Constitution
GIRTON COLLEGE JCR COMMITTEE CONSTITUTION
Amended January 2012
Contents:
- Mission Statement
- The Committee
- Committee Members' Responsibilities
- Committee Meetings
- Election of Committee Member
- Election Procedure
- Resignation of Committee Members
- Votes of No-Confidence
- Open Meeting
- Emergency Open Meetings
- Referenda
Schedule One - The Finance Committee
Schedule Two - Standing Orders
Schedule Three - Glossary
Appendix in Accordance with the Education Act 1994 - Appendix JCR Welfare Confidentiality Agreement
1 MISSION STATEMENT
(a) There shall be in Girton College a Junior Combination Room
(hereinafter referred to as the JCR).
-(b) It shall provide a meeting place for junior members of the College.
(c) It shall be an official body for the expression of opinion of junior
members on matters concerning the College.
(d) All undergraduates at Girton College who pay a JCR subscription shall be
members of the JCR.
(e) The general administration of the JCR shall be in the hands of a Committee.
2 THE JCR COMMITTEE
The JCR Committee shall consist of:
(a) Elected Members
President
Vice-President
Treasurer
Secretary
Curator
Entertainments (Ents) & Bar Officer
Access & Academic Officer
Wolfson Court Officer
Green Officer
Welfare Officer (Men)
Welfare Officer (Women)
(b) Co-opted Members
Women’s Representative
International Representative
LesBiGayTrans (LGBT) Representative
Bike Representative
Webmaster and Communications Representative
Ethnic Minorities Representative
Any further members co-opted by the decision of the JCR Committee.
(c) Members In Waiting
President-elect
Treasurer-elect
The Executive & Sub Committee
(a) The Executive Committee
will consist of President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Welfare (m),
Welfare (f), Wolfson Court, Ents & Bar, Webmaster, Access & Academic
and Curator,
(b) The Sub Committee will
consist of LGBT, Women’s, Green, Bike, , International and Ethnic Minorities
3 COMMITEE MEMBERS' RESPONSIBILITIES
(a) The responsibilities of the members shall be as follows:
President:
Shall have overall responsibility for the JCR. Shall chair meetings of the JCR Committee and Open Meetings Shall attend College Council, CUSU Council and Presidents' meetings. Shall live in A9, from Michaelmas Term, which shall be classed as an 'A' grade in the room-choosing ballot. Shall determine the recipient of the Tom Mansfield Award, presented annually at the leaver’s Chapel Service before the garden party to a student who has shown exceptional service to musical life at Girton through demonstrating initiative beyond the call of duty.
Vice-President/External:
Shall perform the duties of the president in his/her absence. Shall attend all open meetings, all JCR Committee meetings and all College Council meetings. Shall work with the President to ensure the smooth running of the student body. Shall plan and execute Freshers' Week with an elected committee. Shall keep a register of all JCR Societies and their officers, shall be their point of contact. Shall be responsible for all JCR sports facilities and for arranging the necessary booking systems for their use. Shall sit on all sports committees. Shall declare two members of the JCR (one male and one female) Sports-person of the year, in memory of Julia Birbeck, ensuring that the winner is chosen in a fair and democratic manner. Shall present a list of societies and senior treasurers to Council annually. Shall attend all CUSU Councils and CUSU open meetings, keep records and minutes of CUSU meetings, which shall be made available to students, and promote the activities of CUSU within College.
Treasurer:
Shall be responsible for all financial dealings of the JCR. Shall produce a statement of accounts for terms of office and a budget for the forthcoming year, submitting it to College Council for approval. Shall attend College Council. Shall be responsible for organising the Finance Committee. Shall produce annually for all members of the JCR a financial report, which shall also be presented to College Council. The report shall include any details of donations made by the JCR to external organisations in the period to which it relates
Secretary:
Shall keep a register of all Committees. Shall be responsible for the calling of Committee Meetings, Open Meetings and elections. Shall post an agenda for all Committee Meetings and Open Meetings, record minutes for both. Open Meeting minutes shall be posted and Committee Meetings minutes shall be available on request. Shall be responsible for general JCR administration, including the updating and circulation of lists of the JCR Committee, and the organisation of a yearly JCR photograph and dinner. Shall be responsible for monitoring urgent JCR communications.
