Constitution of the Cambridge University Ceilidh Band
Revised November 2021
- The Name of the Society:
The Cambridge University Ceilidh Band.
- The Aims of the Society:
- To promote the playing of traditional music in Cambridge.
- To provide live music for ceilidhs and other events in and around Cambridge.
- To provide a focal point for musicians of all standards to play traditional music in a convivial atmosphere.
- Membership of the Society:
A member of the band shall be defined as someone who has an account on cucb.co.uk and has logged-in to the website within the last year, or is a member of the Committee. Membership is open to anyone, including all members of the University. An application for membership shall not be refused on the grounds of race, sex, sexuality, religion or political views. Membership may be revoked at the discretion of the Committee (as laid out in Section 11).
- Meetings of the Society:
- The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the society will take place in the Lent Term. The time and venue will be determined and publicised by the committee at least five Full Term days in advance.
- Ordinary meetings shall be held for the organisation of events and other matters arising from the business of the society. They may be called by any member of the Committee, any time after notifying all relevant members.
- Membership Meetings can be held to remove members of the band or remove/replace/co-opt members of the Committee (as outlined in Sections 11 and 6).
- Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs) of the society can be called for affairs that are open to be voted on by the entire membership, such as the Constitution (see Section 10). The time and venue will be determined and publicised by the Committee at least five Full Term days in advance.
- The Committee
shall consist of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Social Secretary, Logistics Officer, Equipment Officer, Tour Secretary, Webmaster, General Members, and any other posts that the committee may create as stated in Section 6.
- Election of the Committee:
- The Committee shall be elected by majority vote of all members present at the AGM. The elections shall be conducted in the order laid down in Section 5. Candidates may be nominated in advance of the meeting in writing, to the Secretary. Such nominations must bear the name of the candidate, the office for which they are nominated, the names of the proposer and seconder and be countersigned by the candidate. This may be done by means of an email to the Secretary from each person concerned. Alternatively, a candidate may be nominated verbally at the meeting up to the beginning of the election in which they are to be a candidate. A proposer and a seconder and the candidate's consent are required.
- Any member of the society may be nominated for any committee post, and each candidate must be nominated by two other members of the society. There may be hustings at the AGM.
- A majority of the elected members of the Committee shall be full-time undergraduate or postgraduate students of the University of Cambridge. Moreover, the majority of the President, Secretary and Treasurer positions shall be full-time undergraduate or postgraduate students of the University of Cambridge.
- Votes shall be counted by two persons chosen at the AGM, who are not candidates for committee posts. Only members of the Cambridge University Ceilidh Band may vote at the AGM. The President shall have the casting vote.
- The new committee shall take over on a date specified by the retiring committee, which shall be no later than the end of the Lent Term during which they were elected. They shall be assisted by the retiring committee where necessary.
- The Committee may, at its discretion, co-opt additional committee members where it perceives the need, or to fill any vacancies that may arise. Should a post not be filled at the AGM, it will be treated as vacant.
- The Committee may, at its discretion, remove or replace any committee members where it perceives the need. A Membership Meeting to remove a committee member is valid if and only if (i) at least 48 hours notice have been given, or (ii) at least 90% of all the other committee members are present (excluding the Senior Treasurer). The vote to remove the committee member is successful if at least 2/3 of all other present committee members vote in favour of removal. If the removal is successful, the Committee will then use a majority vote to decide if any further action is necessary (e.g., expelled/suspended). The President will have the casting vote in the event of a tie.
- A Senior Treasurer
shall be appointed each year to audit the Society's books. The Senior Treasurer shall be a member of the Regent House, or other person approved by the Junior Proctor. The Senior Treasurer shall not be liable for any financial debt or other obligation of the Society unless personally authorised such a debt in writing.
- The Format of the AGM:
- Reports from the retiring committee members, to include the presentation of audited accounts by the treasurer.
- Election of new committee members.
- Appointment of the Senior Treasurer for the coming year.
- Any other business.
- Registration of the Society:
For so long as the Society shall be Registered with the Junior Proctor, it shall be the duty of the Committee to ensure that the Society complies with the requirements for Registration as a University Society.
- Constitutional Amendments
may be proposed by any five members of the society, and must be submitted to the Secretary in writing. This constitution may only be amended at an AGM, or at a meeting specially called for that purpose. No vote on a constitutional amendment shall be valid unless at least one quarter of the membership or ten people, whichever is the lesser, is present at the meeting.
- Disciplinary Processes
The Society reserves the right to expel or to suspend a member whose actions are felt to be such as to bring the Society into disrepute, or to adversely affect the smooth running of the Society in a major way. The Society reserves the right to bar non-members or expelled/suspended members from attending society events.
- The Removal of Any Member of the Committee is outlined in Section 6.
- The Removal of Any non-Committee Member must be by a majority vote of all committee members, excluding the Senior Treasurer.
- In the event of an expulsion, the excluded member is required to return all equipment, documents and finances belonging to the Society within 7 days. They will not be entitled to any full or partial refund of annual subscriptions.
- Eventual readmission must be approved by a majority vote of the Committee (excluding the Senior Treasurer) at a Membership Meeting.
- In Committee Meetings
decisions shall be made by majority vote of those present. The President shall chair the meetings. At least three members of the committee, or the entire Committee (whichever is the lesser) must be present. In the event of a tie, the President shall have the casting vote.
Calling meetings that are not aimed at removing/replacing committee members:
- Any committee member can call a meeting with 48 hours notice and an agenda for all votes to be held. Attendance must be at least 3, or the whole committee, whichever is lesser.
- In exceptional situations, the President may call an emergency meeting with 24 hours notice and an agenda for all votes to be held. Attendance must be at least 3, or the whole committee, whichever is lesser.
- A member may vote in absentia by clearly providing their votes in writing, alongside a signature. This written vote is to be sent to the chair of the meeting, the President, the Secretary, and should not be discarded.
- Payment for Performances:
The Committee shall keep a written policy setting out how money received from performances is to be used. This policy shall be approved by majority vote at each AGM. Changes to the policy may only be made by majority vote at an AGM, or at a meeting specially called for that purpose. No vote on a proposed change to this policy shall be valid unless at least one quarter of the membership or ten people, whichever is the lesser, is present at the meeting.
- Dissolution of the Society
shall be treated as an amendment to the constitution and as such the rules in Section 10 apply, with the proviso that the Committee must first agree unanimously to the motion to dissolve the Society. At least 21 days written notice of the intention to dissolve the Society should been given to all members. On dissolution, all assets remaining after all liabilities have been met shall be donated to a registered charity, voted for at the meeting.
- Archive of Constitutions:
An archive of all of the Society's previous Constitutions since 2010 shall be kept by the Webmaster. They may be viewed upon request by any member of the band.
Revised November 2021