Constitution

RULES OF THE DUBLIN UNIVERSITY BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

 

Rule 1: Name and Object of Association

The Association shall be called the Dublin University Biological Association; its objects shall be to promote the study of Biology and Allied Sciences in their application to Medicine in the College, to promote links with para-medical societies of the College, and to act as a voice for the undergraduate members in matters which affect their College lives.

Rule 2: Ordinary Members

The Ordinary Members of the Association shall be capitated students and staff of the University.

Rule 3: Associate Members

The Associate Members of the Association shall be graduates of the University.

Rule 4: Honorary Members

The Honorary Members shall be eminent scientists or other noteworthy individuals in the fields of Medicine and Natural Science, whose name shall be submitted to the Council by two members of the same, and approved by a four-fifths majority at the next Council meeting.  The names of those approved shall be announced at the following ordinary meeting of the Association. They shall be ineligible to become Members or Officers of the Council, or to vote at meetings of the Association.

Rule 5: Vice-Presidents

The Vice-Presidents shall be such members of the medical profession, or members of the School of Medicine, whose names shall be submitted to the Council by two members of same, and approved by a four-fifths majority at the next Council meeting.  The names of those approved shall be announced at the following ordinary meeting of the Association.

Rule 6: Subscriptions

The annual subscription for Ordinary and Associate Members shall be determined by the Council, and shall be due on the first day of October in each year.  The annual subscription for Vice-Presidents shall be four times that of Ordinary Members.  An initial subscription twenty times that of Ordinary Members shall entitle a Vice-President to hold the position for life.

Rule 7: Officers

The Officers of the Association shall consist of a President, a Correspondence Secretary, a Treasurer, a Record Secretary, two (2) Entertainments Officers, a Public Relations Officer, a Med Day Chair, and a Med Day Secretary.  All officers, with the exception of the President, shall be elected annually from such of the Ordinary Members as shall not have taken their full qualifications in Medicine at the time of election, which shall take place at the last ordinary meeting of the Session.

Rule 8: The President

The Honorary President is the chief Officer of the Association and shall be elected annually by the Council in office, being chosen from the list of Vice-Presidents.  The President, or his deputy, shall take the Chair at all meetings of the Association.  On all questions of law and order, the ruling of the Chair shall be final and such ruling shall, at the request of any Member, be incorporated in the Minutes of the Association.

Rule 9: The Record Secretary

The Record Secretary shall keep the Minutes of all public meetings, private business meetings and Council meetings of the Association.  He or she shall see that the Attendance Book is signed at all meetings.  He or she shall keep all past Records of the Association, and shall keep an official copy of the rules, incorporating in them any amendment which shall be made from time to time. He or she shall be responsible for the keys to the Association’s Room and letter-box. He or she shall be responsible for the efficient maintenance of a list of email addresses of Members of the Association.

Rule 10: The Correspondence Secretary

The Honorary Correspondence Secretary shall carry on the general correspondence of the Association and, in the absence of the President, shall normally take the Chair at all public meetings, private business meetings and Council meetings of the Association. She or he shall be responsible for securing speakers and venues of the ordinary meetings of the Association. She or he shall have special responsibility with regard to the arrangements for the Association’s Inaugural Meeting. She or he shall notify all members of Council of the time and place of meetings called in accordance with Rule 18.

Rule 11: The Treasurer

It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to collect all subscriptions and to make all payments on behalf of the Association, to keep accounts of all receipts and expenditure which shall be audited at the end of each Session, and to lay a balance sheet before the stated meeting.  He or she shall keep copies of the Rules of the Association, which shall be supplied to Members free of charge on request and shall be published on the Web site of the Association.  It shall be stated on the card publicly displayed in College that these copies may be so obtained.  On the first day of January the Treasurer shall prepare a list of all Members of the Association, which shall be printed and exhibited in a prominent place in the Association’s Room and also in the School of Anatomy.  The Treasurer shall keep a list of Vice-Presidents.  The Treasurer shall distribute the Membership Card of the customary pattern to all Members and Vice-Presidents in receipt of their subscriptions.

