EUCC Constitution 2015 - Edinburgh University Chamber Choir

EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY CHAMBER CHOIR CONSTITUTION
Sections
1. Name
2. Aims
3. Membership
4. Artistic Director
5. Committee
6. Finance
7. Policy
8. Dissolution
9. Alteration of the Constitution
10. Rules of Commitment and Behaviour
11. Other
1. Name
1.1 Official Title
i) The Society shall be known as EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY CHAMBER CHOIR, hereinafter
referred to as the Society.
ii) The Society may also be known as EUCC. This Title shall have equal validity to the Title
outlined in Section 1.1(i).
2. Aims
2.1 The aims of the Society shall be
i) To strive for choral excellence through the regular performance of a wide range of choral
music with a tendency to a cappella music. Specifically, the music performed shall be of a
challenging nature from 12th century to the present day.
ii) To provide a platform for singers with a genuine interest in choral music.
iii) To forge links with audiences and the public in Edinburgh through a suitable choice of
programmes contributing to the musical identity and heritage of the City of Edinburgh.
iv) To endeavour to promote the University of Edinburgh’s musical profile at home and
abroad through regular performance and tours.
v) To establish close musical and social ties within the choir.
3. Membership
3.1 Forms of Membership
i) Full membership shall be open to all matriculated students of the University of Edinburgh.
ii) Membership to non-students and/or students who are not matriculated students of the
University of Edinburgh may only be available in exceptional circumstances at the discretion
of the Committee (see section 5) in consultation with the Artistic Director (see section 4).
iii) All members shall pay an annual subscription fee, the rate of which shall be determined
by the Committee. Members who are not matriculated students of the University of
Edinburgh shall pay twice the annual subscription.
iv) Members joining at the start of the academic year shall be expected to pay their
subscription fees by the end of Week 5 of the University’s first semester. Members joining at
the start of the University’s second semester shall be expected to pay their subscription fees
by the end of Week 5 of that semester.
v) Membership of the performing choir shall be open to all matriculated students of the
University of Edinburgh with suitable musical experience. Recruitment will be at the
discretion of the Artistic Director, in agreement with the Committee, and decided through
the process of auditions. At least one member of the Committee shall be present at every
audition.
vi) All members shall be required to re-audition at the beginning of the academic year if they
wish to remain part of the choir. Their auditions shall have the same format as those for new
members.
vii) Membership shall be at least 75% matriculated students of the University of Edinburgh.
viii) The Artistic Director, at their discretion and in consultation with the Committee, may
appoint additional suitable musicians to participate in the performing choir for events, in
exceptional circumstances.
3.2 Membership Entitlements
i) All members shall be entitled to attend all Society events. In the event of limited capacity
for an event, admittance shall be decided on a first come first served basis.
ii) All members shall be entitled to Society privileges such as discount cards, as arranged by
the Committee.
iii) Any soloists from within the choir shall be selected by the Artistic Director, in
consultation with the Committee.
iv) All members shall be given the opportunity, at least once per academic year, to provide
anonymous feedback to the Committee about their experience in the Society.
3.3 Membership Responsibilities
i) Members must not act in a manner which brings the Society, or its reputation, into
disrepute and must act in good faith to the Society.
ii) Members must not cause damage to Society property; this includes venues used by the
Society.
iii) Members must adhere to the rules of commitment and behaviour of the Society outlined
in Section 10.1.
3.4 Breach of Membership Responsibilities
i) The Committee may, at their discretion, issue a verbal warning to any member who does
not adhere to the rules of commitment (see Section 10) or are in breach of the Membership
Responsibilities as outlined in Section 3.3.
ii) If the verbal warning is ignored by said member a subsequent written warning shall be
issued by the Committee.
iii) Members who continue to violate the rules of commitment (see Section 10) or is in
breach of the Membership Responsibilities as outlined in Section 3.3 shall have their
membership withdrawn by the Committee. In such matters, the decision of the Committee,
in consultation with the Artistic Director, is final although such members may have a
subsequent right of appeal to the Societies’ Executive of Edinburgh University Students
Association (EUSA).
