Southampton University Archery Club
Athletic Union Club Constitution
1.1 Name
The name of the club shall be:
Hereinafter referred to as “the Club”.
1.2 Address
The postal address of the Club is:
Southampton University Students Union
University Road
Southampton
Hampshire
SO17 1BJ
United Kingdom
1.3 Purpose
The Club’s purpose is to provide support, development, improvement, and promotion of archery at the University of Southampton through its Students’ Union.
The income and property of the Club shall be applied solely to this purpose and to achieve the aims outlined in the Club’s annual development plan.
1.4 Compliance
The Club will exist in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Southampton University Students’ Union (SUSU), ArcheryGB (AGB), Southern Counties Archery Society (SCAS), and the Hampshire Archery Association (HAA).
2.1 The Club Must Comply With the Following Requirements for its Members:
2.1.1 Every member of SUSU shall have an equal opportunity to join the Club in accordance with the Students’ Union’s Equal Opportunity Policy
2.1.2 All Club members must be members of the Athletic Union and the Students’ Union.
2.1.3 Each member must fully pay all relevant Club subscriptions and fees.
2.2 Membership Categories
2.2.1 Full Members
Students of the University of Southampton over 18 years of age.
2.2.2 Full Junior Members
Students of the University of Southampton under 18 years of age. Junior members may shoot only when two adults are present, one of whom must be a competent senior archer, a member of AGB and DBS checked. Any member under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent of properly appointed responsible guardian when shooting at the Club.
2.2.3 Associate Members
Associate and Temporary Members of the Students’ Union, and those students of the University who have exercised their right not to be members of the Students’ Union.
2.3 The Committee May Also, at its Discretion, Admit to Membership the Following Groups of People:
2.3.1 Alumni of the University of Southampton
2.3.2 Staff Members of the University of Southampton
2.3.3 Members of Other Students’ Unions
2.3.4 Members of the Public
These members shall not be deemed full members for the purposes of voting.
2.4 AU President
The AU President is a non-shooting ex-officio member of the Club. They shall not be deemed a full member for the purposes of voting.
2.5 There Shall be Two Methods of Entry to the Club for New Members
2.5.1 By completing a provided beginners’ course, which may be charged for.
2.5.2 By being in the opinion of the committee (by proxy of the Captain and Coaches), safe and competent to shoot.
Duties and Privileges of Members
3.1 Every member shall be bound to further the objectives of the Club and shall observe these rules and those of the HAA, SCAS, and AGB.
3.2 All members shall be entitled to ready access to the general communications of the Club.
3.3 All full members shall be entitled to one vote at Club General Meetings.
3.4 When shooting, both indoors and outdoors, all members will follow strictly the rules of shooting laid down by AGB. Members will also follow any guidelines given by the Club including all control measures in the risk assessment.
3.5 No member shall be permitted to shoot crossbow at any University of Southampton facility.
4.1 Officers
4.1.1 The Club must have a committee which is made up of at least the following Club officers:
- Captain
- Treasurer
- Secretary
4.1.2 The Club may also elect its committee the following officers:
- Vice-Captain
- Competitions Officer
- Equipment Officer 1
- Equipment Officer 2
- Records Officer
- Social Secretary
- Communications Officer
4.2 Individual Responsibilities
4.2.1 Captain
Provides the strategic direction of the Club, ensures the day to day operation of the Club, ensures that all Club Officers are fulfilling their roles, and acts as the primary representative for the Club to the AU, SUSU, the University and the local community. Also responsible for coordinating the Club Health and Safety policy, and shall report incidents to the relevant bodies. Must also ensure that the duties of a Welfare Officer are carried out as required by SUSU, by a member of the committee.
4.2.2 Vice-Captain
Responsible for assisting the Captain in the day to day running of the Club. Makes decisions on behalf of the Club when the Captain is unavailable and ensures the representation of all Club members to the committee. Other duties include the scheduling of committee meetings and organising the acquisition of club clothing.
4.2.3 Treasurer
Maintains the accounts of the Club, which shall be available for examination at the Annual General Meeting. Any funds spent by the Club must follow Union regulations (as set out in the Constitution) and be authorised by the Treasurer and the Captain.
4.2.4 Secretary
Keeps minutes of Club meetings which shall be available to the AU and any member of the Club. Produces and maintains a list of all members, which shall be available to the committee on request. Responds to any enquiries the club receives via email.
The Secretary shall also be the Club’s primary representative to AGB and HAA.
4.2.5 Competitions Officer
Organises all friendly and competitive matches excluding BUCS, publicises competitions for members to take part in and organises the entries and payments on behalf of the archers. Arranges travel and other information that is required for each shoot. Liaises with the AU administrator regarding BUCS events.
