Bye-Laws May 8th 2000.

Updated July 2010, following changes approved in the AGM 2010.

Updated September 2014, following chnages at an EGM.

Sections 11 and 12 updated March 2016 following, changes approved in the AGM 2015.

An addition to Section 4 and the creation of a clause, 10e, was made after approval by members present at the AGM 2016.

Updated May 2018 with the removal of the duplicate section 10.6 and the addition of clause 10.6 after approval at the AGM 2018.

  1. Scope

    These Bye-laws shall regulate the structure, administration and activities of the University of Bristol Underwater Club (also known as “UBUC”, hereinafter the “Club”) affiliated to the University of Bristol Student Union.

  2. Objectives

    The aims and objects of the Club shall be to provide for its members facilities, opportunity and training for underwater exploration, science, and sport.

  3. Membership

    1. Membership of the Club is open to members of the Bristol University Student Union.
    2. Membership is open to others upon receipt of an individual’s written application and its approval by the Club Committee. With the exception of Instructors / British Sub-Aqua Club Dive Leaders (or equivalent grade) and above, approval shall be subject to the individual becoming an Associate Member of Bristol University Student Union.
    3. Not less than two-thirds of Club members shall be Full Members of the University of Bristol Student Union.
    4. Application for Club membership by any person below the age of 18, is subject to approval by the Committee.
  4. Management

    1. Management shall be by a Committee elected at each Annual General Meeting of the Club, comprising: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Diving Officer, and other elected officers as deemed necessary by the Committee. All elected officers shall have full voting rights on the Committee.
    2. Not less than two-thirds of the Committee shall be Full Members of the Bristol University Student Union.
    3. The Committee shall hold and administer for the benefit of the membership all funds, equipment, and property owned by the Club.
  5. The President

    The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Club. They shall take the chair at all meetings of the Club and of the Committee at which they are present, and subject to the provisions of these Bye-laws, his / her decision on matters of procedure shall be final. The President of the club must be a current student at the University of Bristol

  6. The Vice-President

    The Vice-President shall take the chair at any meeting from which the President is absent. Their decisions at any meeting shall be subject to the further approval of the President.

  7. The Treasurer

    The Treasurer shall be responsible for dealing with all monies received or paid on behalf of the Club, shall make any investment of Club funds approved by the Committee, shall keep records and proper books of account of all financial transactions conducted in the Club’s name, and shall prepare for consideration by the Committee a statement of income and expenditure and a balance sheet to the last day of each Club financial year.

    They shall arrange for all Club funds and securities to be kept on deposit with a bank, or banks approved by the Committee and shall maintain current account or accounts on which any two approved members may sign cheques or other orders. The Treasurer shall arrange for the Club accounts to be audited by a member of the Bristol University staff at the end of each session.

  8. The Secretary

    The Secretary shall maintain the Club records and shall record meetings of the Committee, General Meetings of the Club, and such other meetings as the President may request. They shall be primarily responsible for the Club’s communications with third parties, and shall keep the Officers, the Committee and/or the Club membership, as may be appropriate, informed of matters coming to his / her attention which pertain to Club activities.

  9. The Diving Officer

    The Diving Officer is responsible for UBUC’s diving and training programme and the safe conduct thereof. The final decision on all matters relating to BSAC’s recommendations and guidelines rests with the Diving Officer. The Diving Officer will, in liaison with the Training and Extended Training Officer, hold regular instructors meetings to: ensure instructors and assistants are informed of any changes to training, ensure that the training programme runs smoothly and effectively, address any issues raised by Instructors and Assistant Instructors and to resolve any conflicts that may occur. The Diving Officer may delegate training duties to a Training Officer and Extended Training Officer, who shall be responsible to him / her for the performance thereof. The Diving Officer’s decision in respect of his / her responsibilities shall be final in the Club, subject only to such guidelines consistent with these Bye-laws as may be established from time to time by the Committee.

  10. General Meetings

    1. There must be at least one general meeting in a year to be held before the end of each session.
    2. Notice of such meetings shall be published to Club members at least 14 days beforehand, complete with an agenda.
    3. General Meetings may be held only during term time.
    4. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be held only during term time, and may be called with not less than 14 days notice, by three members of the Committee or by application to the secretary of the Club signed by 10 members of the Club.
    5. It is requirement that a quorum for any General Meeting of the club must be met for the decisions to be valid, this quorum will be set at 20% of the members of the club who are not on committee plus the number of members on the committee. If there are fewer than 15 members, not including committee, there will not be a quorum.
    6. Club members unable to attend any General Meeting may select another member of the club to vote by proxy. Proxies may only vote on the behalf of one member, and proxies must be identified in writing (including electronic communication) by the absent member to the Committee before the Meeting is held. Proxy votes do not count towards the quorum.
  11. Elections