4. Artistic Director
4.1 Role of Artistic Director
i) The Artistic Director shall be required to sign a contract at the beginning of the academic
year, prior to the commencement of the role.
ii) The Society will appoint a professional musician as Artistic Director who will be
responsible for rehearsing and conducting the choir, selecting music for performance and
other duties as stipulated in the contract.
iii) The Artistic Director shall not be an office bearer of the Committee but shall have the
opportunity to attend a weekly meeting when invited to do so by the Committee.
5. Management
5.1 The General Committee
i) The positions of the Committee shall be subject to annual election at the Annual General
Meeting by the process of anonymous democratic voting (see section 7.2).
ii) The committee of the Society shall be made up of at least 75% matriculated students of
the University of Edinburgh. In particular the Office Bearers (President, Secretary and
Treasurer) shall all be matriculated students of the University of Edinburgh.
iii) All subscribed members of the Society shall be eligible for election to the Committee.
Committee members shall be eligible for re-election.
iv) No member of the Committee may hold two positions simultaneously.
v) Whereupon a position on the committee becomes vacant, the position may be filled by
co-option of the committee, with the exception of the President. In the event that the
position of President becomes vacant, an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be held to
appoint a new President.
vi) All members of the Committee shall be expected to communicate effectively to the rest
of the Committee and the President and thus shall be expected to check their email
accounts frequently during term-time and as required and possible in vacation-time to
ensure the business of the Society is not held up by a break in communication.
vii) The Committee shall meet frequently for formal meetings to discuss the business of the
Society, and at least once a semester otherwise.
viii) The Committee shall decide the direction of the Society through the process of a
majority vote.
ix) Following the election of the new Committee at the Annual General Meeting, there shall
be an overlap of three weeks’ duration during which time the outgoing office bearers shall
be responsible for ensuring effective and detailed handover of their role to the elected
incomers by holding meetings and initiating shadowing. During this period, the outgoing
members of the Committee may remain in their positions in order to ensure continuation of
the business of the Society and to demonstrate their role to the incoming elected member
under their responsibility. The incumbent Vice President shall remain in their role until after
the society’s annual tour, following which there shall be an overlap of three weeks’ duration
during which they shall hand over their role to the new Vice President.
x) All matters discussed in Committee meetings shall remain confidential.
xi) Committee members who are perceived by a committee majority to be neglecting their
position and responsibilities may be challenged and ultimately removed by a majority vote
of the Committee.
xii) There will be a minimum of 5 members in the Society’s Committee, including a
President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Librarian.
xiii) The Committee shall have the power to create new positions on the Committee as they
deem necessary and in such an instance a General Meeting shall not be required.
xiv) Constitutional review shall be undertaken annually by the Committee.
xv) The Committee may consist of the following positions:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Librarian
Sponsorship Manager
Publicity Manager
Social Secretary
5.2 President
i) The President shall be ultimately responsible for the conduct of the Society. They shall
perform general coordination and communication amongst and between the Artistic
Director, Society members and Committee. They shall be kept informed of all the workings
of the Society and advise or seek advice on those matters without necessarily giving practical
assistance. Specifically, they shall chair all meetings of the Society and choose an
appropriate venue. They shall also compile an agenda in advance of every Committee
meeting. In the event of their absence such meetings shall be chaired by a member of the
Committee chosen by the President. They shall be responsible for arranging the recording of
the society’s two main concerts. The President shall have the deciding vote on all matters
concerning Edinburgh University Chamber Choir.
5.3 Vice President
i) The Vice President shall be responsible to the President for the organisation of Society
tours. They shall also assist other members of the Committee in carrying out their tasks. In
the event whereby the Presidency of the Committee becomes vacant, the Vice President
shall be appointed Acting President by the Committee until the date of the EGM.
5.4 Secretary
i) The Secretary shall be responsible to the President for the administration and
correspondence of the Society. The Secretary shall minute all meetings and circulate said
documents to the Committee. Minutes of every meeting should be available to all members
of the Society upon request. They shall be responsible for the booking of rooms and venues
for auditions, rehearsals and performance on the advice of the incumbent Artistic Director,
manage the email lists and keep an accurate database of the membership. They shall also
assist, to a reasonable level, any member of the Committee in the administration of their
business.
