The Club
1. The Club shall be called the Cambridge University Hillwalking Club.
2. The Club exists to promote and coordinate hillwalking and to encourage responsible hillwalking.
3. The Club shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, sex, sexual orientation, religion or political views.
Membership
4. Membership of the Club shall be open to all current undergraduate and graduate students of the University of Cambridge.
5. Membership of the Club shall be open to all other members of the University of Cambridge, and to all persons resident in Cambridge, except that the Executive Committee may at their discretion refuse membership to such a person.
6. Other persons may be admitted as members at the absolute discretion of the Executive Committee, if they believe that it would be in the best interests of the Club.
7. Any refusal by the Executive Committee to admit a person as a member of the Club may be reversed by a General Meeting of the Club.
8. More than half of the members of the Club shall be members of the University of Cambridge.
13. Subject to article fourteen, the Executive Committee may remove a person's membership of the Club, if, having given that person reasonable notice of their intention to do so and reason for doing so, and having consulted with him or her, the Executive Committee decides that that person's continued membership of the Club would be seriously detrimental to the welfare or safety of other members of the Club.
14. If the Executive Committee decides to remove a person's membership under article thirteen, that person may require that this decision be affirmed by the Officers of the Club. If the decision of the Executive Committee is not affirmed unanimously by all of the Officers, it shall be of no effect.
Officers and Executive Committee
Composition
15. The Officers of the Club shall be President, Transport Secretary, Social Secretary, Safety and Equipment Officer, Junior Treasurer, Secretary and Senior Treasurer.
16. The Executive Committee shall comprise the President, Transport Secretary, Social Secretary, Safety and Equipment Officer, Junior Treasurer and Secretary.
17. All members of the Executive Committee shall be members of the club.
18. More than half of the members of the Executive Committee shall be current undergraduate or graduate students of the University of Cambridge.
Powers and Duties
19. The Executive Committee shall manage the affairs of the Club, subject to directions given by ordinary resolution at a General Meeting.
20. The Executive Committee shall determine the structure of membership and the membership fees, and may vary them from time to time, subject to directions given by ordinary resolution at a General Meeting. No such determination or variation shall prejudice the rights of existing members.
21. Members of the Executive Committee may be removed from office by ordinary resolution at a General Meeting.
22. The Junior Treasurer shall submit audited accounts for the previous year ending January 31st to the Annual General Meeting.
The Senior Treasurer
23. When the office of Senior Treasurer becomes vacant, the Executive Committee shall appoint someone who is a member of the Regent House, or other person approved by the Junior Proctor. The Senior Treasurer shall not be required to be a member of the Club. The Senior Treasurer may be removed from office by ordinary resolution at a General Meeting.
24. The Senior Treasurer shall not be liable for any debt or other obligation of the Club, unless he or she has authorised it in signed writing.
Elections
25. Members of the Executive Committee shall be elected each year at the Annual General Meeting by a simple majority of votes cast. The vote shall be taken by secret ballot. In the event of a tie in any vote, the President of the Club shall have a casting-vote.
26. Any Officer of the Club may vacate his or her office at any time, by giving notice of his or her resignation in writing to every other Officer.
27. Each candidate for election shall submit a nomination slip to the President not fewer than three days before the General Meeting at which his or her election is proposed, with the names of a proposer and seconder, both of whom are members of the Club.
28. A person may be a candidate for more than one post on the Executive Committee. Elections to the Executive Committee shall take place in the order: President, Transport Secretary, Social Secretary, Safety and Equipment Officer, Junior Treasurer and Secretary.
29. At an Annual General Meeting, members may vote to re-open nominations. In the event of the re-opening of nominations receiving more votes than any candidate for a particular post on the Executive Committee, nominations shall be re-opened in respect of that post and an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be held, at which an election for that post shall be held. It shall not be possible to vote to re-open nominations at an election held at an Extraordinary General Meeting.
30. A person elected to a post on the Executive Committee shall be deemed to assume office at the close of the General Meeting at which he or she was elected.
