THE LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS ATHLETIC UNION CONSTITUTION

Transcription

1 THE LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS ATHLETIC UNION CONSTITUTION REVISION DATE: OCTOBER 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 of 21

2 Contents 1. NAME AND IDENTITY AIMS & OBJECTIVES MEMBERSHIP FUCTION CONSTITUTION OFFICERS ELECTION OF OFFICERS DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS... 7 a) Athletic Union President... 7 b) Athletic Union Intern... 7 c) Athletic Union Secretary... 7 d) Club Development Officer... 8 e) Events Officer... 8 f) Finance Officer... 8 g) Media & Communications Officer... 8 h) Spectatorship Officer... 9 i) Welfare Officer ATHLETIC UNION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ATHLETIC UNION EXECUTIVE SUB COMMITTEES a) Club Development Sub Committee b) Events Sub Committee c) Finance Sub Committee d) Media & Communications Sub Committee e) Spectatorship Sub Committee ATHLETIC UNION FINANCE GENERAL MEETINGS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING CLUBS i. Chair Page 2 of 21

3 Treasurer i Secretary Page 3 of 21

4 1. NAME AND IDENTITY The name of the Union shall be "LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS' ATHLETIC UNION" (hereinafter referred to as "Athletic Union"). The Athletic Union should be constituted in accordance with paragraph 15 of the Loughborough Students' Union Constitution and shall have responsibility for the Athletic Union activities of the members of the Union. 2. AIMS & OBJECTIVES The aims and objectives of the Athletic Union shall be the provision and support for Athletic Union clubs for competitive sport for the membership, to support the membership structure and provide advocacy for these clubs. 3. MEMBERSHIP a) Membership of the Athletic Union and of its affiliated clubs shall be open to all members of the Union as defined in the Loughborough Students' Union Constitution. b) Only student members shall be eligible to vote in meetings of the Athletic Union and its affiliated clubs. Club committee positions can only be held by students, although associate members may hold honorary positions in an advisory capacity only. c) All members are entitled to the use of the athletic grounds and changing rooms, subject to the approval of the University s Sports Development Centre and the Loughborough College Sports Centre. 4. FUCTION The function of the Athletic Union shall be: a) To provide a professional framework and resources for club structures to run competitive sporting activities. b) To represent the interests and be the voice of its members in all sporting matters. c) To provide a recognised means of communication with other bodies on matters concerned with competitive sporting activities (i.e. Sport England and National Governing Bodies, British Universities and Colleges Sports Association, FISU, local county associations). d) To co-ordinate the use of sporting facilities in conjunction with the University s Sports Development Centre and the Loughborough College Sports Centre. e) To ensure all clubs take part in competitive sport at the appropriate level, providing lifelong experiences through sport. 5. CONSTITUTION a) A copy should be available online on the Athletic Union s webpage. b) The Constitution must be approved by Union Affairs Committee and may only be altered or amended according to the procedure laid down in the Schedules. Page 4 of 15

5 6. OFFICERS The Officers of the Athletic Union shall be as follows: a) Sport Executive Officer (hereinafter referred to as the AU President throughout this constitution) b) Athletic Union Intern (hereinafter referred to as "the AU Intern"). c) Athletic Union Secretary (hereinafter referred to as "the Secretary"). d) Club Development Officer e) Events Officer f) Finance Officer g) Media and Communications Officer h) Spectatorship Officer i) Welfare Officer 7. ELECTION OF OFFICERS a) The election of the Sport Executive Officer shall be in conjunction with the Loughborough Students' Union Elections and as laid down in the Loughborough Students' Union Constitution. Upon commencement of their year in office the Sport Executive Officer will take on the role of President of the Athletic Union. b) The election of Secretary, Club Development Officer, Events Officer, Finance Officer, Media & Communications Officer, Spectatorship Officer and Welfare Officer shall take place at a GM in the spring or summer term and shall hold office for the following academic year, commencing at the end of the current Academic year. c) The positions of Athletic Union Executive will be filled in constitutional order. i. Each candidate will require a proposer and seconder who is a member of the i Athletic Union, excluding members currently holding a position on Athletic Union Executive. Each candidate will then be given 2 minutes to present their manifesto before facing 2 questions from the outgoing position holder. Candidates will then take questions from the floor, questions must be open to all candidates. Voting via secret ballot. d) The AU Intern position will be filled in the summer term by a process of; i. Written application 5-minute presentation at the Annual General Meeting followed by questions from Page 5 of 15