Rule 12: The Entertainments Officers

It shall be the duty of the two (2) Entertainments Officers to arrange any reception which shall be held after an ordinary meeting.  To this end they shall book accommodation, purchase refreshments, and supply personnel to distribute the refreshments.  One Entertainments Officer shall have special responsibility with regard to the organisation of the Annual Ball.  The second Officer shall have special responsibility with regard to smaller receptions, as well as with regard to the procurement of research papers, written by Ordinary Members during the Session, and of promoting the Association as an forum for discussion of topics arising from the presentation of these papers.

Rule 13: The Public Relations Officer

It shall be the duty of the Public Relations Officer to maintain the profile of the Association, and to maintain contact with the press and the media. She or he shall be responsible for the efficient operation of the Association’s Web site and other social media. She or he shall oversee the publicity for all meetings and events of the Association by email, Web site, poster, letter, SMS text message or such other means as shall be determined by Council. She or he shall be responsible for the efficient maintenance of the Association’s notice-boards in the School of Anatomy, in the Trinity Centres for Health Sciences at St James’s Hospital and Tallaght Hospital, and at such other locations as may be determined by Council.

Rule 14: The Med Day Chair

It shall be the duty of the Med Day Chair to make arrangements for the public health campaign, fundraising campaign and entertainments occuring on Med Day, which shall be held on a designated Friday during Michaelmas term. He or she shall oversee the election of a Med Day committee, composed of Ordinary Members of the Association, in order to ensure the efficient administration of Med Day. He or she shall take the Chair at meetings of the Med Day committee, and shall delegate such duties to its members as he or she sees fit. With due regard to his or her aforementioned commitments, he or she shall undertake such other duties as may be determined by Council.

Rule 15: The Med Day Secretary

It shall be the duty of the Med Day Secretary to keep the Minutes at all meetings of the Med Day committee. In the absence of the Med Day Chair, she or he shall take the Chair at meetings of the Med Day committee. She or he shall be responsible for official communications with College, public authorities, sponsors, industry, the press, media and others in order to ensure the successful realisation of Med Day. With due regard to her or his aforementioned commitments, she or he shall undertake such other duties as may be determined by Council.

Rule 16: Attendance Book

A book shall be kept by the Record Secretary in which Members and Visitors shall sign their names at each meeting, and in the same book the attendance at Council meetings shall be kept.

Rule 17: Council

The management of the Association shall be entrusted to a Council, consisting of the President, the eight Officers, and ten ordinary Council Members – two of whom shall be elected from each of the first to fifth years of Medicine.

Rule 18: Meetings of Council

The Council shall be convened by the Correspondence Secretary from time to time as she or he may consider necessitated by the business of the Association.  The Chair shall be taken by the President or by the senior Member of the Council.  At all meetings of the Council the Chair shall have a casting vote in addition to her or his ordinary vote.  The Council shall have the power to declare the post of any Member of Council vacant who shall have been absent from more than two successive ordinary meetings or two successive Council meetings.

Rule 19: Election of Officers and Council

Candidates for all the offices of the Association, and for the ten elective places on the Council, must be proposed and seconded by Ordinary Members.  Candidates for offices shall be Members of the Association of at least two years’ standing, and candidates for places on Council shall be Members of the Association of at least one year’s standing (including the year of office in the case of those elected from the first year of Medicine).  Two weeks before the election of Officers the Record Secretary shall post, in prominent positions, lists of the offices of the Association and the ten elective places on the Council, to which names of candidates duly proposed and seconded may be added by any Member of the Association up to three clear days before the election.  Candidates will not, except at the discretion of the Council, be accepted later than this; except that a candidate for an office may, if not elected to the office, stand for one of the elective places on the Council.

The election to the offices shall be by ballot at the last ordinary meeting of the Session. At its discretion, the Council may choose to hold the election to some or all of the elective places on the Council either at the same time as the election to the offices, or during the first two weeks of the Michaelmas term of the following Session. The candidate shall be present at the election or shall send an apology for his absence.  The proposer or seconder must also be present at the election.  Any vacancy which occurs during the year following the stated meeting among the Officers or Council of the Association shall be filled by co-option, at the next ensuing meeting of the Council, of a Member having the same qualifications under Rule 17 as the Member in whose place he or she is co-opted, notice of such vacancy having been given to the Members of the Council.