Curator:
Shall be responsible for matters concerning the general domestic running of College and the room-choosing scheme. Shall be responsible for the maintenance of all JCR property within the JCR and TV rooms. Shall be responsible for representing student opinion of food provided by the College.
Entertainments (Ents) & Bar Officer:
Shall be responsible for arranging social events for members of the JCR; both Undergrounds and Ents. Shall be responsible for JCR matters relating to the College Bar.
Wolfson Court Officer:
Shall live at Wolfson Court and shall represent the specific views and interests of members of the JCR living at Wolfson Court. Shall be responsible for all JCR facilities and posting of notices at this site. Shall liaise with the Warden of Wolfson Court at least 2 to 3 times a term either by arranging meetings with the Warden, or if preferred, attending regularly or occasionally the weekly Wolfson Court Diary Meeting. Shall work with the MCR President and other MCR officers. Shall be responsible for the running of the bar activities and Ents at Wolfson Court.
Ethnic Minorities Officer:
Shall promote the awareness of the issues facing ethnic minority students Shall represent such students at JCR Committee meetings. Shall liaise with the Group to Encourage Ethnic Minority Applications, and the relevant college authorities, to encourage the increase of ethnic minority applications. Shall be responsible for the organization and operation of the Girton Ethnic Minorities Shadowing scheme.
Webmaster and Computer Officer:
Shall be responsible for the maintenance of the JCR website. Shall act as the first port of call for any JCR member with computer problems. Shall maintain the JCR computer to an acceptable standard. Shall attend meetings of the College Website Committee. Shall be responsible for all JCR communications, making sure they are all accessible to all members of the JCR. Shall collate non-urgent JCR communications into regular bulletins. Shall maintain and update the JCR website.
Bike Representative:
Shall assist students with urgent problems with their bikes. Shall give advice on traffic rules and promote cycling safety. Shall maintain the JCR bikes and keep them in a safe condition. Shall make tools and useful accessories available for students.
Green Officer:
Shall be responsible for encouraging College to conduct its business in an environmentally sound manner. Shall be responsible for providing such facilities as the JCR Committee feels necessary to aid members of the JCR in conducting themselves in an environmentally sound manner. Shall bring issues of environmental and ethical concern before the JCR Committee. Shall oversee the management of the Allotment Project according to the JCR Allotment documentation. Shall appoint 4-6 Garden Representatives. Shall keep the JCR Allotment Garden Project file (including plantation plans and logs and risk assessments) up to date in the JCR Office.
Academic & Access Officer: Shall be responsible for the provision of information concerning academic facilities in College to all members of the JCR. Shall be responsible for all matters concerning the library. Shall provide study skills and academic support resources for students in College, particularly for exam term. Shall attend fortnightly CUSU Access Officer meetings and the annual College Library Committee. Shall be involved with the Admissions Office and its target school scheme. Is responsible for coordinating Girton's volunteers for CUSU Shadowing Scheme. Shall liaise with the Admissions Office to arrange volunteers for the interview period and shall assist with open days. Should also endeavour to develop access resources to encourage applicants who might be discouraged from applying.
Welfare (Men):
Shall be a man. Shall carry out all responsibilities in conjunction with the Welfare Officer (Women). Shall assist during the interview period and with open days. Shall be responsible for running and promoting welfare campaigns and for publishing any student benefits throughout the year within the college. Both the Men's and Women's Welfare Officers are expected to supply condoms, pregnancy tests, and rape alarms to the student body. Shall attend meetings of the CUSU Welfare Committee, the College Health and Safety Committee. Shall be available for consultation by all members of the JCR if requested, and shall organise the College Parent Scheme. The officer shall hold office hours in both College and Wolfson Court. Shall sign and be bound by JCR Welfare Confidentiality Agreement (see appendix).