6 the floor. Questions must be open to all candidates. i A vote will be taken following presentations via secret online ballot using a signal transferable vote. If on the occasion of an online ballot being unavailable, a paper ballot will take place. The result will be reviewed by a nominated member of Elections Subcommittee, who will inform the Athletic Union President of the successful candidates being taken forward to interview and the order in which the candidates were selected. The full result of the vote will only be made available to the interview panel following completion of the interview process. Following the Annual General Meeting an interview process will take place. If 3 or less candidates stand for election at the AGM, all candidates will progress to the interview stage. If the number of candidates standing exceeds 3 the vote taken at AGM will determine the top 3 candidates to be taken through to the Interview stage. The interview panel of five will consist of: Athletic Union President Athletic Union President Elect Athletic Union Intern A representative of Loughborough Students Executive A non-voting representative of SDC If any one of the Athletic Union staff members above are unavailable, their positon on the panel will be filled by a member of the Loughborough Students Union Executive. The vote cast at the AGM will be strongly considered in the decision making process of the interview panel. If a split decision is awarded by the 4 voting members, the candidate with the highest vote count from the AGM will be offered the position. Page 6 of 15

7 8. DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS a) Athletic Union President The Athletic Union President shall: i. Be responsible for the strategic plan of the Athletic Union. i Be an ex-officio member of all committees and sub-committees of the Athletic Union and shall chair all such meetings, He/she shall preserve order and decorum and shall rule on all points of order. He/she shall have a casting vote. His/her rulings on points of order may be challenged by the meeting. Be responsible for representing the interests of the Athletic Union to the Students' Union Executive Committee. In conjunction with the Athletic Union Finance and Finance and Commercial Services Executive Officer, present the budget to the Loughborough Students' Finance Committee. v. Be required to report to Union Affairs Committee and Union General Meetings and vi. be accountable to such meetings. Be the official liaison contact between LSU Athletic Union and the Loughborough University s Sports Development Centre and Loughborough College Sports. b) Athletic Union Intern The AU Intern shall: i. Oversee the day to day running of the Athletic Union. i Support and develop Athletic Union Clubs, their Committees and the AU Executive Sub-Committees. Enhance the operational practices of the AU and its Clubs. Act as a first point of call for AU Club issues and concerns, and oversee the AU Exec Club buddy programme. c) Athletic Union Secretary The Secretary shall: i. Keep proper minutes of all Athletic Union General Meetings and Athletic Union Executive Meetings and ensure that all such minutes are laid before the Union Council and made public. Provide guidance on the Athletic Union constitution and ensure its policies are followed, and offer support to AU Club s on constitutional policy and good governance. Page 7 of 15

8 i Be responsible for the Athletic Union Executive and Club Committee general elections and make sure all rules are adhered to. Support other members of the Athletic Union Executive, Club Support Officer and Athletic Union President on ad hoc tasks. d) Club Development Officer i. Work with the Student Performance Support Officer and CVA to ensure a i comprehensive training package is available and delivered to clubs and committees. Be the designated link between the Athletic Union & CVA to quality assure the standards of coaches, officials and volunteers within the AU and develop future practices to enhance these areas. Manage the Club Development Sub-Committee to complete their duties set out in section 10 e) Events Officer i. Act as the primary point of contact for all Athletic Union events with students, AU staff and the SDC. Manage the Athletic Union Events Sub-Committee to complete their duties set out in section 10 f) Finance Officer i. Responsible for ensuring clubs are supported with forming and following budgets. i Work with other AU Exec members to ensure their projects are completed on budget. Ensure students thoughts on finance are represented during AU Executive meetings and offer informed guidance on Athletic Union decision making from a financial perspective. v. Manage the Athletic Union Finance Sub Committee to complete their duties set out in section 10 g) Media & Communications Officer i. Act as the primary contact with the Media Centre (LSU) on coverage of Loughborough Students Sport and the Sports Development Centre s Marketing team to ensure good coverage of the Athletic Union. Page 8 of 15

