Our Constitution

1.0: Name:

1.1: The name of the said Society shall be Cardiff University Politics Society.

1.2: Those chosen to represent and make decisions on behalf of the Society shall henceforth be referred to as the ‘Committee’.

2.0: Aims:

2.1: Cardiff University Politics Society will assist, benefit and aid members and the wider student community in Cardiff by being actively involved with local, national and international government through networking events, talks and excursions. The Society will, where possible, host events with organisations and charities in order for the student population Cardiff University to become more widely engaged with the local community as a whole. The said talks will provide members of the Society and the student population of Cardiff University to actively engage with key individuals in Local, Welsh, and British Politics and Business as well as governmental and non-governmental organisations. The Politics Society shall also It will act as a medium for students of Politics & International Relations (IR) as well as students of other subjects who are interested in Politics, to interact at various social events throughout the academic year. Furthermore, the society will, wherever possible attempt to fundraise for local and UK-wide charities. When fundraising for charity, a new charity shall be chosen at the start of each academic year. The Society will also run sports teams for members of the Society in order to engage with other societies through other recreational means.

3.0: Affiliation(s):

3.1: The Society shall, at all times, be affiliated to Cardiff University Students Union (CUSU). The Society shall operate within all of CUSU’s guidelines. Whilst also being affiliated to CUSU, the Society shall collaborate closely with the home school of the Society, Law & Politics by promoting events run by the Politics & IR department.

4.0: Membership Clauses:

4.1: Membership shall be open to all matriculated students of Cardiff University, regardless of course studied at the University.

4.2: Non-Matriculated students of Cardiff University may hold membership, provided they adhere to CUSU’s guidelines. Non-Matriculated students are not entitled to vote on matters at an AGM or EGM, and must adhere to 4.3.

4.3: Non-Matriculated students cannot hold any Committee position(s).

4.4: Membership of the Politics Society shall offer certain benefits to members, whether in the form of member-only events and the like. These benefits can also be accrued by those not offered to non-matriculated students.

4.5: Committee members, at all times, must be matriculated students at Cardiff University and must hold membership of the Society. If Committee Members do not adhere to this, an impeachment proceeding can be brought against them as per Article 11.

5.0: Society Membership, Finance and Bank Accounts

5.1: An annual membership fee is required from all Society members of £3.  The Committee determines this fee and are also responsible for ensuring this.

5.2: The Cardiff University Politics Society Committee shall receive no payment from the Society, except in legitimate expenses incurred in connection with the Society business.

5.3: The Politics Society shall, at any given time, run four bank accounts, of which, the President and Treasurer shall be solely responsible for the said bank accounts.

The said bank accounts are, as follows:

  1. Main Account
  2. Reserve Account
  3. Sports Team (Equipment) Account(s)
  4. Charity Account

5.4: The Roles of the said Bank Accounts shall be the following:

5.4.1. Main Account: shall hold the majority of the funds for the society

5.4.2. Reserve Account: shall only be used in times of absolute need when the Main Account funds are completely exhausted. Once the Main Account funds are replenished, the Reserve Account must return to having the same level of funding it once had.

5.4.3. Sports Account: members of the Society who also partake in activities shall have half of their membership fee retained in this bank account to fund sports activities for the respective teams affiliated to the society. Each team is entitled to access of their account via the Treasurer.

5.4.4. Charity Account: shall be used only during fundraising campaigns. At the end of each academic year, funds in the Charity Account must be donated to the charity chosen by the committee, as per Article 2.0.

6.0: Positions of the Executive:

6.1: Management of the Society will be entrusted to the Executive branch of the Society, the Committee (Article 1.2). Only those who adhere to Article 4 are permitted to stand for election to the Committee.

6.2: The Executive of Cardiff University Politics Society shall consist of matriculated students of the University, regardless of course studied. 

  1. The President shall be ultimately responsible for the conduct of the Society.
    1. The role of Vice President shall exist to assist the President at the President sees fit. The Vice President can also assume the role of President temporarily, as per Article 7.4.

6.2.2. The Treasurer shall be responsible for finances conducted on behalf of the Society and shall be held accountable to the President.

6.2.3. The Secretary shall be responsible for engagement with members of the Politics Society and shall perform administrative tasks such as conducting minutes during the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

  1. There shall be one social secretary position. The social secretaries responsibilities are to the discretion of the President foremost and the committee secondmost. The social Secretaries shall organise events on behalf of the Society for its said members and any matriculated students of Cardiff University, as per Article 2.1.
  2. The Sports Secretary shall oversee the management of the three Sports Teams that the Society operates. The Sports Secretary shall report back to the President and Treasurer on all Financial and Sponsorship contracts for the said Teams. The Sports Secretary shall ensure teams have sufficient members for the academic year ahead in order to operate successfully. Should any issues arise with the teams, the Sports Secretary shall ensure this is reported to the Committee. The Sports Secretary shall also ensure that the teams abide by the rules of the Society laid out in the Constitution.
  3. The First Year Representative shall provide a link between students in their first year of study at Cardiff University and the Committee itself. The Representative shall also sit on the Department’s Staff-Student Panel, providing information between the two.
  4. The Second Year Representative shall provide a link between students in their second year of study at Cardiff University and the Committee itself.  The Representative shall also sit on the Department’s Staff-Student Panel, providing information between the two.
  5. The Postgraduate Representative shall provide a link between students in their Postgraduate study at Cardiff University and the Committee itself.  The Representative shall also sit on the Department’s Staff-Student Panel, providing information between the two.

