Membership information and rules

1         Qualification for membership
1.1       Membership is open to all adult, decent, educated
          persons of any age, nationality, profession or
          religious belief with interest in Italian culture.
1.2       Knowledge of Italian is not required. Reasonable
          literacy in English is necessary as the Society's
          administration is English based.
1.3       All applications for membership are subject to the
          approval of the Society's management vested in the
          President and the Council and approval may be declined
          with or without giving reasons.
1.4       For the purpose of general guidance and without
          prejudice to the unfettered discretion of the
          Society's management, applicants with strong
          commercial, political, religious or other social
          motives are unlikely to be admitted, as are persons
          not conducive to the promotion of Italian culture.

2         Categories of membership
2.1       Individual membership carries subscription fees of
          $300 per year. It entitles only the person named as
          member to enjoy membership benefits.
2.2       Family membership fees are at $500 per year. It
          confers membership benefits on the entire family unit
          defined as a couple (male and female) in stable
          relationship as man and wife (whether or not legally
          married) and their children under the age of 18 (or
          under the age of 23 in the case of children attending
          full-time school education).
2.3       Corporate membership at $3,000 per year is accepted
          only for limited companies (or overseas equivalents
          such as SpA or GmbH) or legally constituted
          partnerships engaged in some lawful business.
          Corporate members may designate up to three persons
          (of owner, director or senior management status) for
          exercising membership rights and each of the three
          named persons will enjoy benefits as family members.

3         Duration of membership
3.1       Membership is valid for one calendar year from date of
          receipt of membership fees.
3.2       In normal circumstances members will receive an
          invitation to renew their membership within 14 days of
          expiry of their current membership.
3.3       Upon expiry without renewal, membership terminates
          automatically without further notice.

4         Rights and duties of members
4.1       Only members with fully paid up membership fees and no
          outstanding debts to the Society can attend the
          Society's general meetings, to vote at meetings, or
          attend events of the Society staged as being free for
          members only.
4.2       Subject to occupation for classes or Society events or
          private functions, members have free access to Dante
          Hall or such other premises as may from time to time
          be maintained for the free use of members.
4.3       Members are expected to keep the Society's premises
          clean and tidy to avoid unnecessary cleaning, repair
          and maintenance expenditure. Smoking is strictly
          prohibited in Dante Hall.
4.4       Commercial, political or religious activities, acts of
          nuisance or otherwise of nature conducive to
          annoyance, discomfort or disturbance of other members,
          invited guests or visitors of the Society are not
          permitted. Offenders who persist in such activities
          after one written warning from the Society will be
          expelled and their unexpired membership fees will be
          forfeited.

5         Legal status of members
5.1       The Society is an unincorporated body of persons
          registered with the Commissioner of Police, Hong Kong
          under the Societies Ordinance, Cap. 151 Laws of Hong
          Kong. This means that in the unlikely event of the
          Society being dissolved, each member is liable to
          contribute to the outstanding debts of the Society.
5.2       The Society's management intends to incorporate the
          Society in the near future for protecting all members
          with limited liability in law.
5.3       Pending incorporation and as an interim security
          measure the President of the Society is personally
          supervising the daily administration of the Society
          and when necessary, taking instant, strong executive
          action to protect the Society from incurring
          substantial loss or otherwise run into financial
          crisis.

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