About Us

NAME

The name of this organization is Occupational and Physiotherapy Alumni Association (OPTAA), Christian Medical College, Vellore briefly referred to as OPTAA, and hereinafter as ‘the Association’.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the Association is to preserve and promote all that is of enduring value in the relationship of the Occupational & Physiotherapy alumni of the Christian Medical College, Vellore, among themselves and with their college and to foster the welfare and progress of their alma mater.

MEMBERSHIP

All Occupational and Physiotherapy students of the Christian Medical College, Vellore (hereinafter referred to as “the College”) from 1962, becomes life member of the Association on qualifying for their basic degree/diploma and on payment of the membership fees. All new CMC PT & OT Graduates immediately after successful completion of the internship are eligible and expected to join as life members.

Membership fees

A membership fee of Rs 500 shall be collected from all eligible life members at this time. Any revision of the membership fees or supplement has to be done by the executive committee and approved by the annual general body.

Activities of the association

The association may undertake any and all activities consistent with the objectives stand above, including mailings, re-unions, meetings, workshops, conferences, social occasions, cultural and educational activities, fund raising programmes, awards and publications. To this end, the association may receive fees or contributions for any of these activities and also solicit donations from members or others. The Association shall not undertake any activities which are purely commercial nature or unrelated to its objective. While the association may approve of fund raising or other activities for the benefit of individual members or subgroups of the members, the association shall not take primary responsibility for the same or for handling funds so generated. The association shall not receive any contributions or donations which are not consistent with practices of the college.

Office

The association shall maintain an office in association with the occupational or physiotherapy offices in the hospital campus.

Officers of the Association

a) The officers of the association are

1. The president

2. The Vice-president

3. The Secretary

4. The Treasurer

5. The Program Secretary

6. The Web and Designing Services ( 22nd May,2019)

b) Terms of the office

i) The program secretary shall be appointed annually

ii) All the others shall hold office for three-year terms and their full terms may be renewed only once.

iii) The terms of the presidents, Secretary and Treasurer shall be staggered in that order such that only one of them need be appointed each year. If any of these three is unable to complete his/her normal term, an interim incumbent is to be appointed for the duration of the remaining terms, such that staggering arrangement is not disturbed. In the case of all other officers, where vacancies occur for whatever reasons, appointments shall be for normal period of the office.

c) Eligibility to office

 For all office, only registered members of the association who are on the staff  of college, but are not “ Administrative officers “ of the college and all alumni registered members qualifies to hold the office except for the office of secretary and treasurer, only alumni members residing in tamilnadu may hold these offices. When an officer of the secretary and treasurer of the association goes away from the state of tamilnadu for one year or more continuously or leaes the staff of the college or becomes an “ administrative officers “ of the college, a fresh appointment is to be made.

d) Appointments: All appointments of officers shall be by election during the annual general body meetings (AGMs) to which executive committee (EC) may make recommendations in this regard. When an office becomes vacant in between AGMs, the EC shall make an interim appointment till the next AGM.

Functions of officers

1. The president shall preside over the meetings of the EC and the general body (GB) Meetings. When he/she, or the vice- president in their stead, is not able to fulfil these functions, the EC may nominate a member of the committee for the same.

2. The vice-president shall act for president in his/her absence.

3. The Secretary is the chief executive officers of the association responsible for all its activities other than those for which there are named officers, including co-ordination among the latter. He/she sall draft the minutes of the meetings of the EC and the gb and shall circulate it to all members of the EC, with the approval of the president, within two weeks of the meetings. He/ She shall ensure periodic publications of the membership directories of the association and organize the alumni re-unions.

4. The Treasurer is the financial officer of the Association and shall be responsible for all the funds of the association, their receipts, payments and accounts and annual auditing of the same. Any expenditure exceeding Rs 10,000 or such sum as may be decided by the AGM from time to time, should be specifically authorised by the EC.

5. The Program Secretary shall be responsible for the publications of the association under the guidance of the EC in regard to general policy, subscriptions, advertisements and measures for financial stability. Also shall be responsible for organising entertainments during the alumni re-union(s) and either occasion as may be decided by the EC, within budgets approved by it.

