Rules of OPTIEM - Oulun Tuotantotalousteekkarit ry

Section 1: Name of the association

The name of the association, referred to in these bylaws as the “guild,” is OPTIEM – Oulun Tuotantotalousteekkarit ry, informally abbreviated as Optiem, and its residence is in the city of Oulu.

Section 2: Purpose of the guild

The purpose of the guild is to serve as a link between its members and as an advocacy organization in academic, leisure, and professional matters.

Section 3: Guild activities

To fulfill its purpose, the guild may:

  1. Organize study trips for its members,
  2. Organize parties, social gatherings, and similar public events,
  3. Engage in educational, informational, and publishing activities,
  4. Distribute study materials,
  5. Maintain clubs and hobby groups,
  6. Organize sports and recreational events, and
  7. Organize raffles and sales.

Section 4: Guild members

Full members: individuals studying in the Industrial Engineering and Management program at the University of Oulu whose studies lead to a Master of Science in Engineering degree, as well as individuals who have completed the aforementioned degree but are pursuing graduate studies toward a Licentiate or Doctorate degree in the field.

Supporting members: A private individual or a legal entity may be accepted as a supporting member if they pay the supporting membership fee determined by the guild’s general meeting to support the guild.

Honorary members: The guild may present honorary membership to a person who has significantly contributed to the fulfillment of the guild’s purpose or to whom the guild otherwise wishes to show its respect.

Section 5: Membership fees

No membership fees are charged to the guild’s full members or honorary members, but supporting membership fees are set annually at the general meeting.

Section 6: Members’ rights

All members have the right to participate in public events organized by the guild. At board meetings, only full members are eligible to vote and stand for election to the board. This amendment to the rules does not infringe upon the membership benefits provided for in the previous sections.

Section 7: Resignation

A guild member has the right to resign by submitting a written resignation to the guild’s board or chairperson or by announcing the resignation during a board meeting that is to be recorded in the minutes.

Section 8: Disciplinary action

As a disciplinary measure, the board may restrict a guild member’s right to participate in guild events for a maximum period of one year at a time. A board meeting may, by a 3/4 majority vote, temporarily suspend a full member’s eligibility to hold office. Disciplinary measures may be imposed on a person who has lost the confidence of the board or the board meeting and whose conduct within or outside the guild has harmed the guild.

Section 9: Expulsion

The board meeting may, by a 3/4 majority vote, expel a member for a fixed period or permanently if the member has, through their conduct within or outside the guild, significantly harmed the guild.

Section 10: Annual meeting

The guild’s annual meeting must be held between February 1 and March 31.

At the annual meeting:

  1. The report on the previous term, financial statement, and auditors’ report are presented,
  2. Decisions are made regarding the approval of the financial statement and the discharge of liability for the previous board
  3. Other raised matter are discussed

Section 11: Election meeting

The guild’s election meeting is held between October 15 and December 15.

At the election meeting:

  1. The chairperson of the board is be elected for the next term,
  2. The treasurer and secretary are elected,
  3. The number and roles of the other board members are determined,
  4. The other board members are elected,
  5. Two auditors and two alternate auditors are elected, or alternatively, one or two auditors and one or two alternate auditors
  6. Supporting membership fees are set,
  7. The action plan for the next term is decided,
  8. The budget for the next term is approved, and
  9. Other raised matters are discussed.

Section 12: Additional meetings

The board may convene an additional meeting of the guild at its discretion , or within two weeks of receiving a written request from at least ten full members or one-tenth of the guild’s voting members for a specifically stated purpose.

Section 13: Meeting invitation

The guild board convenes a meeting of the guild. An invitation to the board meeting must be sent to the guild’s email lists at least seven days prior to the meeting.

The meeting invitation is sent to supporting and honorary members by email seven

days prior to the meeting. The meeting invitation must include the meeting agenda as an attachment.

Statutory matters must always be mentioned in the meeting notice. In addition, the meeting invitation must

mention if the agenda includes:

  1. An important financial matter,
  2. An amendment to the bylaws,
  3. The election or dismissal of a board member or auditors, or
  4. The dissolution of the association.
  5. Any other matter mentioned in Section 23 of the Associations Act

Those entitled to vote must be given the opportunity to review the documents to be presented at the meeting.

Real-time remote participation in the meeting is possible via a telecommunications connection or other technical means. Remote participation arrangements must be specified in the meeting notice.

Section 14: Quorum of the meeting

A board meeting is quorate when it has been lawfully convened.