7.0: Roles of the Executive:

7.1: Committee members may undertake roles outside of their remit, provided that they have the approval of the President.

7.2: If any Committee Member undertakes a leave of absence greater than one semester during the academic year, they must forfeit their position on the committee for the rest of the academic year.

7.3: If a Committee Member does leave during the course of the academic year, a new committee member shall be elected to fill this vacancy, as per the guidelines of CUSU and Article 9.

7.4: Should the President vacate the role, the Vice President will act as President, until the vacancy can be filled via an election, as per Article 9.

7.5: A new position may be created at an AGM or EGM, with use of motions, as laid out per Article 9.3. The Constitution must then be amended for the new position to be created, as per Article 12.

8.0: Annual General Meetings (AGMs) and Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs):

8.1: The Politics Society AGM must be carried out by the last week of the second of the academic year, with a week’s notice of the AGM being provided.

8.2: If an EGM is called; a week’s notice must be given to all members of the Society.

8.3: The Electoral Procedure at the AGM or EGM shall be set out in 9.0

9.0: Elections and Voting Procedures for Committee Members:

9.1: Candidates may only run for a Committee Position if they present a written manifesto during the nominations period. Candidates may not, under any circumstances begin campaigning before an EGM or AGM.

9.2: After the nominations period, a maximum of two weeks of campaigning for each position will be allotted. After this campaign period, the President shall announce the election results.

9.3: If a special election is required, candidates must register interest via a nominations period, which shall last one week. This shall be followed by an election period of one week, held in accordance to Article 4.

9.4: If voting on a motion that does not involve amendments to the Constitution (see 12.0) a simple majority i.e. greater than half of members present is sufficient to pass a motion.

9.5: A vote of no confidence in Committee Member(s) can only take place during an AGM/EGM. A super-majority (Two-Thirds) of all those present must vote provided this satisfies the guidelines set out by CUSU. If successful, see Article 11 as this then moves to an impeachment proceeding.

10.0: Socials and Affiliated Bodies (Sports Teams):

10.1: Cardiff University Politics Society shall organise and run both Social events and Sports teams on behalf of its members. It shall be the role of the Social Secretary and Sports Secretary to ensure such events go ahead (as per 6.2.4 and 6.2.5, unless the President gives discretion otherwise, as per Article 7.1).

10.2: The Society shall operate at least One Male and One Female Sports team at all times in order to provide equality within the Society. More teams may be created, if demand is sufficient.

10.3: Commencing in the academic year 2018-19, in order to remain affiliated to the Politics Society, the said Sports Teams shall be known as the following:

  1. Politics Football
  2. Politics Rugby
  3. Politics Netball

10.4: Further, to remain affiliated to the Politics Society, the Sports Teams above must, at any given time have at least 50% of their members paying into the Politics Society. All regular players of the respective teams must have full membership of the Society.

10.5: Each Sports Team will elect the following position(s) to aid in running the team:

  1. Captain
  2. Vice Captain
  3. Social Secretary

10.5.4 New Committee positions can be created within the respective sports teams provided they have the approval of the Politics Committee.

10.6: The method by which election is achieved to each position is for the respective team to decide.

10.7: Each Sports Team is permitted to hold their own Social events for team members.

10.8: It is the discretion of the Treasurer and President to give funding to the Teams as they see fit.

10.9: It is the duty of the Sports Secretary to co-ordinate the teams as per Article 6.2.5.

11.0: Impeachment and Dismissal from the Committee:

11.1: An impeachment proceeding against a Committee member can be brought forward under certain circumstances. Such proceedings can only take place in accordance to Article 9.5. The said proceedings must be raised by at least two committee members and may only take place in accordance to Article 9.5 The individual(s) subject to impeachment proceedings are entitled to defend themselves, provided they attend the AGM/EGM. If the member is not present, they can be tried in absentia, provided a motion is passed as per Article 9.4. Impeachment and subsequent dismissal can occur if:

  1. Articles 4.5 and 7.2 are no longer followed.
  2. A Committee member ceases to perform their relevant functions as per Articles 6 and 7 of the Politics Society Constitution.
  3. The Committee member breaks the guidelines of CUSU.

11.2: Impeachment can be overturned, dependent upon the discretion of CUSU. Written proof of confirmation must be obtained from CUSU in order to successfully overturn this.

11.3: If Impeachment is successful, the vacant office must be occupied as per Article 9.3 of the Constitution.

11.4: Dismissal from the Committee can only occur once CUSU provides confirmation accepting the impeachment.

11.5: If dismissal occurs, a Committee Member forfeits their right to hold a position on the Committee for the remainder of the academic year.

12:0: Constitutional Amendments

12.1: The above document can be amended at any time, via an AGM/EGM set out in Article 8. If the above document is to be amended, this requires a super-majority (Two-Thirds) vote from the Committee as well as a super-majority (Two-Thirds) from Society members present at the AGM/EGM.

13.0 Dissolution

13.1: Should Cardiff University Politics Society cease to exist, all funds shall return to Cardiff University Students Union.