Welfare (Women):
Shall be a woman. Shall carry out all responsibilities, in conjunction with the Welfare officer (Men). Shall assist during the interview period and with open days. Shall be responsible for running and promoting welfare campaigns and for publishing any student benefits throughout the year within the college. Both the Men's and Women's Welfare Officers are expected to supply condoms, pregnancy tests, and rape alarms to the student body. Shall attend meetings of the CUSU Welfare Committee and the College Health and Safety Committee. Shall be available for consultation by all members of the JCR if requested, and shall organise the College Parent Scheme. The officer shall hold office hours in both College and Wolfson Court. Shall sign and be bound by JCR Welfare Confidentiality Agreement
Women’s Representative:
Shall liaise with CUSU Women’s Union, and attend CUSU Women's' Council. Shall follow up CUSU’s campaigns and events in college and shall encourage women to be actively involved in all areas of College and University life.
LGBT Representative:
The LBGT (lesbian, bisexual, gay and trans) representative shall assume a responsibility for welfare. They shall also assume a social role, providing socials. The LBGT representative is expected to attend meetings organised by CUSU LBGT representatives’ co-ordinator and is encouraged to work with the whole executive in their collegiate role. The LBGT does not have to self-define as LBGT. Shall sign and be bound by JCR Welfare Confidentiality Agreement.
International Representative:
Shall represent the international students of Girton on JCR related issues and campaign on their behalf. Shall be responsible for vacation storage. Shall organise International Freshers Week.
(b) All officers shall be members of the JCR throughout their entire Term of
office.
(c) In the event of any officer ceasing to be a member of the JCR, his/her post
shall fall vacant immediately and a by-election shall be held in accordance
with Section 6(p) of this Constitution.
(d) If an officer becomes elected as a result of a by-election the post is only
held until it is due for election as stated in Section 5(c).
(e) There shall be a Senior Treasurer (a fellow of College). Both the Senior
Treasurer and the Treasurer must sign all cheques drawn on the JCR account.
4 COMMITTEE MEETINGS
(a) Executive Committee
Meetings shall be held a minimum of six times during Michaelmas and Lent Terms
and a minimum of three times in Easter Term.
(b) Sub Committee Meetings
shall be held a minimum of 3 times during Michaelmas and Lent Terms, and a
minimum of one time in Easter Term. These are to be spread out through the term
and arranged at the discretion of the President and Secretary. These shall be
attended by Executive and Sub Committee, but the agenda shall be exclusively
Sub Committee (with the exception of the first and last meetings of each term).
(c) If a Sub Committee
member would like to raise an agenda point for the Executive committee to
discuss, they can arrange this through the President and Secretary.
(d) The first and last meeting of every term shall consist of the Executive and Sub Committee.
(b) If a Committee Member misses three meetings in one term without sending
apologies, the JCR Committee may vote on whether to take a proposition for a
vote of no confidence in that member to an Open Meeting or Emergency Open
Meeting to be decided upon then onwards in accordance with Section 8 of this
Constitution.
(c) The Secretary shall normally give at least twenty-four hours' notice of
Committee Meetings.
(d) Any member of the JCR may attend Committee Meetings as an observer, and may
be invited to speak.
(e) Each elected member of the Committee shall have one vote. The President
shall have a casting vote.
(f) The quorum of the Executive Committee for voting shall be six elected
members
(g) There shall be a sub-committee called the Finance Committee. The Finance
Committee shall report to the JCR Committee at least once per Term. It shall
have as Chairman the Senior Treasurer of the JCR and as members the President,
Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary to take minutes. The Treasurer shall
send an invitation to the Senior Treasurer. The requirements, capacities and
procedures of this committee are those defined in Schedule One of this
Constitution.
(h) Spending
(i) any Committee Member wishing to spend more than £200 on anyone purchase
item the JCR budget must have the endorsement of a majority at a Committee
Meeting
(ii) any Committee Member wishing to spend any amount from JCR reserves must
have the endorsement of a majority at a Committee Meeting. If this amount is
over £500, then a referendum must be held in accordance with Section 11
(iii) any Committee Member wishing to claim back money must present the
appropriate receipts to the JCR Treasurer.
5 ELECTION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Elected Committee Members
(a) All candidates for election to the JCR Committee must be undergraduates
during the entire time they hold office.
