How We StartedThe Constitution of the Junior Common Room
of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University
Contents
•
Preamble
1. Membership
2. Aims and Objectives
• Amble
1. Constitutional Protocol
2. Structure and membership of the JCR Committee
3. Duties of JCR Officials
4. Election Procedure
5. Conduct of JCR Meetings
6. Referenda
7. Finance
8. Complaints Procedure
• Appendices
1. Definitions of discrimination
2. Rep Roles
Preamble
Membership
A.1a Undergraduates of LMH shall be full members of the JCR, and as such are entitled to attend and vote at all JCR meetings and elections.
A.1b Undergraduates have the right to opt out of membership of the JCR. Any undergraduate choosing to opt out must send written notification to the JCR President to arrive no later than Sunday Week 3 Michaelmas term of the appropriate academic year. He or she will then cease to be a member of the JCR until he or she writes to the President making clear his/her desire to re-assume membership.
A.2 Those in their fourth year since matriculation, over 25, or with senior status may opt to be either full JCR or full Middle Common Room (MCR) members.
A.3 Full members of the MCR shall be considered associate members of the JCR. They have the right to speak at JCR meetings but may not vote, propose or second motions or amendments.
Aims and Objectives
B.1 The Constitution embodies the primary means by which the JCR shall pursue its fundamental and overriding objectives which are defined as follows:
i) To advance and foster the economic, cultural and recreational interests and activities of its members;
ii) To seek maximum representation and involvement for its members in the governance of the college;
iii) To provide its members with equal access to JCR services and facilities.
B.2a In pursuit of these, the JCR shall maintain and promote equality for all LMH undergraduates with particular regard to the following protected states:
i) Race (which includes colour, nationality, ethnic and national origin);
ii) Gender (whether since birth or acquired);
iii) Disability;
iv) Sexual orientation (whether heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual, but not extending to those who engage in illegal acts);
v) Religion (including religious belief and similar philosophical beliefs);
vi) Age.
B.2b Equality means no decision or action may be taken that constitutes direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment or victimisation (as defined at Appendix (i)).
B.2c To uphold the provisions of B.2 a and B.2 b, a JCR Internal Complaints Tribunal shall exist and function as laid out at 8 below.
Amble
1. Constitutional Protocol
1.1 The JCR President shall interpret the Constitution. If a ruling is challenged, a vote shall be taken at that meeting, or if it is challenged outside a JCR meeting, the vote shall be taken at the next meeting. The result of such a vote shall be final, subject to referenda (see 6).
1.2 The JCR Secretary is responsible for amending the Constitution as necessary, publicising them within 7 days of a decision being taken and ensuring that an up-to-date copy of the Constitution is available on the JCR website and to the MCR President.
1.3a The Constitution shall be amended as follows:
i) a motion to amend is passed by at least two-thirds of those voting at a JCR meeting;
ii) the amendment is then posted on the Lodge JCR notice-board for the entire period until the next JCR meeting, and publicised in Loo News;
iii) the amendment is confirmed by a further passing with a two-thirds majority at the next JCR meeting;
iv) if the amendment is further amended at the second meeting, it requires a two-thirds majority at the following meeting in order to pass.
1.3b A fully amended and up-to-date copy of the Constitution shall be sent to Governing Body annually, for their approval of all amendments made in the past year.
2. Structure and membership of the JCR Committee
2.1 JCR Committee members must be full members of the JCR.
2.2 The JCR Committee shall consist of:
i) The Executive, the senior administrative body, representing the undergraduate students, responsible for the implementation of JCR policy, which shall consist of: a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Internal Affairs Officer, Access and Academic Affairs Officer, First Year Officer, Male and Female Welfare Officers, Social Secretary, Shop Manager, OUSU Officer and an ASC Officer;
ii) Specialist Representatives, including: IT rep, Eco rep, Charities rep, LGBT rep, Punts rep, and such others as the Exec and/or JCR may, from time to time, deem necessary but who are not, for purposes of accountability, considered members of the Exec.
