Glasgow University Polish Society Constitution

1. Name

The body will be called Glasgow University Polish Society and will be abbreviated to GUPolSoc.

2. Objectives

1. to promote Polish culture, history and language
2. to promote interaction and synergy between Poles and people interested in Poland
3. to promote cultural links, cultural exchanges and to encourage cultural education for both Polish and non-Polish individuals.
4. to actively represent its members at the University of Glasgow

3. Membership

1. Full membership shall be open to matriculated students of Glasgow University.
2. All others who are interested in furthering the objectives of Glasgow University Polish Society may join as associate members. This includes Glasgow University staff, students from other universities and members of the public.
3. Membership shall run concurrently with the academic year.
4. Membership fees should be reviewed yearly and approved at the AGM.

4. Termination of Membership

Membership is terminated if:
1. The member dies or, if it is an organisation, ceases to exist
2. The member resigns by written notice to Glasgow University Polish Society
3. The member is removed from membership by a resolution of the Board that it is in the best interests of Glasgow University Polish Society that his or her membership is terminated. A resolution to remove a member from membership may only be passed if:
(a) the Board has discussed whether removal of the member is the best action
(b) the member has been given notice at least once of the dissatisfaction of the Board with them
4. The member must be notified of the removal of their membership in a meeting which includes at least the President or Vice President.

5. Management of the Body

1. The society shall be under the democratic control of the membership. This still allows for the membership to delegate finance, etc. to a board, executive or committee
2. Any member who is a matriculated student shall have full voting rights at the General Meeting of the Society.
3. The Society shall have the following office bearers:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Events Coordinator
I.T. Coordinator
Publicity Officer
Project Coordinator
Associate Board Members
4. Roles of the office bearers are defined in appendix 1 and will be agreed to by the relevant persons at the handover meeting. These roles should be evaluated by each board on a yearly basis.
5. The constitution and other important documents must be made available to all members at the beginning of the year and it is the board’s responsibility to ensure the membership is aware of the Glasgow University Polish Society policies

6. Disqualification and removal of a Board member

A board member shall cease to hold office if he or she:
1. becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness, or injury of managing and administering his or her own affairs
2. resigns as a Board member by written notice to Glasgow University Polish Society
3. is absent without notifying the Board from three consecutive meetings and the Board resolve that his or her office be vacated.
4. is removed from holding the office by a resolution of the Board that it is in the best interests of Glasgow University Polish Society that his or her membership is terminated. A resolution to remove a Board member from the Board may only be passed if:
(a) the Board has discussed whether removal of the Board member is the best action
(b) the Board member has been given notice at least once of the dissatisfaction of the Board with them
(c) at least 66% of the Board members voted for the removal of the Board member
4. The Board member must be notified of the removal of their Board membership in a meeting which includes at least the President or Vice President.

7. Arrangements for holding meetings

1. Meetings will be held weekly. The times and venues will be announced at the start of the term.
2. At least one Coordinator should be at each meeting unless they have explained to the board the reason for their absences.
3. Project Coordinator or Associate Board Members delegated to coordinate projects should meet with volunteers of projects on a regular basis, in accordance with the volunteer/co-ordinator agreements

8. Arrangements for voting office bearers

1. Office bearers shall be elected by the membership at the Annual General Meeting or at a special general meeting called to elect a replacement during the event of a vacancy. This does not exclude a possibility of electing the office bearers by means of remote or online voting provided that the members of the board have approved those forms of voting. A majority is required to approve those forms of voting.
2. Any member or associate member of the society is entitled to stand for a position, unless ineligible because it is reserved in order to secure representation for particular sections of the membership or in the case of outstanding debts. No full member or associate member shall be barred from standing for office in the society unless the position is in existence for particular groups.
3. The Annual General Meeting, at which office bearers shall be elected, and the society's accounts submitted and approved by the membership shall be called with not less than 10 working day's notice to the membership. The membership will be given a financial statement on the year's accounts. Reasonable notice will be given by posters or a mailing.

9. Finance and Fundraising

1. All money donated to the body will be considered as Unrestricted Founds and will be used to cover expenses of Glasgow University Polish Society – for example costs of printing and photocopying, and costs resulting from publicising the society and from holding fundraising events.
2. No money will be paid to any of the members or office bearers as a salary.
3. All work carried out by members, volunteers and office bearers will be entirely voluntary and charitable.
4. Expenses will be discussed by the membership, as they arise, at any of the weekly meetings.
5. Any expenses will be agreed on by a majority of the members of the Board present and cheques will be counter-signed by two office bearers.
6. Accounts will be managed by the treasurer and made available at every weekly meeting for the inspection of any of the members.
7. Under no circumstance is a Glasgow University Polish Society project to open a bank account without the knowledge of the board and the supervision of the board treasurer.

10. Amendments to the Constitution

1. The membership may amend the constitution at the Annual General Meeting. A majority is required to amend the constitution.
2. On receipt of a petition signed by 10 per cent of the membership, the Secretary shall give five working days notice of a Special General Meeting to consider submitted constitutional amendments.
3. The constitution will be reviewed by the board once a year so as to ensure it remains a working document.
4. Policies created by the board may be implemented under the condition of a majority board vote until the next available AGM if they are unable to arrange an SGM.