(b) The following positions must be elected as stated in
(i) Michaelmas Term:
Vice-President Treasurer-elect
Access & Academic Officer
Entertainment (Ents) Officer
Curator
Green Officer
(ii) Lent Term:
President-elect
Welfare Officer (Women)
Welfare Officer (Men)
Secretary
(iii) Easter Term:
Wolfson Court Officer
(d) The President-elect becomes President on the last day of Lent Term.
(e) The Treasurer-elect becomes Treasurer on the last day of Michaelmas Term.
Co-opted Committee Members
(a) A member of the JCR is co-opted by a simple majority of the JCR Committee.
(b) Any member co-opted by the Committee shall serve no more than three terms.
(c) The following positions must be co-opted in
(i) Michaelmas Term:
Women’s Officer
Ethnic Minorities Officer
LesBiGayTransgender Representative
(ii) Lent Term:
Bike Representative
Webmaster and Communications Representative
International Representative
(d) The Wolfson Court Officer is elected at the same time as the Fresher’s
Committee in Easter term.
6 ELECTION PROCEDURE
(a) All elections shall be by secret ballot of the JCR or by online ballot. If election is by online ballot then disregard (c), (l), (m) and (n).
(b) There shall be no proxy votes.
(c) The Returning Officer shall be chosen as stated in Section 6 of the
Appendix. The Returning Officer and any interested JCR member may witness votes
being counted.
(d) Notice of election and nomination lists, together with instructions for
election procedure, shall be posted seven days before the day of election.
(e) Each candidate must be a member of the JCR and shall have a proposer and a
seconder who must also be JCR members. The candidate's name must be clearly
displayed on both nomination lists.
(f) Candidates may not stand for more than one post at any one election.
(g) Each candidate may post a manifesto of not more than 250 words.
(h) Hustings shall occur at the Open Meeting before the election takes place
during which each candidate may choose to submit a verbal manifesto.
(i) The nomination list shall be closed at midnight on the night before
hustings.
(j) The candidate who receives the most votes shall be deemed to be elected.
(k) All members of the JCR shall be eligible to vote once either at Girton or
at Wolfson Court. Those voting shall sign the College list at the ballot box.
(l) Voting shall take place at both Girton and at Wolfson Court, for a minimum
of two hours between 8am and 8pm at each location.
(m) Candidates may not be present at the ballot boxes except to vote.
(n) Votes shall be counted and witnessed. Results shall be posted by the
Returning Officer within twenty-four hours of the closing of the ballot box.
Ballot papers shall be available for inspection from the Returning Officer upon
request, within seven days.
(o) In the event of a draw, a second election shall be held within three days.
No new candidates may stand.
(p) In all JCR elections, an additional candidate 'Re-Open Nominations' (RON)
is to be included. RON is to be treated as a candidate when votes are being
counted. If RON is elected the post shall be deemed unfilled, nominations
re-opened, and another election held within two weeks.
(q) By-election procedure: notice of the poll shall be posted within
twenty-four hours of the resignation of a Committee Member. If the post becomes
vacant within a week of the end of Full Term, the election shall be postponed
until the beginning of the next Term. The position is only held until the
correct Term of election of the post, as stated in Section 5(c). A Committee
Member wishing to stand must first resign.
(r) The JCR Committee reserves the right to disqualify any candidate
contravening the Election Procedure.
7 RESIGNATION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Any Committee Member who wishes to resign must inform the President. If the President wishes to resign, she/he must inform the Secretary. A by-election must then be held for the post
8 VOTES OF NO CONFIDENCE
A decision to hold a vote of no confidence in any Committee Member may be passed at an Open Meeting or an Emergency Open Meeting. A ballot of all JCR members must then be held to confirm this decision within two days, in accordance with Election Procedure. If the vote is carried, the member is deemed to have resigned with immediate effect. A by-election to fill the post shall be called within three days. The exCommittee Member may stand for re-election.
9 OPEN MEETINGS
(a) Open Meetings shall be the governing body of the JCR:
(i) the quorum shall be thirty members of the JCR for all Open Meetings
(ii) Open Meetings shall be held at least once during the Michaelmas , Lent , and Easter Term.
