Contents

1. Our Purpose
2. Affiliation
3. Membership
4. Motions of No Confidence (MNC)
5. Amendments
6. Executive Committee
7. Executive Procedure for deciding Event Suitability
8. Election Rules for an AGM/ EGM/ Elections within the Society
9. Safety Code

Our purpose is to

1.1 Provide a programme of activities for our members.
1.2 To create a wider understanding and appreciation of the work of the Scout and Guide movements, by information and example.
1.3 To render service as a society to Scouting and Guiding and the community.
1.4 To maintain relationships with local Scout and Guide movements.

Affiliation

2.1 The society shall be affiliated to Cardiff University Students Union.
2.2 The society shall also be affiliated to the Student Scout & Guide Organisation (SSAGO)

Membership

3.1 Ordinary membership of the society shall be drawn solely from persons who are Ordinary members of the Union and shall not be less than twenty in number.
3.2 Associate membership of the society may be granted to any person who does not qualify for Ordinary membership, at the discretion of the Societies, Post-Graduate, and International Officer (SPI Officer). Anyone who is a lifetime member of Cardiff Student's Union, and wishes to become a member of the Society, must apply in writing to the SPI Officer .
3.3

3.3.1 Membership is subject to the completion of a CRB disclosure through SSAGO.
3.3.2 Any member failing to complete a disclosure will have their membership of the society revoked after the first SSAGO rally following registration.

3.4 The Society will charge both Ordinary and Associate members a fee of £6.00.
3.5 Students who have opted out of Union membership shall be charged a fee of £6.00.
3.6 Any change in membership fees shall be proposed by the Executive Committee and must be ratified at an Annual General Meeting (AGM), or Extra General Meeting (EGM) of the society.
3.7 The society may not impose any further conditions of membership on its Ordinary and Associate members without first consulting the SPI Officer . It may take effect only after approval of the Societies committee subject to ratification at SUC.
3.8 Membership of the Society is open to all Ordinary members of the Union with no restrictions imposed to non-members of the Scout Association, GirlGuiding UK or equivalent worldwide organisations.
3.9 The Exec, with guidance from the SPI Officer, reserves the right to suspend or ban any member from the society for inappropriate behaviour.

Motions of No Confidence (MNC)

4.1 The purpose of the MNC is to remove some, or all, of the Exec.
4.2 No more than two MNCs may be called against the Exec or individual Exec members.
4.3 A MNC is initiated by the production of a letter to the Chairperson and Secretary signed by 10 ordinary members.
4.4 Once a MNC has been called, the Exec must convene an EGM within four weeks. The Society members must be notified of the motion within seven days of the receipt of the letter.
4.5 The meeting may only discuss the MNC, until it has been resolved. Additional items may be on the agenda, but must not be discussed until the motion is resolved.
4.6 If the Executive member against who the motion is being lodged does not attend the meeting without good cause, they shall be determined to have resigned.
4.7 The meeting will open with a presentation from a representative chosen by the signatories outlining the reasons for proposing the motion. An equal period of time will be given to the individual/s to whom the motion is being levied against to respond.
4.8 A simple majority is required for an MNC to succeed as stipulated in clause 7. 'Election Rules for an AGM/ EGM/ Elections within the Society'.
4.9 If the MNC is successful and the Executive member is removed, their position will then become vacant, and will be re-contested in accordance with section 6.5

Amendments

5.1 Amendments to this constitution may only be made at an AGM or EGM and require a majority of votes from ordinary members. This will take effect subject to the approval of the SPI Officer.
5.2 The sole exception to Clause 5.1 are the web links to external documents, which may be amended by the Executive without an AGM or EGM if necessary.

Executive Committee

6.1 Our committee shall comprise of a Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Social Secretary and Relations Officer, who shall be re-elected from the body of ordinary members at the Annual General Meeting.
6.2 The roles and responsibilities of the Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer will be defined by the terms of the University of Wales, Cardiff Student's Union. A copy of these is available to view from the secretary of the society.
6.3 The roles and responsibilities of Social Secretary and relations officer will be defined by the society as the following:

6.3.1 Social Secretary The Social secretary will assure the overall planning, organisation and running of all social events run on behalf of the Society. Individual responsibility for any social event may be delegate with full consent to any member of the Executive. This officer will be responsible for the maintenance of the Society's logbook, the provision of the social calendar and material to up-date the website with.
6.3.2 Relations Officer They will be responsible for the overall image of the Society in the public domain. They will have an integral role involved in the organising of Fresher's Fayre and any other recruitment events. The officer will be expected to maintain an updated database of all Graduate members, and maintain regular correspondence with them via emails and newsletters. The Relations Officer will also be the person any members with problems about the Society will approach first. They will also be responsible for communications with the local Scout Network and GirlGuiding UK Senior Section.

