UBUC

Club Constitution

Bye-Laws May 8th 2000.

Last updated May 2006 following ratification of AGM 2005 changes by the AU.

1. SCOPE These Bye-laws shall regulate the structure, administration and activities of the club affiliated to the University of Bristol Athletic Union to be known as the University of Bristol Underwater Club (hereinafter the "Club").

2. OBJECTIVES

The aims and objects of the Club shall be to provide for its members facilities, opportunity and training for underwater exploration, science, and sport in accordance with the guidelines of the British Sub-Aqua Club, together with related social activities.

3. MEMBERSHIP

a) Membership of the Club is open to members of the Bristol University Student Union.

b) Membership is open to others upon receipt of an individual's written application and its approval by the Club Committee. With the exception of Instructors / British Sub-Aqua Club Dive Leaders (or equivalent grade) and above, approval shall be subject to the individual becoming an Associate Member of Bristol University Student Union.

c) Not less than two-thirds of Club members shall be Full Members of the University of Bristol Student Union.

d) Application for Club membership by any person below the age of 18, is subject to approval by the Committee.

4. MANAGEMENT

a) Management shall be by a Committee elected at each Annual General Meeting of the Club, comprising: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Diving Officer, and other elected officers as deemed necessary by the Committee. All elected officers shall have full voting rights on the Committee.

b) Either the President or the Diving Officer shall be delegated the role of Club Captain for Athletic Union purposes. The Club Captain must be a current student at Bristol University.

c) Not less than two-thirds of the Committee shall be Full Members of the Bristol University Student Union, with non-student members subject to approval by the Athletic Union Chair.

d) The Committee shall hold and administer for the benefit of the membership all funds, equipment, and property owned by the Club.

5. THE PRESIDENT

The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Club. They shall take the chair at all meetings of the Club and of the Committee at which they are present, and subject to the provisions of these Bye-laws, his / her decision on matters of procedure shall be final.

6. THE VICE-PRESIDENT

The Vice-President shall take the chair at any meeting from which the President is absent. Their decisions at any meeting shall be subject to the further approval of the President.

7. THE TREASURER

The Treasurer shall not be in their final year of study at Bristol University. They shall be responsible for dealing with all monies received or paid on behalf of the Club, shall make any investment of Club funds approved by the Committee, shall keep records and proper books of account of all financial transactions conducted in the Club's name, and shall prepare for consideration by the Committee a statement of income and expenditure and a balance sheet to the last day of each Club financial year.

They shall arrange for all Club funds and securities to be kept on deposit with a bank, or banks approved by the Committee and shall maintain current account or accounts on which any two approved members may sign cheques or other orders. The Treasurer shall arrange for the Club accounts to be audited by a member of the Bristol University staff at the end of each session.

8. THE SECRETARY

The Secretary shall maintain the Club records and shall record meetings of the Committee, General Meetings of the Club, and such other meetings as the President may request. They shall be primarily responsible for the Club's communications with third parties, and shall keep the Officers, the Committee and/or the Club membership, as may be appropriate, informed of matters coming to his / her attention which pertain to Club activities.

9. THE DIVING OFFICER

The Diving Officer is responsible for UBUC's diving and training programme and the safe conduct thereof. The final decision on all matters relating to BSAC's recommendations and guidelines rests with the Diving Officer. The Diving Officer will, in liaison with the Training and Extended Training Officer, hold regular instructors meetings to: ensure instructors and assistants are informed of any changes to training, ensure that the training programme runs smoothly and effectively, address any issues raised by Instructors and Assistant Instructors and to resolve any conflicts that may occur. The Diving Officer may delegate training duties to a Training Officer and Extended Training Officer, who shall be responsible to him / her for the performance thereof. The Diving Officer's decision in respect of his / her responsibilities shall be final in the Club, subject only to such guidelines consistent with these Bye-laws as may be established from time to time by the Committee.

10. GENERAL MEETINGS

a) There must be at least one general meeting in a year to be held before the end of each session.

b) Notice of such meetings shall be published to Club members at least 14 days beforehand, complete with an agenda.

c) General Meetings may be held only during term time.

d) An Extraordinary General Meeting may be held only during term time, and may be called with not less than 14 days notice, by three members of the Committee or by application to the secretary of the Club signed by 10 members of the Club.

11. ELECTIONS

a) The election of officers for the following session is to take place at the Annual General Meeting. If a By-Election is necessary then the election must take place at a properly constituted Extraordinary Meeting.

b) Nominations may be received up to and at the Annual General Meeting, and shall require a proposer and second from the membership of the Club.

c) Voting shall be by a show of hands.

d) Where there are 3 or more candidates for a post, voting shall be by the Single Transferable Voting (STV) System.

e) A defeated candidate may opt (subject to proposer and second) for any position not yet voted.