2.3 The Exec will meet at least once a fortnight during term. The President may invite concerned parties when the agenda includes business relevant to them. Any member of the JCR may attend an Exec meeting, by arrangement with the President.
2.4 All members of the Exec are expected to attend Exec and JCR meetings to report on their activities and discuss matters arising.
2.5 No member of the Exec may simultaneously hold any other Exec position.
2.6 Resignations by JCR Committee members must be tendered in writing to the President and are accepted as soon as they are received.
2.7 A JCR officer shall be deemed to be removed from office if two successive JCR meetings pass motions to that effect by two-thirds majorities. A motion of removal having been passed once is placed at the top of the agenda of the next meeting.
3. Duties of JCR Officials
3.1 Executive Officers:
3.1a President – Ultimately responsible for the administration of the JCR; chairing Exec and JCR meetings; ensuring officers fulfil constitutional and mandated duties; representing the JCR at Governing Body, college Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), Finance Committee and other relevant meetings as appropriate or necessary; attending OUSU Council and JCR Presidents' Committee; signing cheques for the JCR.
3.1b Vice-President – Responsible for accommodation, security and alumni relations; including organisation of JCR side of special events such as the Gaudy and Lady Margaret Day; organising living out ballot, if necessary, and room ballot, and issues arising from both; attending Governing Body, the JCC, Finance Committee, Accommodation Committee, and Health, Safety and Security Committee; assists President as and when required.
3.1c Treasurer – Responsible for all JCR financial arrangements; maintaining full accounts of JCR income, expenditure, battels administration and investments; publishing an annual financial report for presentation to Governing Body and to the first JCR meeting of the year following her or his term of office, for which purpose s/he exceptionally remains accountable as an Exec Officer; publishing an annual budget to guide his or her successor's spending (see 7.1); making up-to-date accounts available to JCR or SCR members on request; attending Governing Body, the JCC, Finance Committee, and Grants and Bursaries Committee; signing cheques for the JCR.
3.1d Secretary – Responsible for internal organisation of the JCR Exec and Committee; publicising JCR meetings; preparing and distributing agenda for JCR meetings; minuting Exec and JCR meetings; publishing Exec and JCR meeting minutes on the JCR website; maintaining an up-to-date copy of the Constitution on the JCR website, and making copies available on request; ensuring that Freshers are informed, prior to coming up, of the availability of the Constitution; acting as Returning Officer for JCR elections (subject to 4.2 b) and Referenda; keeping an up-to-date record of rep positions; attending the JCC; publicising all JCR matters, and making relevant information available to Loo News, as required under 1.3 a (ii), 4.7 and 4.16 a.
3.1e Internal Affairs Officer – Responsible for maintenance and repair of JCR facilities such as Toynbee JCR, the Bar, televisions, vending and games machines; liaising with Bursar and appropriate College authorities concerning facilities; attending Health, Safety and Security Committee, and other relevant meetings as appropriate or necessary; responsible for producing (but not necessarily editing) Loo News, a bi-weekly publication covering JCR activities, particularly but not exclusively with reference to 1.3 a (ii), 4.7 and 4.16 a.
3.1f Social Secretary – Responsible for arranging, organising and publicising a programme of social events for the JCR; assisting the Treasurer, who keeps the accounts relating to the Social budget; attending Bar Committee; may appoint and chair an Entertainments sub-committee to assist with Entz-related activities.
3.1g Access and Academic Affairs Officer – Responsible for JCR side of access initiatives, and student point-of-contact in cases of conflict with tutors. The role includes: organisation of LMH shadowing scheme, target schools open day, updating the alternative prospectus; liaising between the tutor for undergraduates and students with academic problems; responsibility for an Access Committee composed of JCR members under 3.3 a (i); attending college Access Committee and OUSU Academic Affairs Committee.
