From the CUEWB Constitution,
"The society, which shall be called "Cambridge University Education Without Borders" for operational and marketing purposes, shall hereafter be referred to as "the Society" or "CUEWB". The Society shall exist to share educational resources worldwide and break the barrier between academics and industry in order to create a better understanding between the business world and the student community of Cambridge University. The Society shall achieve the aim through a broad programme of events. The Society is a branch of Education Without Borders Organization ("EWBO"), which is a registered non-profit company in England and Wales with company registration number 6511830."
Read more for the full text.
Cambridge University Education Without Borders (CUEWB) Constitution
November 2008
1. The Society
1.1 The society, which shall be called "Cambridge University Education Without Borders" for operational and marketing purposes, shall hereafter be referred to as "the Society" or "CUEWB".
1.2 The Society shall exist to share educational resources worldwide and break the barrier between academics and industry in order to create a better understanding between the business world and the student community of Cambridge University.
1.3 The Society shall achieve the aim set out in 1.2 through a broad programme of events.
1.4 The Society is a branch of Education Without Borders Organization ("EWBO"), which is a registered non-profit company in England and Wales with company registration number 6511830. The fund is centrally managed by EWBO and will be allocated to CUEWB according to its need, subject to approval by EWBO.
2. Membership
2.1 Membership of the Society shall be open to all members of Cambridge University.
2.2 The Committee at all times reserves the right to refuse and terminate membership of the Society.
2.3 Life membership of the Society is defined as the uninterrupted period that a member remains a student within Cambridge University. Periods away from the University as part of a student's course requirement are deemed to be study within the University.
2.4 All other conditions of membership shall be determined by the Committee.
3. The Committee
3.1 The Society Committee will consist only of the Executive Committee, the Steering Committee and the Senior Treasurer.
3.2 Executive Committee
3.2.1. The Executive Committee consists of the following officers:
* Project Leader
* Secretary
* Junior Treasurer
* Sponsorship Officer
* Publicity Officer
3.2.2 The Project Leader, Secretary, Junior Treasurer, Sponsorship Officer, and Publicity Officer are hereafter collectively referred to as the "Top Five Officers".
3.2.3 The roles of the Top Five Officers will be determined by the Committee to fulfil the objectives of the Society. The need for additional officers will be reviewed by the existing committee.
3.3 Steering Committee
3.3.1 The Steering Committee consists of 3 to 4 officers from EWBO.
3.3.2 The Steering Committee provides top-down management to the Society and is responsible for giving advices to the Society and to ensure its smooth operation and organisations.
3.4 The Senior Treasurer
3.4.1 The Senior Treasurer must be a resident member of the Senate (for example, a College Fellow, University officer or some other person of at least MA standing in the University.
3.4.2 The Senior Treasurer oversees the activities of the Society and provides essential continuity in the Society's administration, including signing the annual accounts before submitted to the Junior Proctor.
3.5 The quorum for a meeting of the Committee will be two thirds of all officers.
3.6 All committee members as defined above are eligible to vote on committee matters. See Section 6 for committee election rules.
3.7 Committee decisions related to a particular project will be reached by a simple majority of all officers present subject to the provisions of the constitution. If the vote is tied the Project Leader will have the casting vote.
3.8 Sub-committees and posts within sub-committees may be created at the discretion of the Committee.
3.9 Officers of the Committee who are unable to attend a committee meeting will be entitled to vote by proxy. The name of the proxy must be given to the Steering Committee prior to the meeting.
3.10 An officer leaving the Committee is responsible for ensuring that any successor fully understands the responsibilities of that position and also passing all the relevant documents to the successor. The leaving officer also has to inform his/her contacts about the newly elected successor.
3.11 Executive power within the Society will reside in the Committee subject to the provisions of the constitution.
3.12 All matters pertaining to the Society shall be treated as confidential.
4. The Advisory Board
The Society has an advisory board. The Executive Committee of the Society may seek advices, guidance, and support from the advisors if necessary.
5. Computing Facilities
5.1 Only Committee members are to be allowed access to the shared computer file space available.
5.2 It is the responsibility of each committee member to ensure the security of the shared file space. Attention is drawn to the confidential nature of the membership database and Society accounts.