    1. The election of officers for the following session is to take place at the Annual General Meeting. If a By-Election is necessary then the election must take place at a properly constituted Extraordinary Meeting. In the event that a vacant position must be filled immediately, the following temporary measures may be implemented providing a By-Election is held at the earliest possible time.
      1. A current committee member may be elected as an “acting officer” by the committee via a simple majority. They will assume all of the vacant officer’s responsibilities in addition to their own.
      2. The committee may vote in any willing (non-committee) club member as an “acting officer” via a simple majority In neither of the above cases will the individual receive voting rights and must relinquish their temporary role prior to the corresponding By-Election, however is not prohibited from running for the position.
    2. Any long term decisions made by an “acting officer” are non-binding unless ratified at a general meeting or agreed upon by the officer elected at the By-Election.
    3. Nominations may be received up to and at the General Meeting, and shall require a proposer and second from the membership of the Club.
    4. Voting shall be by a show of hands.
    5. Where there are 3 or more candidates for a post, voting shall be by the Single Transferable Voting (STV) System
    6. A defeated candidate may opt (subject to proposer and second) for any position not yet voted.
  12. Committee

    1. The Committee shall undergo a transitory period following election, taking office 30 days after being elected. Until this time the previous Committee shall have final say on all matters pertaining to the running of the Club.
    2. Tasks pertaining to the running of the Club may be delegated to non-elected representatives, appointed by the Committee. The Committee may decide to terminate the role of these representatives at any time, and the relevant tasks will default back to the Committee.
    3. The Committee shall determine any question as to the interpretation of these Bye-laws and of any regulations made hereunder and may rule in connection with any situation not otherwise provided for herein. In the latter event, such ruling shall only remain in effect until the next General Meeting of the Club. Its continued validity shall depend on ratification of that meeting.
  13. Committee Meetings

    1. Any member of the Club may request permission to attend a Committee meeting as an observer, or to raise specific issues. Such requests should be made in writing to the President. If refused, the refusal shall be made in writing by the President and reasons for the refusal shall be reviewed by the Committee at the Committee meeting.
    2. VA simple majority of Committee members then serving shall form a quorum for a Committee meeting; provided, however, that no quorum shall be formed without the presence of either the President, the Vice-President, or the Secretary.
    3. The Committee may adopt no resolution unless it receives an affirmative number of votes at least equal to a simple majority of the total number of currently serving members of the Committee.
    4. No member shall be entitled to vote on a matter in which his / her interests differs from that of the Club as a whole, and shall withdraw from any meeting during the period of discussion of such interest.
    5. Any elected member of the Committee shall have the power to require the Secretary to call a meeting of the Committee at any time.
  14. Club Activities

    1. At the discretion of the Diving Officer, Club diving and open-water training activities shall be open to members of other clubs and guests.
    2. Subject to such regulations as may be established from time to time by the Committee, any Club member, with the prior approval of the official in charge of the session, any visitor from another Club or any guest may use the training pool for training, testing equipment, swimming with basic equipment and free swimming. No-one shall use any equipment other than basic equipment without the prior approval of the official in charge of the session.
    3. If a member damages or loses Club equipment, the Committee may charge that member part or full cost of repairing or replacing the article. The Committee may similarly charge a member who damages or loses private property used in connection with Club activities.
  15. Discipline

    1. Temporary suspension from participation:
      1. In order to ensure that the safety and good name of the Club and its members, the person in charge of a Club activity may suspend, at their discretion and for the duration of the activity, any member who misconducts himself. Any such suspension shall be reported as soon as possible to the President or the Secretary and shall be discussed at the next meeting of the Committee.
      2. The Committee shall first discuss the incident without the presence of the member in question and then shall invite them to join the discussion and present his / her view of the matter.
    2. Suspension and loss of membership:
      1. The Committee shall have the power by a two-thirds majority of all serving members to suspend the membership of any member of the Club. Suspension of the membership of any Committee member shall be dealt with in accordance with the next succeeding sub-clause. A decision to suspend shall be immediately communicated in writing to both the member concerned and the Athletic Union Chair. Membership shall thereupon be suspended. A suspended member shall be entitled to demand a hearing at the next meeting of the Committee during which the reasons for the suspension shall be made fully known and they shall be given the opportunity to answer fully to any charges. The suspended member has the right to request that the Athletic Union Chair attend the hearing. Upon conclusion of the hearing, the member shall leave the meeting and the Committee shall vote again on the suspension. If the requisite two-thirds majority does not carry the motion, the suspension shall be lifted and the member informed accordingly. If the motion is carried again by the said majority, the member shall be so informed and shall be deemed to have resigned their membership of the Club. The member affected shall have the right to appeal against the decision of the Committee at the next general meeting of the Club.
      2. Suspension of the membership of a Committee member shall only be voted upon at a meeting the agenda of which [a] has been posted or distributed to all Committee members and the Athletic Union Chair at least one week prior to the meeting and [b] explicitly refers to the motion of suspension. If the person charged attends the meeting, they shall be entitled to hear and respond to the charges levied against them. They also have the right to request that the Athletic Union Chair attends the hearing. When the chair of the meeting is satisfied that the matter has been adequately and fairly discussed, the person charged shall leave the meeting and a vote shall be taken. If the proposal to suspend is carried by the requisite two-thirds majority, the person charged shall be deemed to have resigned his / her membership in the Club, and shall have the right of appeal provided for in the preceding paragraph. If the person charged does not attend the meeting, the provisions of the preceding paragraph shall apply.
  16. Amendments

    1. Any amendment to this constitution must be carried out by a majority of two-thirds at a properly constituted general meeting.
    2. All such amendments must be submitted for ratification to the Bristol University Students’ Union.