SIVC Constitution
Name
Article 1 The name of the Club shall be “The Swindon Inter-Varsity Club” hereinafter referred to as the “Club”.
Objects
Article 2 The objects of the Club are:
(a)
To provide opportunities for social, cultural and recreational activities among graduates and others of like interests visiting and resident in Swindon and its environs.
(b)
To promote and encourage subsidiary societies for the furthering of the above aims, provided that such societies are not connected in any way with any political, religious or racial body.
(c)
To provide facilities for visitors or temporary residents from other Inter-Varsity Clubs in accordance with the reciprocal agreement of the Association of Inter-Varsity Clubs.
Article 3 The Club, as a Club, shall manifest no political, religious or racial opinions nor be connected with any political, religious or racial body.
Membership
Article 4 Subject to the provisions of Article 7, the following shall be eligible for ordinary membership of the Club:
(a)
Graduates and past members of Universities, Colleges of Advanced Technology, Teacher Training Colleges and other institutions of approximately equal status.
(b)
Other persons considered by the Committee to have similar tastes and interests.
Article 5 The Committee may, by resolution, invite any person of standing to become an honorary member.
Article 6 Honorary members shall not be qualified either to vote at General Meetings or to hold any office. They shall be entitled to all other benefits and privileges of membership, except as provided in Article 4.
Article 7 (a) All applications for ordinary membership are subject to the approval of the Committee, who may take such steps as they think to determine the applicant’s suitability for membership. The Committee may, at its absolute discretion, refuse any application for membership without assigning any reason.
Article 7 (b) The committee shall affect reasonable measures to confirm the name and home address of an applicant before approving his or her membership.
Article 8 Members of other Inter-Varsity Clubs which are members of the Association of Inter-Varsity Clubs may, subject to the payment of such supplementary fees or subscriptions as may from time to time be laid down by the Committee, enjoy all the privileges of membership of the Club, provided that at the same time they comply with the rules and regulations of the Club.
Article 9 The entrance fee (if any) and subscription for ordinary members shall be fixed by resolutions of a general meeting, provided that notice of intention to change such fee or subscription shall first have appeared in the agenda for or notice of the meeting.
Article 10 All ordinary members, having paid their current subscriptions, shall be entitled to all the facilities afforded by the Club, and shall be entitled to join any of the subsidiary societies of the Club. They shall be bound by the Constitution, Standing Orders and other rules of the Club and those of the subsidiary societies they join or intend to join.
Article 11 All applicants for ordinary or temporary membership shall, if required, produce evidence of their eligibility for membership as defined by Article 4.
Article 12 Subscriptions of all ordinary members shall become due either on a set date of the year to be determined by the Committee or on the annual anniversary of the person becoming an ordinary member (commonly referred to as Full Member), the practice in force at any time to be determined by the committee. If after two months from that date, the subscription has not been paid, membership shall lapse forthwith. Membership may be renewed by any lapsed member within twelve months of the date on which the subscription fell due, by payment of the full subscription as defined by Article 9.
Article 13 Any member may resign membership by giving the Membership Secretary notice in writing to that effect.
Article 14 The Committee may, if they think fit, invite any member to withdraw from the Club within a specified time and may, at their absolute discretion, give such member an opportunity of submitting any representations within that time. Failing such withdrawal the matter shall be considered at a further meeting of the Committee and, if two-thirds of the members of the Committee then present vote for expulsion, the member shall thereupon cease to be a member of the Club. All members of the Committee present at the meeting may speak and vote on the matter.
Article 15 Upon a person ceasing to be a member of the Club they shall forfeit all right to and claim upon the Club and its property and funds, except for any claim notified to the Membership Secretary in writing at the time of resignation under Article 13 or 14 or within one month of a notice of expulsion being sent to them.
Article 16 All members of the Club shall communicate to the Membership Secretary, or update directly via the club’s website, any change of their postal address, email address or contact phone number. All notices posted to a member’s address shall be considered as having been duly given on the second day following the date of posting, in the case of first class mail, or on the fourth day following the date of posting, in the case of second class mail. Notices served by electronic means such as e-mail or mobile text message shall be considered as having been duly given if no delivery failure message has been received within 24 hours.
Article 17 No proceedings of the Club shall be invalidated solely because of the discovery subsequent thereto of some accidental omission to give notice.
Management
Article 18 The officers of the Club shall include a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Association Liaison Officer and Activities Coordinator. The committee shall have the power to merge, add to or dissolve any of these offices, other than those of Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer.
Article 19 The management of the Club shall be deputed to a Committee consisting of:
(a)
The officers mentioned in Article 18.
(b)
Any member of the Club or of an associated Inter-Varsity Club, co-opted by resolution of the Committee or in accordance with Article 20.
Article 20 The Committee, or any sub-committee of the Club may, by resolution, co-opt additional members for the remainder of the meeting only, unless otherwise empowered by their parent body in accordance with Article 23. At least two-thirds of the members present and eligible to vote must vote in favour of such resolutions.