4.2.6 Equipment Officer 1 & 2
Oversee the proper use and storage of equipment. Arrange for servicing of equipment as required. Maintain the inventory and bring to the attention of the committee any items that need replacing.
4.2.7 Records Officer
Records all results scored both at Club target days and at competitive matches. Archers’ personal bests and new Club records will be passed, on a regular basis, to the Communications Officer for publication on the Club website. Calculates the handicaps of all members, on request and in good time. Enters all Club student members’ scores to the British University Archery E-League each month of the indoor season.
4.2.8 Events Officer
Works with all members of the committee to plan, promote and carry out an enjoyable and effective social calendar for the academic year. Responsible for organising small social events on a regular basis, as well as larger events and social shoots.
Must organise at least 4 non-alcoholic socials per year: one every term and an additional one in the first 4 weeks of the new academic year. Must submit a written report on all non-alcoholic socials to the committee and the AU Officer. Must organise socials in accordance with SUSU Health and Safety policy.
4.2.9 Communications Officer
Maintains and updates the Club’s Facebook page, website and email lists. Deals in good time with any complaints/issues/requests regarding content, online safety and privacy. Reports the goings-on of the Club, including results and summary of any competitions or events associated with the Club to Club members, the public, the AU and, where possible, student press.
4.3 Committee Meetings
4.3.1 Committee meetings will be chaired by the Captain, or, in the Captain’s absence, the Vice-Captain.
4.3.2 The committee must have at least two meetings per term.
4.3.3 A quorum shall consist of no less than 60% of the Club officers and must include at least two out of the Captain, Treasurer, and Secretary. For issues involving Club finances, two account signatories must also be present.
4.3.4 Every Club officer shall be entitled to one vote on every voting matter.
4.3.5 In the event of a tie, the Captain shall open the matter to further discussion, and then, if still unresolved, cast the deciding vote.
4.3.6 Notice of the committee meeting must be given at least one full working day in advance.
4.3.7 Minutes must be taken and made available to the Club and, if requested, the Athletic Union.
4.3.8 At the discretion of the committee, items may be removed from the published minutes where they relate to individual members of the Club
4.3.9 The minutes of any meeting, if approved at the following meeting, shall be conclusive proof without further evidence of the business conducted and the decisions made
4.4 Elections
4.4.1 Club officers shall be elected at a General Meeting of the Club.
4.4.2 The term of office for all Club officers shall be one year. The retiring committee shall be eligible for re-election.
4.4.3 The period of office of committee members shall commence at the termination of the General Meeting at which they are elected. The outgoing committee shall sit on the committee meeting succeeding the General Meeting but shall not be entitled to a vote.
4.4.4 Nominations must be for a single person for a single position. Two people may not occupy the same position nor may groups run for a set of positions.
4.4.5 Candidates are entitled to make a short speech at the meeting, detailing why they are suitable for the role. The Chair may require that this speech be made.
4.4.6 The Chair retains the right to ask the candidates questions from the floor. All questions from the floor will be posed to all candidates. The Chair will assess the suitability of all questions before they are put to the candidates.
4.4.7 Voting shall take place by secret ballot for all contested positions and by show of hands or secret ballot for uncontested positions at the discretion of the Chair.
4.4.8 Club officers will be held accountable for the Club in accordance with the SUSU guidelines.
4.4.9 A member of the committee shall cease to hold office before the end of the elected term if:
- By notice in writing, they resign.
- The person ceases to be eligible for membership to the committee.
- After failing to attend, without notice, more than three successive committee meetings and a majority vote of the committee removes them from office.
4.4.10 The Club may elect an officer who is a non-student (associate member) for any position that is not Captain, Treasurer, or Secretary. However, if there is a full member running they must concede.
5.1 Conduct of General Meetings
5.1.1 The Captain shall be the Chair.
5.1.2 Every full member of the Club shall be entitled to one vote upon every voting matter except for the meeting Chair (see 5.1.6)
5.1.3 No proxy votes shall be accepted for any purpose.
5.1.4 Election votes may be submitted by email to a nominated member of the committee who shall not be
eligible for re-election where possible or to another impartial counter agreed upon by the committee. Election votes submitted by email will rank candidates in order of preference. If the first-choice candidate has already been elected to another position or withdrawn by the time of the vote, the subsequent preferences will be taken as the vote.
5.1.5 A quorum for the meetings shall consist of 10% of the Club’s membership, including 80% of the committee.
5.1.6 The Chair shall not have a vote on matters unless there is a split decision, where they will have the deciding vote.
5.1.7 Voting for all matters, other than elections, shall be by show of hands or secret ballot at the discretion of the Chair.