3.1h Female and Male Welfare Officers – Responsible for access to welfare information, and representing respective gender stance on the Exec; upkeep of Welfare library and Welfare notice-board; the promotion of college and university welfare campaigns; responsibility for Equal Opportunities Committee under 3.3 a (ii); organising group and gender-specific social events. Undertake OUSU Basic Listening Skills Training, Peer Support Training and other relevant OUSU training. They remain listeners rather than counsellors, but they help to oversee peer support in college. They attend college Welfare Committee and OUSU Health and Welfare Committee; in addition the FWO attends OUSU Women's Committee. They work with the SCR to administer the Sarah Napuk Memorial Fund, and they make an annual report to the Napuk family.
3.1i First Year Officer – Responsible for provision of general information for Freshers, also responsible for helping the Welfare Officers with 1st year Welfare issues; organisation of Freshers' Week; organisation of the college-parenting scheme; the production of a Freshers' Guide; representing 1st years on the Exec; helping the Vice-President with relevant accommodation issues; attending college Welfare Committee; may attend the Entz sub-committee if one is formed.
3.1j Amalgamated Sports Clubs Officer – Responsible for ASC accounts and budget; presenting accounts to Governing Body at the same time as the main JCR budget; co-signing cheques with the JCR President.
3.1k Shop Manager – Responsible for management of JCR shop, including; stock and staffing issues; running shop account; producing accounts to be given to the Treasurer for inclusion in the annual overall budget.
3.1l OUSU Officer – Responsible for highlighting the work of OUSU; making relevant OUSU information and proposals available to the JCR; attending OUSU Council and General Meetings; submitting motions and amendments to OUSU Council and General Meetings as directed by the JCR; keeping the JCR up-to-date with relevant NUS issues.
3.2 JCR Representatives:
3.2a Reps are responsible to the Secretary and Treasurer with regard to their sphere of activity and finances respectively. (Particular Rep roles are defined at Appendix (ii).)
3.2b Reps shall attend the final JCR meeting of the year to report on the year's activities and answer questions.
3.3 Sub-committees:
3.3a Sub-committees for the management of the following issues shall be appointed and chaired by the appropriate Exec officer(s) as follows:
i) Access and Academic Affairs Officer: Access Committee, to assist the officer in encouraging access activities within the college.
ii) Male and Female Welfare Officers: Equal Opportunities Committee, responsible for monitoring and promoting equal opportunities relevant to members of the JCR. It shall consist of the Ethnic Minorities rep, LGBT rep and any other interested parties.
3.3b Other sub-committees, not provided for in 3.3 a, may be appointed and/or discontinued by the appropriate Exec officer(s), as they see fit, without recourse to a JCR motion.
4. Election Procedure
4.1 Officers of the JCR shall be elected for the period of one year.
4.2a Election procedure is organised and interpreted by the Returning Officer whose decisions are binding, subject to recourse to an Election Complaints Tribunal (see 4.13).
4.2b The JCR Secretary shall act as Returning Officer, unless he or she is a candidate, in which case the Exec shall select an alternative. The Returning Officer shall post details concerning the election on the Hell Passage JCR notice-board.
4.3a Elections for the posts of Vice-President, Secretary, First Year Officer, OUSU Officer, and Male Welfare Officer shall be held on Thursday Week 6 Michaelmas Term.
4.3b Elections for the posts of President, Treasurer, Access and Academic Affairs Officer, Internal Affairs Officer, Female Welfare Officer, Social Secretary, Shop Manager and ASC Officer shall be held on Thursday Week 4 Trinity Term.
4.4a Only men may stand as Male Welfare Officer and only women as Female Welfare Officer; though for both posts both men and women may vote.
4.4b The posts of Social Secretary and Shop Manager may be shared between two people; though for the purposes of election of these posts such nominees shall be regarded as a single candidate.
4.4c A Re-Open Nominations (RON) candidate shall stand in election for every Exec post, regardless of how many candidates enter the contest. If RON wins the election for a post, then nominations are to be re-opened for that post, and another election is to be held within 12 days, excluding days outside weeks 0-8 of term.
4.5a Nominations shall be proposed and seconded by full JCR members (subject to 4.5 b) on the Hell Passage JCR notice-board. Nomination sheets shall be posted for a minimum of five days; and there shall then be a period of five days between the close of nominations and the election.
