~Statute

1. The name of the Society shall be: Southampton University Polish Society hereinafter referred to as the Society.

2. Society type: International.

3. The aims of the Society shall be:

• cultivating the Polish tradition,
• educating persons of the origin different than Polish about the Polish culture,
• presenting the Polish cinematography,
• tasting the Polish cuisine,
• integration with all the students interested in our activity.

4. Membership:

• Full membership is open to any registered student upon payment of the membership fee as set by the Society's committee.
• Associate members of the Union may become associate members of the Society upon payment of the membership fee. Associate members shall be entitled to full rights and privileges as members except that they may not hold office, or nominate or vote in elections, or speak or vote at meetings.

The Clubs & Societies Officer must always be provided with an up to date copy of all member names and corresponding student numbers.

5. Officers: The officers of the Society shall be:

• President: The President is the figurehead of the Society to all external interests. S/he is responsible for any other tasks that do not come under the jurisdiction of other committee members (see below).
• Vice-President: Vice-president takes over the president's duties in case of his/her indisposition. He is also the main president's advisor in the matter of realizing constitutional aims.
• Treasurer: The Treasurer shall maintain the accounts of the Society, which shall be available for examination at the AGM. Any funds spent by the Society must follow Union regulations (as set out in the Constitution and Grant Aid) and be authorised by the Treasurer and the President.
• Secretary: The Secretary shall keep minutes of Society meetings which shall be available to the Clubs & Societies Committee. It is the responsibility of the Secretary to deal with all communications on behalf of the Society and its committee. The Secretary shall produce and maintain a list of all members, including up to date contact details, which shall be available to the officers and committee of the Society.

6. Committee: The administration and management of the Society shall be the responsibility of its committee. The committee shall consist of the officers of the Society and one ordinary members of the Society.

7. Society hand-over: Upon election of a new committee, the outgoing committee is responsible for overseeing the handover of responsibilities for a minimum of 2 weeks following the elections. The responsibilities of each outgoing officer are:

• President. The President must ensure that the e-mail list, computing file store and mailing list are transferred to the new owner .
• Treasurer. The Treasurer must ensure that the Society's copy of Grant Aid is up to date and that the new officer has all bank account details transferred to him/her, along with all relevant documentation. The Treasurer must also ensure that a budget application for the following academic year is submitted to the Clubs & Societies Officer before the end of the summer term.
• Secretary. The Secretary will transfer all minutes and relevant documentation to the new officer. The Secretary will also complete the Society registration, Bunfight stand request and SUSU handbook entry forms for the coming session and pass these to the Clubs & Societies Officer as soon as possible.

8. Meetings:

• Termly General Meetings (TGM):
  • The Society shall hold a general meeting at least once a term, which shall be advertised to Union members via the Weekly Bulletin.
  • Notice of the meeting shall be issued at least 10 clear days in advance.
• Annual General Meeting (AGM):
  • The Society AGM shall be held in the spring term.
  • Notice of the AGM shall be issued at least 14 clear days in advance and advertised to Union members through the Weekly Bulletin.
  • Officers of the Society and Committee members shall be elected at the AGM. The Society Secretary shall invite nominations at least 7 days before the meeting.
  • Nominations must be given to the Society Secretary before the start of the meeting.
  • Each member of the committee may be invited by the Chairperson to make a short speech concerning his or her activities during the previous year. This speech is compulsory for the Treasurer, who must also present the year's accounts for examination if requested.
  • The Clubs & Society Officer shall be invited to the AGM.
  • Minutes of the AGM shall be made available at the start of the summer term.
• Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM):
  • An EGM can be called by the President or Secretary of the Society, or by written application to the Society President of at least 6 members of the Society, together with a written statement of the objects for which the meeting is being called.
  • At the EGM no business other than that specified in the written statement shall be discussed.
  • At least 24 hours notice of an EGM shall be given. The meeting must be held within 7 days of the request being given to the Society President.
  • The Clubs & Societies Officer shall be informed of the meeting and the reason for it being called, before it is held.
• Conduct of meetings:
  • Voting: Every full member of the society present at a meeting shall be entitled to one vote upon every voting matter. Only full members are entitled to vote and no proxy votes shall be accepted for any purpose.
  • Quorum: The quorum at all meetings shall be 2/3 of the full members.
  • Minutes: The Secretary of the Society shall keep minutes of all Society meetings, which shall be available to the Clubs & Societies Officer and Clubs & Societies Committee.

9. Elections:

• Elections for Society Officers and committee members shall be held at the AGM. The Secretary shall invite nominations at least 7 days before the meeting. Nominations must be given to the Secretary before the meeting, on the nomination form provided.
• The elections will be advertised to all Union members through the Weekly Bulletin.
• The elections shall be carried out by show of hands or secret ballot, to be decided by the Chair at the start of the meeting. Should there be a tied result, the Chairperson may vote in favour of one of the candidates or may declare the post unfilled.
• If a full committee is not elected for any reason, a Secretary shall be elected and s/he will be responsible for ensuring that elections for the remaining positions are held by the end of the summer term.
• Results of the elections, together with names, student numbers and contact details of those elected, shall be submitted to the Clubs & Society Officer within 14 days of the election.

10. Financial matters:

• The Treasurer of the Society shall be responsible for maintaining the accounts of the society, which shall be available to the Clubs & Societies Officer and Clubs & Societies Committee.
• An annual statement of the Society accounts must be presented to the AGM by the Society Treasurer.
• The officers of the Society are jointly liable for the proper management of the Society's finances and ensuring that the Union's Grant Aid regulations are applied.

11. Expulsion of members:

• The Committee shall have the power to expel any member from the Society on the grounds of misconduct, or for conduct of a nature opposed to the objects of the Society and the Students' Union.
• Where any member of the Society is expelled by the Committee, a report of the matter shall be made to the next General Meeting of the Society.
• Students who are expelled from any Society have the right of appeal to the Clubs & Societies Committee.

12. Affiliations. The Society may affiliate to an external organisation which is in line with the aims of the Society and which provides a direct benefit to its members. All external affiliations must be reported to the Clubs & Societies Committee and to the Union AGM.

13. Constitution Amendments.

• The Society committee at a general meeting shall first approve amendments to the constitution.
• The committee shall hold a vote to pass any constitutional changes. This shall be done by ballot or a show of hands, at the discretion of the meeting. Should there be a tie, the Chairperson may vote.
• Amendments to this constitution shall be submitted to the Clubs & Societies Officer in writing, for consideration and approval by the Clubs & Societies Committee.
• The Secretary of the Society and the Clubs & Societies Officer shall both keep a copy of the constitution.