Officers and Council Members may be removed from office before the completion of their term of office only by majority vote supported by one hundred Members or by two thirds of those Members of the Association present at an ordinary or extraordinary meeting, whichever is the lesser.

Rule 20: Meetings

1. A stated meeting shall be held after the conclusion of the Session and before the long vacation for the discussion of any business relating to the general affairs of the Association.  Ten Members must be present to form a quorum.  The Treasurer and Record Secretary shall submit their reports and shall hand over their respective records to their successors.  All the newly-elected Officers, except the President, shall from the end of this meeting be deemed the Officers of the Association.
2. An extraordinary meeting shall be summoned by the Correspondence Secretary on the request, in writing, of not less than ten Members of the Association, not in arrears with their subscriptions, the special business of such meeting to be declared in the notice thereof, and at such meeting no other business shall be discussed than that for which it is summoned.  Ten Members must be present to form a quorum.
3. Ordinary meetings, of which there shall be a minimum of eight in any one Session, shall be held in the months from October to April, inclusive, the hour and date of such meetings to be fixed by the Council.  The Council may, however, change the dates of these meetings, and also direct that additional ordinary meetings should be held.
4. The Chair at all meetings of the Association shall be taken by the President, or by her or his deputy, who shall normally be the Correspondence Secretary; in the absence of the latter, the Treasurer shall take the Chair.  In all cases of equal division, the Chair shall have a casting vote in addition to his ordinary vote.  The Chair shall also have the right to demand an apology from any Member who refuses to submit when called to order.  For an aggravated offence the Chair may suspend the Member until his apology shall have been tendered.

Rule 21: Private Business

At the conclusion of the speaking at any ordinary meeting, the Association may proceed to private business, strangers having withdrawn.  The business of the Association shall be conducted in accordance with Standing Orders.

Rule 22: Visitors

Each Member shall have the privilege of admitting one Visitor to each ordinary meeting.  This privilege may be revoked at any time by the Chair if a Member is associated with repeated unruliness at Ordinary meetings.

Rule 23: Alteration of Rules

No rule shall be made, altered or repealed except due notice of any proposed amendment having been given in the Agenda of an ordinary meeting at which such change shall be considered.  At that meeting a ballot shall be taken, and a two-thirds majority shall be required to approve the amendment.

Rule 24: Medals and Prizes

Two medals, a Silver and a Bronze, shall be awarded annually for the best papers read during the year at any of the ordinary meetings, providing sufficient merit is shown.  Two further medals, for Past President and Past Correspondence Secretary, shall be awarded to the outgoing officers involved as a sign of the Association’s appreciation for work done during the previous Session.  The cost of these medals shall be defrayed out of the funds of the Association.  Prizes will also be awarded to the winners of the medals, and for the best paper read by a Member of or below third-year standing.  A prize will also be awarded for the best clinical exhibit.  Ordinary Members, who have not taken their full medical qualifications at the date of reading their papers, shall alone be eligible to compete, and must hand in their papers to the Record Secretary.  The papers, which must be type-written or printed, shall be adjudicated upon by the President.

The Gold Medal of the Association shall be awarded annually for the best paper read during the Session at an ordinary meeting of the Association by an Associate Member of the Association, within two years of graduation, providing sufficient merit is shown.

The awards shall be announced, and the medals and prizes presented by the outgoing President at the opening meeting of the ensuing Session.  The competing papers shall be considered part of the Records of the Association.

 

Rule 25: The Association’s Scarf and Tie, and Other Items

The Scarf and Tie of the Association, made according to the patterns heretofore in use, and other items such as the Council deems fitting shall be made available for sale to all Members, present or past, on application to any member of Council.  The purchase of scarves, ties and other items shall be made by the Council when it is thought that demand is sufficient.