4.5b Exec members may not propose or second nominations to any post; and shall remain neutral throughout elections, except in their right to cast their secret ballot, unless they are themselves a candidate.
4.6a Candidates for election shall submit their manifesto in person to the Returning Officer before the close of nominations, and shall include a passport-sized photograph. All manifestos shall be of A4 length except for the positions of President, Vice-President and Treasurer, which may be up to A3 size.
4.6b Candidates shall be made aware in writing of the provisions of 4.8, by the Returning Officer, prior to Hustings.
4.7 The Returning Officer shall publish copies of the manifestos on the Hell Passage JCR notice-board, in Toynbee JCR, and in Loo News; the cost being met by the JCR.
4.8a Election material should not exceed 50 A4 sheets, or equivalent, per candidate and each sheet must be stamped by the Returning Officer.
4.8b Each candidate is permitted one A4 poster, or equivalent, per authorised notice-board.
4.8c Display of posters and election material shall be managed as follows:
i) All posters, whether of a campaigning or advertising nature, must be authorised by the Returning Officer or Secretary as appropriate.
ii) Unauthorised posters may be removed by Exec officers, at their discretion.
iii) The following zones shall be free of all election material (subject to 4.7): Toynbee JCR, the Bar, the Porter's Lodge.
iv) The following zones shall be free of all advertising or campaigning posters: the vending machine area, all showers, all toilets, fire-doors, corridor walls and all public windows.
4.8d Removing, obscuring or defacing authorised election material shall be deemed electoral malpractice. Where systematic abuse is suspected, the Returning Officer shall investigate. If posters have been removed or defaced, the Returning Officer has the power to authorise new/additional material.
4.8e Candidates wishing to change their election material must present old, authorised, material to the Returning Officer, who shall exchange them for an equivalent number of new sheets.
4.8f After elections, candidates are responsible for the collection and recycling of their own election material.
4.9a Hustings shall take place after the close of nominations and no fewer than 72 hours before the opening of the ballot.
4.9b Hustings shall be publicised and chaired by the Returning Officer.
4.9c Attendance at Hustings is mandatory for all candidates, even if running against only RON; failure to attend without good reason shall constitute withdrawal from the election.
4.9d Candidates for each position shall hust (i.e., give a speech) in order of signing up; and then the Chair of Hustings shall direct all questions to all candidates, to allow the audience to judge fairly the merits of each candidate.
4.10a The Returning Officer shall ensure that the ballot box is manned at all times by an Exec member who is not personally standing for election.
4.10b Ballot papers shall be issued by those manning the ballot box, one to each voter after the voter has signed the voting register of JCR members.
4.10c The Returning Officer shall ensure that the order of nominees is rotated on the ballot paper.
4.11a Polls shall be open for a duration of twelve hours, and shall be publicised in the Lodge.
4.11b On the day of elections, no campaigning of any description shall be allowed in the room where voting is taking place.
4.12a Votes are cast for candidates in order of preference. The candidate with the least number of first preference votes is eliminated first, and the ballot papers of that candidate shall be reallocated according to their second preference votes. The remaining candidate with the least votes is then eliminated, and the ballot papers of that candidate shall be reallocated according to the next preference expressed. The process is repeated until a single candidate remains.
4.12b Three neutral members of the Exec, including the Returning Officer if at all possible, shall count the votes. The candidates or their representatives may attend if they so desire. The college Dean may attend, to oversee the count.
4.12c Notice of election results shall be posted on the Lodge JCR notice-board, Hell Passage JCR notice-board, and on the JCR website as soon as possible.
4.12d In the event of a tie after two recounts, the candidate with the most first preference votes will prevail. If there is still a tie, then the number of second preferences shall be taken into account, then the third preferences, and so on. If there is still a tie, an election between the tying candidates only shall take place at the earliest opportunity. In the event of RON being one of the tying candidates, nominations for the post shall be re-opened.