Article 21 The Committee may appoint such subcommittees as they consider necessary or expedient and may depute or refer to them such powers and duties as they may determine. Such sub-committees shall periodically report their proceedings to the Committee and shall conduct their business in accordance with any directions which the committee may give.
The Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer shall be entitled to attend any committee or sub-committee of the Club.
Article 22 Any committee or sub-committee may act despite any vacancy thereon.
Article 23 The Committee shall have the power to appoint, pay and dismiss such servants of the Club as they deem necessary, and may elect any such servants temporary members of the Club during their tenure of office or for shorter time, as they think fit.
Article 24 The Committee may make Standing Orders to govern their own meetings and those of committees and sub-committees of the Club and may make regulations governing the conduct of officers of the Club and the use of Club facilities by members.
Elections
Article 25 At the Annual General Meeting an election shall be held for the officers of the Club.
Article 26 Any vacancies remaining from the Annual General Meeting or occurring during the year shall be filled by election or co-option at a meeting of the committee. At least seven clear days notice shall be given of all such elections.
Article 27 All nominations must be signed by at least two members of the Club and written consent of the nominee obtained. All nominees must be ordinary members of the Club.
Article 28 The Annual General Meeting shall be held during November in every year, the date to be fixed by the committee and published by the Secretary at least fourteen days in advance.
Article 29 The business of the Annual General Meeting shall include:
(a)
Reception of a financial report to include the audited accounts for the preceding financial year.
(b)
Reception from the Chairman of a report of the Clubs activities during the previous year.
(c)
Election of officers and representatives.
(d)
Decision of any motion of which fourteen day’s notice has been given to the Secretary and which appears on the final Agenda for the meeting.
(e)
Decision of any motion of which seven clear day’s notice has been given to the Secretary.
(f)
Any other matters agreed by the meeting.
Article 30 Not less than fourteen days notice must be given of any General Meeting.
Article 31 The Committee may at any time order an Extraordinary General Meeting. The Secretary shall convene an Extraordinary General Meeting within twenty-one days of the receipt of a written requisition signed by at least twenty-five percent of the ordinary members stating the purpose for which the meeting is required or within such longer period as is stated in such requisitions. The principal business of an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be stated in the notice of meeting or in a preliminary Agenda circulated at least fourteen days before the meeting. The final Agenda for an Extraordinary General Meeting, incorporating any motions duly submitted in accordance with Article 32, shall be drawn up by the Secretary and be available to any member at least twenty-four hours before the meeting.
Article 32 The business of a General Meeting shall include any motion relevant to the subject of the meeting of which seven days notice has been given to the Secretary.
Article 33 The quorum for the General Meeting shall be twenty-five per-cent of the ordinary members or twenty whichever is the lesser number. The quorum for an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be twenty-five per cent of ordinary members.
Article 34 No business shall be discussed at an Extraordinary General Meeting other than that on the Agenda.
Article 35 The Committee shall meet at least once in each calendar month, except where it deems it unnecessary.
Article 36 Not less than three clear days notice shall be given of a Committee Meeting. The quorum for committee meetings shall be half of the number of its members.
Article 37 Minutes of all meetings shall be taken and shall be open to inspection by any member of the Club on application to the Secretary.
Article 38 At all General Meetings of the Club every ordinary member present shall be entitled to one vote upon every motion and, in case of an equality of vote, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. Proxy votes cannot be accepted.
Accounts and Audit
Article 39 The financial year of the Club shall end on 30th September in each year.
Article 40 Auditors shall audit the accounts after the end of the financial year and before the Annual General Meeting.
Article 41 No member shall, except for services rendered at the request of the Committee, on any pretence or in any manner receive any profit, salary, or emoluments from the funds or transactions of the Club.
Dissolution
Article 42 If at any General Meeting of the Club, a resolution for the dissolution of the Club be passed by two-thirds of the members present, a poll of all ordinary members shall be held not less than one month and not more than three months thereafter. If such resolution be confirmed by two-thirds of those voting in the poll, the Committee shall thereupon, or at such future date as shall be specified in such resolution, proceed to realize the property of the Club and, after discharge of all liabilities, shall divide the residue equally among the ordinary members, or shall dispose of it in accordance with the resolution. Honorary and temporary members shall have no claim to any such residue. Notice of any motion to dissolve the Club shall be given not less than fourteen days before the meeting.
Interpretation and Amendment of the Constitution
Article 43 The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of these Articles of Constitution, and of any regulations made thereunder, and the decision of the Committee upon any question of interpretation or upon any matter affecting the Club and not specially provided for by these Articles or by any regulations made thereunder shall be final and binding upon the members.
Article 44 These Articles of Constitution may be added to, repealed or amended by a resolution of a General Meeting, the intention of which shall have appeared in the notice of or Agenda for the Meeting, provided that two-thirds of the members present vote in favour thereof. Voting shall be by a show of hands unless at least ten members demand a secret ballot.
Article 45 Deleted by resolution of the 1989 AGM.
Article 16 updated after AGM 22 November 2017
Articles 7 & 12 updated after AGM 28 November 2018