(b) Open Meetings shall be attended by the JCR Executive and Sub Committee.
(b) Open Meetings shall be authorised in one or more of the following ways:
(i) by the President, Senior Treasurer, or by an elected Committee Member when there is no President
(ii) by petition of thirty signatures of JCR members, to be presented to the President or an elected Committee Member
(c) A notice announcing the time and place of the meeting and giving the proposed agenda and a list for motions and other matters for discussion, shall be posted at least five days before the meeting by the Secretary. All motions must be displayed twenty-four hours in advance and from that time this shall be deemed the final agenda for the meeting.
(d) Motions shall have a proposer and seconder, at least one of whom must be present at the meeting. If not, the motion is deemed to have been withdrawn.
(e) All Open Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Standing Orders, contained in Schedule Two of this Constitution.
(f) The Secretary shall post copies of the minutes as soon as possible after each meeting. The Open Meeting minutes book shall be available from the Secretary for any member of the JCR to inspect.
(g) The JCR Committee reserves the right to veto motions that would lead to a JCR budget deficit.
10 EMERGENCY OPEN MEETINGS
(a) An Emergency Open Meeting shall be authorised in the same
way as an Open Meeting to discuss and vote on a specific motion that must be
written on the petition if the meeting is so called.
(b) The meeting shall be called within twenty-four hours of being authorised
and held within three days.
(c) Notice of the meeting and the motion to be discussed shall be posted at least twenty-four hours before the meeting.
(d) No business may be transacted at the meeting other than that stated at the
time of its authorisation.
(e) Amendments to the motions on the agenda may be proposed at the meeting, but
no new motions other than procedural motions may be added.
11 REFERENDA
(a) A referendum of all JCR members shall be held if one or more
of the following conditions is satisfied:
(i) when authorised by an Open Meeting
(ii) when an Elected Member receives a petition of thirty signatures
(iii) at the request of College Council, with approval of the JCR Committee
(iv) when authorised by consensus of the JCR Committee.
(b) Referenda shall be carried out in accordance with the Election Procedure.
(c) Amendments to the Constitution shall only be carried out by referenda,
Any matter decided by referendum is passed when at least two-thirds of votes
cast are in favour.
SCHEDULE ONE - FINANCE COMMITTEE
REQUIREMENTS
(a) The Finance Committee shall have a minimum of one meeting per Term.
(b) The Finance Committee shall receive an allocation of JCR money in the
annual budget for the purpose of distributing sums to College Societies and JCR
members in the manner outlined in the following clauses. The sum allocated
shall be subject to the approval of an Open Meeting.
(c) To be eligible for consideration by the Finance Committee, a Society must
(i) be open to all members of College
(ii) have a viable membership
(iii) not exist exclusively for the supply of goods and services to its members at below cost price
(iv) have at least half its members within the JCR
(v) nominate as Senior Treasurer a fellow of the college who is signatory to all cheques
(vi) keep accurate records of income and expenditure
(vii) register the Society and its officers with the JCR Treasurer, informing her/him of any changes in officers
(viii) impose a subscription which reflects the needs of the Society
(ix) make its accounts available at the request of the Finance Committee
CAPACITY
(a) The Finance Committee has the powers to allocate the sums that it sees fit,
taking into account the budget available and the applications received:
(i) to College Societies
(ii) to any member of the JCR who, in traveling to represent Girton College or a University Society, incurs traveling expenses over £ l0 in the course of any full Term.
(b) Each Member of the Finance Committee shall have one vote.
PROCEDURE
(a) The JCR Treasurer shall give at least two weeks notice for
applications to the Finance Committee, making sure that application forms are
available.
(b) Anyone applying for travel expenses shall submit the relevant application
form to the JCR Treasurer, accompanied by a complete breakdown of the expenses
incurred with receipts, before the closing date of applications.
(c) A society may, in addition, submit such supporting documents as it sees
fit, including more recent accounts than those already submitted. Any society
that feels it cannot adequately express its demands in writing may be allowed
to send a member to appear before the Finance Committee at the discretion of
the Senior Treasurer.