6. Web and Designing Secretary shall be responsible for all the maintenance of official website and social media website. Secretary shall also lead in all the computer related works of the association, if person is not a creator/designer.

Funds of the association

The funds of the association shall be of three kinds:

1. Maintenance Fund for the running expenses of the association.

2. Special funds for specifically designated purposes as approved by executive committee.

3. Endowment funds set up with the approval of the general body for generating income for general or designated activities of the association.

4. All funds of the association shall be held as “ special funds “ of the college and overseen by the Treasurer of the association, expect the following: A Bank account shall be operated by the secretary with treasurer as co-signatory for all alumni association financial operations.

General Body Meetings

a) The GB of the members of the association shall meet at least annually during the annual alumni re-unions to receive reports from the the secretary, Treasurer and Auditor, to Approve annual audited statement of accounts for the various funds of the association, to elect the officers and to consider and decide on all activities of the Association.

b) The GB may meet at other times as decides by the EC, with a notice of not less than three days to all alumni as are easily accessible.

c) While the GB meetings are the final decision making body of the association, the secretary shall make every effort to elicit the views of the far flung alumni as far as possible and to convey the same to the BG or the EC as the case may be.

d) The quorum for the GB Meetings shall be twenty members present for the AGM and ten members present for others.

The Executive committee

Executive committee ( EC ) consist of all the officers of the association. It shall meet  as often as needed, but at least twice between the AGMs. In between GB meetings, the EC shall have the power to do all that GB can do. But any policy decisions taken by the EC in this way shall be presented the subsequent GB meetings for approval or other action.

Termination of Membership

Any member may terminate their membership voluntary at any time provided that it is submitted in writing to the president of the OPTAA.

OPTAA Executive committee may choose to terminate their membership of any member at any time if

• The member found to have deliberately and wilfully worked against the interests of the associations in specific and the institution as whole to bring disrepute to its name discredit its integrity and /or destroy the fabric of organization.

• The member found to have been convicted by any court of law of the land for nay criminal activities.

In case of irregularities ( as stated above ) committed by the members of the Executive committee, OPTAA General body members ( minimum of twenty members as required by quorum for an annual general body meeting ) can request the Secretary ( or the authorized officers of the Executive committee) in writing with reasons to call for an emergency meeting to discuss and pass a resolution with the two-thirds majority of the members present to terminate the membership of the executive committee member involved.

Any termination notice must be given in writing to the person in notice.

13)  Representation at the college council:

The President or in his/her absence the secretary, shall represent the Association at the meetings of the CMC College council when it formally approved.

14) Chapters of the Association may be formed by members in different localities or according to special interest, as desired by them. They may establish their own activities, practices and financial means. The chapters may use the name and the symbol of he association only for activities consistent with the objectives and practice of the Association and in consultations with the EC. The Associations shall be associated with the chapters only for activities specifically approved by the EC.

15) Amendments may be made to this constitution, except in regard to the objective, by decision of not less than two thirds of the members present at an AGM after the following procedure. The proposed amendments, along with a Reply form, shall be circulated by the Secretary, when authorized to do so by the EC, to all members of the association on its mailing list, not less than 35 days before AGMS. Only if proposal is approved by not less than two thirds of the replies received up to five days before the AGM, shall be considered by the AGM .

Representation at the college council:

The President or in his/her absence the secretary, shall represent the Association at the meetings of the CMC College council when it formally approved.

Chapters of the Association

Chapters of the Association may be formed by members in different localities or according to special interest, as desired by them. They may establish their own activities, practices and financial means. The chapters may use the name and the symbol of he association only for activities consistent with the objectives and practice of the Association and in consultations with the EC. The Associations shall be associated with the chapters only for activities specifically approved by the EC.

Amendments

Amendments may be made to this constitution, except in regard to the objective, by decision of not less than two thirds of the members present at an AGM after the following procedure. The proposed amendments, along with a Reply form, shall be circulated by the Secretary, when authorized to do so by the EC, to all members of the association on its mailing list, not less than 35 days before AGMS. Only if proposal is approved by not less than two thirds of the replies received up to five days before the AGM, shall be considered by the AGM .

Dissolution:

In case of the Association, its assets shall be taken over by the college and applied for purposes consistent with the objective of the association