Rule 26: Duties of the Officers and Council with respect to the Central Societies Committee

1. The Correspondence Secretary and the Treasurer shall be jointly responsible for the financial affairs of the Association. Although the affairs of the Association are in general conducted according to the vote of all of the members of the Council, if the Council overrules the advice of the Correspondence Secretary and the Treasurer on a major financial matter, or the Council proceeds in the absence of the Correspondence Secretary and the Treasurer on such a matter, then the Correspondence Secretary and Treasurer will either accept responsibility for the decision, or communicate directly and immediately with the Treasurer of the C.S.C., in which case the Council will hold responsibility for the consequences of the decision in question.  If only one of the said Officers dissociates himself from the decision, then the other Officer assumes complete responsibility. Neither the Correspondence Secretary nor the Treasurer shall sign a cheque for an item for which they are not prepared to accept full responsibility, neither will they be forced to do so by vote of the Committee or of the Association, though they may be called upon to resign by the due process of the Association, in which case such former Officer will bring the case to the notice of the C.S.C.
2. Since, on election to offices, the Correspondence Secretary and the Treasurer assume joint responsibility for the financial affairs of the Association, no cheques or withdrawal forms can be completed without their joint signatures. However, with the agreement of both the Correspondence Secretary and the Treasurer, the Record Secretary may be registered as a third signatory.
3. Although it shall be the duty of the Treasurer to maintain accounts of the Association and present details of these accounts to the C.S.C. when requested, the Correspondence Secretary bears with the Treasurer the responsibility for the accuracy of these accounts.
4. The Treasurer, the Correspondence Secretary or any persons may be requested to appear before the C.S.C. or an officer or sub-committee of the C.S.C. to provide information concerning the finances of the Association. If a prima facie case exists that Association funds have been misused or misappropriated, and a full hearing before the C.S.C. Executive of the person or persons involved establishes that there is sufficient evidence of personal liability, then the C.S.C. may request the person or persons concerned to repay the money by a specified date. The C.S.C. may ask the Senior Dean to declare the person or persons concerned to be indebted to College. (It should be noted that a student who is indebted to College may not be permitted to register for the following academic year or to have his or her degree conferred).
5. The Treasurer shall have the duty of conducting routine communications with the C.S.C. on financial matters including the provisions of estimates for expenditure. It shall be her or his duty :–
1. to obtain C.S.C. grants for the academic year following his election;
2. to provide the C.S.C. with accounts for the financial year during which she or he is elected;
3. to provide his successor with all information reasonably required to manage the Association’s finances in the following Session;
4. to ensure receipt of forms from the C.S.C. for estimating annual expenditure of the Association at the Annual General Meeting of the C.S.C.;
5. to provide estimates of annual expenditure of the Association on these forms to the C.S.C. by such date as shall be specified by the C.S.C.;
6. to forewarn the C.S.C. of anticipated exceptional activities for which grants may be sought, and to provide estimates for these as soon as practicable;
7. to close her or his accounts on the last day of February of each year and thereafter as soon as may be possible shall arrange for the accounts to be audited as provided by the C.S.C. and these accounts shall be presented to the Council of the Association and the C.S.C. for approval.
6. If a Correspondence Secretary or Treasurer during his time of office resigns, or otherwise ceases to hold office by whatever mechanism, he or she will submit to the Treasurer of the C.S.C., and to his or her successor in the office of the Association, a statement of the finances of the Association.  In the case of a Treasurer, this will include a complete set of the accounts to the date on which he or she left office with details of unpaid accounts, debtors and creditors, as well as any other information which might be reasonably required by the successor in his or her duty to ensure proper financial management.
7. It is specifically the duty of the Correspondence Secretary and the Treasurer to know the purposes for which grants are given by the C.S.C. and to ensure that they are used for the said purposes, or purposes which can reasonably be seen to be similar.  It is the duty of the Treasurer in drawing up the annual accounts to show how particular items of expenditure are related to particular grants, and to have receipts to substantiate his payments.
8. In order that a member of the Association who is standing for election to the office of Correspondence Secretary or Treasurer shall be fully aware of the duties and responsibilities which she or he will undertake if elected as Correspondence Secretary or Treasurer, she or he will sign a form of the following content before he or she can be considered a candidate :– “I have read the sections of the constitution describing the duties and responsibilities of the Correspondence Secretary and the Treasurer.  I am willing to accept those responsibilities pertinent to the office of Correspondence Secretary (or Treasurer) if elected to either office.”
9. It is the duty of the Treasurer or, failing him or her, the Correspondence  Secretary to provide these forms to the candidates for these offices and to explain their significance.
10. Invoices or receipts will be presented to the Treasurer of the Association before a member is reimbursed for expenses at conferences etc. (The Association will not be reimbursed by the C.S.C. for travel or conference expenses until invoices or receipts are presented).
11. It is the duty of the Record Secretary of the Association to provide the Secretary of the C.S.C. with a record of the activities of the Association during his or her term of office not later than the date set by the C.S.C. for submission of this report.  This record will provide sufficient information as to allow accurate assessment of the Association’s performance during that time, and so will include a description of each meeting of the Association, the names of guest speakers, the attendance figures and the place of meeting.  The total number of members will be provided etc., etc.
12. The subscription for membership will be decided annually by the Council, within the limits set by the C.S.C.
13. This constitution is binding as and from the date of its being approved by both the Association and the C.S.C.