12. COMMITTEE

a) The Committee shall undergo a transitory period following election, taking office 30 days after being elected. Until this time the previous Committee shall have final say on all matters pertaining to the running of the Club.

b) Tasks pertaining to the running of the Club may be delegated to non-elected representatives, appointed by the Committee. The Committee may decide to terminate the role of these representatives at any time, and the relevant tasks will default back to the Committee.

c) The Committee shall have the power to fill any vacancy amongst the officers of the Club which occurs during their term of office, and any person newly appointed to the Committee to fill such a vacancy shall become a full voting member thereof.

d) The Committee shall determine any question as to the interpretation of these Bye-laws and of any regulations made hereunder and may rule in connection with any situation not otherwise provided for herein. In the latter event, such ruling shall only remain in effect until the next General Meeting of the Club. Its continued validity shall depend on ratification of that meeting.

13. COMMITTEE MEETINGS

a) The agenda of Committee meetings shall be advertised to Club members 5 days in advance. Committee meeting content may be subject to change without notice.

b) Any member of the Club may request permission to attend a Committee meeting as an observer, or to raise specific issues. Such requests should be made in writing to the President. If refused, the refusal shall be made in writing by the President and reasons for the refusal shall be reviewed by the Committee at the Committee meeting.

c) A simple majority of Committee members then serving shall form a quorum for a Committee meeting; provided, however, that no quorum shall be formed without the presence of either the President, the Vice-President, or the Secretary.

d) The Committee may adopt no resolution unless it receives an affirmative number of votes at least equal to a simple majority of the total number of currently serving members of the Committee.

e) No member shall be entitled to vote on a matter in which his / her interests differs from that of the Club as a whole, and shall withdraw from any meeting during the period of discussion of such interest.

f) Any elected member of the Committee shall have the power to require the Secretary to call a meeting of the Committee at any time.

14. CLUB ACTIVITIES

a) At the discretion of the Diving Officer, Club diving and open-water training activities shall be open to members of other clubs and guests.

b) Subject to such regulations as may be established from time to time by the Committee, any Club member, with the prior approval of the official in charge of the session, any visitor from another Club or any guest may use the training pool for training, testing equipment, swimming with basic equipment and free swimming. No-one shall use any equipment other than basic equipment without the prior approval of the official in charge of the session.

c) If a member damages or loses Club equipment, the Committee may charge that member part or full cost of repairing or replacing the article. The Committee may similarly charge a member who damages or loses private property used in connection with Club activities.

15. DISCIPLINE

a) Temporary suspension from participation:

i) In order to ensure that the safety and good name of the Club and its members, the person in charge of a Club activity may suspend, at their discretion and for the duration of the activity, any member who misconducts himself. Any such suspension shall be reported as soon as possible to the President or the Secretary and shall be discussed at the next meeting of the Committee.

ii) The Committee shall first discuss the incident without the presence of the member in question and then shall invite them to join the discussion and present his / her view of the matter.

b) Suspension and loss of membership:

i) The Committee shall have the power by a two-thirds majority of all serving members to suspend the membership of any member of the Club. Suspension of the membership of any Committee member shall be dealt with in accordance with the next succeeding sub-clause. A decision to suspend shall be immediately communicated in writing to both the member concerned and the Athletic Union Chair. Membership shall thereupon be suspended. A suspended member shall be entitled to demand a hearing at the next meeting of the Committee during which the reasons for the suspension shall be made fully known and they shall be given the opportunity to answer fully to any charges. The suspended member has the right to request that the Athletic Union Chair attend the hearing. Upon conclusion of the hearing, the member shall leave the meeting and the Committee shall vote again on the suspension. If the requisite two-thirds majority does not carry the motion, the suspension shall be lifted and the member informed accordingly. If the motion is carried again by the said majority, the member shall be so informed and shall be deemed to have resigned their membership of the Club. The member affected shall have the right to appeal against the decision of the Committee at the next general meeting of the Club.

ii) Suspension of the membership of a Committee member shall only be voted upon at a meeting the agenda of which [a] has been posted or distributed to all Committee members and the Athletic Union Chair at least one week prior to the meeting and [b] explicitly refers to the motion of suspension. If the person charged attends the meeting, they shall be entitled to hear and respond to the charges levied against them. They also have the right to request that the Athletic Union Chair attends the hearing. When the chair of the meeting is satisfied that the matter has been adequately and fairly discussed, the person charged shall leave the meeting and a vote shall be taken. If the proposal to suspend is carried by the requisite two-thirds majority, the person charged shall be deemed to have resigned his / her membership in the Club, and shall have the right of appeal provided for in the preceding paragraph. If the person charged does not attend the meeting, the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall apply.

16. AMENDMENTS

a) Any amendment to this constitution must be carried out by a majority of two-thirds at a properly constituted general meeting.

b) All such amendments must be submitted for ratification to the Athletic Union Committee.