Constitution

NAME
1. The name of the Society shall be the Bristol University International Affairs Society.
2. The Society shall be recognised by the University of Bristol Union.
AIMS
1. To promote awareness of international political, economic and social issues in an informative, unbiased and non-partisan way
2. To organise regular academic and high profile events about current international issues and work to provide opportunities for members to participate in discussion and debate at those events
3. To provide balanced and informative online publications each term to members about current international issues
4. Provide regular online publications to members about current international affairs;
5. To be a fundamentally informative and not a campaigning society
6. To be a premier student society in international affairs
7. The society shall aim always to abide by the Union's Equal Opportunities and Harassment Policies.
MEMBERSHIP
1. Full membership is open to all ordinary members of the Union by application in writing to the Secretary of the Society.
2. Associate membership is open to all other persons who are interested in the aims and objectives of the Society.
3. Not less than two-thirds of the Society members shall be members of the Union.
4. The secretary shall keep a list of all members, differentiating between full and associate members.
5. There shall be a subscription fee levied for membership, which shall be fixed at the discretion of the committee being no less than the minimum rate demanded by Student Activities Committee.
PRIVILEGES OF MEMBERSHIP
1. Only full members may sit on the committee.
2. All categories of membership shall have equal rights of voting and attending meetings.
COMMITTEE
1. There shall be a committee of the society which shall be the executive decision making body of the society.
2. The Committee of the society is defined as including the following positions: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Journal Editor, Public Relations Co-ordinator and Events Section Co-ordinator
3. The Committee shall be responsible for the general and financial policy of the Society, subject to such rules as laid out in the General Union Functions.
4. The Executive Section of the Committee is defined as the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer
5. The General Section of the Committee includes all other positions
6. The President and/or Chair of the Committee shall be a full member of the Union
7. Committee positions on the Journal, Advertising/ PR and Events section of the society by interview and appointment only and are open to all full members of the Society
8. Only members of the General Section of the Committee may apply for positions on the Executive Committee after having served a year in their general committee positions
9. Members of the General Committee interviewed and appointed after January are ineligible to apply for positions on the Executive Committee in the following May
10. The Committee shall be responsible for the general and financial policy of the Society, subject to such rules as laid out in the General Union Functions
11. Quoracy for committee meetings shall be set at 50% of the post filled positions plus one.
12. Minimum composition: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and PR representative.
13. For committee motions to be passed and decisions ratified, three quarters of the Executive Committee are required to vote in favour for quoracy
FINANCIAL
1. The Treasurer of the society shall be a full member of the Union and not in their final year at the University.
2. The accounts of the Society shall be audited by a member of University Staff and submitted to the Union Treasurer (Secretary to Student Activities Committee) as and when requested and at least once per annum.
3. All financial arrangements must be made in accordance with current instructions to Society Treasurers, as set down by Student Activities Committee.
4. The President of the Society has the power of veto over any decisions with financial implications
GENERAL MEETINGS
1. There will be a weekly committee meeting.
2. There shall be an Annual General Meeting once per annum, and this shall be on Week 23.
3. Notices of such meetings must be published on the Society's notice board and website at least seven days beforehand, together with the Agenda.
4. Quorum of such meetings shall be set at twice the committee size plus one.
5. An Emergency General Meeting may be called by 5% of the membership of the Society by application to the Secretary. An EGM shall be called as specified on the application, but at least 7 days notice shall be given.
ELECTIONS
1. Elections shall be held at the Annual General Meeting to elect officers of the Executive committee for the following session from candidates from the general committee.
2. There shall be provision for by-elections to be held at an EGM in October should there be vacant committee posts.
3. Nominations must be received at least 3 days in advance of the election meeting.
4. The voting system is a show of hand.
AFFILIATIONS
1. The society shall affiliate to external bodies only where membership of those bodies is essential to the fulfilment of the core aims, and only with the prior agreement of the Union's Student Activities Committee.
ALUMNI
1. The Society shall include an alumnus network which shall be free to give donations to the Society.
2. The network will on invitation have the right to come along to society events
3. The network will also have the right for reading access to the journal
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
1. Any amendment to this constitution shall require a two-thirds majority of the members present at a properly constituted General Meeting.
2. All such amendments shall be submitted for ratification to Student Council.

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