Section 15: Handling of matters

All guild members have the right to speak at board meetings; honorary members have priority over others. Voting is conducted openly, unless at least two members entitled to vote request a secret ballot. Voting by proxy is not permitted. Matters are decided by a simple majority, unless a supermajority is specified in these bylaws. In the event of a tie, the chairperson’s vote is decisive, except in elections for officials, in which case the decision is made by drawing lots. A matter not mentioned in the meeting invitation may be taken up for consideration if at least half of the members present at the meeting so desire. However, no decision may be made on a matter that, pursuant to 13 § of these rules or Sections 23 and 24 of the Associations Act, must be mentioned in the meeting notice.

Section 16: Minutes of the meeting

Minutes are kept at the guild’s meetings. The minutes are reviewed and signed by the chairperson and secretary of the meeting, as well as by two voting participants of the meeting elected as minute reviewers. Anyone dissatisfied with the decisions of the meeting may have their dissenting opinion recorded in the minutes.

Section 17: The board

The board, which is elected at the general meeting for a term of one calendar year, consists of a chairperson, a treasurer, a secretary, and three to nine other members.

Section 18: Duties of the board

The duties of the board include:

  1. Safeguarding the interests and reputation of the guild,
  2. Acting as the executive body of the guild,
  3. Ensuring the proper functioning of the guild and to handling of day-to-day affairs,
  4. Managing the guild’s financial resources and other assets,
  5. Ensuring the guild’s representation,
  6. Organizing the guild’s meetings and implementing the decisions made therein,
  7. Drafting proposals for the action plan and budget for the next term and presenting them at the election meeting,
  8. Drafting a proposal for the job descriptions of the board members and officials for the next term and presenting it at the election meeting,
  9. Drafting an annual report on its term of office and presenting it at the annual meeting,
  10. Preparing other matters to be discussed at the guild’s meetings,
  11. Establishing committees if necessary,
  12. Approving new members of the guild, with the exception of honorary members,
  13. Ensuring the comfort and suitability of the guild’s premises, and
  14. Ensuring compliance with the rules.

Section 19: Duties of board members

The chairperson of the board, also known as the guild chairperson, is responsible for leading the guild’s activities, convening board meetings, presiding over board meetings, and representing the guild.

The secretary, or in their absence a member of the board, keeps the minutes of board meetings. The secretary is responsible for the guild’s correspondence, archives, and membership registry, and serves as the guild’s information privacy official.

The treasurer is responsible for managing the guild’s finances, bookkeeping, and inventory. At the end of the fiscal year, the treasurer must prepare the financial statements at the board’s request no later than February, and otherwise upon resignation or at the request of the guild’s board. The financial statements, along with the necessary supporting documents, must be submitted to the auditors no later than one month before the annual meeting.

The board elects a vice chairperson from among its members, who performs the chairperson’s

duties when the chairperson is unable to do so.

The duties of the other members of the board are determined by the board meeting.

Section 20: Board meetings

The board must meet at least once a month during the academic terms of the University of Oulu. The meeting invitation must be sent to the guild’s email list at least two days before the meeting. The meeting invitation must list the most important items to be discussed. The board has a quorum when at least half of its members, including the chairperson or vice chairperson, are present. Real-time remote participation in the meeting is possible via a telecommunications connection or other technical means. Remote participation arrangements must be specified in the meeting notice.

Section 21: Guild officials

The duties of the auditors are

  1. Supervising and auditing the guild’s financial management, bookkeeping, and administration, and
  2. Submitting a report to the board on the audit of the guild’s accounts and financial management no later than two weeks before the annual meeting.

The board elects other officials and defines their job descriptions

Section 22: The guild’s financial term and term of office

The guild’s financial term and term of office is the calendar year.

Section 23: Signing authority of the guild

The guild’s name may be signed by:

  1. The chairperson alone, or
  2. The treasurer, secretary, and vice chairperson, two of them together.

Section 24: Bylaws

The guild’s operations may be regulated further by bylaws that supplement these rules. The board meeting decides on the adoption, amendment, and repeal of bylaws by a majority of at least 2/3 of the votes cast.

The guild must at least have insignia regulations.

Section 25: Amendment of the rules

An amendment of the rules must be approved by a majority of at least 3/4 of the votes cast at two consecutive board meetings held at least two weeks apart.

Section 26: Dissolution of the guild

A decision to dissolve the guild must be approved by a 3/4 majority of the votes cast at two board meetings held at least one month apart. Upon the dissolution or termination of the guild, the guild’s assets must be transferred to a registered association that continues its activities or, in the absence of such an association, to Oulun Teekkariyhdistys r.y. for use, if possible, in support of the educational activities of industrial engineering students.