(d) The decisions of the Finance Committee and the details of the allocations
of funds shall be posted before the next Open Meeting.
(e) If the decisions of the Finance Committee are in dispute, then a written
complaint must be forwarded to the Senior Treasurer with at least thirty
signatures of JCR members. The Senior Treasurer shall then inform the JCR
President and an Emergency Open Meeting shall be called, in the manner outlined
in Section 10 of this Constitution.
(f) Any reference back to the Finance Committee shall be considered at a
further meeting of the Finance Committee. This shall be held as soon as is
reasonably practical. Decisions reached by the Finance Committee at this
meeting shall be posted within three days.
(g) If within seven days of posting the notice referred to in paragraph (f) the
amended decision of the Finance Committee is still found to be unacceptable to
another Emergency Open Meeting of the JCR then the JCR President shall announce
that a referendum of the JCR is to be held to decide the issue. The result of
the referendum shall be final.
SCHEDULE TWO - STANDING ORDERS
(a) Standing Orders shall apply to all Open Meetings of the JCR.
(b) Standing Orders shall be available at all Open Meetings and Emergency Open
Meetings.
(c) The business of an Open Meeting shall be conducted in the following order:
(i) minutes of the previous meeting
(ii) matters arising
(iii) reports and questions to the Committee
(iv) Committee Members' reports
(v) substantive motions
(vi) any other business.
(d)
(e) The JCR President shall chair the Open Meeting. In her/his absence. the
chair shall be taken by the Vice-President. In her/his absence the chair shall
be taken by an elected Committee Member or by a Senior Member. It is not in
order for the Chair to be the proposer or seconder of a substantive motion.
(f) Members wishing to speak shall address the Chair. The Chair shall decide
the right of priority in speaking. Non-members may attend Open Meetings but may
only speak at the invitation of the Chair.
(g) Voting at an Open Meeting shall be by a show of hands. Each member shall
have one vote. The Chair's vote is a casting vote There shall be no proxy
votes.
(h) A simple majority shall pass substantive motions.
(i) The proposer or seconder of each motion shall move the motion and it shall
then be open for discussion unless the proposer withdraws it.
(j) If the proposer of a motion is not present, the seconder of a motion can
become the proposer.
(k) The guillotine for discussion following motions in Open Meetings is ten
minutes. After this time there shall be a vote on whether to continue the
discussion or not every ten minutes.
(l) The proposer of a motion shall have the right to sum up on the debate
immediately before the vote is taken.
(m) Amendments to a motion may be moved at any Open Meeting. They must have a
proposer and a seconder who must both be present at the meeting. If the proposer
or seconder of the original motion accepts the amendment, the amended motion
becomes the substantive motion. If the mover of the original motion does not
accept the amendment, the original motion shall be voted upon, and if it does
not pass the amendment shall then be debated and voted on. If this is passed
then the amended motion shall be voted on.
(n) There shall be no emergency motions.
(o) The following procedural motions may be put:
(i) a vote of no confidence in the Chair
(ii) that an individual be heard
(iii) that the motion be not put
(iv) that the motion be now voted on
(v) that the matter be adjourned to the next Open Meeting
(vi) that the matter be referred to the JCR Committee for re-examination
(vii) that the motion be voted on in parts
(viii) that a certain motion be now discussed.
SCHEDULE THREE - GLOSSARY
Throughout the Constitution and the Schedule it is understood that:
(a) 'Girton' means the main buildings of Girton College on Huntingdon Road.
(b) 'College' means Girton and Wolfson Court.
(c) 'Posted' means posted on the JCR notice boards in both Girton and Wolfson Court.
(d) 'CUSU' means Cambridge University Student's Union
(e) 'Abstention' means a vote that is not counted as a 'No' vote and is not counted as a RON vote.
(f) 'JCR Officer' means a member of the JCR Committee who is elected to the post by process of College-wide elections.
(g) 'JCR Representative' means a co-opted member of the JCR Committee. A JCR Representative has the right to vote on any JCR Committee issue.
