VVIT WikiConnect/By-laws

Chapter 1 - General

Section-1 (Title)
The name of this group is VVIT WikiConnect.

Section-2 (Purposes/Aims)
The group endeavors to support the Wikimedia Movement. The group endeavors to encourage people from VVIT to contribute to Wikimedia projects, and train them for the same. Train people in and around the geographical convenience of the group to contribute to the Wikimedia movement.

Section-3 (Activities)
Organize weekly/bi-weekly/monthly meetups on campus, as required, to discuss issues and share ideas among the members. Organize edit-a-thons and outreach activities on the campus of VVIT and other convenient locations to promote Wikimedia movement.

Chapter 2 - Membership

Section-4 (Membership)
Any active user on any of the Wikipedias or its sister projects can be a member of this group. For membership, users will have to email with necessary details as mentioned on the members' page. If the user doesn't demonstrate any activity for the three months (on-Wiki or off-Wiki), they will be moved to the inactive list. Inactive users will not avail any benefits of active members.

Section-5 (Rights of Members)
All members (active and inactive) can participate in any activity of the group. Only active members will have the right to vote. Active members are given priority in activities of the group.

Section-6 (Duties of Members)
They are obliged to follow the by-laws of the group. All members should follow the wmf:Code of conduct policy and the wmf:Friendly space policy wherever applicable.

Section-7 (Penalties and Termination of Membership)
1. A member of the group can be penalized for the following activities: If the user violates the by-laws. If the user defames the group or in any way harms the image of the group. If the user obstructs the working of the group otherwise or during the meetings. 2. A member of the group can self terminate his/her membership.

Chapter 3 - Meetings

Section-8 (Annual meeting)
An annual meeting should be held once in a year.

Section-9 (Regular meetings)
Regular weekly or bi-weekly meetups are to be held on campus (VVIT) to discuss the issues and share ideas among the members. Coordinators will take the final decision regarding these meetups, and the same will be notified to the members.

Section-10 (Coordinators' meetings)
The Coordinators shall meet at least once in every 2–3 months. Special meetings can be held if necessary.

Section-11 (Call for meeting)
Meetings can be held on the call of the coordinators, or if two‐thirds of the members of the group want to have a meeting. The concerned coordinator should notify all the members at least three days prior to any of the meetings through email or any other mode of communication. Notification should clearly state the purpose, time, date, and place of meeting. The members may be asked to be present online at a specified time on a specified channel (IRC, Facebook, WhatsApp, Hangouts, etc.).

Chapter 4 - Management of the Group

Section-12. (Coordinators)
The affairs of the association shall be managed by the Coordinators. The Coordinators shall be elected by the members of the group at the Annual Meeting and they shall hold office for a period of one year. Each member shall only serve one term as a coordinator. Any member can self-nominate or be nominated by others during the Annual Meeting. The candidate must have at least 1000 global edits if nominated, and the nominator must have at-least 300 global edits. All the nominations must be approved by the existing coordinators. It is mandatory for the coordinators to be physically available on the campus of VVIT. The total number of coordinators shall not exceed five.

Section-13. (Elections)
Each active member will have a total of three votes, and no oppose votes are allowed. Elections are to be held on-Wiki, on the talk page of coordinators' page. The existing coordinators are required to plan the proceedings to facilitate the transition.

Section-14. (Powers and duties of the Coordinators)
Coordinators will be responsible for proper functioning of the group. If a coordinator is absent without an explanation for three consecutive meetings (online and offline), that coordinator shall be stripped of their power. Termination of membership of a member vests with the coordinators. Immediate past coordinators will have the right and power to oversee the functioning of the current coordinators. If necessary, the coordinators may co-opt a member for a stipulated time period to manage the club or an activity, subject to the approval of immediate past coordinators.

Section-15. (Financials)
All the financials required for management of the group shall be supported by a Rapid Grant from the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) only, or CIS-A2K for specific activities involving external trainers or guests. The annual plan (June–April) of the group is to be supported by one rapid grant only. In case of any major activity, the group may apply for another rapid grant, after consulting the members and approval from the Chief Organiser or the Trustee. The Chief Organiser is to receive and manage the grant for the annual plan. The Chief Organiser (Grantee) shall follow the granting norms as defined by WMF from time to time.

Chapter 5 - Officers and Duties

The Coordinators shall strive towards the management of the group and make sure that it functions in harmony.

Section-16 (Coordinator(s))
Coordinators of the association represents and acts on behalf of the association in all dealings. Each coordinator shall perform the duties as designated and decided among. Each coordinator along with the Chief Organiser shall be responsible for getting the rapid grant from the Wikimedia Foundation, and in filing the report towards the end of the year. Any disputes between the members or problems that arise during the functioning of the group must be resolved by the coordinators. Immediate Past Coordinators will have the mentioned rights and duties as mentioned under any section, and also train + support the existing coordinators

Section-17 (Removal)
A person holding a position of responsibility may be relieved of duties by a simple majority if they tarnish the image of the group or disturb the proceedings of the group.

Section-18 (Resignations)
A person holding a position of responsibility in the group may resign at any time by notifying the other coordinators.

Section-19 (Chief Organiser)
The Chief Organiser will apply for a rapid grant on behalf of the club to WMF. The Chief Organiser will oversee the overall functioning of the club, and guide the coordinators from time to time to organize activities for the betterment of the club. The Chief Organiser will also serve as a single point of contact for external stakeholders, including the broader Wikimedia community, WMF, CIS-A2K, etc. The Chief Organiser will be selected from the immediate past coordinators internally with due approval from The Trustee. The Chief Organiser position will not observe changes in the person holding, except under extraordinary circumstances. In that cases, the immediate past coordinators will make sure to take over the financials and necessary documentation for reporting compliance of WMF. The Chief Organiser may be removed if all of the immediate past coordinators and current coordinators agree, after approval from the Trustee.

Section-20 (The Trustee)
The Trustee of the group (by default founder)—User:KCVelaga—will have non-timebound special powers as designated below. The potion of The Trustee will only be held by one person at a time, and by default is the club's founder User:KCVelaga will serve in the position. In the interest of the group, after proper explanation and consent from the members, The Trustee holds the power to strip any of the coordinator of his/her position. The Trustee has to be presented with all the financial documents of the group, as requested by him, at any point of time. The coordinators shall be responsible to present the above said. Prior approval from the Trustee is required to change the legal standing of the group. By the order of the Trustee, if found any discrepancy, the coordinators must forfeit the financials open with the group, and complete all the reporting requirements of the concerned funds. In case of unavailability, the Trustee may designate another user to act on his behalf for a certain time. The representative will exercise all the powers of The Trustee during the designated period. User:KCVelaga may be removed from the position of The Trustee after due diligence among all the previous coordinators and with the consensus decided by M. Sree Krishna (Joint Secretary of VVIT) and one external Wikimedia (non-member) who is in good community standing in the larger Wikimedia movement.

Chapter 6 - Amendment

Section-20 (Changes to by-laws)
The by-laws can be amended or repealed by a discussion on the talk page of this page by the coordinators, or Chief Organiser, depending on the requirements, after support from other coordinators.