Societies Constitution

PART 1: THE SOCIETY

1) Full Membership: Full Membership is open to any registered student studying at Swansea University upon payment of the subscription fee as set by the committee. The number of members in a society refers to full membership only and does not include associate or Alumni Members. All Members must be provided with a copy of, and by joining a society agree to abide by the Societies Code of Conduct.

2) Associate Membership: Associate Membership is open to individuals with a close connection with the Swansea University upon an affirmative vote of the society committee, and upon payment of the subscription fee. Associate Members shall have the same privileges as full members, except the privilege of voting in meetings, to hold office in the society, or to nominate or vote in elections. Privileges, apart from those previously stated, normally only available to full members may be granted to associate members at the discretion of the society committee. All Associate Members must be provided with a copy of, and by joining a society, agree to abide by the Societies Code of Conduct.

3) Expulsion of Members: The Committee shall have the power to expel full or associate members from the Society for misconduct, breech of the Societies Code of Conduct, or for behaviour opposed to the objectives of the Society, and the Students&rsquo; Union. If your Committee takes the decision to expel a member, please inform the Societies and Services Officer before this action is taken. For further guidance please see the Societies&rsquo; Disciplinary Procedures. The Societies and Services Officer reserves the right to in extreme circumstances expel members from societies without agreement of a society committee

4) Membership Regulations: The Society&rsquo;s General Meeting shall have the power to make such rules and regulations relating to the conduct of the members of the Society in addition to the Societies&rsquo; Code of Conduct.

5) Subscriptions: The annual subscription shall be set no later than the penultimate society general meeting of the academic year.  The subscription shall be fixed at the annual general meeting and must satisfy either the minimum membership fee of &pound;1 or the minimum first activity charge of &pound;1.

Part 2: THE COMMITTEE

1) The Committee: The entire administration and management of the Society shall be the responsibility of the committee.  The members shall be:

a) The President/Chairperson
b) The Treasurer
c) The Secretary
d) Any other relevant positions as decided by the Annual General Meeting of the Society.

By accepting a position on the committee, each committee member shall have read, understood and agreed to the rules and regulations set out by the Students&rsquo; Union in the Societies Handbook, the Societies Constitution and the Societies Code of Conduct. If a Committee Member or Members were to break the rules, constitution or code the matter will be investigated by the Societies and Services Officer and relevant action taken, up to and including removal from post.

2) The Election of the committee: The committee shall be elected via an AGM and an annual online vote. The Committee shall have the term of office from 1st July to 30th June of any given year unless otherwise stated and agreed by the outgoing and incoming Committees. The Societies and Services officer must be informed of any change to this period of office.

Part 3: MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY

1) Notice of Meetings: 

a) General Meetings: Notice shall be issued at least 10 clear days in advance.  Notice should be given through email to the membership and by other agreed means of publicity

b) Annual General Meeting (AGM): Notice shall be issued at least 14 clear days in advance.  Notice shall be given through email to the membership and a facebook event if appropriate. The AGM must be held at least 1 week prior to the online vote. 

c) Extra-Ordinary Meetings (EGM): Notice shall be issued at least 5 clear days in advance of the meeting being held.  Notice should be given through emailing the membership and a facebook event if appropriate. 

2) Notice of Business:

a) General Meetings: Agenda items must be handed to the Secretary (in writing) at least 2 days before the meeting.  With the consent of two-thirds of the voting members present at the meeting items can be raised without notice.

b) Annual General Meeting: Members wishing to make any resolution at the annual general meeting must hand the resolution to the Secretary in writing, at least 4 clear days before the meeting.

3) Voting: Every full member present shall be entitled to one vote upon every voting matter. Only full members shall be allowed to vote.  No proxy votes shall be accepted for any purpose. Online votes will be accessed via individuals&rsquo; student numbers; no fraudulent votes should be placed.

4) Quorum: The Quorum at Annual general meetings and Extra-Ordinary general meetings as well as in the subsequent online vote shall be 10% of the full members.


Part 4: POWERS OF THE SOCIETY

1) Warnings: The Society general membership (which includes Committee members themselves) in Society Meetings shall have the power to pass motion to serve a warning to the Committee or individual Committee member by a majority vote of those members present. The Societies and Services Officer reserves the right to propose a Warning Motion against committee members

2) No Confidence Motions: the Society general membership in a Society Meeting shall have the power to pass a resolution of &ldquo;No Confidence&rdquo; in the Committee or individual Committee members by a majority vote of those members present.  The Societies and Services Officer reserves the right to propose a No Confidence Motion against committee members and in extreme case action No Confidence protocol without a vote.

3) Committee Decisions: The Society general membership in a Society Annual General Meeting (EGM in an emergency) shall have the power to overrule any decision of the Committee by a majority vote of those members present so long as the meeting quorum is met.


Part 5: FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

1) Liability: The members of the Society will not be liable for debts contracted by Committee members or by any persons acting on behalf of the Society, unless such person has the authorization of the Committee in contracting such debt. Committee members will not be personally liable unless it is proved and argued by SUSU trustees that they have acted negligibly.

2) Access to Account: Only the President and Treasurer of the committee are able to access the society account. They can only withdraw petty cash or request a cheque with a valid invoice or receipt and that both of the signatories are on the necessary forms. If one of the two required signatories is unavailable for a valid reason the Societies and Services officer can sign in and authorise in their absence.  All purchases made must be agreed upon by the whole committee with anything over &pound;100 being cleared by the Societies and Services prior to purchase. 

Part 6: MISCELLANEOUS PROVISION

1) Affiliation: The Society is an affiliated Society under the Constitution of Swansea University Students&rsquo; Union.  Any by-law or resolution of the Society or its office bearers which is inconsistent with the Union Constitution or any amendment to a special rule there under shall be void and of no effect insofar as it is inconsistent.

The Society may affiliate to any external organisation which is in line with the aims of the Society.  

2) Amendments: These rules may be added to, repealed or amended by a majority vote of the members present at the AGM (or EGM) and so long as they adhere to the Constitution of Swansea University Students&rsquo; Union. For amendments to be put forward to the AGM or EGM they must be approved by a majority vote of the Committee members. If the amendment entails the annulment of a pre-existing rule, the amendment must be passed by two thirds of the full members present; otherwise the majority shall be one half.  All amendments must be recorded in your society handbook and the Societies and Services Officer notified.

3) Sponsorship &amp; Contracts: If a society wishes to enter into a contract with an outside company, the contract must be confirmed with the Societies and Services Officer before the society enters into the contract. Contracts must only be for the term of the current committee and cannot bind any future committees.

4) Risk Assessment and Insurance: The committee must ensure that a Risk Assessment is completed before ANY society event or activity takes place. The committee must ensure that members have the relevant insurance in order to participate in society activities (e.g. travel insurance). 

5) Discipline: If a society fails to comply with any part of the constitution they will be subject to the disciplinary procedures auctioned by the Societies Executive Committee.
