Constitution
Contents
A. The Middle Common Room
B. The Constitution
C. Membership
D. The MCR Committee
E. Appointment of Officers
F. Meetings
G. Subscriptions
H. Funds
I. Use of the Common Room
J. Complaints Procedure
K. External Organisations
L. By-Laws and Rules of Order
Constitution of the Middle Common Room of Lady Margaret Hall
Definitions:
1. College shall mean Lady Margaret Hall.
2. The Bursar shall mean the Domestic Bursar of the College.
3. Governing Body shall mean the Governing Body of the College.
4. JCR shall mean the Junior Common Room of the College.
5. MCR shall mean the Middle Common Room of the College.
6. SCR shall mean the Senior Common Room of the College
7. Tutor for Graduate Students shall mean the member of the SCR so elected by Governing Body.
8. The Dean shall mean the member of the SCR so elected by Governing Body.
9. Senior Treasurer shall mean the member of the SCR elected by Governing Body to act as Senior Treasurer of the JCR and the MCR.
10. OUSU shall mean Oxford University Students Union
A. The Middle Common Room
1. The MCR is an independent and autonomous entity from the College, and none of these entities shall be deemed liable for actions undertaken by the other. Nevertheless, and as its members are individually linked to both the MCR and the College, all joint initiatives by the College and the MCR and/or its Members, particularly concerning public events and physical or digital publications, will be in accordance with any protocols or agreements entered into between them and with the applicable codes of conduct.
2. The MCR shall promote, encourage and co-ordinate social, cultural and athletic activities amongst its members and provide amenities to enable its members more fully to enjoy and benefit from membership of the College, regardless of their economic status or their income. The MCR shall also support the welfare of its members as far as possible, particularly those on a low income, and provide them with information on matters of welfare.
3. The MCR shall represent the opinions and safeguard the interests of its members in the college and in the University.
4. The MCR is opposed to discrimination on grounds of nationality, race, sex, religion, ancestry, political or ideological convictions, economic status or sexual orientation. In its actions the MCR shall pursue and take into account the equality of its members and any third parties with whom it may relate in what concerns the aforementioned criteria.
B. The Constitution
1. No alteration shall be made to this Constitution without the consent of at least two thirds of those full members present at an MCR meeting at two consecutive quorate MCR meetings. Governing Body must be informed of the amendment.
2. A copy of the Constitution shall be kept in the MCR, on the MCR website, in the file of minutes and on the MCR notice board, or on open shelves in the College Library and in the College archives. The Secretary of the MCR shall keep an electronic copy of the Constitution, and ensure that all copies are up to date.
C. Membership
1. Members of the College who are reading for a postgraduate degree, diploma or certificate at the College and who are not members of the SCR shall be full members of the MCR. Any full member may opt out of membership if the member notifies the President in writing by Monday of third week of full term in Michaelmas.
2. Other members of the College who may opt to become full members of the MCR are:
a. Undergraduates of the College in their fourth year of residence since Matriculation.
b. Undergraduates of the College who are over the age of 25 years.
c. Members of the College who are reading for a Final Honours School and who have been granted Senior Status by the Colleged. Undergraduates of the College who are Independent Students, as defined in the D.E.S. regulations “Grants to Students”. Full members of the MCR shall not simultaneously be full members of the JCR. As the persons in the above three categories are by default members of the JCR, in order to become full members of the MCR they must notify both the MCR Secretary and the JCR Secretary of their option.
3. Associate Members of the MCR shall be graduates resident in Oxford who are working in the University but have no college attachment, provided that:
(i) Associate Members shall number not more than 10% of the total number of members of the MCR which pay a subscription as foreseen in Section G below;
(ii) Each Associate Member must have been sponsored by two full members of the MCR;
(iii) Associate membership shall be for a limited period of up to three terms, but may be renewed thereafter by the MCR Committee upon application;
(iv) All Associate Members shall be non-voting members.
4. Honorary Members of the MCR shall be:
a. Such members of the SCR as the MCR may invite.
b. Up to four graduates resident in Oxford who are either former MCR members or graduates of the College. Without exclusion to the provided in Section G below, honorary members shall pay the same subscription and shall enjoy the same privileges as Associate Members, provided that:
(i) Honorary Members shall number not more than the equivalent to 20% of the number of members of the MCR which pay a subscription as foreseen in Section G below;
(ii) All Honorary Members shall be non-voting members.
5. Visiting Associate Members of the MCR shall be undergraduates or Graduates of academic institutions not part of the University of Oxford, provided that:
(i) Visiting Associate Members shall number not more than 20% of the number of members of the MCR which pay a subscription as foreseen in Section G below.
