|
|
Aberystwyth
University Liberal Democrats Constitution
(Updated 15/05/09).
1) General
1.1) The name of the society shall be the ‘Aberystwyth University
Liberal Democrats’ and abbreviated to ‘AULD’.
1.2) All previous Constitutions are hereby null and void.
2) The Mission
The mission for AULD shall be to promote and be a venue for the
ideals of liberalism as displayed by the Liberal Democrats, Welsh
Liberal Democrats – Democratiad Rhyddfrydol Cymru, Ceredigion
Liberal Democrats and Aberystwyth Liberal Democrats, as well as IR
Cymru, into the student world. We shall also seek to promote
ourselves and our beliefs through the Aberystwyth Guild of Students.
3) Guild and BOS rules
The society shall be up to date, and in compliance with all rules
and regulations concerning Aberystwyth Guild of Students, and the
Board of Societies within the Guild. This includes both Guild and
BOS constitutions.
4) Membership
4.1) Membership of AULD will adhere to the membership rules of the
BOS constitution (section 3).
4.2) Cost of membership will be set according to Liberal Youth and
IR Cymru Guidelines
4.3) Associate membership of AULD is available to non-Aberystwyth
University students, who are affiliated with an individual society,
and thereby BOS, on the basis of them having:
(i) Expertise in a relevant area; or
(ii) Honorary membership as determined by the Communications and
Societies Officer;
Or
(iii) Some other ground which the guild deems appropriate
4.4) Anybody who does not fulfil the above criteria of ‘member’ will
be prohibited from participating in Guild society events. Societies
who do not enforce this practice may be subjected to financial
penalties or have Guild privileges removed.
5) Committee
5.1) The Committee shall be made up of the following positions:
Chair, Secretary, Membership secretary, Campaigns officer and Deputy
Campaigns Officer.
5.2) The general and financial business of AULD shall be conducted
by the committee, subject to this constitution and the decisions
made at General Meetings.
5.3) Upon any vacancy occurring outside of normal election
procedure, the Committee can vote on another member of the Committee
to temporarily hold the vacant post, for a maximum of 6 weeks with
the exception of the Summer period, until a by-election is held and
the results confirmed.
6) Elections of the Executive Members and others
6.1) All members of AULD have the right to vote in such an election.
Elections shall take place in accordance to this constitution and
through the manner of the Alternative Vote system held by a secret
ballot.
6.2) Elections to be held in the latter half of the second semester
6.3) The election shall take place no less than 14 days after the
notification has been sent out to all members of the date and time.
Upon the notification being made to all members, the nomination
process shall begin, usually lasting seven days. Nominations shall
be sent to the Returning Officer by email. After the close of
nominations, email ballots shall be sent out to the membership by
the Returning Officer. The valid period for voting shall begin
immediately after candidates announced and usually lasts seven days.
6.4) The Returning Officer shall be Cllr Mark Cole, or in his
absence another Ceredigion Liberal Democrat who is not a student.
The Returning Officer shall be a honorary member of the society.
6.5) The term of office for every committee member shall be one
whole calendar year, or as appropriate based on the timing of
committee elections.
6.6) The Committee will organise a by-election should a position
become vacant before the annual elections, apply the same procedure
used in the annual elections.
7) General Meetings
7.1) The Annual General Meeting shall be held on the last Wednesday
before revision week.
7.2) The business of the AGM shall be:
a) To receive reports from all the officers on their activities in
the last
year;
b) To receive a financial report. This shall include: the accounts
of the
previous financial year and a budget for the current financial year;
c) To consider any motion, which has been submitted by any two
members to the secretary or chair in time for circulation with the
notice of the AGM;
d) To formally handover the elected positions from the outgoing
committee to the incoming committee;
e) For any constitutional amendments to be ratified, and the
constitution
to be approved as accurate for the forthcoming academic year;
f) Any other business
7.3) The Secretary shall give all members at least 14 days e-mail
notification of the date, time and place of the AGM.
7.4) Notice and minutes of all Meetings and Committee Meetings shall
be kept by the Secretary. They shall be available through email to
all members.
8) Finance
8.1) The finances of AULD shall be held primarily by the Membership
Secretary and secondly by the Secretary.
8.2) The Membership Secretary shall manage, maintain and record the
accounts in an annual fashion with the accounting year ending in
accordance with the handover of responsibilities each year.
8.3) The Membership Secretary shall submit the accounts of AULD to
the AGM
8.4) AULD shall maintain all of its funds within the Guild Finance
Office, in the understanding that they will make the process hassle
free. All monies received from members and other sources shall be
paid into the society account within the Finance Office in
accordance with the Guild rules and within two days, unless
circumstances arise, of the finance office being open for business
after the monies are collected. All outgoing funds must have the
approval of the Membership Secretary and the Secretary.
