approved.
25 § The autumn general meeting must be held by the end of November, and at least the following matters must be discussed: – the annual report of the previous term of office; – the executive board presents the financial report for the previous accounting period; – the operations auditors’ report is heard; – the approval of the annual report and the financial report, and discharging from liability the executive board and other persons from the previous term of office.
26 § The Guild will assemble for an extraordinary general meeting if the executive board considers it necessary or when one tenth (1/10) or at least ten (10) actual members of the Guild demand it in written form from the executive board. In the last two cases, the meeting must be held within ten (10) business days after the executive board has received the written demand.
27 § The general meetings of the Guild must be announced on the official notice board of the Guild and through the Guild’s members email list at least five (5) business days before they are scheduled to take place. The agenda must be included in the meeting call.
28 § The general meeting is legal if it was called according to the rules of the Guild.
29 § The actual members who have performed their member obligations have the right to vote and are eligible for election. Other members only have the right to attend and the right to speak in the meetings. One cannot vote with a power of attorney.
30 § In the general meetings of the Guild two (2) examiners of the minutes are chosen. They have to be actual members of the Guild. The examination of the minutes must be completed within two (2) weeks of the meeting.
IV Decision-making and Elections
31 § If not mentioned otherwise in the rules, the opinion supported by more than half of the voters carries. In the case of a tie, the motion supported by the chair of the meeting carries. In an election, however, if the votes are even, the decision is made by drawing lots.
38 § The executive board chooses a vice-chairperson, a secretary and a treasurer from amongst them and appoints the tasks of the other members of the executive board.
39 § The tasks of the executive board are: – to operate the Guild and manage its finances and property; – to prepare the matters that emerge at the general meetings and to carry out the decisions that have been made in them; – to write propositions for the annual report, financial report, action plan, and budget; – to call the general meetings of the Guild; – to make decisions on other matters that have not been defined as having to be decided in a general meeting of the Guild; – accept new members.
40 § The meetings of the executive board are called by the chairperson of the executive board, or when the chairperson is unable to do so, by the vice-chairperson. The executive board decides the way these meetings are called. An executive board meeting must be called when at least two members of the executive board demand it.
41 § A meeting of the executive board is legal when it has been called in the way decided by the executive board and when at least half of the executive board members are present, including the chairperson, or if the chairperson is unavailable, the vice-chairperson.
42 § The name of the Guild is written by the chairperson of the executive board together with a member of the executive board or when the chairperson is unable to do so, by the vice-chairperson together with a member of the executive board.
43 § For a special purpose the executive board can authorize an actual member of the Guild to write the name of the Guild.
44 § For various tasks, the executive board of the Guild can appoint fixed-term committees or officers, however only until the end of their term of office. It is possible to appoint a person from outside the Guild to these positions. The executive board of the Guild can set rules and regulations regarding the operation of committees and officers.
45 § For a justifiable reason, a general meeting can relieve a member of the executive board and the board can relieve a committee or officer of their duties during the term in which case the matter must be mentioned in the notice of the meeting. If necessary, a new person can be chosen to replace the person who was relieved of the duty for the remaining term of office.
VI Administration and Finances
46 § The term of office and accounting period of the Guild is from 01.06. till 31.05. The administration and finances of the Guild are audited by two (2) operations inspectors. The operations inspectors’ term of office is from June to May. The auditors have the right of presence and speech in the Guild’s and Executive Board’s meetings that include issues connected to their work.
47 § The bookkeeping documents of the Guild must be delivered to the operations auditors at the latest five (5) weeks before the autumn general meeting, or at the request of the operations auditors. The operations auditors must return the documents and their report to the executive board of the Guild at the latest two (2) weeks before the autumn general meeting.
VII Special Provisions
48 § The logos and signs of the Guild are approved by a general meeting.
49 § Changes to these rules can be made if the amendment has been accepted with the majority of at least three quarters (3/4) of the votes at two (2) consecutive general meetings held at an interval of at least two (2) weeks. The amendment to the rules must be mentioned in the notice of a meeting. The amendment can be done by the executive board or ten (10) actual members of the Guild in written form. The proposal made by the actual members must be processed in the subsequent general meeting.
50 § The Guild is considered dissolved if there have not been general meetings in two (2) years even if the conditions for holding them have existed. Likewise the Guild will be dissolved if the Guild makes a decision to do so with the majority votes of five sixths (5/6) at two (2) consecutive meetings held at an interval of at least one (1) month. The proposition concerning the dissolution must be mentioned in the meeting notice.
51 § If the association has been dissolved, its funds shall be donated to the Student Union of Tampere University (Tampereen yliopisto) to be used in accordance with the purpose mentioned in 4 §. If Tampere University is no more, the second general meeting on dissolvement shall decide what entity should get the funds to use in accordance with the purpose mentioned in 4 §.
52 § The rules and dissolvement come into effect when they are marked with the patents and register office.
53 § These rules come into effect, when they are marked with the patents and register office. (Accepted by patents and register office on 07.11.2022)