31. If a post on the Executive Committee becomes vacant an election for the vacant post may be held. The Executive Committee may call an Extraordinary General Meeting for this purpose. Alternatively, the Executive Committee may fix a date (“the nomination date”) for the receipt by the President of nomination slips in respect of candidates for the vacant post. The Executive Committee shall give not fewer than seven days notice of this date. Article 27 shall apply to the nomination of candidates as if “on or before the nomination date” were substituted for “not fewer than three days before the General Meeting at which his or her election is proposed”. If nomination slips are received by the President in respect of a single candidate only, that candidate shall be deemed to be duly elected to the vacant post with effect from the day after the nomination date. If nomination slips are received by the President in respect of more than one candidate, the Executive Committee shall call an Extraordinary General Meeting for the purpose of electing one of the nominated candidates to the vacant post. In respect of such an Extraordinary General Meeting, article 27 shall not have effect and the candidates nominated on or before the nomination date, and no other, shall be candidates for the vacant post, and article 36 shall have effect as if “seven” were substituted for “fourteen”.
General Meetings
32. An Annual General Meeting shall be held during every Full Lent Term, but shall not be held on any day in January.
33. At the request of not fewer than four members of the Club, the Executive Committee shall call an Extraordinary General Meeting. Not more than 21 days of Full Term shall elapse between such a request and the holding of the Meeting.
34. No General Meeting shall be held outside of Full Term.
35. A General Meeting shall be quorate if at least ten members of the Club are present in person. If an Annual General Meeting is inquorate, the Executive Committee shall hold a further Annual General Meeting within four Full Term weeks. Notwithstanding article 32, such an Annual General Meeting may be held on any day of Full Lent, Easter or Michaelmas Term.
35a. All members shall be entitled to vote on any resolution, motion or election at a General Meeting at which they are present in person, or in accordance with articles 42 and 43.
36. The Executive Committee shall give not fewer than fourteen days notice of a General Meeting.
37. Any motion to be proposed at a General Meeting must be submitted in writing to the President by a proposer and seconder, who must be members of the Club, not fewer than ten days before the General Meeting.
38. Not fewer than seven days before a General Meeting, the President shall publish any proposed motions to the Club.
39. Not fewer than seven days before an Annual General Meeting, the President shall publish the accounts for the previous year to the Club.
Resolutions
40. An ordinary resolution may be passed by a simple majority of votes cast at a General Meeting.
41. The Constitution of the Club may be amended by a resolution passed by at least two thirds of votes cast at a General Meeting. No amendment to this Constitution intended to remove the position of Senior Treasurer, to alter its prerogatives and duties, or to change the criteria and procedure for the appointment of a Senior Treasurer can be put to a vote without the prior written agreement of the Junior Proctor of the University of Cambridge.
Proxy Voting
42. Any member may appoint another member to speak and vote on his or her behalf on any matter arising at a General Meeting, provided that he or she notifies the Executive Committee before the General Meeting that he has done so, and such a vote cast on his or her behalf shall be counted as if the absent member were present at the General Meeting and voting in person.
43. Any member may submit his or her vote on any matter due to arise at a General Meeting in signed writing to the Executive Committee before the General Meeting, and such a vote shall be counted as if the member were present at the General Meeting and voting in person.
Other Provisions
44. Non-members may be permitted to go on trips at the discretion of the Executive Committee, and shall be given notice of the Club's Constitution and Safety Policy.
45. The Committee, or any member of the Club appointed to act on behalf of the Committee, may refuse to take any person on a walk whom they judge to be inadequately equipped, or inadequately competent or experienced, or whose presence they believe would be detrimental to the welfare or safety of others.
46. The Committee, and any member of the Club acting on behalf of the Committee, disclaim any liability whatsoever for any loss, damage, personal injury or death suffered or caused by or during a Club activity, or while in transit as part of any Club activity, whether or not caused by the negligence of any member of the Club.
47. The Club may be wound up by a resolution passed at a General Meeting, where that motion has been notified to the President and to the Club in accordance with articles thirty-seven and thirty-eight, and where the motion is passed with the unanimous consent of all members present at the Meeting and of those voting by proxy.
48. Where a General Meeting has passed a resolution to wind up the Club in accordance with article forty-seven, the Club's assets, after payment of any debts or other liabilities, shall be transferred to such Registered Society of the University of Cambridge as the General Meeting shall by ordinary resolution direct, and in default of such direction to the University of Cambridge. This motion shall be valid regardless of any failure to comply with article thirty-seven or thirty-eight in respect of it.
Andy Gibson Training Fund
49. There shall be a fund called the Andy Gibson Training Fund. The Fund shall be administered according to the rules of the Fund. The Club may donate money to the fund only if the donation is approved by ordinary resolution at a General Meeting.
50. The Andy Gibson Training Fund exists independently of the Club and holds its assets subject only to its own Rules. Such assets shall not be treated as assets of the Club for any purpose, including on any dissolution of the Club.