4.12e Candidates in the original election are not prevented from competing and winning following elections.
4.12f Ballot papers shall be kept for potential examination for 7 days following the vote. If no written objection is received within that period the election shall be held valid and binding on the JCR.
4.13a If, within 7 days of an election, a written complaint is received by the President regarding its conduct or result, the Election Complaints Tribunal shall investigate the objection. The Tribunal shall report its findings to the next JCR meeting. Following the report the JCR will be asked to confirm the result of the election by a majority vote, failing which a new election shall be held within 12 days (excluding days outside weeks 0-8 of term).
4.13b An Election Complaints Tribunal shall comprise 3 members holding no office in the JCR. The Exec shall appoint them in the Exec meeting preceding the opening of nominations. Any full JCR member may write to the Exec asking to be considered or may be invited by the Exec. The Exec shall have final control of the composition of the Tribunal panel.
4.13c In Tribunal, the Returning Officer shall present the case and answer questions, following which the three appointed members shall each cast a vote to decide the outcome.
4.14a Newly elected officers shall shadow the existing incumbents. As such they are required to attend Exec and JCR meetings and (at the request of the current officer) participate in any activities or duties specific to the office concerned.
4.14b For purposes of accountability, responsibility for an Exec office remains with the existing office-holder until the Officer-Elect assumes responsibility for that post on the first day of the term following their election.
4.14c However, in the event of a by-election, occurring before the end of a term of office, the newly elected officer assumes responsibility for their office on the day after the election.
4.15 In the event of a by-election, the elected officer shall be elected for the remainder of that term of office only and another election held at the appropriate date.
4.16a Vacancies for Rep positions will be advertised in Loo News and on the Lodge JCR notice-board.
4.16b Full JCR members may nominate themselves for Rep positions, without need for a seconder, on the Hell Passage JCR notice-board. Nominations sheets for Rep positions shall be posted at least ten days before Thursday Week 6 of Michaelmas Term, and nominations shall remain open for a minimum of five days.
4.16c If more than one person stands for a Rep position, an election shall be held in the same manner and at the same time as the Michaelmas Term Exec elections (Thursday Week 6), with the exception that there is no RON candidate in Rep elections.
4.17a If the Exec deem it necessary, they may dismiss a Rep with immediate effect. The dismissed Rep may appeal the decision at the next JCR meeting, by means of a private motion.
4.17b In the event of the dismissal or resignation of a Rep, the Exec may appoint a replacement. Such an appointment shall be approved at a JCR meeting via an Exec motion.
5. Conduct of JCR Meetings
5.1a Ordinary meetings shall be held at least three times per term. Extraordinary meetings shall be called within 72 hours of receipt by the Exec of a petition for an extraordinary meeting signed by 50 full JCR members, or may be called by the President to discuss an issue which has arisen during the last 72 hours.
5.1b Notice of an ordinary JCR meeting shall be given by e-mail to all members no less than 3 days prior to the meeting; the e-mail will include a call for private motions to be submitted.
5.1c Private motions for discussion at JCR meetings, which shall be proposed and seconded by full JCR members, must be submitted to the Secretary no less than 36 hours before the meeting concerned. Exec motions must represent the majority will of the Exec.
5.1d All motions for debate at JCR meetings, including Exec motions, must be published in full on the Lodge JCR notice-board no less than 12 hours before the start of the meeting, subject only to 5.3 b.
5.1e JCR meetings shall be chaired by the President, or in the absence of the President by an Exec officer appointed by the President.
5.1f Quorum for JCR meetings shall be 35 full members of the JCR, counting Exec officers but not including the Chair. At the start of or during a meeting, a full member may, by way of a point of order (under 5.4 b), request a quorum count. If the meeting becomes inquorate during business it shall be suspended for 10 minutes after which, if it remains inquorate, the meeting will be deemed to have closed.
5.1g The Chair is responsible for ensuring a JCR meeting is in order at all times. If this is not possible to ensure, the Chair shall adjourn the meeting.