5.1.8 Minutes of the meeting, including any result, must be made available to the Club and the AU within two weeks.
5.1.9 Nominations shall be presented to the Chair no later than 5pm on the day before the meeting.
5.1.10 If no nominations are received for a post before the start of the meeting, nominations may be re-opened at the appropriate time of the GM as determined by the Chair.
5.1.11 The Chair may postpone the GM until sufficient nominations are received.
5.1.12 All candidates for all positions shall run against ‘Re-Open Nominations’.
5.1.13 All members may abstain from any vote for any reason.
5.1.14 If a position is not filled, the new committee shall discuss how the responsibilities of this position will be accounted for; this can include a temporary appointment of an eligible Club member to the role. Any person so appointed will retire at the end of the following General Meeting, and shall be eligible for re-election.
5.1.15 Where a position is not filled it shall be the responsibility of the Captain to organize a GM as soon as practicable. If the position remains unfilled the committee may appoint a temporary appointment of an eligible Club member to the role or split the responsibilities between them.
5.1.16 Once nominations have been completed the chair will formally close nominations and proceed to hustings (if applicable), at this point no further nominations will be accepted until the round of voting has been concluded.
5.1.17 Should RON be selected, nominations can only be re-opened during the same meeting for the ‘core’ roles specified in 4.1.1.
5.1.18 Quorum for meetings must be established at the scheduled meeting time. If a club member has given notice they will be late, the chair may choose to postpone the meeting start. If quorum has not been reached by this point, the meeting will be disbanded. The chair will reschedule the general meeting for a future date, the notice period for which will be a minimum of 3 term time working days for an AGM and 24 hours for an EGM.
5.2 Annual General Meetings (AGM)
5.2.1 The AGM shall be held around the Easter vacation and before a date decided by the Athletic Union Committee each year.
5.2.2 Notice of the AGM shall be issued at least 10 working days in advance and advertised to Club members.
5.2.3 Invitations for nominations must be sent out at least 10 working days prior to the AGM. Manifestos will be invited from all nominees at this time.
5.2.4 All manifestos received shall be published 5 working days prior to the AGM. Manifestos received after this time will be published as soon as possible after receipt.
5.2.5 The Chair may invite each committee member to provide a short report of their activities during their time in post. This speech is compulsory for the treasurer, who must also present the year’s accounts.
5.3 Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM)
5.3.1 An EGM can be called by the Captain, by a committee majority or by written application to the Captain of at least 10 members of the Club, together with a written statement of the objectives for which the EGM is being called.
5.3.3 At the EGM no business other than that specified in the written statement shall be discussed.
5.3.3 At least 24 hours’ notice of an EGM shall be given to all club members.
5.3.4 An EGM must be held within 10 term time working days of the request being submitted to the Captain.
5.3.5 The Club shall inform the AU President of the meeting and the reason for which it is being called, before it is held.
6 Discipline
6.1 The Club Committee at any meeting may, by a two-thirds majority, reprimand or suspend any member who has violated these rules or whose conduct is deemed detrimental to the best interests of the Club or on the grounds of misconduct, or for conduct of a nature opposed to the purpose of the Club, the AU, the Students’ Union or AGB.
6.2 The Club Committee at any meeting may, by a two-thirds majority, vote to expel any member who has violated these rules or whose conduct is deemed detrimental to the best interests of the Club or on the grounds of misconduct, or for conduct of a nature opposed to the purpose of the Club, the AU, the Students’ Union or AGB. This vote must be discussed with the AU President before it becomes effective.
6.3 Before any such disciplinary action is taken, the member shall be given an opportunity to be heard by the committee, in accordance with 6.4, minutes of this shall be taken and signed as accurate by all those present.
6.4 If the nature of the conduct, for which the member is being disciplined for, causes a risk to the physical or emotional wellbeing of any person, then the member may be suspended immediately without being heard by the committee although an opportunity to do so should take place as soon as possible afterwards.
6.5 Where any member of the Club is reprimanded, suspended or expelled by the Committee, they shall be notified and a report of the matter shall be made available to the AU. The Committee is not required to discuss the details with anyone other than those concerned and the AUC although members should be notified of the decision after 15 term time working days or after the resolution of an appeal, whichever is latest.
6.6 Students who are reprimanded, suspended or expelled from the Club have the right of appeal to SUSU and/or the AU.
7 Termination
7.1 In the event that the Club terminates, after settling any debts, any assets remaining will at the discretion of the Club committee;
- Be returned to SUSU, charity No. 1148683, for redistribution to other sports societies.
- Be donated to another registered charity designated by the Club committee.
- Be donated to a local club with the same aims as the Club.
- Be donated to a student archery club of another university.
7.2 The committee may choose to split assets between the above choices as they see fit.
