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Constitution

  1. Name
    1. The name of the society shall be Oxford Postgraduate Society (hereafter ‘The Society’), as relaunched in 2025.
  2. Objectives
    1. The Society’s objectives are;
      1. Enable postgraduate networking and collaboration.
      2. Take a non-ideological stance. *
      3. Support postgraduate causes.
      * To maximise inclusivity all events and activities arranged, and causes supported by the society must be non-ideological in nature. Ideologically driven events often exclude or even demonise particular groups and thus shutdown communication and encourage conflict. By avoiding ideological themes and agendas the society can remain open and inclusive to the great diversity of postgraduate students at Oxford University and be a fertile ground for the open exchange of ideas.
    2. The Society, its Executives, its funds, and all its activities shall be subject to Oxford University’s Regulations for the Activities and Conduct of Student Members.
  3. Memberships
    1. Student Membership of the Society shall be open to all full and associate members of Oxford SU at Master’s level and above, this includes mature students studying undergraduate degrees, and Y4+ undergraduates.
    2. Associate Membership of the Society is open to the general public but may not exceed 50% of the overall Society membership.
    3. Memberships of the Society are to be renewed from -1st Week Michaelmas Term every academic year.
    4. Only Student Members of the society shall be entitled to vote in elections, provided they have joined the society, and paid any appropriate subscription fee, no less than three days before the election takes place.
    5. The following shall not be entitled to hold the office of an Executive position in the society:
      1. An Associate Member, and/or
      2. Any person who has received payment for the provision of services to the society (not including reimbursement of personal expenditure on behalf of the society).
  4. The Executive
    1. The membership of the Executive shall be;
      1. The Senior Member
      2. The President
      3. The Vice President
      4. The Treasurer
      5. The Events Co-ordinators
      6. The Communications Officer
      7. The Sponsorship Co-ordinator
    2. The Executive is responsible for;
      1. the day to day running of the Society,
      2. organising the activities of the Society in such a way as to include the greatest possible number of Society members,
      3. managing the expenditure of the Society’s funds in a responsible fashion and in line with the objectives of the Society,
      4. upholding the Constitution of the Society,
      5. ensuring the activities of the Society are carried out in compliance with Oxford University’s Regulations for the Activities and Conduct of Student Members, and
      6. attending relevant training to ensure they are equipped to organise the Society.
    3. The Executive may decide upon any matter that has not yet been decided upon by a General Meeting.
    4. The Executive must communicate regularly in person or via a group chat to ensure the Society is operating at a high standard.
    5. The Executive must not hinder any executive or non-executive member who wants to organise an event for the society's members, as long as said event aligns with the aims of the society as outlined in section 2. **
      6. ** The aim in this rule is to prevent the kind of inactivity some societies suffer when an executive, for whatever reason, does not actively arrange events for the society.
  5. Officers
    1. The Senior Member is responsible for;
      1. organising and overseeing the running of The Society, and
      2. maintaining the membership database, and
      3. chairing Executive Meetings.
    2. The President is responsible for;
      1. organising and delivering the term card
      2. promoting the society to increase membership
    3. The Vice President is responsible for;
      1. taking on the President’s role should the President be unavailable for any reason.
    4. The Treasurer is responsible for;
      1. the finances of the Society,
      2. maintaining an up-to-date record of the Society’s account, and
      3. the appropriate handling of the Society’s funds.
    5. The Events Co-ordinators are responsible for;
      1. plan events for the Society members.
    6. The Communications Officer is responsible for;
      1. managing Society communication with members
    7. The Sponsorship Co-ordinator is responsible for;
      1. sourcing new sponsors for the Society,
      2. managing Society communication with sponsors.
    8. Whilst each officer has ultimate responsibility for their area as outlined above, collaboration and member involvement is encouraged, and any officer should not hinder any executive or non-executive member who wants to support activities that align with the societies objectives. **
  6. General Meetings
    1. The Executive should call at least one General Meeting per year, before 8th Week Trinity Term, for the purposes of discussing plans and activities for the coming year.
    2. The Executive should give at least seven days’ notice of any General Meeting to all members via the Society email and such notice shall include details of any elections to be held.
    3. The Executive may from time to time call further General Meetings.
    4. Quorum for a General Meeting is 10 or 50% plus 1 of Student Members, whichever is the smallest number, present and voting.
  7. Elections
    1. Any period
      1. All elections must be online and held on Oxford SU’s Election software.
      2. Snap elections will be held should an executive team member wish to retire their position.
      3. To run for an executive position election, the applicant must have been a member for more than 2 terms, and organised at least 2 events for the society.
      4. To run for the position of president, the applicant must have been a member for more than 2 terms, and organised at least 4 events for the society.
      5. The president or senior member may move to appoint members of the executive should no member come forward to be elected to the role.
    2. Inception period
      1. To give the initial executive team time to establish the society, during the inception period annual elections need not be held. Instead the President, or executive team on majority vote, must call an election no later than Michaelmas term 2025.
    3. General period
      1. Elections shall be held termly online.
      2. Early elections may be called by a majority executive team vote.
      3. Should no or only one candidate me eligible for the available roles, they may be appointed by the senior member.
    4. Endorsements
      1. The executive may choose to endorse candidates at an SU election.
      2. The senior member or president may choose to personally endorse candidates at an SU election.
      3. Endorsements may be announced via the mailing list and social media.
  8. Disciplinary
    1. Any member found to bring the society into disrepute may face disciplinary action from a majority vote of the executive team.
    2. Actions may include:
      1. Removal from online discussion groups (WhatsApp/Facebook, etc.).
      2. Barring from events for a set period of time.
      3. Barring from individual events.
      4. Lifetime ban (exceptional circumstances only).
    3. Motions may be brought forward to general meetings to counter any disciplinary decision.
  9. Amendments
    1. Any amendments to the constitution must be approved by a simple majority vote at a General Meeting.
    2. The Senior member maintains the right to veto amendments.