5.2a The order of business at JCR meetings shall be as follows:
i) Reports and announcements by JCR officers (reading reports of absent officers is the responsibility of the JCR Secretary);
ii) Questions arising;
iii) Other reports and announcements as permitted by the Chair;
iv) Motions to amend the Constitution;
v) Exec motions;
vi) Private motions.
5.2b Time shall be set aside at the end for Any Other Business. This shall include: discussion of current Exec manifestos at the final ordinary meeting of the term in which their respective post is up for re-election - manifestos shall be published on the Hell Passage JCR notice-board in Week 6 of that term; JCR rep and society reports at the final meeting of the year; and, at the meeting preceding college Welfare Committee (usually in 7th Week), discussion of matters for the attention of the Welfare Committee.
5.3a Emergency motions at JCR meetings shall be permitted only if the subject matter has become a clear cause for majority concern in the last 72 hours.
5.3b Emergency motions not submitted and publicised under 5.1 d may be accepted at the Chair's discretion, subject to the following conditions:
i) The Chair must explain the extra-ordinary decision to accept the emergency motion; s/he may call on the proposer to justify its urgency;
ii) An Emergency Exec motion must be presented in the normal manner to the following meeting, seeking a re-affirmation of both the original motion itself and its urgency.
5.4a The following are procedural motions which must be accepted for immediate debate:
i) That the meeting has no confidence in the Chair;
ii) That the Chair be overruled;
iii) That a JCR officer be removed from office or that responsibility for a particular mandate be removed from a JCR officer;
iv) That the meeting be closed;
v) That the meeting be adjourned for a specific time;
vi) That the order of business be changed;
vii) That a person who is not a member of the JCR be allowed to speak.
5.4b Points of order shall take precedence over all business. They must be accepted, and shall be concerned solely with the interpretation of the Constitution.
5.5 Seconded calls to move to a vote shall be accepted, discussed or themselves voted on, at the discretion of the Chair. The Chair may not propose or second a move to a vote; but the Chair may suggest that one be proposed, when debate is clearly exhausted.
5.6 Procedure for debating motions shall be as follows:
i) The proposer of the motion shall table the motion, by speaking first or waiving this right to another JCR member. A motion once tabled may not be withdrawn without the approval of a majority of the meeting.
ii) A speech of opposition shall be heard if there is one, and then a floor debate take place under the direction of the Chair. The opposer and the proposer (in that order) may make short summing up speeches, in which no new information is to be put forward.
iii) Points of information shall be phrased as short questions to the speaker, or short factual statements, which are directly relevant to the discussion, and may be accepted at the speaker's discretion.
5.7 Formal debating procedure may be suspended at the discretion of the Chair.
5.8a Amendments to a motion may be proposed at any time while the motion is being debated. They take precedence over the main debate on the motion, and are accepted for debate at the discretion of the Chair.
5.8b The procedure for debating an amendment shall be the same as that for motions, except that a seconder must be found at the meeting before the amendment can be put.
5.8c An amendment shall become part of the motion under debate if a majority vote thus.
5.9a Within debate, the Chair may express opinions, so long as it is clear that they are privately-held and not official, without prejudicing the overriding obligation to chair meetings in an impartial manner.
5.9b The Chair shall not vote on any motions or amendments, with the exception stipulated in 5.10 b.
5.10a Voting shall be by a show of hands. The votes of Exec members are included in the count, with the exception of the Chair. A simple majority is required to pass a motion or amendment, unless stipulated otherwise in the Constitution.
5.10b Any member may demand a recount, which shall be taken by the Chair. If another recount is called for, division shall take place and the result held binding. In the event of the division sustaining a tie, the Chair may exercise a casting vote, or adjourn the motion for consideration at a later date.
5.10c A request for a vote to be decided by secret ballot, at a meeting, may be made by no less than 15 full JCR members, with the request being accepted at the discretion of the Chair.
6. Referenda
6.1 A referendum shall be held as soon as reasonably possible after:
i) Receipt by the President of a petition signed by at least 50 full JCR members;
OR
ii) A motion calling for a referendum being passed at a JCR meeting by a two-thirds majority.
