THE CONSTITUTION OF TRINITY AND ALL SAINTS COLLEGE UNION OF STUDENTS

1. Name and Status

1. There shall be a students’ union in the name of Trinity and All Saints College Union of Students (TASCUS). Herein referred to as ‘The Union’. The Union is an unincorporated association with exempt charitable status.

1. Aims and Objectives

1. To act as a medium of communication between the members of the union, the Governors, the college and other bodies.
2. To advance the education of its members and students of the college as a whole.
3. To promote and protect the welfare of its members through the provision of information, advice and activities.
4. These aims and objectives will be practised without discrimination on the grounds of age, sex, race, religion, creed, sexual orientation, disability or medical condition, except that action may be taken to promote equality of opportunity.
5. The union will practise the above aims and objectives independent of any political party or religious organisation.

1. Membership

1. All students who are registered at the college, shall be members of the union unless they have decided to give up their membership according to the ‘Opting Out’ regulations, in Appendix One of this constitution.
2. All members shall be entitled to use the facilities of the union and take part in its educational, social, sporting and cultural activities. Members shall be allowed to speak and vote at the union meetings, to nominate, to stand and to vote in union elections and to hold office in clubs and societies.
3. The union executive may grant honorary life membership to anyone in recognition of a valuable contribution to the life of the union or it’s members. Honorary life members shall have the same rights as full members of the union except that they shall not vote in any general meeting or union election; they shall not stand for any executive post; nor shall they propose any member of the union for election to any executive post.
4. Any sabbatical officer shall be a full member of the union. Following their term in office sabbatical officers shall be granted honorary life membership.

1. General Meetings

1. The General Meeting shall determine, formulate and effect policies, supervise and direct the work and business of the Union Council and the Union Executive Committee, and hold all Union Officers to account.
2. All General Meetings will be held in accordance with Schedule Four (Meeting Regulations).
3. There will be at least one General Meeting per academic year (The annual General Meeting).
4. Emergency General Meetings can be called by a petition to the union president of 50 full members.
5. The quorum for General Meetings shall be fifty full members of the union.

1. Union Council

1. The union council will be the supreme decision making body of the union, except for a decision that is made by referendum or at a general meeting. It shall also raise issues that are of concern to its members to the senior management of the college.
2. The membership of the union council will be made up of the following categories:
   

1. The executive committee
2. Faculty representatives
3. Other representative officers as outlined in Schedule One (Election Regulations)

1. The functions of the union council shall be to:

1. set the policy of the union
2. amend the constitution and schedules as appropriate, subject to approval by general meeting and the college board of governors.
3. instruct and hold accountable the executive committee on their work.
4. monitor and discuss the events and decisions of the formal college decision making bodies and to raise concerns of members to the college.
5. approve reports from committees, working parties and the executive committee
6. approve financial reports from the executive committee

1. The first council meeting of the academic year will be chaired by the President. The meeting shall:
1. Approve the unions annual budget
2. Approve the union’s annual report
3. Elect the union council chairperson (who shall not be a member of the executive)
4. Confer recognition on clubs and societies

1. The General Secretary shall call an ordinary union council meeting at least once per term.
2. An emergency union council meeting may be called to discuss a particular issue.
3. All Union council meetings shall be conducted according to Schedule four (meeting regulations).

1. Executive Committee

1. The executive committee will run the union on a day to day basis according to the terms of this constitution, its schedules and appendices, relevant legislation and the decisions that have been made by union council and by referendum.
2. The executive committee will be made up of the following major union officers, elected by secret ballot that is open to all member of the union:

1. The President
2. The Vice-President
3. The Honorary Treasurer
4. The General Secretary
5. The Academic Officer
6. The Welfare Officer
7. The Entertainment Officer
8. The Clubs and Societies Officer

1. The executive committee officers shall be elected in March of each year according to the regulations contained in Schedule One (Election Regulations) of this constitution.  Non Sabbatical officers will serve as members of the executive committee from July 1st of that year until June 30th of the following year. Sabbatical officers will serve from July 1st of that year until July 30th of the following year.
2. The role of the executive committee will be to:

1. Carry out the decisions made by union council
2. Act in the absence of union council
3. Act as a channel of communication between members of the union, the college management and other organisations.
4. Be responsible for the strategic direction of the union
5. Fulfil specific responsibilities as laid down in schedule two (Job descriptions)

1. Executive committee meetings shall be called by the General Secretary and shall be held at least once every 15 college days. Further meetings may be called by a written request of committee members to either the President or General Secretary.
2. The quorum for executive committee meetings shall be at least four members of the executive, including at least one sabbatical officer.
3. Any member of the executive committee who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the executive committee or union council without giving apologies to the General Secretary, and does not provide satisfactory reasons acceptable to the executive committee or council, shall be considered to have resigned.
4. The posts of President and Vice-President will be sabbatical positions. The postholders shall be paid an allowance determined by union council. No member shall be eligible to stand for and serve more than two terms of office as a sabbatical officer. 