11. Dissolution

1. Any residuary assets held by the body after dissolution will be devolved to Wielka Orkiestra Swiatecznej Pomocy foundation.
2. If the members resolve to dissolve Glasgow University Polish Society the Board will remain in office as Glagow University Polish Society Board members for an additional six months and be responsible for winding up the affairs Glasgow University Polish Society.

Appendix 1

Office Bearer’s Roles

So long as all responsibilities are fulfilled, aspects of office bearer’s roles can be delegated to other board members.
Apart from Associate Board Members, all board members are obliged to attend weekly board meetings.

President’s role

To chair weekly committee meetings
To arrange clothing and other merchandising unless these matters have been delegated to another member of the board.
To associate the Glasgow University Polish Society with the SRC and the QM at the beginning of each year unless a decision through an AGM has been made to do otherwise.
To look for further funding for the Glasgow University Polish Society.
To oversee and support all members of the Board in their roles.
This includes
*Helping with any group issues (eg a disruptive volunteer)
*Ensuring board members have followed through in their tasks
To ensure that Fresher’s fair events are organized.
To act as a GuPolSoc’s spokesperson vis-a-vis external organisations, inter alias the University of Glasgow and the SRC.
To oversee the treasure and ensure that fundraising and all monetary affairs are in line with SRC recommendations.

Vice President’s role

To support the president in overseeing the GuPolSoc’s activity. This includes
*Helping with any group issues (eg a disruptive volunteer)
*Ensuring Board Members have followed through in their tasks
*Dealing with any tasks related to the organization of the Fresher’s fair
To ensure that the society is sustaining relationships with other societies and seek opportunities for further development as well as the expansion of the network of such relationships.
To ensure that documents that are to be dispersed throughout the Glasgow University Polish Society are prepared unless this has been delegated to another member of Glasgow University Polish Society (e.g. copies of the constitution, project booklets etc).
To act as the Glasgow University Polish Society President provided that the most recently elected President is temporarily unavailable to meet the requirements of one’s role or has been removed from holding one’s office.

Secretary’s role

To take minutes at the Board Meetings and to email minutes to the members of the board within 48 hours after every meeting.
To arrange and ensure there is a room booked for the weekly board meetings.
To assist in any decisions made by the executive board members.
To assist in creating links for the Glasgow University Polish Society with other organisations (eg websites, societies etc).
To keep some contact with suppliers throughout the year to ensure that their details are stored in an accessible place (e.g. photocopy shop, clothing suppliers etc).
To keep the record of up to date list of GuPolSoc’s members and associated members and their contact details.

Treasurer’s role

To maintain accounts for the Glasgow University Polish Society and ensure that the board is aware of financial issues.
To ensure that Glasgow University Polish Society’s accounts are in accordance with SRC recommendations.
To take membership fees and proceedings from events and socials.
To give a financial statement on the year's accounts at the society’s AGM. Advance copies of this financial statement should be sent to all board members at least 3 days prior to the AGM.
To promote the idea of membership among students and potential associated members.

Event Coordinator’s role

To create the Events Calendar at the beginning of each semester.
To inform the board of any incoming events
To plan and organize events throughout the year
To sustain and organize Pub Nights and Movie Nights
To consult financial aspects of every event with the Treasurer

I.T. Coordinator role

To inform the board of any changes made to the website or email account.
To maintain the website and email account.
To ensure, with the treasurer, that all payments for the maintenance of the website and other I.T related activities are paid on time and without deficit.
To ensure that information on how to access the website and email account is made available to the people whom it may concern (eg. Board Members etc)
To remain in contact with the University of Glasgow IT Services and to ensure that all changes made to the website are consistent with the IT Services recommendations.

Project Coordinator’s roles

Provided that the Board has not decided otherwise, to ensure that projects such as PLUMP, Second Language First Aid, Weekly Football Sessions and Discover Scotland Trips are maintained throughout the year
To seek opportunities for the development of projects
To ensure any relevant information from the board is relayed to volunteers and vice versa
To guide volunteers in their experiences and to contribute to the preparation of volunteers for the project they are intend to participate in.
To edit and publish the Glasgow University Polish Society Booklet at the beginning of each academic year. In order to guide the Project Coordinator in editing the Glasgow University Polish Society Booklet, the Board will decide upon the content of the Glasgow University Polish Society Booklet at least one month before the start of each academic year

Publicity Officer’s roles

To be held responsible for all matters of publicity for Glasgow University Polish Society
To ensure that the Glasgow University Polish Society logo and name is used appropriately
To assist with publicising events for individual projects should they need it.
To liaise with organisations, businesses, and the SRC with regards to matters of publicity of Glasgow University Polish Society

Associate Board Member’s roles

Upon at least one week’s notice to attend weekly meeting if requested by the Board
To deal with any mutually agreed upon task as assigned by the board of Glasgow University Polish Society