5.5 Treasurer
i) The Treasurer shall be responsible to the President for the finances of the Society. They
shall not be in control of the financial business of the Society but accurately record and
monitor the status of the accounts, reporting as necessary to the Committee. They shall be
in overall charge of collecting all monies owed to the Society, setting deadlines and chasing
debtors as required, and paying out all monies owed by the Society. However, where
another member of the Committee or Society has been in charge of a matter of business,
that member shall be responsible for the same setting of deadlines and chasing debtors,
handing monies over to the Treasurer as produced. The Treasurer shall submit a statement
of accounts for the information of the membership at the Annual General Meeting and at
the end of the Society’s financial year, 30th June, for circulation to the Committee.
Additionally, an annual financial performance analysis shall be conducted for circulation to
the Committee after the Annual General Meeting and before the end of the academic year,
to assess the conduct of the past year’s budget. They shall sign all cheques, the other
signatory being either the President or the Secretary. They shall also propose a budget to the
Committee within four weeks of assuming their position. Other responsibilities of the
Treasurer are outlined in Section 6, Finance.
5.6 Librarian
i) The Librarian shall be responsible to the President for researching the edition of musical
scores for both Society members and orchestra, when applicable, in conjunction with the
Artistic Director. They shall arrange the hiring of all musical scores and any performance
rights. They shall be responsible for the scores and shall ensure their return, replacing copies
when necessary. They shall also keep an accurate catalogue of all music owned by the
Society.
5.7 Publicity Manager
i) The Publicity Manager is responsible to the President for all publicity relating to the
promotion of interest in the Society and its events. They shall also be responsible for
arranging Front of House for concerts. Specifically, they shall be responsible for designing
and producing concert programmes and posters. They shall be in charge of all the society’s
social media accounts, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud. They
shall also be responsible for maintaining the Society’s website.
5.8 Social Secretary
i) The Social Secretary shall be responsible to the President for all aspects of social activities
for the members of the Society, including all socials on tour. Specifically, they shall be
responsible for organising weekly post-rehearsal social events. These should be designed
where possible to provide opportunities for sponsorship, publicity and fundraising.
5.9 Fundraising and Sponsorship Manager
i) The Fundraising and Sponsorship Manager shall be responsible to the President for the
raising of funds to finance the Society and any tours. They shall be in overall charge of the
applications for grants, the organisation of sponsorship and any other methods of
fundraising. Although the budget for concerts and a tour must set the initial target for the
raising of funds, they shall endeavour to raise as much funding as possible for the success of
future concerts and tours and the Society as a whole.
6. Finance
6.1 Financial Policy
i) The Treasurer must endeavour to ensure that the ordinary expenditure of any given year is
not greater than the ordinary income of that year.
ii) The definition of ordinary and extraordinary expenditure shall be the responsibility of
solely the Committee.
6.2 General Finance
i) The Treasurer must propose and present a budget to the Committee within the first four
weeks of his term.
ii) The Financial year shall be from 30th June in order to coincide with the change of
Committee and new financial budget for the year ahead.
iii) The Treasurer must prepare and present the Budget for the Financial Year in progress to
the Annual General Meeting.
iv) The Society shall be non-profit making. Office bearers and members may only receive
payment, direct or indirect, as reimbursement for legitimate expenses, at the discretion of
the Committee.
v) Core income shall be defined as income resulting from membership fees and any other
source deemed relevant by the Committee.
vi) Any reserves at the end of the Financial Year shall be transferred over into reserves for
the following Financial Year.
vii) Any loss transferred into the following Financial Year must be noted and explained at the
Annual General Meeting.
7. Policy
7.1 General Meeting Procedure Policy
i) All members of the Society must receive at least 14 days notification of General Meetings,
including the AGM, and of elections to be held at such meetings. The quorum at General
Meetings shall be 6 members.
ii) The AGM of the Society must take place between week 7 and week 11 of semester 2.
iii) The Society shall also inform the Edinburgh University Student Association (EUSA)
Societies’ Team of the date, time and place of the Society’s AGM.
iv) All voting at the AGM shall be anonymous.