1. Trustees

1. The trustees of the union shall be the President and Vice president.
2. They will be responsible for the financial affairs of the union and will ensure that all money is spent in accordance with schedule three (finance regulations) and the aims and objectives of the union. 

1. Clubs and Societies

1. Clubs and societies may be recognised by the union council provided that they meet the requirements set out in schedule two (Clubs and Societies) of this constitution and do not breach the unions aims and objectives.

1. Affiliation to External Organisations

1. Any proposal to affiliate to an external organisation shall be approved by General Meeting
2. The college and members of the union shall be informed of all new affiliations to external organisations. The notice shall include the name of the organisation being affiliated to and the affiliation or subscription fee to be paid.
3. Details of all affiliations and the fees paid shall be included in the annual report
4. In the event of an objection to a current affiliation to any particular external organisation, a petition signed by at least 200 members of the union must be presented to the President. A referendum will then be held on the issue. The referendum shall be carried out in accordance with clause 15 (Referendum) of this constitution. A further referendum on the same affiliation cannot be called in the same academic year, and in accordance with the education act 1994.

1. Complaints Procedure

1. Complaints about an individual officer, the executive committee or any member of union council shall be dealt with under the complaints procedure contained in Appendix three (Code of Practice) of this constitution

1. Finance

1. The Union shall receive funds from the college to enable it to effectively pursue its aims and objectives subject to the terms and conditions contained in the financial memorandum between Trinity and All Saints and the Union.
2. Union funds will be administered in accordance with Schedule 3(The financial regulations).
3. The trustees of the union shall supervise all union finances and ensure that proper books of account are maintained and that these books shall be audited annually by a person qualified to undertake audited accounting.
4. The trustees will be responsible for providing financial reports to the college throughout the year and for the presentation of audited accounts at the end of the financial year.
5. The financial year shall run from 1st August to 31st July.

1. Minutes

1. At all meetings of the union, minutes shall be taken which shall be circulated and any necessary corrections made, at the next appropriate meeting. Confirmed minutes shall be filed and made available to all students.
2. A copy of the constitution, including any amendments, a copy of the annual report and any plans for the union’s activities will be made available to all students.
3. All meetings of the union shall be considered to be open to all members. However, the members of the meeting may vote to hold a specific meeting or an item of a meeting as a closed session.
4. The regulations for the organisation of union meetings shall be contained in schedule four (meeting regulations) of this constitution.

1. Amendments

1. The General Meeting will be the only body permitted to amend the constitution and schedules. All amendments will be subject to the approval of the college before they can be implemented.
2. All amendments to the constitution or schedules shall require the support of a minimum of two-thirds of the members present and entitled to a vote at a quorate meeting of the union council.
3. The constitution shall be reviewed by the union at least every 5 years from the date of the current documents implementation and approved by the college.

1. Indemnity

1. Every executive officer and persons approved to make decisions on behalf of the union shall be entitled to be indemnified out of the assets of the union against all losses or liability which she/he may incur in or about the execution of his or her office or otherwise in relation thereto; and no officer, appointee or member of staff shall be liable for any loss, damage or misfortune which may happen to or be incurred by the union in the execution of the duties of his or her office or in relation thereto; provided that nothing in this clause shall affect their liability for the consequence of any negligent or unlawful act on their part.

1. Referendum

1. A referendum, in which all members will be allowed to vote, shall be held on any issue, if union council decides by a two-thirds majority to call a referendum. The President shall call a referendum if they are handed a petition detailing the issue and containing the name, course and signature of at least 100 students who are members.
2. The returning officer shall be consulted on the wording of any question on the referendum ballot paper.
3. The referendum will be supervised by the returning officer.
4. The arrangements for postal voting shall be the same as those for an election, as in Schedule One (Election Regulations) of this constitution.
5. The result of a referendum will take priority over an existing union policy on the same issue.

1. Code of Conduct

1. The executive committee will draw up code of conduct which shall be approved and amended from time to time by union council.
2. All members of the union shall be required to adhere to this code, particularly when on union premises, or attending events organised by the union or its clubs or societies.
3. The code of conduct may include restrictions up to and including the unlimited suspension of any or all of the rights of union membership.

1. Interpretation

• In the event of a challenge to the interpretation of any part of this constitution except schedule one (election regulations), the ruling of the president shall be sought.
• In the event of a challenge to the interpretation schedule one (election regulations), the ruling of the returning officer shall be sought.
• If a member of the union remains unsatisfied with the ruling of the president or returning officer then they may appeal to the college in line with the code of practise between the governors and students union. The ruling of the college shall be final.