6.4 The committee will meet as and when necessary.
6.5 Any positions remaining vacant or becoming vacant during the term of office will be re-contested in a by-election in accordance with voting rules.
6.6 The Executive will appoint a webmaster, who will be responsible for the maintenance of the website and message board. This is not an executive position, and as such will not be voted upon by the members.

Executive Procedure for deciding Event Suitability

7.1 The Exec will decide on the events for the Society at an Exec meeting.
7.2 The Exec will make a risk assessment for each Society event that is decided.
7.3 The Exec will announce the event to all members of the Society through email and by posting it on the message board.
7.4 Within 24 hours of the announcement being posted, the Exec will notify any members who they feel the event would not be suitable for, giving their reasons. These members would not be able to attend this event.
7.5 If any of these members wish to appeal the decision they should contact the Relations Officer by email or in writing, stating why they oppose the Exec's decision. The Relations Officer will then deal with the issue personally if appropriate, or raise the issue with the Exec who will reconsider the decision.
7.6 If the member feels the issue is still unresolved, they should then appeal to the SPI Officer in the Union.

Election Rules for an AGM/ EGM/ Elections within the Society

8.1 All ordinary members, within reason, will be notified of the election one-month prior to it being held.
8.2 Nominations will close for Committee positions one week before the stipulated date of the election.
8.3 Candidate election manifestos will be made public to the ordinary members, by all reasonable means, after nominations have closed.
8.4 Any nominations received after the close of nominations will only be considered in exceptional circumstances by the returning officer.
8.5 The Returning Officer, as defined by Student Union rules, will organise and run the election of Committee members.
8.6 Each ordinary member has one vote per Committee position and per election.
8.7 In all elections for a Committee position, the option to Re-Open Nominations (RON) will be given. In the event that RON receives the most votes in an election, the position will be considered vacant, and will be re-contested in accordance with section 6.5.
8.8 Ordinary members will vote at the election, unless the member has exercised their right to vote via post or proxy procedures prior to the actual day of the election.
8.9 No other forms of voting will be accepted other than stated in the above paragraph.
8.10 A vote will be declared spoilt if it is deemed ambiguous as to the voting intentions of the ordinary member. This decision will be taken by the Returning officer.
8.11 All voting will be carried out by secret ballot.
8.12 "Secret Ballot" is a vote conducted in the written form, as deemed practicable and acceptable by the Committee in conjunction with the Returning Officer.
8.13 Any ordinary member who is unable to attend the elections can exercise their right to vote via postal and proxy mechanisms put in place by the Committee in conjunction with the Returning Officer. The use of such a mechanism should be used only in extreme circumstances by the ordinary member and approved by the returning officer; this does not replace the member's obligation
8.14 A postal vote will comprise of one voting form including a signed declaration placed in a sealed envelope. This will be returned to the Returning Officer at the stated address of the Returning Officer before the date of the election.
8.15 If an ordinary member wishes to exercise their right to vote via post, they must inform the Committee before the date of closing nominations for Committee positions.
8.16 Postal vote forms will be sent out after the closing date for nominations for Committee positions. It will be the responsibility of the ordinary member to send their completed voting form to the Returning Officer by the day of the election.
8.17 Postal votes will only be opened and counted on the actual commencing of the election event.
8.18 An ordinary member wishing to exercise their right to vote by proxy will have to inform the Committee, in writing, before the election event with a signed declaration nominating their chosen proxy. The signed declaration must be addressed to the Returning Officer.
8.19 The chosen proxy must have an individual right to vote at Society elections. The proxy must attend the election event to exercise the ordinary member's right to vote.
8.20 Voting by Post or proxy will not affect the eligibility of the ascertained ordinary member right to attend election events. However, they will be prohibited from voting for any Committee position. This prohibition does not extend to attendees voting right for non-election matters and issues raised at such events.
8.21 The Returning Officer will be responsible for the counting of the ordinary member's votes and the announcement of the election results.
8.22 A simple majority as voted for by the ordinary members at the election will deem a winning candidate.

Safety Code

9.1 In the event of a medical emergency on a Society event, the Society will follow the relevant procedure in the Cardiff University Athletic Union constitution (Aug 2004), pages 32 and 33 and in the SSAGO Policy Document: Accident and Incident Reporting (July 2007).
9.2 The Society will comply with all safety regulations and guidelines stipulated by Cardiff Student's Union.
9.3 As an affiliated member of the Student Scout and Guide Organisation (SSAGO) activities undertaken by the Society will comply with the Activity Guidelines as stated in the SSAGO Policy Document: Activity Guidelines, Behaviour and Disciplinary Procedures (July 2007) and the TSA PRO Section 9.

Copies the SSAGO Policy Document: Activity Guidelines, Behaviour and Disciplinary Procedures (July 2007) are available from www.ssago.org.uk/resources/policy_documents/ssago_activity_guidelines_behaviour_disciplinary_procedures.pdf