8.5) All financial actions undertaken by the society must be in
accordance with the Guild and BOS financial rules, regulations and
Constitutions.
9) Descriptions of Responsibilities
9.1) The Chair shall be the main contact point for external
communications with all the external groups and individuals. This
includes the Guild. They are also responsible for co-ordinating the
relationship between AULD and IR Cymru and are the representative of
the Society to IR Cymru. They are further responsible for the smooth
and effective running of the Committee meetings and the society, and
shall be the final settler of disputes amongst the committee. They
are responsible for creating the best environment for the Committee
and other members to operate in. They must ensure the general Health
and direction of the society is in accordance with the views of its
members. They must carry out duties that are listed elsewhere in
this Constitution.
9.2) The Secretary is responsible for organising meetings, events,
and all aspects to do with the society. They are responsible for
recording the minutes of all meetings, and are the main contact for
receipts and outgoing administrative details of all events with
regards to members and external organisations. This includes the
Guild. The Secretary is bound to carry out all other duties stated
elsewhere in this constitution. Their other responsibilities
include:
- Writing the weekly email,
- Taking minutes of meetings, which shall be sent to all members via
email,
and only one paper copy if the ‘minutes of last meeting’ shall be
taken to
meetings,
- Deals with society correspondence,
- Is responsible for electronic communication including
administration of the Facebook group, and liaising with Information
Services.
9.3) The Membership Secretary’s financial duties are described
throughout this constitution. Their other responsibilities include:
- Organising of socials/quizzes/dinners etc
- Organising of Freshers fair stand and literature for the stand
- Organising of attendance at conference and other events
- Organising appropriate accommodation for conferences
- Take on the responsibility of the Society’s Treasurer
- To be a point of contact for first year students
9.4) The Campaigns Officer is responsible for co-ordinating the
campaigns of the society. They must relay information about
campaigns between AULD and Ceredigion Liberal Democrats, they must
lead the student voter registration campaigns and be the primary
contact point for Ceredigion Liberal Democrat campaigns that
directly effect any and all of the student population of the greater
Aberystwyth Area. Their other responsibilities include:
- Organising and co-ordinating Focus production and delivery,
- Organising and co-ordinating any poster campaigns,
- Proposing ideas for campaigns,
- Working with the constituency campaigns committee,
- Working with Membership Secretary to increase membership,
participation and involvement
- Fundraising,
- Reporting on campaigns activities to the membership,
- Motivate members to take an active role in campaigning,
- Liaising with Lampeter University Liberal Democrats.
9.5) The Deputy Campaigns Officer shall motivate and support the
Campaigns Officer, deputise the Campaigns Officer where necessary
and perform any duties mandated upon him or her by the Committee or
the Campaigns Officer.
9.6) Responsibilities may be reassigned voluntarily to other
committee or society members should the committee decide so.
9.7) Voting representatives to Federal Conference and Welsh Liberal
Democrat Conference shall be selected by majority vote in a meeting
as assigned by the relevant bodies.
10) Constitution and interpretation
10.1) Amendments to this constitution shall happen in the following
fashion. The proposed Amendment must be submitted to the committee
not within 14 days of the AGM. The committee will then publicise
this via email to all members in time to review the amendments
before the AGM (minimum of a week before). The proposed amendment is
then proposed at the AGM where it must be ratified with a 60%
majority of all members present.
10.1.1) Under extenuating circumstances, a change to the
constitution may be proposed at any time. An EGM must be called
following the same procedures as an AGM, purely to discuss the
proposed amendment(s). If an amendment is passed, the changes may be
enacted immediately; however any amendment(s) must be ratified at
the next AGM.
10.2) Any changes to this constitution shall only come into force
after the close of the AGM unless otherwise stated in the amendment.
10.3) This constitution, after any votes on amendments have taken
place at the society AGM, must be approved by a 60% majority of all
members present in order to stand as a true and accurate authority
of the members of the society until the next AGM.
10.4) A copy of this constitution shall be kept by the Secretary and
distributed to members upon request. The Communications and
Societies Officer shall also hold a copy which must be submitted
annually in a paper format. A copy shall also be put on the website.
10.5) In the event of any question of interpretation arising, the
Committee shall have the power to act accordingly to its
interpretation of the constitution. Then a constitutional amendment
should be presented by the Chair at the next appropriate interval.
10.6) This constitution and successful amendments shall come into
force fully at the end of the current AGM providing it is ratified
by a 60% majority of all members present after a debate on it, after
it has been proposed in full by the Committee to the members.
10.7) Should there be any dispute over the constitution between the
Welsh version and the English version, the English version shall
take precedence.
|