(ii) Membership shall be granted on the consent of the MCR committee.
(iii) All Visiting Associate Members shall be non-voting members. Associate, Honorary and Visiting Associate Members shall be entitled to use MCR facilities. They may also, upon payment of the ordinary visitor’s rate, take meals in College. Permission to use other College facilities may be granted at the discretion of and subject to the conditions outlined by Governing Body, and may be withdrawn at any time. In particular, express permission of Governing Body shall be required for the use of the library.
D. The MCR Committee
1. The MCR Committee shall consist of the following:
a. The elected Executive, namely, the President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the Social Secretary, and two Welfare Officers (one male, one female). None of these may serve on the Executive in more than one capacity at the same time.
b. The Specialist Officers and Representatives.
2. The MCR Committee shall meet at least twice a term for the dispatch of business.
3. “Four members shall form a quorum – three of whom must be Executive Members. For the avoidance of doubt, each Executive Member must hold a different officer position in the MCR Committee.
4. Minutes of the meetings shall be recorded in permanent form for retention by the Committee.
5. The MCR Committee shall, subject to the rules of the University and of the college, administer the affairs of the MCR.
6. The duties of the MCR Committee shall be as follows:
a. President: chair MCR and MCR Committee meetings with casting vote only; represent the MCR at Governing Body, Finance Committee and other relevant meetings; attend OUSU meetings as a voting member; ensure that all officers and representatives of the MCR fulfil their constitutional and mandated duties; sign cheques for the MCR; take ultimate responsibility for the administration of the MCR. In addition to these duties, the President is required to draft an open report on behalf of the MCR by 3rd Week of the following term. This report will be given to the Principal and will consist of concerns, issues or requests raised during the past term.
b. Treasurer: represent the MCR at Governing Body, Finance Committee and other relevant meetings; take responsibility for all financial transactions of the MCR; maintain full, up-to-date and accurate accounts of all MCR income and expenditure; sign cheques for the MCR; produce budgets for the MCR.
c. Secretary: prepare, in cooperation with the President, and distribute agenda for MCR and MCR Committee meetings; publicise notice of such meetings on the MCR notice board and via email; minute all such meetings; publicise all MCR matters; administrate bookings of the MCR and maintain correct records of membership; liaise with the College Secretary and undertake such correspondence as required by the Executive and motions passed at MCR meetings; take responsibility for the MCR website, in conjunction with the MCR IT Representative and Executive Committee.
d. Social Secretary: co-ordinate, under the direction of the MCR Committee, the organisation of MCR social events.
e. Welfare Officers: coordinate and conduct Induction Week prior to Michaelmas Term in such a way as to ensure that at least one of them is available in College during this week; update and produce the induction materials to all members, notably the general MCR handbook and welfare handbook; make available to the members of the MCR information and advice on a range of matters, such as physical, emotional and sexual health, following good practices and seeking guidance and instruction from the relevant authorities; maintain a folder of information pertinent to welfare issues, such as housing, sickness, financial management; coordinate such services and events as the MCR Executive Committee shall determine are in furtherance of the welfare of the MCR; liaise with each other(s) regularly; attend at least the College welfare meetings; and respect the privacy of MCR Members and act in the bounds of confidentiality as kept by the counselling service.
f. Specialist Officers and Representatives: each is to perform such duties as are required by the field of representation to which she or he has been appointed; attend such committees as are relevant to that field. Should the need arise, the MCR Executive Committee shall appoint an interim IT representative from within its ranks.
7. In the absence of the President, the Secretary shall undertake all the President’s functions and responsibilities as Acting President. If, for any reason, the President is unable to continue in office, the Secretary shall become President until a by-election is completed. The by-election to elect the new President shall if practicable take place within 2 weeks of the President’s departure from office.
8. A Committee decision shall be a decision with which the majority of the Committee agrees.
9. The Committee may remove a Committee member before the expiration of his/her term of office if requested to do so in writing by not less than two-thirds of full members, provided that no Committee member shall be removed under this Section without being given the option of a fair hearing at a general meeting of the MCR.
10. On retirement, the Secretary shall compile a report composed from the reports of Executive members and, where relevant, the reports of Specialist Officers and Representatives, to be submitted to the newly elected Committee.
11. Every officer position in the MCR Committee may be fulfilled by more than one person at the same time.
12. To each officer position is attributed a single vote. The vote of each officer position shall be that of the majority of the persons fulfilling such position present at any given meeting. Should a majority not be reached, the vote will count as an abstention. For the avoidance of doubt, if there is a draw in the choices of the persons fulfilling the relevant officer position the vote will count as an abstention.