9 vi. Liaise with the Union s marketing team and University stakeholders to ensure Athletic Union content is visible in publicly accessible areas and communicated around the Union and, where possible, the University. Manage the Media & Communications sub-committee to complete their duties set out in section 10 h) Spectatorship Officer i. Assist with the running of large scale AU events, e.g. Durham D-Day. v Serve as the primary contact with the SDC and other partners on event opportunities. Manage the Spectatorship Sub-Committee to complete their duties set out in section 10 i) Welfare Officer i. Head up and supply regular information to Welfare Officers in clubs. i Help to deliver training and support packages for club Welfare Officers to ensure they are knowledgeable and confident in their roles. Lead on Athletic Union Campaigns, including Play with Pride, and support relevant campaigns run by LSU Welfare or the SDC where appropriate, eg. Lboro Girls Can. Ensure clubs are taking full consideration for the health and wellbeing of club members. v. Act as the first point of contact for anyone who has a concern they feel needs vi. raising with the Athletic Union. Help to ensure communication of the Athletic Union offer is delivered to minority and under-represented groups including, but not limited to, College and postgraduate students. 9. ATHLETIC UNION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE a) Members i. Athletic Union President i Athletic Union Secretary Club Development Officer Events Officer v. Finance Officer Page 9 of 15

10 vi. v vi Media Officer Spectatorship Officer Welfare Officer b) The quorum shall be five members of the Committee. c) The Committee shall be the co-ordinating body of and shall be responsible for the administration of all the affairs of the Athletic Union, in accordance with the objects of the Athletic Union, within the outline of this Constitution. d) Meetings of the Executive Committee shall take place when deemed necessary by the Athletic Union President or at the request of a member of the Committee or at the instruction of a General Meeting. e) The Executive Committee may co-opt more members, in an advisory capacity, for more specific organisational tasks. 10. ATHLETIC UNION EXECUTIVE SUB-COMMITTEES The duties of the Sub-Committees will be as follows: a) Club Development Sub-Committee i. Oversee club appraisals for the monitoring and evaluation of club performance. Assist clubs with the formation and delivery of club development plans. b) Events Sub-Committee i. Plan, promote and execute (in conjunction with the Sports Executive Officer) all AU i events including Annual AU Ball, AU Colours presentation evening and more. Seek out new events or initiatives that would benefit the experience of Athletic Union members. Coordinate volunteers to help out at such events. Support clubs where required on the running of their events. c) Finance Sub-Committee i. Create, advise and support sponsorship and fundraising opportunities for both the i Athletic Union and its clubs. Assist the Finance Administrator and Athletic Union President in ensuring clubs are reaching budgeted memberships. Drive Alumni fundraising efforts, predominantly in the form of the Alumni and Supporters Clubs Funds. Page 10 of 15

11 d) Media & Communications Sub-Committee i. Be responsible for the communication and social media channels of the Athletic Union and promote awareness of AU and Club activities. Support other sections of the AU Executive with media coverage and graphic design content. i Oversee the publication of WoW and AU Newsletters. Collate and edit match reports and other content for online use. v. Help AU Clubs with the use of social media marketing and communication. e) Spectatorship Sub-Committee i. Increase spectatorship at Athletic Union fixtures and support for AU Clubs. Promote and update the AU Supporters Club page to inform students of weekly fixtures. i Take ownership of the Big Match and weekly showcase fixtures. Offer guidance and assistance to clubs regarding the promotion of club events. The AU Executive Sub-Committee positions will be filled in the summer term by a process of written application, followed by a verbal interview conducted by relevant Officers of the Athletic Union. 11. ATHLETIC UNION FINANCE Monthly, minuted meetings shall be held between the: Athletic Union President Athletic Union Finance Administrator Athletic Union Finance Officer Loughborough Students Union Head of Finance a) It shall discuss and make recommendations to the Athletic Union Executive Committee on any matter concerning the finances of the Athletic Union. b) It shall discuss the general financial policy of the Athletic Union and shall make recommendations to the Athletic Union Executive Committee accordingly. c) It shall be responsible for the approval of club budgets among the member clubs. At this meeting, the Athletic Union President Elect shall be considered an additional member to those above. d) it shall also make recommendations for the allocation of additional funds where deemed necessary or appropriate. Page 11 of 15