7.2 General Meeting Voting Policy
i) All candidates for Committee positions must be nominated for the relevant position. A
candidate may nominate themselves.
ii) If more than one person is nominated for a position, then each candidate shall give a
speech, not exceeding one minute, explaining why they should be elected. If only one
person is nominated, then they may give a speech if they so wish, but this shall not be
required.
iii) If a candidate wishes to run in absentia, then they must inform the President of this no
fewer than seven days in advance of the General Meeting. They shall submit a speech or
video in support of their candidacy, not exceeding one minute.
iv) Voting shall be conducted anonymously. Members shall have the options to vote for any
candidate; vote to re-open nominations for the position to be filled at a later date; or
abstain. A vote shall be considered conclusive if more than 50% of votes (not including
abstentions) are for one candidate, or to re-open nominations. The President shall not vote
(unless they must use their casting vote – see (vii) and (viii) below).
v) Candidates shall be asked to leave the room during other candidates’ speeches, and
during all voting.
vi) Should the initial vote be inconclusive, the President shall have the opportunity to ask
each candidate up to three further question, before a second vote is held.
vii) Should this second vote be inconclusive, the President shall have the casting vote.
viii) If one or more of the candidates is absent and the initial vote is inconclusive, the
President shall have the casting vote.
7.3 Equal Opportunities Policy
i) The Society has taken and will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that our
meetings, events and socials are accessible to all, irrespective of any disability.
ii) The Society has ensured and will continue to ensure that it complies with any relevant
data protection legislation.
iii) The Society believes that any discrimination or harassment, direct or indirect, based on a
person’s gender, age (except where it relates to licensing laws), race, skin colour, nationality,
religious belief, socio-economic background, disability, HIV status, sexual orientation, gender
reassignment, family situation, domestic responsibilities or any other irrelevant distinction,
is detrimental to the Society, the university and wider society, and will not be tolerated.
8. Dissolution
8.1 Dissolution of the Society
i) The Society shall not be dissolved except by a resolution whereby three quarters of those
present at an Extraordinary General Meeting call for said purpose.
ii) All funds remaining after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities following such a
resolution shall initially be transferred to the Edinburgh University Students Association
(EUSA) Finance Committee to be held in a three-year Suspense account, to be returned to
the Committee should the Society re-form within that time.
iii) In the event whereby the Society has not re-formed within the three year period referred
to in Section 8.1(ii) the remaining funds shall be divided equally between Edinburgh
University Singers and Edinburgh University Renaissance Singers.
9. Amendment of the Constitution
9.1 Alteration
i) Any motion to amend the Constitution shall require a two-thirds majority at a general
meeting.
ii) Any amendment which alters the Society’s tax status shall be notified to H.M. Inspector of
Taxes.
iii) No amendment to Section 8, Dissolution, is permissible.
10. Rules of Commitment and Behaviour
10.1 Attendance
i) Performing members of the Society are required to attend all rehearsals and concerts.
Reasons for missing a rehearsal must be given to the Secretary well in advance of said
absence.
ii) Performing members must be prepared to start the rehearsal at the scheduled time.
Members should aim to arrive 10 minutes before the rehearsal is scheduled to commence.
iii) In the event whereupon a choir member misses 3 rehearsals in a single semester, the
committee shall discuss the member in question and take appropriate action.
10.2 Preparation
i) Music should be prepared, when possible, in advance of the following rehearsal.
10.3 Behaviour
i) In addition to the membership responsibilities mentioned in Section 3.3, members must
behave in a respectful manner towards the Artistic Director and other members during all
rehearsals.
10.4 Concert Dress
i) Members of the Society must adhere to the concert dress regulations as set out in the
rehearsal schedule.
10.5 Music and Folders
i) Members must bring all music and a pencil to all rehearsals.
ii) All music and folders must be treated in a respectful and careful manner.
10.6 Fines
i) Damage to or loss of a concert dress top shall result in a £25 fine.
ii) Damage to or loss of music shall result in a £10 fine per copy or £40 fine per book.
iii) Damage to or loss of a folder shall result in a £25 fine.
11. Other
This amended Constitution was ratified by all members of the Society in attendance (surpassing the
two-thirds majority required) at the Annual General Meeting held on 25 March 2015.