13. In the exercise of a veto power by an officer position, a majority will have to be reached in order for such veto to be exercised. For the avoidance of doubt, if there is a draw in the choices of the persons fulfilling the relevant officer position the veto power will not be exercised.
E. Appointment of Officers
1. The officers of the MCR shall hold tenure for one year.
2. The Executive, namely, the President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the Social Secretary and the Welfare Officers shall be elected by Friday of 8th Week of Michaelmas Term, and shall take office immediately.
3. The election of the Executive Officers shall proceed as follows:
a. The MCR Committee shall by Tuesday of 5th Week in Michaelmas Term publicise the forthcoming elections to all full MCR members via email and by the posting of notices on the MCR notice boards at the lodge and in the MCR.
b. The MCR Committee shall appoint an Election Officer who will be an MCR member. The Election Officer may be a member of the incumbent MCR committee, but will not be eligible to stand at these elections.
c. The Election Officer shall place a nomination list on the MCR noticeboard by 6 pm on Monday of 6th Week in Michaelmas Term. The Election Officer may also decide to allow nominations to be made online, or even mandate that nominations must be so submitted.
d. Each nominee must have a proposer and at least one seconder; nominees, proposers and seconders must all be full members of the MCR.
e. The nomination list or any online nomination system shall be available until 6 pm on Monday of 7th Week in Michaelmas Term.
f. Hustings for the posts may take place on Tuesday evening of 7th Week.
g. Election by secret ballot shall take place as follows:
(i) voting shall last for 7 days, from close of hustings to 9 am Tuesday of 8th Week of Michaelmas Term
(ii) the Election Officer shall, at the close of hustings, both place in the MCR and post online voting instructions and a list of nominees.
(iii) the Election Officer may decide that the vote will take place exclusively online or may also provide a physical ballot box in the MCR. For the avoidance of doubt, online voting shall always be available.
(iv) If the Election Officer decides to provide a physical ballot box in the MCR, the Election Officer shall be responsible for the security and integrity of the ballot box which shall be available for voting for no less than one hour per day in the MCR during this period. The hours of voting shall be displayed in advance on the voting instructions. Those unable to vote during the times posted shall have the possibility to vote online.
(v) if a physical box is available, an elector may vote on only one ballot paper, and shall then place his/her signature against his/her name on the list of MCR members held by the Election Officer.
(vi) an elector may indicate a wish to re-open nominations by voting for RON (Re-Open Nominations) for any post.
(vii) a ballot paper shall be deemed spoilt if a name appears on it which is not clearly identifiable with the name of a nominee, or if more than one name appears on it.
(viii) after the close of voting the Election Officer shall eliminate any spoilt or unauthorised votes and count the authorised votes. The Election Officer shall check that no one has voted both physically and online before counting the votes. In the event of someone being found to have voted twice, his/her online vote shall be disregarded.
(ix) the nominee who has obtained the most votes shall be deemed to take office when the position for which he or she has been nominated falls vacant.
(x) in the event of a tied vote, the President shall exercise a casting vote.
(xi) If for any post, RON obtains more votes than any individual candidate, then nominations for this post shall be re-opened and the election procedure repeated.
(xii) The candidate with the most votes in the election shall be elected to the post.
(xiii) The Election Officer shall publicise, in detail, the results of the elections immediately.
(xiv) The Dean shall be given access to witness all election proceedings. For an election to be valid, the Dean must be satisfied that it has been conducted freely and fairly.
In the event of an executive office becoming vacant or the election being invalid, on the approval of the committee and Dean, new elections shall be held for the post with similar timings at the earliest opportunity during full term.
4. Non-executive officers and representatives shall be appointed by the end of 2nd Week of Michaelmas Term and take office immediately.
5. The appointment of non-executive officers and representatives shall take place as follows:
a. in the case of Specialist Representatives, the Committee shall decide, between 4th Week of Trinity Term and 0th Week of Michaelmas Term, which specialist fields require individual representation;
b. by Monday of 2nd Week of Michaelmas Term the MCR shall publicise, via email and by the posting of notices on the MCR noticeboards at the lodge and in the MCR, the vacancies for OUSU Rep and for such other representatives as it requires; publicity shall be sent to those joining the MCR in Michaelmas Term as well as to current members;
c. if, by the end of 2nd Week of Michaelmas Term, only one volunteer has come forward for any vacancy, in each case he or she shall be deemed appointed to the post for which he or she has volunteered subject to the approval of the Committee. Only graduate members of the MCR may be eligible for the post of OUSU Rep;
d. if there is more than one volunteer for any post by the end of 2nd Week, the Committee shall make an informal arrangement with the candidates, insofar as all candidates consent; if no mutually satisfactory arrangement is possible, the MCR Executive shall organise an election. In the case of such an election for OUSU Rep being held, only graduate members of the MCR may vote;
e. each appointment shall be ratified at the first MCR meeting after the appointment is made.
