Constitution

Updated

As a society under The University of Manchester Student Union, we're committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive community for all of our members. Our constitution outlines the principles and guidelines that help us maintain a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment where everyone can enjoy hiking and socialising together. These rules ensure fair participation in our activities, from weekend hikes to social events, while protecting the interests of all members. Whether you're a committee member or a general society member, understanding our constitution helps create the positive community experience we're all here for.

1. Name

The society shall be called University of Manchester Hiking Club, hereafter called 'the society'.

2. Formation

The society was formed by the merger of MUHC and UHMC, in accordance with resolutions of general meetings of those clubs on 18th October 2004 and 18th March 2004.

3. Aims and Objectives

  1. To promote interest in hiking, camping, and mountaineering by arranging day hikes, weekend trips, holiday trips, and social functions.
  2. To encourage safe and considerate practice amongst members.
  3. To encourage the continuation and development of the society members’ knowledge and skills.

4. Membership

  1. Membership is open to all students of the University of Manchester, and to any other person who supports the aims and objectives of the society.
    Associate membership shall be open to all non-members of UMSU but shall not exceed 25% of the membership.
    Membership shall not be open to minors without the express written permission of a parent or guardian.
    Honorary life members may be elected at a general meeting by a majority vote and thereafter shall pay members’ prices for all trips but shall not pay membership fees. However, if life members wish to be included on the society's BMC membership list, they are required to cover the cost of this. In addition, life members of MUHC shall be life members of the society.
    Membership shall only be open to those who accept that hiking, mountaineering, and climbing are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants of events shall be aware of and accept these risks, act according to the Code of Conduct, and agree to be responsible for their own actions and involvements.

5. Membership and Participation

  1. Agreement to the terms listed below is constituted by the purchase of a ticket, payment of a deposit, addition to an event sign-up list, or attendance at any event officially promoted by the society.
    1. Hiking, mountaineering, and climbing are activities with a danger of personal injury or death, and therefore the participant will act in accordance with the society’s Code of Conduct.
    2. Participants are entirely responsible for their actions and understand that the society’s committee may take action(s) against them in line with what is laid out in this constitution if they believe they acted in a way that goes against what is expected of them in this constitution.
    3. All participants hold the entire responsibility for the actions they take at events with the society.
    4. Participants retain ultimate responsibility for their own decisions throughout any society event, regardless of any guidance received. Individual leaders or committee members of the society hold no liability for injury, loss, or damage arising from their guidance or the participant’s actions.
    5. Each participant is responsible for honestly assessing their own fitness and ability before participating in any event.
    6. Refunds are only available where the spot can be reassigned to another participant, or where the committee believes a refund is warranted under the disciplinary procedure outlined in section 11. The committee shall do whatever reasonably possible to reassign the participant’s place. No other refund entitlement exists.
    7. All participants must disclose any medical conditions or physical limitations to the society and/or trip or hike leader before participating in an event where such conditions may be relevant to safe participation. Participants must also inform a leader if their condition changes at any point during an event.
    8. The committee reserves the right to refuse entry to or remove any participant from an event at any time for safety or conduct reasons, without refund.

6. Subscriptions

The subscription for full and associate membership shall be an amount determined annually by the committee and must be paid in full before any person becomes a member.

7. Committee

  1. Being a member of the committee brings about the following general responsibilities, as well as those specific to each role
    1. Contributing to the general organisation of the society as part of a team.
    2. Promoting the society and maintaining a positive image of it and its members.
    3. Doing their best to help society members, both on hikes and with general hiking requests.
    4. To not abuse the privileges of the position and always give priority to ordinary members, especially those who are also volunteering their time.
  2. The committee positions of the society shall be:
    • Chair
    • Vice-Chair
    • Secretary
    • Treasurer
    • Hike Secretary (2 Posts)
    • Weekend Secretary (2 Posts)
    • Publicity Secretary
    • Social Secretary (2 Posts)
    • Equipment Secretary
    • Website Secretary
    • Inclusion Officer
    • Training and Safety Secretary
    • Food Secretary
    • Fun Secretary

All elected committee members should be University of Manchester students, unless given special dispensation by the Student Union.

Each elected officer post is one year.

