CAMBRIGE UNIVERSITY MORAL SCIENCES CLUB:
CONSTITUTION
(updated November 2019)
1. NAME:
The name of the Society shall be “The Moral Sciences Club” hereafter referred to as “the Society”.
2. OBJECTS:
The Society’s aims shall be the periodical discussion of philosophical subjects, introduced by the delivery of original or communicated papers or by such other methods as may from time to time be devised.
3. MEMBERSHIP:
(1) Membership of the Society shall be open to all members of the University and any others that have an interest in its aims at the discretion of the Executive Committee. There may be different subscription rates for different categories of membership;
(2) The Society may offer Life Membership and Honorary Membership on such terms as it may decide;
(3) The Executive Committee may expel any member whose conduct seems likely to bring the Society into disrepute. Such expulsion shall be undertaken in accordance with Section 8, and is subject to confirmation at the next General Meeting of the Society. Any person expelled shall have the right of appeal to the Senior Treasurer.
4. THE EXECUTIVE 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);
(2) The Executive Committee shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary or Secretaries, and Junior Treasurer, who shall be elected by the members as in 4(1). In addition there shall be a Senior Treasurer, who shall be a member of the Regent House, or other person approved by the Junior Proctor. The Senior Treasurer shall be appointed by the elected members of the Executive Committee and shall be ex officio a member of the Executive Committee.
(3) The President and Vice-President shall be senior members of the University. They shall between them ensure that one of them or a suitable deputy takes the chair at meetings. The Senior Treasurer shall inspect and report on the accounts. He or she shall be a senior member of the University. The Secretaries and Junior Treasurer shall decide the programme of speakers, arrange their accommodation in consultation with the other Officers, and reimburse their reasonable travelling expenses. They shall publicise the meetings, keep minutes, collect subscriptions and keep the accounts, and pass on to the next Secretaries the records and information needed for the efficient running of the Club. The Secretaries shall affix a copy of the current Rules to the front of each new Minute Book, and shall deposit completed Minute Books with the Club's collection in the University Archives.
(4) A majority of the elected members of the Executive Committee shall be full-time undergraduate or postgraduate students of the University;
(5) Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be chaired by the President or in his or her absence the Vice-President. If neither the President nor Vice-President is present, the remaining members shall elect a chairperson for that meeting. The quorum for a meeting of the Executive Committee shall be three members and a written record of each meeting shall be kept.
5. GENERAL MEETINGS:
(1) The Society shall hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) during each Academical year. The AGM shall be held in Cambridge during Easter Full Term. All Members, other than Honorary 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 AGM shall approve Minutes of the last General Meeting and the Society’s Accounts for the preceding year, elect the Executive Committee for the year ahead and conduct such other business as is necessary;
(3) Candidates for election to office shall be proposed and seconded by two other members. Every motion at a General Meeting shall be proposed and seconded by two 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 Transferable Vote;
(4) 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. Twenty-one 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 President or in his or her absence the Vice-President shall take the Chair at any General Meeting. In the absence of the President and Vice-President the meeting shall elect a Chairperson for that meeting. The quorum for a General Meeting shall be five members and a written record of every General Meeting shall be kept.
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 Junior Treasurer to ensure that monies received are properly accounted for, and that the Society’s financial records are kept in good order. In particular, the Junior Treasurer shall ensure continuity of Cambridge resident signatories for any bank accounts held by the Society;
(3) The Senior Treasurer shall make arrangements for the Society’s Accounts to be properly audited, either by himself or herself, 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 Executive Committee to ensure that the Society complies with the requirements for Registration as a University Society.
7. CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION:
The Constitution may be amended at a General Meeting, with approval of at least two thirds of those present. No amendment to this Constitution intended to remove the position of Senior Treasurer, to alter its prerogatives and duties, or to change the criteria and procedure for the appointment of a Senior Treasurer can be put to a vote without the prior written agreement of the Junior Proctor of the University of Cambridge.
8. DISCIPLINARY PROCESSES:
The Society’s only disciplinary sanctions are to expel or to suspend a member whose actions are felt to be such as to bring the Society into disrepute, or to 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 Executive Committee members, excluding the Senior Treasurer. 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. He/she will not be entitled to any full or partial refund of annual subscriptions;
If the excluded or suspended member wishes to appeal the decision, that appeal should be made to the Senior Treasurer, who will consider all the facts, 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.
9. 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 Societies’ Syndicate.