April 2011

 

STANDING ORDERS

1. The Chair having been taken, the Minutes of the previous public business meeting shall be read and signed.
2. The Exhibit, if any, shall be shown, and discussion shall follow.
3. The Paper shall be read or Address delivered, and discussion shall follow.

On the conclusion of the speaking, the Chair may announce :–

“This meeting shall now proceed to private business, strangers having withdrawn.”

 Private business shall be as follows :–

1. Minutes
2. Ballot for Membership
3. Communications to the Association
4. Nominations or elections
5. Reports of Officers
6. Reports from Council or Committee
7. Motions
8. Notices of motion
9. Question Time

Then the Chair shall declare the meeting adjourned.  The Council shall have the power to alter or amend the order or nature of public business.

At the opening meeting of each Session, the following shall be introduced by the President of that Session as the first motion to be considered :–

“That the Dublin University Biological Association is worthy of the support of all Students of Medicine and Natural Science.”

 

PRIVILEGED MOTIONS

A privileged motion may be introduced at any time.

1. Should the meeting wish to take the business in a different order from that laid down in Standing Orders, Privileged Motion No. 1 shall be proposed, seconded and passed into effect :– ”That Standing Orders be suspended in order to take business in whatever order the proposer may desire.”
2. If it is desired to propose a motion and to carry it at the meeting at which the motion is proposed, Privileged Motion No. 2 shall be proposed, seconded, and passed into effect :– ”That this meeting do resolve itself into Committee.”
1. The meeting, being declared in Committee, shall consider only the project on account of which it was resolved into Committee.
2. The Chair shall, on the advice of the Secretaries, declare the meeting to have returned to full session when he or she  thinks fit.
3. That a vote of thanks, condolence or congratulations be passed.
4. That this meeting be adjourned.
5. That the business under discussion be adjourned till the next meeting.

Privileged motions shall pass with a two-thirds majority.

 

GENERAL RULES OF PROCEDURE

1. No motion shall be entertained by the Association without notice having been received by the Correspondence Secretary at the previous ordinary meeting unless the meeting shall be moved into Committee, when such a motion can be proceeded with and voted on at that meeting.
2. No motion shall be accepted by the Chair :
1. if it is flippant;
2. if it is undated;
3. if it is not in writing;
4. if it does not bear the name of a proposer and seconder.
3. The voting on a motion shall be by word of mouth or by division; if a member calls for a division, the Chair shall read the motion and divide the meeting.
4. No defeated motion can be resurrected during the same meeting unless the House shall be resolved into Committee.
5. A motion may be amended, in which case the rule is to vote on the amendment first and then to vote on the original motion if the amendment is defeated.  If the amendment is carried, the Chair puts the amendment.
6. There shall be no amendment to an amendment.  Any member desiring to amend an amendment shall have no recourse but to resolve the meeting into Committee and propose a fresh motion.
7. When notice of motion has been given to the Correspondence Secretary he or she shall display the said notice for one week on the notice-board in the School of Anatomy and on the Web site of the Association.
8. On all points of procedure, on all questions of the interpretation of these Rules, the Chair shall be the final authority.  A ruling of the Chair can only be reversed by a two-thirds majority of the meeting.