  1. The roles of the positions are defined as the following:
    1. The Chair shall take the chair at all meetings at which they are present and shall be available in person when necessary to ensure the smooth running of the society.
    2. The Vice-Chair coordinates the work of the Hikes Secretaries and will stand in for the Chair when the Chair is absent.
    3. The Secretary shall keep a record of all the proceedings and attendances at all meetings, keep the membership records, and report membership numbers to the BMC and UMSU when necessary.
    4. The Treasurer shall keep the books and accounts and enter therein all financial transactions. They must be prepared to produce a financial statement at any general meeting or committee meeting at least once per session. Thirdly, the Treasurer is responsible for the payment of BMC membership.
    5. The Inclusion Officer shall be responsible for ensuring all members can partake in all events, all members’ wellbeing, and shall act as the main point of contact for anyone seeking help or advice. In addition, they will be responsible for dealing with any sensitive issues that might arise from complaints to do with inclusions and exclusions.
    6. The Hike Secretaries shall organise the day hikes and scrambles and shall give notice of routes to members. They shall also organise the booking of coaches, including the drop-offs and collection points, for the day hikes. They shall be responsible for passing on this information to the trip leader.
    7. The Weekend Secretaries shall be responsible for organising weekend trips.
    8. The Publicity Secretary shall be responsible for publicising hikes, socials, and any other society events.
    9. The Social Secretaries shall organise social events.
    10. The Equipment Secretary shall be responsible for the purchase, safekeeping, loaning, and upkeep of the society's equipment.
    11. The Website Secretary shall be responsible for the maintenance and development of the society's website and mailing list.
    12. The Training and Safety Secretary shall organise events for members that will further their hiking skills and regularly updating the society’s risk assessments, and any other safety documents related to the club, and ensuring all activities are as safe and accessible as possible
    13. The Food Secretary shall be responsible for the organisation and preparation of food on any society activity where food is provided
    14. The Fun Secretary shall be an advisory and honorary member of the committee. They should be long term and a respected member of the club, able to provide their experience and generally help with club activities. They should also be of jolly disposition and endeavour to bring warmth, welcome and fun to the society.
  2. These positions shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall constitute the committee. Positions that are vacant can be elected at an Extraordinary General Meeting.
  3. No less than six committee members shall be full members of the society.
  4. The committee shall have the power to co-opt additional persons onto the committee to perform a specific duty, until such time as their specific duty is completed. Co-opted members shall contribute to quorum and shall be allowed to vote at committee meetings.
  5. The role of Fun Sec has a unique succession, working on a hand me down basis, where one Fun Sec nominates the next. The attendees of the general meeting vote yes or no. Upon a no vote, the Fun Secretary must nominate a new member for a new vote, or the position is opened up to general application.

8. Committee Meetings

  1. The quorum at committee meetings shall be eight.
  2. The chair shall, in the case of equal voting on any matter, have the casting vote.
  3. There shall be at least one committee meeting per term.
  4. The time and place of every committee meeting shall be posted on the society's website, social media, and/or mailing list in advance.
  5. All committee meetings shall be open to any society member to attend and speak, but not to vote, on any matter.
  6. The minutes from the previous meeting shall be posted on the society's website at the request of any member.
  7. Any committee member who is absent from three consecutive meetings without offering an acceptable reason will have a vote of no confidence, if the Inclusion Officer hasn’t been able to open successful dialogue after the second missed meeting. After the second missed meeting, there should be some dialogue as to why and the Inclusion Officer will contact them to see if any further support is needed.

An Officer may be removed from their position by a vote of no confidence. A vote of no confidence may be made by the Society’s Committee by a 75% majority or by a general meeting of that Society by a simple majority.

A vote of no confidence will only be valid if:

  1. The Officer who is to be removed is given at least two weeks’ notice of the meeting where the decision is to be made
  2. The Officer who is removed has the right to speak at the meeting where the decision is to be made, and has the right to have a statement circulated to the members of that meeting in advance
  3. The vote is taken by a secret ballot

