The Constitution of the Time Lords

(THE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY DOCTOR WHO SOCIETY CONSTITUTION)

Adopted at the EGM of 01 November 2014

Amended at the AGM of 20 February 2016

Amended at the request of the Junior Proctor on 18 January 2017

 

1.      NAME AND OBJECTS:

(1) The name of the Society shall be “The Cambridge University Doctor Who Society” hereafter referred to as “the Society”;

(2) The Society’s aims shall be to promote the discussion, awareness and appreciation of the BBC television series ‘Doctor Who’ in its many media forms;

(3) In pursuance of its aims the Society shall organise and host events related to “Doctor Who”, and support related projects undertaken by its membership;

2.      MEMBERSHIP:

(1) Membership of the Society shall be open to all members of the University and any others that have an interest in the BBC television series ‘Doctor Who’;

(2) Membership may be for life or annual, and upon payment of a charge to be determined by the committee. Lifetime honorary membership, for which there shall be no charge, may be awarded by Ordinary Resolution at a General Meeting;

(3) The Executive Committee may by a two thirds majority expel any member, including a member of said Committee, whose conduct seems likely to bring the Society into disrepute. Such expulsion shall be subject to confirmation by Ordinary Resolution at the next General Meeting of the Society;

(4) The Society may have a number of official Patrons. An invitation to become a Patron of the Society may be extended by a majority vote of the High Council or a General Meeting; Patrons are accorded membership of the society if they do not already hold it but are not voting members of the High Council. They may however be awarded Gallifreyan ranks or cardinalships suitable to their status. Invitations may be withdrawn at any time by the High Council. A Patron may be removed by a majority vote of either the High Council or a General Meeting;

3.      THE COMMITTEE:

(1) The day-to-day management of the Society’s affairs shall be in the hands of the Executive Committee, which shall normally be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Executive Committee may be referred to as the High Council of Time Lords, or simply as the High Council, and its members as Cardinals hereafter;

(2) The High Council shall at minimum consist of a Chairperson, to be known as the Lord President, a Secretary, to be known as the Chancellor, and a Treasurer, to be known as the Castellan;

(3) In addition the AGM should elect a social secretary, to be known as Cardinal of the Prydonian Chapter, and a webmaster, to be known as the Keeper of the Matrix;

(4) Further cardinals may be appointed by a General Meeting as required. Their portfolios, if not already in existence, are to be defined by ordinary resolution prior to election;

(5) In addition there shall be a Senior Treasurer, to be known where appropriate as the Gold Usher, who shall be a member of the Regent House of the University of Cambridge or other person approved by the Junior Proctor. The Senior Treasurer shall be appointed by the elected members of the High Council and shall be ex officio a member of the High Council;

(6) A majority of the Cardinals, excluding non-voting Cardinals (see 3.8 below) shall be fulltime undergraduate or postgraduate students of the University;

(7) If any of the Cardinals holding a post outlined in clauses 2 and 3 above is unable to complete their term of office for any reason, an EGM shall be automatically triggered to be held at the next convenient opportunity to hold a by-election for their successor;

(8) A category of non-voting cardinals may be appointed and dismissed by the current Lord President without recourse to election. These should all be retired elected High Councillors except in exceptional circumstances. These roles may not have formal administrative or organisational responsibilities, which should rest only with the roles outlined in 3.2 and 3.3, or those created by the procedure in clause 3.4 above. They are also, as the name implies, not permitted to participate in any votes held in meetings of the High Council. Non-voting cardinals may have access to all committee meetings and discussions and hold their posts primarily in order to advise the current high council and ensure organisational continuity;

(9) Meetings of the High Council shall be chaired by the Lord President. If the Lord President is not present or there is no current Lord President in office, the remaining Cardinals shall elect a chairperson for that meeting. The quorum for a meeting of the High Council shall be three members, and a written record of each meeting should be kept by the Chancellor;

4.      GENERAL MEETINGS:

(1) The Society shall hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) during each Academic year. The AGM shall be held in Cambridge between the midpoint and end of Lent Full Term. All Members shall be entitled to attend and vote at any General Meeting. At least fourteen days written notice shall be given to members before the AGM;

(2) The High Council shall submit Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting, Minutes of any Extraordinary General Meetings held since the last AGM, and the Society’s Accounts for the preceding year for the AGM to approve, elect the High Council for the year ahead, and conduct such other business as is necessary by the procedures outlined in section 6 of this constitution;

(3) An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be held at any time during Full Term. It shall be held in Cambridge and may be called by the Executive Committee or at the written request of at least ten members. Twelve days written notice shall be given to members before an EGM is held. An EGM shall have the same powers as an AGM;

(4) The Lord President or a member or cardinal nominated by them for the purpose shall take the Chair at any General Meeting. In the absence of the Lord President the meeting shall elect a Chairperson for that meeting. The quorum for a General Meeting shall be five members. The Chancellor is responsible for ensuring that there is a full written record of every General Meeting;

5.      PROCEDURE AT GENERAL MEETINGS:

(1) Every motion at a General Meeting shall be proposed and seconded by two members. Candidates for election to office shall be proposed and seconded by two other members. Voting shall be by secret ballot and if there are more than two candidates for a post or more than two options on a motion, voting shall be by single transferrable vote. All motions pass or fail on the basis of a simple majority unless otherwise stated;

(2) Motions shall be of two sorts, Ordinary and special Resolutions. Special resolutions are binding on the committee; Ordinary resolutions are considered advisory;

(3) Special resolutions must be announced to the members a minimum of seven days in advance of an AGM. Ordinary resolutions may be proposed on the day of a General Meeting. Provided both the proposer and chair agree, a Special resolution may be amended by Ordinary resolution before being passed;

(4) The constitution may be amended by special resolution at any General Meeting. No amendment to this Constitution intended to remove the position of Gold Usher, to alter its prerogatives and duties, or to change the criteria and procedure for the appointment of a Gold Usher can be put to a vote without the prior written agreement of the Junior Proctor of the University of Cambridge;

(5) The First Law of Time may not be amended, even by Special resolution;

6.      FINANCIAL MATTERS:

(1) The Society shall maintain a banking account with a suitable Bank or Building Society to hold the Society’s funds;

(2) It shall be the responsibility of the Castellan to ensure that monies received are properly accounted for and that the Society’s financial records are kept in good order;

(3) The Senior Treasurer shall make arrangements for the Society’s Accounts to be properly audited, either by themselves, or by some other person approved under University Ordinances;

(4) The Senior Treasurer shall not be liable for any financial debt or other obligation of the Society unless he or she has personally authorised such a debt in writing;

(5) For so long as the Society shall be Registered with the Junior Proctor, it shall be the duty of the High Council to ensure that the Society complies with the requirements for Registration as a University Society;

7.      DISSOLUTION:

(1) The Society may be dissolved at a General Meeting provided that at least twenty-one days written notice of the intention to dissolve the Society has been given to the members. At least two thirds of those present and voting at the General Meeting must vote in favour of the motion for Dissolution for it to be effective;

(2) Any motion for Dissolution of the Society shall provide that assets remaining after all liabilities have been met shall be transferred either to another Registered University Society, or to the Society’s Syndicate