5.3 The shared file space may only be used for the Society related files.
5.4 The Secretary will be responsible for the maintenance of the file space.
5.5 Email to the entire membership must be sent by one of the Top Five Officers, or by their direct approval.
6. Elections to Officer Positions
6.1 Elections will be advertised to the membership as a whole in advance of the event.
6.2 The elections will be for the immediately succeeding period of office.
6.3 All of the Committee posts will be deemed vacant for the elections.
6.4 A secret ballot will be held to determine the allocation of the officers' positions, the result of which will be decided by a two-round system. The first round will consist of a simple vote. The two candidates gaining the highest votes will then enter into a second round where the result will be determined by a simple majority. In the event of a candidate in the first round achieving more than fifty percent of the vote, or there being less than three candidates, there will be only one round, determined by a simple majority. If the voting is tied in any way the Steering Committee will have the casting vote(s). The Steering Committee will count the ballots. The count will not be announced and may not be asked for.
6.5 Those eligible to vote will be any officer or assistant who has attended a minimum of four meetings (see 6.10) since the previous election. In the case where this is not possible, those eligible to vote will be the officers and assistants who have attended the maximum number of meetings possible. The Steering Committee will not vote unless the voting is tied (see 6.4).
6.6 Any officer position may be held for successive terms of office by the same person with the proviso that the officer is re-elected.
6.7 It is the duty of the Committee to ensure that any officer positions still vacant after the elections, or which subsequently become vacant, are filled subject to the above election procedure.
6.8 In the event of the Project Leader being unable to perform his/her duties the team will decide to elect a representative who will exercise all the functions of the Project Leader.
6.9 Subject to the provisions of the constitution, electoral procedure will be at the discretion of the Steering Committee.
6.10 For the purposes of the constitution, a meeting will be defined as a meeting held inside Full Term, at which all committee members are asked to be present. If at any point during the meeting an officer is present at a meeting, this will count as having attended the meeting. An officer who is unable to attend a meeting directly due to a CUEWB engagement (for example hosting a social) will be deemed to have attended that meeting for the purposes of the constitution.
7. Votes of No Confidence
7.1 The Committee may force a committee member to resign his/her position and forfeit his/her status as an officer by passing a vote of no confidence. A vote of no confidence will require a two-thirds majority. The committee member in question will not be eligible to vote.
7.2 Any committee member (excluding Steering Committee member and the Senior Treasurer) who fails to attend three successive meetings will automatically be subject to a vote of no confidence. This vote will be held at the end of the third meeting from which they are absent.
7.3 Any committee member (excluding Steering Committee member and the Senior Treasurer) about whom the society receives more than 30 complaints, or causes 2 or more members to resign their membership shall automatically be subject to a vote of no confidence, held at the next committee meeting.
7.4 The officer in question will be informed of the intention of the Committee to hold a vote of no confidence at least six days in advance of that vote, except if the vote is being carried out in accordance with 7.2.
8. Finance
8.1 The Junior Treasurer will keep the accounts of the Society and will present a summary of them at the annual general meeting. A summary of expenditure will be presented to the Committee on a termly basis.
8.2 The Senior Treasurer will be appointed by the Committee. The Senior Treasurer will provide advice to the Junior Treasurer and will ratify the Society accounts.
8.3 All payments exceeding one hundred pounds must be announced to the Committee at the next meeting and recorded in the minutes.
8.4 Exceptions to 8.3 may be made for accounts for specific projects subject to committee approval.
8.5 The Junior Treasurer will be responsible for ensuring that the financial affairs of the Society are within the law.
8.6 The accounts of the Society will be available to any officer for his/her scrutiny.
8.7 The Society will be subject to the rules of Cambridge University.
8.8 Committee members may claim for expenses incurred during their duties as a member of the Committee. Claims will be presented to the Junior Treasurer and will be settled at his/her discretion.
8.9 A decision made by the Junior Treasurer on the payment of an expense may be overruled by a committee vote.
8.10 The Junior Treasurer will be responsible for questioning and bringing to the attention of the Committee any expenditure that does not appear to relate directly to the Society. Committee members must reimburse the Society all personal expenditure incurred using Society facilities.
8.11 The expenses of any committee member must be revealed to any other committee member who requests to see them.
9. Annual General Meeting
9.1 There shall be an Annual General Meeting (AGM) to enable society members to present their views. The AGM will be held in the Michaelmas term.
9.2 Society members must be informed of the AGM.
10. The Constitution
Amendment of the constitution can be made by two thirds of all officers, subject to the approval by the Steering Committee, and signed by the Senior Treasurer.