Representative who has no vote on the JCR Committee.
APPENDIX TO THE JCR CONSTITUTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH REQUIREMENTS OF THE EDUCATION ACT OF 1994 (Ratified by referendum Oct 1995)
(a) In this Constitution the expression 'Council' shall mean the
Council of College, and the expression 'affiliation to an external
organisation' shall include any for of membership of, or formal association
with, an organisation whose purposes are not confined to purposes connected
with the College.
(b) (i) No alteration shall be made to any part of this Constitution without
the approval of the Council.
(ii) No alteration shall be made to any part of this Constitution except in
accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1994
(iii) In the event of any conflict between any provision of this Constitution
and any provision of this part of this Constitution, the provision of this part
shall prevail.
(c) This Constitution shall be submitted to the Council for review in
accordance with the provision of the Education Act 1994, on …and at intervals of five years thereafter
(d) The JCR shall operate in a fair and democratic manner in accordance with
the provisions of the Education Act 1994
(e) (i) Not withstanding any provisions in this Constitution as to automatic
membership of the JCR, any person who by virtue of those provisions be a member
of the JCR may in any academic year by written notice declare that he or she
does not wish to be a member, and in that case such a person shall not be a
member of the JCR for that academic year Such written notice shall be served on
the President of the JCR within one week of the commencement of Michaelmas
term.
(ii) An undergraduate member of the College who exercises the right not to be a
member of the JCR shall not be unfairly disadvantaged with regard to the
provision of services or otherwise.
(f) Appointment to major union offices shall be by election in a secret ballot
in which all members are entitled to vote, and at which the Senior Treasurer or
a Fellow of the College appointed by the Senior Treasurer to act as his or her
deputy, shall act as returning officer.
(g) There shall be no sabbatical or paid elected office in the JCR contrary to the provisions of s.22(2)(t) of the Education Act 1994.
FINANCE
(h) At the first open meeting of every Lent Term the JCR shall agree a budget
for coming academic year and submit it to the Council for approval.
(i) The Junior Treasurer shall present to the Bursar of the College annually
the accounts for the previous year for submission to the College Auditors.
(j) The JCR shall publish annually to all undergraduate members of the College
a financial report, which shall also be presented to the Council. the report
shall include details of any donations made by the JCR to external
organisations in the period to which it relates.
(k) The JCR shall set down in writing, and make freely accessible to all
undergraduate members of the College and to the Council, a statement of the
procedure for allocating resources to groups and clubs, ensuring that the procedure
is fair.
AFFILIATION TO ORGANISATIONS
(l) if the JCR decides to become affiliated to any external organisation, it
shall publish to all undergraduate members of the College, and to the Council,
a notice of this decision stating the name of the organisation and the details
of any subscription to be made, to the organisation.
(m) The JCR shall publish annually to all undergraduate members of the College,
and to the Council, a report stating the names of all the external
organisations to which it is affiliated and the details of any subscriptions or
similar fee paid, and of any donation made or proposed to be made, to the
organisations within the year covered by the report.
(n) Upon the request of at least three percent of its members the JCR shall
submit for the approval of its members a list of the organisations to which the
JCR is affiliated. If at least five percent of its members so require, the
question of continued affiliation to any particular organisation shall be
decided upon by a secret ballot at which all members are entitled to vote No
such ballot shall be held less than four calendar months after the previous
ballot.
GRIEVANCES
(o) All undergraduate members of the College or groups of such members who are
dissatisfied in their dealings with the JCR, or who claim to be unfairly
disadvantaged by reason of having exercised the right not to be a member of the
JCR, may prefer a complaint to the President of the JCR. An appeal shall lie
from the President of the JCR to a person appointed by the Council to serve for
such period as the Council may determine, who may not delegate his or her
responsibility for hearing the appeal. The Council shall have power to provide
such effective remedy if any as it considers appropriate when a complaint is upheld.
Appendix 2: JCR Welfare
Confidentiality Agreement
Girton College Welfare Confidentiality Agreement
The Men’s Welfare Officer, Women’s Welfare Officer and LGBT
Officer on the Girton JCR are bound to agreeing with, signing and following the
Confidentiality Statement below.
