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
Amended at the EGM of 19 August 2025
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 (High Council) 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 Invitations may be withdrawn at any time by the High Council.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 Lords/Ladies/Sovereigns Cardinal hereafter;
(2) The High Council shall at minimum consist of a Chairperson, to be known as the Lord/Lady/Sovereign President, a Secretary, to be known as the Chancellor, and a Treasurer, to be known as the Castellan. This group may be referred to as the Inner Council;
(3) In addition, the AGM should aim to elect a social secretary, to be known as the Coordinator of the CIA, member(s) without portfolio, to be known as the Cardinal(s) Prime, and a webmaster, to be known as the Keeper of the Matrix;
(4) Furthermore, the AGM should fail to elect a Vice-President; this office must remain vacant at all times;
(5) Only members of the Society may be permitted to stand for election to the Committee;
(6) 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;
(7) 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;
(8) A majority of the Cardinals, excluding non-voting Cardinals (see 3.12 below) shall be full time undergraduate or postgraduate students of the University;
(9) Members of the High Council may be addressed by their Gallifreyan titles (preceded by Lord, Lady, or Sovereign if they wish) at any time and in any circumstances;
(10) Gender-neutral pronouns and titles may be used;
(11) If any of the Cardinals holding a post outlined in clauses 2 and 3 above, excluding Cardinal(s) Prime, are unable to complete their term of office for any reason, the High Council shall, through majority vote, appoint a Cardinal Prime to become their successor, or, failing this, an EGM shall be automatically triggered to be held at the next convenient opportunity to hold a by-election for their successor;
(12) A category of non-voting cardinals, to be known as the Cardinals of the Great Houses, may be appointed and dismissed by the current Lord/Lady/Sovereign President without recourse to election; non-voting Cardinals are permitted to choose their own Gallifreyan title and alias. 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 procedures in clauses 3.6 and 3.11 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;
(13) Meetings of the High Council shall be chaired by the Lord/Lady/Sovereign President. If the Lord/Lady/Sovereign President is not present or there is no current Lord/Lady/Sovereign 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, or in their absence, another member should be deputised to keep these records;
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 5 of this constitution;
(3) Any constitutional changes made by the Junior Proctor since the previous AGM must be approved by a vote at the subsequent AGM;
(4) An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be held at any time during Full Term, or, if necessary, outside Full Term in a format easily accessible to members. It shall be held in Cambridge or online, 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;
(5) The Lord/Lady/Sovereign 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/Lady/Sovereign 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 may be nominated by any member of the Society, including themselves. 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 transferable 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, with approval of at least two-thirds of those present. 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 funds in a suitable location, whether it be in a secure cash float in the care of the Junior Treasurer (Castellan), a banking account with a suitable Bank or Building Society, or a combination thereof;
(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 (Gold Usher) 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 Gold Usher shall not be liable for any financial debt or other obligation of the Society unless they have 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. DISCIPLINARY PROCESSES:
(1) The Society’s only disciplinary sanctions are to expel or to suspend a member whose actions are felt to be such as bring the Society into disrepute, or adversely affect the smooth running of the Society in a major way. Such expulsion or suspension can only be effected by a majority vote of all High Council members, excluding the Gold Usher, as detailed in Section 2.3. 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;
(2) If the excluded or suspended member wishes to appeal the decision, that appeal should be made to the Gold Usher, who will consider all the pacts, and whose decision will be final. An appeal as to the process of exclusion, but not a further investigation into the facts, may be lodged with the Junior Proctor.
8. 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.