F. Meetings
1. An MCR general meeting shall be summoned by the President of the MCR (or in his or her absence by the Secretary) to meet within the first two full weeks of every term. Additional meetings may be summoned at the discretion of the President. Regular meetings shall be called a week in advance, unless there is an urgent need to approve some resolution, in which case the meeting can be called 48 hours in advance.. The notice of a meeting for less than a week after the notice is issued must be duly justified, such justification having to be approved by a majority of the persons present at such general meeting. General meeting notices must be advertised on the MCR notice board together with a motion sheet and via email.
2. The MCR shall meet at least twice per term.
3. An extraordinary meeting of the MCR shall be summoned by the President at the written request of at least 15 members of the MCR and held no sooner than 48 hours and no later than 10 days after the request is received. The request must be placed in the pigeonhole of the MCR President, and the signatures must also be posted on the MCR notice board in the lodge.
4. All members of the MCR may attend MCR meetings. Full members only, including visiting students, shall be entitled to vote.
5. Motions shall be adopted by single majority vote.
6. Whenever a MCR member so requests it at a general meeting or, previous to such a meeting, in writing to the President and the Secretary, a motion shall be submitted to online voting. Online voting on any such motion will begin not later than midnight of the day following the general meeting, and may remain available from a period between 48 hours to a week. The decision on how long an online vote will be available for shall be taken by the Chair of the meeting and should be clearly visible in the voting site. Results shall be announced by email and on the intranet and included in the meeting’s minutes.
7. At all meetings of the MCR, 15 full members shall constitute a quorum. A meeting is presumed to have a quorum until a call for quorum is made by a member, with the exception that if a constitutional amendment is up for a vote, automatic call for a quorum will be established.
8. At all meetings of the MCR, the President shall take the Chair and the Secretary shall keep the Minutes. In the absence of the President, or if the President wishes to speak on any motion, the Secretary shall take the Chair and shall pass the keeping of the Minutes to another member of the MCR Committee. In the absence of both the Secretary and President, any member of the Executive Committee requested to do so by the President may chair the meeting. Meetings may not take place without at least one member of the Executive Committee present. The President may cancel any meeting at his discretion, giving 12 hours notice.
9. The agenda for an MCR meeting shall be prepared by the President in cooperation with other members of the Executive Committee and in consultation with all MCR members who have expressed interest in proposing a motion and posted on the MCR notice board at least 48 hours before the time fixed for the meeting. All motions will have to be submitted by recourse to the motion sheet or via email to the President at least 72 hours before the time fixed for the meeting.
10. Motions may be submitted by any full member of the MCR, provided that they are seconded by another full member and submitted in accordance with the time frame specified in F.7. above:
a. Emergency Motions may be proposed at the meeting, provided that a majority of the MCR believes that the matters addressed are sufficiently urgent to fit the character of an emergency motion.
b. Members may discuss any matter concerning the life of the MCR and may vote on any motion submitted in accordance with the above provision.
c. Charities motions may be submitted provided that a brief outline of the work of the charity is provided to the meeting, and as long as it does not imply the attribution of funds in contravention to section H (9) below.
11. The Chairperson of the MCR meeting may accept any amendment(s) to a motion if it is accepted by the proposer and does not imply a substantial change to the content of the motion. If the amendment is rejected by the proposer or it is considered that it implies a substantial change to the content of the motion, the majority of persons present at the General Meeting may accept the amendment to the motion. Any amendment which implies a substantial change to the content of the motion shall be identified as such on the intranet and submitted to online voting.
G. Subscriptions
1. The amount of the MCR subscriptions shall be recommended by the MCR Committee, and approved at a meeting of members. The Treasurer shall consult the Senior Treasurer on any proposal to alter the amount of the subscription.
2. Honorary members who are also members of the SCR shall not pay a subscription. Other honorary members and all associate and full members shall pay a subscription. All research students of the College, including those who have finished paying University Fees, who are resident in Oxford and who wish to use MCR facilities shall be considered full members of the MCR and shall therefore be liable to the membership subscription.