6.2 The wording of Referenda shall be the responsibility of the Secretary, who shall act as the Returning Officer, and as such organise and interpret the procedures for referenda.
6.3 Referenda shall be advertised on the Lodge JCR notice-board, in Toynbee JCR and on the LMH JCR website by the Returning Officer, giving details of the question to be asked and the date of the referendum.
6.4 Referenda shall be held by secret ballot following the procedure for elections. The results shall be posted on the Lodge JCR notice-board, in Toynbee JCR and on the LMH JCR website by the Returning Officer.
6.5 The result of a referendum shall be considered to represent the authoritative will of the JCR.
7. Finance
7.1a Towards the end of Trinity term, the Treasurer, in consultation with the Treasurer-Elect, must present a budget for the subsequent year to the JCR for approval.
7.1b The budget requires ratification by the Exec, and by a JCR meeting with a two-thirds majority.
7.1c Management of the budget shall be split into two parts:
i) Allocation and control of motion and societies monies is to be undertaken by the JCR through motions at JCR meetings.
ii) Other monies shall fall under the control of the Exec and relevant officers/reps, who shall submit financial reports to the Treasurer for inclusion in the annual financial report.
7.1d Should unforeseen circumstances make exceeding the budgetary total necessary, a JCR meeting must ratify proposed changes made by the Exec by a two-thirds majority. If a JCR meeting to discuss the matter fails to make quorum, then the President and Treasurer are deemed to have the JCR's authority to proceed with revision.
7.1e The President and Treasurer may not sign cheques in breach of ultra-vires.
7.2 Income from each area of JCR battels shall be spent exclusively within each respective target area.
7.3 Spending from the Charities budget shall be presented by the Charities rep to be voted on in the last meeting of the year; unless the JCR accept that any earlier requests, submitted through private motions, are sufficiently pressing cases.
7.4a It is a condition of private financial motions that the proposer presents their request to the Exec at a meeting the day before the JCR meeting, providing, where applicable, a statement of the society's accounts. An account of expenditure shall be rendered at the final JCR meeting of the year (see 5.2b).
7.4b Any money allocated by private motions must be claimed from the JCR Treasurer within a fortnight of the meeting concerned, after which the allocation shall be void.
7.4c Investment decisions shall be subject to prior endorsement by majority vote at a JCR meeting and final approval by the college Treasurer.
7.5 An up-to-date financial report shall be published annually and presented to the JCR by the outgoing Treasurer (see 3.1c). A copy must be provided for the approval of Governing Body. The reports should contain:
i) A breakdown of spending in each area of the main budget;
ii) Details of JCR battels income and spending;
iii) Details of the state of all current investments.
7.6 Affiliation with external organisations shall be ratified by a majority vote on an Exec motion at the last JCR meeting of Hilary term.
8. Complaints Procedure
8.1a A JCR Internal Complaints Tribunal may be established, so that any person, who feels unfairly treated or discriminated against in regard to the running of the JCR or provision of services by the JCR, may have their complaint heard. However, the remit of such a Tribunal shall not extend to complaints concerning the conduct or result of JCR elections, which may be dealt with by an Election Complaints Tribunal (see 4.13).
8.1b A JCR member may request, in writing to the President, that a Tribunal be assembled; the request is accepted as soon it is received.
8.1c The Tribunal shall consist of the Vice-President, Female and Male Welfare Officers (in their capacities as Joint-Chair of the Equal Opportunities Committee), and 3 other members, present, proposed and chosen by the JCR, at a JCR meeting. One of the three elected members shall be chosen to chair the Tribunal.
8.1d The Tribunal is to report its findings to a JCR meeting. The Tribunal has the power to recommend disciplinary measures, to be approved in a JCR meeting by a majority vote.
8.1e If a complaint is upheld, it is required that the Exec take appropriate action to remedy the problem.
8.1f If the matter cannot be solved to the satisfaction of either the Tribunal or the complainant, either has the right to refer the complaint to the college authorities.