9. General Meetings

  1. Only full, associate, and honorary life members may vote at a general meeting.
  2. The quorum at a general meeting shall be twenty members, including committee members, or one third of the full membership, whichever is the smaller.
  3. Notice of meetings shall be placed on the society's website, social media, and/or mailing list, announcing the date, time and place of the meeting and the agenda thereof - at least seven days before a general meeting and two weeks before the Annual General Meeting.
  4. The Annual General Meeting shall be held before the Easter holiday and shall transact the following business:
    1. Approval of the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and any subsequent general meetings.
    2. Amendments to the constitution
    3. Approval of the chair's annual report.
    4. Approval of the annual accounts presented by the treasurer.
    5. Election of committee members for the following year, honorary life members, and any elected awards
    6. Any other business the meeting wishes to conduct.
  5. Voting for committee members and constitutional amendments shall be done by secret ballot, voting cards with the candidates’ names and amendments being drawn up prior to the meeting. In the event of a tie, the vote should either be re-opened or a coin toss held.
  6. Before the election of each position, there shall be speeches in support of each candidate by their proposer, and then by the candidate, who shall outline reasons for standing, etc. and shall also be prepared to answer any reasonable questions which may be put to themselves (the number of questions being at the discretion of the chair).
  7. The fictitious person 'RON' shall be added as a nominee to all positions and if elected will trigger reopening of nominations for that position. The position shall be re-advertised to the membership and an Extraordinary General Meeting held at a later date, as decided by the committee.
  8. Any person can stand for and hold multiple positions. This is dependent upon their secondary position(s) being uncontested at the general meeting. In addition, a maximum of one position from: Chair, Treasurer or Inclusion Officer may be held by a single person.
  9. In the event of a candidate failing to be elected to a position, they can be nominated at the time of the AGM for any other unfilled post, without being declared earlier. If there is no such candidate willing to fill an unfilled position, a member of the general membership may stand for the unfilled position at the AGM.
  10. Any person otherwise entitled to vote who cannot attend a general meeting because of their prior commitments is entitled to a proxy vote as of right, with their proxy being a full member. Proxy votes must be submitted via the published method (e.g. an online form, notifying the secretary via email, etc.) with no less than twenty-four hours notice before the published start time of the general meeting. A proxy vote holder may not hold or cast more than two proxy votes in addition to their own. Verbal proxy claims will not be accepted.
  11. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called at the request of the committee or by petition of at least one third of the full membership, or twenty members, whichever is the smaller.

10. Amendments to the Constitution

  1. For the constitution to be amended, a member must propose, and another member second said amendment, at least one week before the general meeting. The list of amendments must be published to the membership before the general meeting. Before voting on the amendment, the proposer must outline reasons for the amendment and shall also be prepared to answer any reasonable questions which may be put to them (the number of questions being at the discretion of the chair).
  2. The constitution may only be amended by a two-thirds majority at a general meeting.
  3. Any amendments to the constitution must comply with the Society By-Laws

11. Discipline

  1. This section applies to all individuals at society events, regardless of whether they hold formal membership of the society. A “society event” is defined as the continuous period from the designated meeting time until the final dismissal of any activity organised, funded, or officially promoted by the society.
  2. In order to promote safety, the committee may take disciplinary action against any individual who breaches the society’s Code of Conduct, or otherwise acts in a manner that endangers the safety or wellbeing of themselves, other individuals, or the natural environment.
  3. Conduct occurring outside of a society event may also be subject to disciplinary action where it can be reasonably determined that it may directly impact the involvement of another participant in society events.
  4. A formal complaint may be submitted to the Inclusions Officer and will be handled in collaboration with the Chair to provide fair and unbiased judgement and adjudication where necessary. They shall be referred to as the adjudicators below. In the event that either may hold bias, they shall recuse themselves from all involvement in the matter and an alternate member of the society’s committee shall take their place.
  5. The accused and complainant shall have the following rights throughout all proceedings:
    1. To have full details of the specific offence alleged.
    2. To have reasonable opportunity to put their case orally to those adjudicating at a private meeting.
    3. To have all details of the complaint, disciplinary process, and result kept entirely private from third parties by all parties involved, except where it’s reasonably deemed that disclosure is necessary.
    4. To be notified of the complaint and informed of the full process in reasonable time before adjudicators convene.
    5. To have a full record of evidence, perspectives, and reasoning behind the finding, recorded and retained privately, and securely by the adjudicators.
    6. To make an appeal to the UMSU Groups Team if they feel the outcome or process was not handled fairly. Any sanctions will remain in force during the appeals process unless UMSU directs otherwise.
  6. A complainant who reasonably feels unable to attend a society event as a result of a complaint is entitled to a refund for that event regardless of the outcome of any disciplinary adjudication.
  7. For matters of serious misconduct, such as but not limited to sexual harassment, physical assault, or any conduct that may constitute a criminal offence. The matter shall be referred to the UMSU Groups Team and the University’s Report and Support Service must be notified. The accused shall be subject to an automatic precautionary ban from society events until a verdict is determined. This is a protective measure and does not constitute a guilty verdict.
  8. The power to expel members lies only with the current Activities and Culture Executive Officer.

12. Property and Dissolution

  1. All property is ultimately the property of UMSU.
  2. In the event of dissolution of the society, or if it shall have failed to meet during any period of 12 consecutive months, the said property, subject to the payment of any liabilities of the society and a right of the Treasurer to indemnify themself against any liabilities properly incurred by themself as Treasurer, be vested in the UMSU.
  3. The society can be dissolved by two thirds majority vote carried out in accordance with section 6 of this constitution.