12 The minuted recommendations shall be an agenda item of the next meeting of the Athletic Union Executive Committee, where decisions shall be made and minuted. These minutes shall be published online for members to see. The same minutes shall also be summarised by the Athletic Union President at Athletic Union General Meetings. Termly meetings shall take place between the Athletic Union President, Athletic Union Finance Officer, Loughborough Students Union Head of Finance, the Athletic Union Finance Administrator and a Senior Manager of Loughborough Students Union, to ensure accuracy and validity of the Athletic Union budget. 12. GENERAL MEETINGS a) A General Meeting of the Athletic Union shall be held at least once per term. Any member of the Athletic Union may attend such a meeting but only student members shall be eligible to vote. b) A General Meeting of the Athletic Union may be called as follows: i. By the Athletic Union President i By the Executive of Finance Committee of the Athletic Union By thirty members handing in a signed letter to the Athletic Union President stating the nature of the business to be discussed. c) At least one week's notice, in writing, to the clubs shall be given before the proposed date of the meeting. d) An agenda shall be available from the Athletic Union two clear days before the meeting takes place. e) Any motion for discussion shall be presented, in writing, to the Athletic Union President three clear days before the meeting takes place. Any such motion shall have a proposer and seconder who are Loughborough Students' Union members. f) All decisions taken by the Athletic Union General Meetings shall be binding on the Committees of the Athletic Union save that they conflict with decisions of Union Affairs Committee or Union General Meetings. Should any conflict arise, however, Loughborough Students' Union Procedures Committee shall act in an arbitrary capacity. g) The quorum for a General Meetings and the Annual General Meeting shall be 51% of voting members (1 per Athletic Union Club). h) Each affiliated club shall be required to send two members to a General Meeting, but only one member per club shall be permitted to vote. Members will be entitled to represent one Page 12 of 15

13 club only at any meeting. i) If fifteen minutes after the said time of the start of the meeting the quorum has not been achieved, the meeting shall be deemed inquorate and no business shall take place. Instead, a re-convened meeting a week after the first should have taken place. The re-convened meeting shall be automatically quorate, except for amendments to the Constitution, which require a quorum of 51% of voting members. 13. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING a) A General Meeting during the summer term shall be called the Annual General Meeting of the Athletic Union. b) During this meeting, the Athletic Union Intern candidates will present their manifestoes. c) Reports at this meeting shall be received as follows: i. Athletic Union President Annual Report End of Year Financial Report 14. CLUBS a) All member clubs of the Athletic Union shall have their own club constitution which shall be approved by the Executive of the Athletic Union and a copy held by the Athletic Union Office. b) Each club shall elect officers according to their constitution. Each Club must have a Chairperson and a minimum of two other officers. It is also required that officers fulfill the roles of Treasurer and Secretary. It is preferable for these to be two individual committee positions. Key duties of these roles are: i. Chair (a) Responsible for the day to day running of the Club and the Club Committee in accordance with the Club s Constitution. (b) Chairing Club General Meetings and Club Committee meetings. (c) Representing the Club at AU General Meetings. (d) Driving Club Development through effective use of Club Development Plans. (e) Act as the AU s main point of contact for their Club and filter information to other club and committee members. Page 13 of 15

14 Treasurer (a) Ensure the club operates within budget. (b) Approve Claims from Club members. (c) Ensure the Club Budget Form is submitted by the deadline and has been approved by the appropriate people. (d) Ensure all club members have paid their membership fees. (e) Responsible for the ordering of new club equipment. i Secretary (a) Take minutes in Club General Meetings and Club Committee meetings and distribute them accordingly. (b) Join the Club Chair at AU GENERAL MEETINGs and feedback relevant information to the Club and committee. (c) Ensure all club documentation including risk assessments are up to date and visible to club members. (d) Prepare the Club s ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING and elections. Elected officers must also be responsible for the maintenance of the Club s website and social media pages and the ordering of the Club s playing kit. These responsibilities should be allocated to officers in each Club s Constitution. The names and positions of all elected officers shall be presented, in writing, to the Athletic Union Office. c) Any club committee officer can be removed in accordance with Paragraph 17 of the Loughborough Student s Union Constitution. d) The club committee shall be responsible to the Athletic Union Executive and Finance Committee for the conduct and finance of the club. e) The club shall submit to the Athletic Union Office, when requested, a club budget for the following year. Clubs failing to do so may, at the discretion of the Finance Committee, be made no grant award for the following year f) All club grants are provisional on their abiding by any recommendations of the Finance and/or Executive Committee of the Athletic Union. Page 14 of 15

15 g) As of the year 2012/13, all clubs will comply with the agreed single kit supplier for Loughborough Sport and comply with the associated brand guidelines. Failure to do so shall result in sanctions at the discretion of the Athletic Union President at the time - any exceptions will be added in appendices on a case by case basis. Page 15 of 15