CompSoc » The Society Constitution

The Society Constitution

Throughout this constitution the use of the male and/or female pronoun is not intended to indicate any form of gender bias, and their use should be taken to be inclusive.

1. Name

  1. The Society shall be named "Oxford University Computer Society".
  2. This shall normally be abbreviated to "CompSoc".

2. Functions

  1. To promote the use of IT, computers and the Internet within the University.
  2. To facilitate the exchange of information and expertise between Members of the Society.
  3. To organise speaker meetings, lectures, "hands on" sessions and social events.

3. The Committee

  1. The Committee shall consist of between three and ten Members of the Society. In addition the Senior Member shall be an ex officio member of the committee. The committee shall be responsible for the running of the Society.

  2. The Committee shall include the following officers:

    1. The President, to preside over meetings, to authorise all expenditure and ultimately be responsible for the running of the Society.
    2. The Secretary, to take minutes at meetings, deal with Society correspondence and stand in for the President when necessary.
    3. The Treasurer, to maintain the accounts of the Society, report to the members thereon, and to stand in for the Secretary when necessary.

  3. The Officers shall be elected from the Resident Ordinary Membership in Hilary Term, for a period of one year. Should an Officer be unable to continue, a replacement shall be elected at the next General Meeting, until which time the committee may temporarily appoint a replacement. Ex-Presidents of the Society may sit on the Committee (ex officio), in addition to the normal Committee Members, at the committee's discretion.

  4. The Senior Member shall be a member of Congregation of the University of Oxford. His duties are to preserve the interests of Oxford University and to audit the Society's accounts at his discretion.
  5. Should it be deemed necessary, the Committee may create additional posts up to the maximum provided for in section 3.1. These posts shall be either co-opted by the committee or elected by the membership at a general meeting, at the discretion of the committee.

4. Membership

  1. There shall be 3 forms of Membership of the Society: Ordinary Membership, Associate Membership and Society Affiliate Membership.
  2. Ordinary Members shall be Matriculated Members of Oxford University. The membership fee for Ordinary Members shall be fixed by the committee.
  3. Associate Members are those individual members who are not Matriculated Members of the University of Oxford. Associate Members may attend meetings but may not be elected to the Society Committee, nor may they vote at general meetings. The membership fee for Associate Members shall be fixed by the Committee. Associate Members shall be proposed by a Member of the Society. The total number of Associate Members shall not exceed one-fifth of the total membership.
  4. Society Affiliate Members are Groups or Societies that are registered with the Proctors of Oxford University who wish to become affiliated on an annual basis with CompSoc. They may nominate a certain number of named members, (the number to be agreed between the societies annually, and changes in the list of names to be notified to Compsoc before the term in which it is to take effect, or by mutual agreement). These individuals, subject to the agreement of the committee, may attend meetings, but may not be elected to the Society Committee nor may they vote at general meetings (unless otherwise entitled to do so). The membership fee may vary from society to society at the discretion of the committee and is payable annually.
  5. The Committee may refuse application for Membership, if there is reasonable cause.
  6. Members shall not in any way bring The Society or The University of Oxford into disrepute.
  7. If a member is deemed, by agreement of The Committee and The Senior Member, to have infringed the rules of membership of The Society then they may be expelled from The Society, forfeiting any membership fees paid and benefits gained through membership.

5. General Meetings

  1. There shall be at least one General Meeting each Term.
  2. All types of Member may question Officers of the Society at a General Meeting.
  3. The quorum for a General Meeting shall be eight Members or ten percent of the Resident Ordinary Membership, whichever shall be greater, but not more than twenty-five. The General Meeting must include at least two Committee Members.
  4. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the committee, giving at least 72 hours notice. The quorum for an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be the same as that for any other General Meeting.
  5. The committee may be compelled to call an Extraordinary General Meeting by a petition supported by the same number of people as would form a quorum at a general meeting. Such a meeting must be called for a time within 10 full term days after the recipt of such a petition by the committee. No member may support such a petition twice in one term.
  6. Candidates for posts shall be proposed and seconded by ordinary Members of the Society before the commencement of the relevant General Meeting, with the proposer and seconder being present at the General Meeting. A system of simple majority voting shall be used.

6. Network

  1. The Society Network shall be deemed to consist of all computer and network equipment which is the property of the Society.

  2. The Committee shall appoint a team of System Administrators for the Society Network who shall be responsible for:

    1. Maintenance and development of the Society Network.
    2. Defining system usage policy and working with the Committee to enforce the requirements therein.
    3. Handling enquiries related to the Society Network.

  3. From the System Administration Team, the Committee shall appoint a System Administration Coordinator who shall be responsible for representing the System Administration Team at a Committee level.

7. Dissolution

  1. On dissolution, the assets of the Society shall be first used to repay, in proportion to the amount owed, any debts that the society may have or any grant that has been made to the society that the Committee considers has not yet been used for its intended purpose. Any remaining assets shall then be divided equally amongst the resident ordinary membership.
  2. The Committee shall be responsible for liquidating any fixed assets and distributing the proceeds from liquidation in accordance with clause 7.1 above.

8. University Regulations

  1. The Society shall at all times be administered in accordance with the regulations for University Clubs and Societies as published in the current edition of The Proctors' and Assessor's Memorandum .

9. Constitution

  1. This Constitution may only be amended by a two thirds majority at a General Meeting.
  2. If constitutional changes are to be proposed at a General Meeting, the fact that the changes are proposed and the nature of the changes shall be notified to the members at least two days before the meeting.

Constitutional History

This Constitution was accepted at a General Meeting of Microsoc, held on Thursday 16th November, 1978.

Amended:

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