3. A proportion of the subscription fee of each full member of the MCR shall be payable to the JCR. The amount payable per head shall be agreed between the MCR and JCR. Committees in consultation with the Senior Treasurer, and shall be kept under review. Payment of this amount shall entitle full MCR members to make use of such JCR facilities as agreed between the JCR and MCR.
4. An optional levy will be made on members of £1 per member per term from which payments may be made to charities. Any member wishing to withdraw from the Charities levy must inform the Treasurer in writing two full weeks before the start of term, and will be considered permanently withdrawn..
H. Funds
1. All subscriptions shall be paid into the “Middle Common Room, Lady Margaret Hall” bank account administered by the MCR Committee. Money may be withdrawn in accordance with the approved budget or at the discretion of the MCR Committee whose decisions shall be minuted. The adoption of resolutions concerning unbudgeted expenses can be prevented by the joint veto of the President and the Treasurer in the interest of budget equilibrium and of the existent and foreseeable cash flow.
2. Cheques shall be signed by either the Treasurer or the President.
3. An amount determined by the MCR Committee as Petty Cash shall be under the control of the Treasurer.
4. The MCR shall maintain a current and savings account. The current account shall be used to transact the business of the MCR in accordance with the budget approved at the beginning of each term. Such approval shall be accomplished by simple majority at a regular MCR meeting. Unbudgeted expenditure is to be approved by the MCR Executive for amounts under 125 pounds while amounts over 125 pounds must be approved by the MCR. The balance in the current account is to be reviewed at the end of each term and any large accumulated amounts are to be transferred to savings. Explicit approval from the MCR is required for all withdrawals from savings.
5. Explicit approval of the MCR is required for unbudgeted expenditure which, in the aggregate, exceeds 25% of the total budget for the term. Such approval shall be accomplished by simple majority at a regular MCR meeting.
6. The Treasurer shall prepare an annual account of all income and expenditure in consultation with the Senior Treasurer. Copies shall be displayed in the MCR and shall be supplied to the Tutor for Graduate Students and to any MCR members on request.
7. The MCR shall not make ultra-vires payments.
8. The treasurer shall prepare a termly budget for approval by the MCR at the first meeting of each full term and shall at the end of the term publicise an account of all income and expenditure for that term. The summer budget shall be approved in Trinity Term.
9. Payments from the charities account will be made after a ‘Charities Motion’ has been passed by a simple majority in an MCR general meeting with no more than 20% of the termly income from the Charities levy paid to any one charity per term, any payment being dependent on the existence of funds in the charities account.
I. Use of the Common Room
1. The use of the Common Room for official MCR functions and events, including meetings, is at the full discretion of the MCR Executive.
2. Members of the MCR may hold private parties in the Common Room with the express written permission of the MCR Executive and the Dean. Access to newspapers and the television room must be provided for persons not attending such parties.
3. Keys to the Middle Common Room will be lent by the Bursar to members of the MCR upon payment of a deposit which is refundable upon return of the key.
J. Complaints Procedure
1. Members of the MCR who wish to register a complaint regarding the MCR or provision of services by the MCR may do so in writing to the President.
2. If the complaint is not resolved by the President to the satisfaction of the complainant, the complainant may refer the matter to the Dean.
K. External Organisations
1. Affiliations to external organisations shall be reviewed at the written request of 5% of Full Members.
L. By-Laws and Rules of Order
1. This Constitution is to set MCR procedure and rules in accordance with the MCR By-Laws.
2. MCR By-Laws may not contradict the Constitution.
3. Anything regarding procedure not specified in the By-Laws will be referred to via Robert’s Rules of Order.
4. The MCR Secretary will make sure the By-Laws and other MCR documents are routinely updated.
5. Any amendment of By-laws dealing with accommodation allowances, or of this provision, shall not affect incumbent MCR Executive Committee members, but will be binding on any subsequently elected MCR Executive Committee
By-Laws
1. The Social Secretaries and the Wine Rep are entitled to formal hall at the MCR’s expense, provided they have used up their college formal hall allowment.
2. As members of the MCR cannot simultaneously be full members of the JCR, part of a call for quorum shall involve checking individual membership.
3. No motion involving financial expense can be passed before budget reports have been presented.
4. The MCR shall re-imburse any member who, in his capacity as MCR member and duly empowered by the MCR Meeting or the MCR Executive, organizes a pre-formal dinner speaker event for the purchase of a gift for said speaker and pay formal dinner for said speaker. For the avoidance of doubt, the MCR member who organised the pre-formal dinner speaker event shall not have formal dinner paid for by the MCR.