Confidentiality Statement
The Welfare and LGBT Officers are committed to providing
students with individual support, which is a confidential service. Nothing told
to the Welfare and LGBT Officers whether inside a designated office hour or
approached in their capacity as JCR Officers at another time will be revealed
to anyone outside of the three Officers without the individual’s prior wish or
explicit permission, except in exceptional, predetermined circumstances. All
Girton students have the right to this confidentiality in order to feel that
they can trust the service. It should be noted however that if necessary the
Welfare and LGBT Officers may share information about a student using the
service among themselves.
Circumstances for breaching confidentiality
In very rare circumstances, the Welfare or LGBT Officers may
need to breach confidentiality. There are only two situations in which a breach
of confidentiality may be considered;
- Where there appears to be a serious and imminent
risk to the student's own or to others' safety. - Where the law requires disclosure for the
prevention and detection of terrorism.
If neither of these situations is a possibility, the student
can trust in total confidentiality from the service.
Procedure for breaching Confidentiality
The Welfare and LGBT Officers recognise that breaching
confidentiality will only be done in defined cases. If confidentiality is to be
breached:
- At least one of the other Officers should be informed and asked for their advice. Ultimately it is up to the Officer involved to make the final decision as to whether confidentiality should be breached under the requirements made above. (If the breach must be made urgently, the Officer should go directly to who they think appropriate).
- The breach of confidentiality must be recorded with the following information provided:
i) Name of the Girton student and brief outline of situation.
ii) Reason for breaching confidentiality.
iii) Who has been asked for advice before making this decision.
iv) What would be achieved by breaching confidentiality.
v) To whom confidentiality has been breached (see list below).
Welfare and LGBT Officers must know that if a situation
enters one of the circumstances above, confidentiality must be breached.
List of people to whom confidentiality can be breached:
College Nurses
College Tutor
Consequences of breaking the agreement
If the Men’s Welfare Officer, Women’s Welfare Officer or
LGBT Officer breaks this agreement by breaching confidentiality in an
unpermitted context they shall be immediately dismissed from the Girton JCR
Committee and their duties taken away from them. No further legal action may be
taken.
Confidentiality Agreement
Men’s Welfare Officer:
I, the Men’s Welfare Officer of the Girton JCR Committee,
agree to and will follow the Girton College Welfare Confidentiality Statement.
I understand the circumstances in which confidentiality must be breached and
the procedure for doing so. I understand that information about a student who
has approached me as Men’s Welfare Officer can be shared with the Women’s
Welfare Officer and the LGBT Officer if and only if I feel it is appropriate. I
am aware of the consequences of breaking this agreement and in the absence of
the circumstances specified, will provide a totally confidential service to
Girton students approaching me in my capacity as the Men’s Welfare Officer.
Signed:
Date:
Women’s Welfare Officer:
I, the Women’s Welfare Officer of the Girton JCR Committee,
agree to and will follow the Girton College Welfare Confidentiality Statement.
I understand the circumstances in which confidentiality must be breached and
the procedure for doing so. I understand that information about a student who
has approached me as Women’s Welfare Officer can be shared with the Men’s
Welfare Officer and the LGBT Officer if and only if I feel it is appropriate.I
am aware of the consequences of breaking this agreement and in the absence of
the circumstances specified, will provide a totally confidential service to
Girton students approaching me in my capacity as the Women’s Welfare Officer.
Signed:
Date:
LGBT Officer:
I, the LGBT Officer of the Girton JCR Committee, agree to
and will follow the Girton College Welfare Confidentiality Statement. I understand
the circumstances in which confidentiality must be breached and the procedure
for doing so. I understand that information about a student who has approached
me as LGBT Officer can be shared with the Men’s Welfare Officer and the Women’s
Welfare Officer if and only if I feel it is appropriate. I am aware of the
consequences of breaking this agreement and in the absence of the circumstances
specified, will provide a totally confidential service to Girton students
approaching me in my capacity as the LGBT Officer.
Signed:
Date:
Agreement of Senior Tutor:
Signature:
Date: