CONSTITUTION of the GENDER FORUM Durban University of Technology 1. CREATION 1.1 There is hereby established a forum under the name of GENDER FORUM: DURBAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (Hereinafter referred to as the Forum) upon the terms and conditions embodied herein. 1.2 The Forum shall be a structure operating within the parameters of the Durban University of Technology (hereinafter referred to as the institution) and as such shall be accountable to its members employed at the institution. 1.3 The Forum may from time to time amend or alter its name and/or the clauses contained herein in terms of the clause 9 hereof. 2. PRINCIPLES 2.1 The concept gender is all-inclusive to include females and males. 2.2 The Forum rejects all forms of discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, class, gender, religion, age, disability and sexual orientation. 2.3 The Forum shall encourage and uphold the principles of freedom of expression and association. 2.4 The Forum shall observe the democratic principles as enshrined in the South African constitution. 2.5 The Forum shall formulate a Code of Conduct, which its members shall observe and will act on the best of the Gender Forum in a way that is consistent with the principles, aims and objectives of the constitution. 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The forum shall endeavour to: 3.1 Examine, highlight and correct injustices and inequalities as related to gender at the institution. 1 P a g e
3.2 2 challenge the current understanding of gender relations and how these are practised at the institution. 3.3 3 create mechanisms to transform existing unequal gender relations at the institution. 3.4 redress past gender imbalances in relation especially to: 3.4.1 Employment and promotion of women at the institution. 3.4.2 Provide opportunities for their growth and development. 3.4.3 Empower women to organise themselves, increase their capacity, reflect on and change their experiences. 3.5 Correct existing stereotypes in relation to gender at the institution. 3.6 Act as an advisory body in matters relating to gender at the institution. 3.7 Organise meetings, seminars, workshops and other strategies to educate, highlight and correct gender imbalances at the institution. 3.8 To support a policy of affirmative action in relation to women at the institution. 4. MANAGEMENT 4.1 The overall management, control and administration of the Forum shall vest in an Executive Committee as hereinafter provided for. 4.2 The Executive Committee shall consist of the following six (6) members elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Forum: 4.2.1. Chairperson 4.2.2. Deputy Chairperson (academic) 4.2.3. Deputy Chairperson (administration) 4.2.4. Secretary 4.2.5. Treasurer 4.2.6. Assistant Treasurer All six (6) members will be in office for two (2) years. The six Exco members shall serve for a maximum of two consecutive 2-year cycles, i.e. 4 years. The Chairperson will have the casting vote. 4.3 The Extended Executive Committee shall consist of the following ten (10) members elected at the Annual General Meeting: 4.3.1. Assistant Secretary 4.3.2. Fund Raiser 4.3.3. Projects Coordinator 4.3.4. Research Coordinator 4.3.5. Gender Desk Coordinator and elected committee of six (6) 2 P a g e
4.3.6. HR Coordinator 4.3.7. Equity Coordinator 4.3.8. Training and Development Coordinator 4.3.9. PR and Marketing Coordinator (Durban) 4.3.10. PR and Marketing Coordinator (Pmb) All ten (10) members will be in office for two (2)years 4.4 Two-thirds of the Executive Committee shall consist of women until such time as the General Committee of the Gender Forum deems that gender equity, as part of the transformation process, has been achieved at the institution. Further, the Chairperson and Deputy Chairpersons shall be women. This policy will be reviewed annually. 4.5 The powers of the Executive Committee are as follows: 4.5.1 To establish committee and subcommittee to achieve the aims and objectives of the Gender Forum. 4.5.2 To organise functions to promote the principles, aims and objectives of the Gender Forum. 4.5.3 To represent the Gender Forum at all structures to promote the principles, aims and objectives of the Gender Forum. 4.5.4 Generally, to perform any act in furtherance of the interests of the Gender Forum. 4.6. The Executive Committee together with the Committee will be known as the General Committee of the Gender Forum. 4.7. The Campus Constituencies will represented in the following way : One (1) nominated representative from each of the following constituencies: 4.7.1. Student Representative Council 4.7.2. Staff Association / NUTESA 4.7.3. NEHAWU 4.7.4. TENUSA 4.7.5. Management 4.7.6. Young Women s Network 4.8. The Executive Committee together with the Committee, the Campus constituencies and two gender representative (one female and one male from each department will be known as the Gender Forum). 5. MEMBERSHIP 5.1 Membership is open to all employees (females and males) of the institution. 3 P a g e
5.2 All members of staff (females and males) are invited to participate in the above-mentioned objectives of the Forum. 5.3 A monthly membership fee will be charged which will be reviewed annually. 6. MEETINGS 6.1 The Executive, the extended Executive Committee and the General Committee of the Forum shall meet as often as is necessary but at least once a month during the Academic term. 6.2 The Gender Forum shall meet as often as is necessary but at least once every three months during the Academic term. 6.3 The Gender Forum shall call up the Annual General Meeting in the fourth term to which all members of Staff will be invited. 6.4 The quorum for all meetings will be one third of its members, except for the Executive Committee which will require five members and for the Annual General Meeting and Special General Meeting which all will require 30 members to be quorate. 6.4.1 In the event of there being no quorum present within fifteen (15) minutes of the time determined for the commencement of the said meeting, the said meeting shall stand adjourned to a time and date to be not less than three weeks after such meeting. 6.4.2 In the event of the adjourned meeting (6.4.1) not being quorate after a period of fifteen (15) minutes, such a meeting shall be deemed to be quorate. 6.5 The Executive Committee shall on the written request, of not less than half of the General Committee, call a Special General Meeting of the entire membership. The Executive Committee shall hold this meeting within four (4) weeks of receipt of the said request. 6.6 The Chairperson, or in her absence, the Deputy Chairperson, and in the absence of all three, any member of the Executive Committee elected to the Chair shall preside at all meetings. 6.7 Notice of all meetings shall be given by the Secretary at least three days prior to the date set for the meeting except for the Annual General Meeting and Special General Meeting which require three weeks notice. The notice for Annual General Meeting And the Special General Meeting shall indicate by way of Agenda the nature of items and the sequence of business to be conducted at the Meeting. Matters of urgency may be raised without notice under General with the Chairpersons consent. 6.8 The Forum shall cause full and correct records to be kept of its proceedings. Such records will be made available when deemed necessary by the Executive Committee, who will table short written reports for adoption at the Annual General Meeting. 6.9 If any member of the Gender Forum is absent for three consecutive meetings without an apology, then she/he will be deemed to have resigned from office and will be informed of this. 4 P a g e
7. VOTING 7.1 Every member shall have one vote. 7.2 Voting shall be by show of hands or as indicated by the Chairperson. 7.3 Decisions shall be taken on the majority vote of those present and in the event of the votes being equal, the Chairperson shall have a casting vote. 8. CO-OPTION When and if vacancies arise in the General Committee of the Gender Forum the Executive shall have the right to co-opt. The co-opted person will serve until the next Annual General Meeting. 9. AMENDMENTS 9.1 The name of the Forum and/or this constitution may be amended from time to time by resolutions passed by an Annual or Special Meeting of the Forum provided that such resolution is passed by at least 5 P a g e
Three-quarters of the members present and voting at such meeting, and provided further that notice of any proposed amendment is given to the Forum in the notice convening the meeting at which such amendments is so put. 9.2 Any motion to amend or rescind a previous resolution of the Gender Forum should be passed by at least three-quarters of the members present and voting at such meeting in 9.1. 10. DISSOLUTION OF THE GENDER FORUM In the event of the dissolution of the Gender Forum the Gender Forum assets shall be transferred to an (like-minded) organisation to be decided by the Forum. 11. CODE OF CONDUCT Members of the Gender Forum subscribe to the following code of conduct with regard to their work. This is intended to include all forms of normal professional ethical conduct. All members undertake to: 11.1 Recognise the inherent dignity and equal rights of all people; 11.2 Affirm the need to remove institutional discriminatory practices as well as discriminatory practices among staff and students; 11.3 Promote and encourage the progress of women in order to achieve equality with men in the academic, administrative and the decision-making structures of the Technikon; 11.4 Undertake a programme of positive and corrective action in order to eliminate discriminatory practices and procedures so as to create the conditions of genuine equality between genders; 11.5 Perform and complete all duties and work agreed to promptly, efficiently and professionally; 11.6 Behave with integrity and respect confidentially; 11.7 Refrain from making public statements unless mandated to do so; 11.8 Be impartial in decision-making and recuse oneself from decisions where conflict of interests is involved; 11.9 Avoid using insider knowledge for financial or other gain. 6 P a g e
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