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CONSTITUTION

As amended at the Annual General Meeting of September 2017

1. THE ASSOCIATION

The Association shall be called the University of Exeter Retired Staff Association.

2. MEMBERSHIP

(a) Membership of the Association is open to all retired employees and retired former employees of the University, in all categories, including semi-retired employees. Joint membership with spouses/partners is also available. The widows, widowers and partners of deceased employees are also eligible for membership.
(b) Associate membership is open to those who have retired from a university other than Exeter and are resident in or near Exeter. Associate members may participate in any of the activities of the Association but may not hold office or vote at General Meetings.

3. PURPOSE

The purpose of the Association is to enable its members to remain in touch with each other and with the University through a range of activities to be determined by the membership and arranged by the Executive Committee of the Association.

4. FINANCE

(a) The Association shall be empowered to own financial and other assets on behalf of its members, to open accounts with authorised financial institutions and/or to appoint another institution to hold and administer its assets. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to make such arrangements and shall, through the Treasurer, make a report on the financial year past to the AGM.
(b) The Association’s financial year shall run from 1 August to 31 July following.
(c) No member shall derive direct material benefit from the activities or finances of the Association.
(d) The Association may raise or donate funds for charitable purposes or other purposes of benefit to the University or the wider community.

5. PRESIDENCY

(a) The Association, at its Annual General Meeting, will elect from its members a President who shall hold office for one year. The Presidency may be jointly by a member and his/her spouse/partner. The President shall be an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.
(b) The Association will also elect a President-designate, who will assume the office of President the following year.
(c) The President-designate and the immediate Past President may deputise for the President and may also attend meetings of the Executive Committee.

6. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

(a) The business of the Association will be conducted by an Executive Committee comprising the Chair, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Membership Secretary, the Social Co-ordinator, the Newsletter Editor, the Website Editor, the President (ex-officio) and four general members.
(b) The members of the Committee will be elected by the Annual General Meeting. Save for the President, they will serve for a three-year term at a time and be eligible for re-election on completion of a term. Members may resign from the Committee at any time on notification to the Secretary.
(c) Should the AGM be unable to fill an office or other designated Executive Committee position by reason of lack of nominations, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the Executive Committee for one year at a time (renewable) until the AGM is able to elect a replacement.
(d) The Executive Committee will have the power to fill casual vacancies by co-option between Annual General Meetings.
(e) The Executive Committee will also have the power to co-opt any Member of the Association or invite him/her to attend one or more meetings to assist it in carrying out its duties.
(f) The Executive Committee will have the power to appoint sub-committees.
(g) The quorum of the Executive Committee will be five.

7. ELECTIONS

Elections to the offices of President and President-designate and to the Executive Committee will be by simple ballot where two candidates are nominated and by preferential ballot where three or more candidates are nominated for a particular position. (See Note 1)

8. SUBSCRIPTION

Members and Associate Members will pay an annual subscription to be decided by the Annual General Meeting. The subscription for joint membership will be the same as for individual membership.

9. GENERAL MEETINGS

(a) Following the Inaugural General Meeting held on 7 October 2004 to establish the Association and elect its first officers and Executive Committee, an Annual General Meeting will be held in October each year. At least three weeks notice will be given together with a call for nominations for the Presidency and, where appropriate, for membership of the Executive Committee.
(b) The quorum of the Annual General Meeting shall be 30.
(c) A Special General Meeting will be convened by the Secretary, giving at least three weeks notice, on the request of not less than 30 members of the Association or at the request of the Executive Committee. The quorum of a Special General Meeting shall be 20.

10. AMENDMENTS

(a) The provisions of this Constitution may be amended by the Annual General Meeting
(b) Proposed amendments, with a proposer and seconder, will be circulated in writing with papers for the Annual General Meeting, but amendments to proposed amendments may be tabled at the Annual General Meeting.

11. DISSOLUTION

The Association may be dissolved by a resolution agreed by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee and passed by a two-thirds vote of a General Meeting, one month’s notice of the proposal having been given to members.

[1]
(a) A simple ballot requires members to place an X against the name of their preferred nominee and the nominee with the most votes is elected.
(b) A preferential ballot requires members to place nominees in order of preference by placing 1 against their first choice, 2 against their second, and so on. The outcome is calculated by scoring the preferences 1 for a first choice, 2 for a second, and so on. The nominee (or nominees if more than one place is at issue) with the lowest score is elected.