Constitution

Version: 2.8 Last AGM/EGM: 24th January 2024

Article 1. Policy Statements

1.1 The title of this Club shall be University of Galway Mountaineering Club (UG MC), henceforth referred to as ‘The Club’.

1.2 A Club Member is defined as a person who is registered to the Club on YourSpace. Upon registering for the Club on YourSpace, the new Club Member enters a probationary period in which they are unable to cast votes at general meetings. Besides this, they are to be equal in all other aspects to full Club Members, and they may run for committee positions at general meetings. The probationary period will end in one of the following ways, whichever occurs first:

1. After two weeks have elapsed from the date of registration.
2. Attendance of any activity or training organised by the Club and documented in the Club calendar (excluding social nights and general meetings).
3. Upon election to a committee position.

Once the probationary period has ended, the new Club Member shall be deemed a full Club Member and hold all rights attributed to a Club Member by this document.

1.3 Membership of The Club is limited to students, staff and alumni of the University of Galway, members of the Galway Mountain Rescue Team and members of Atlantic Technical University (ATU).

1.4 The aim of the club will be to provide a means for the safe and enjoyable practice of all mountaineering – related activities as appropriate for its members.

1.5 This document should be made available for viewing to all club members (via the club website) in an uneditable format only.

Article 2. Affiliations

2.1 The club shall be affiliated with Mountaineering Ireland.

2.2 The club shall also be affiliated with the Galway Mountain Rescue Team.

2.3 The club shall also be affiliated with the University of Galway Rover Society.

Article 3. The Committee

3.1 The Committee shall manage the business and affairs of the Club. The terms Committee member or officer of the Committee shall be used interchangeably to describe individuals on the Committee.

3.2 Composition

3.2.1 The Committee shall be elected solely from the membership of the Club.

3.2.2 The elected Committee shall take up office at the end of summer exams or immediately in the case of an EGM and shall continue in office until the new Committee takes office.

3.2.3 A Club Member cannot hold two or more positions at once.

3.2.4 The Committee shall be composed of the following roles:

• Captain
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• Hiking Vice-Captain
• Hiking Training & Safety Officer
• Climbing Vice-Captain
• Climbing Training & Safety Officer
• Public Relations Officer
• Equipment Officer
• Trips Officer
• First Year Representative
• 3x Extraordinary Committee Members
• ATU Officer

3.2.5 The Committee elected must have a Captain, a Treasurer and a Secretary and these positions must be filled at the AGM.

3.2.6 The Captain’s duties shall include the overall operation and direction of the Club.

3.2.7 The Treasurer’s duties shall include the managing of the Club’s finances and the Club’s budget submission as decided by the Committee.

3.2.8 The Secretary’s duties shall include the maintenance of Club documents and records including Minutes of all general meetings and committee meetings and is responsible for Club communication.

3.2.9 Only an ATU student may run for the position of ATU Officer, if none are put for election then the position remains unfilled.

3.2.10 The Committee will have a designated role of Environmental Officer, as specified by Mountaineering Ireland. This role will be assigned to one of the existing committee positions at the first full committee meeting of the academic year.

3.2.11 The Committee will have an Advisor and they will be appointed by the Outgoing Committee. They must be an experienced committee member from a recent committee. They will be elected at an AGM/EGM. The Committee Advisor will have no vote on the Committee and will only serve to offer advice to the current committee based on previous learnings of older committees. They will attend committee meetings.

3.2.12 The climbing vice-captain and TSO have the option to appoint a trainer (non-committee role also volunteer) for climbing. The climbing vice-captain and TSO can appoint themselves to the role.

3.3 Election of Committee Members

3.3.1 All committee positions, with the exception of the First Year Representative, are to be available for election each year at the AGM.

3.3.2 All unfilled positions are available for election at a subsequent EGM.

3.3.3 A “Re-open nominations” option will be available for all elections. It is not desirable, but a committee position may be left vacant if there is no one to fill.

3.3.4 All members must be nominated and then seconded by members of the Club before they can stand for election.

3.3.5 Voting for the election of committee positions will be by secret ballot using a first-past-the-post electoral system.

3.3.6 Each extraordinary Committee Member position must have its own election.

3.3.7 The Committee may appoint up to a maximum of three Club Members to unfilled or vacated committee positions except the positions of Captain, Secretary and Treasurer each year by majority vote at a committee meeting without calling an EGM.

3.4 Dismissals and Resignations

3.4.1 Committee Members may resign by giving one week’s written notice to the Secretary, or in the case of the Secretary, to the Captain.

3.4.2 Any officer of the Committee may be dismissed by the Committee by the passing of a motion of no confidence against them.

3.4.3 A motion of no confidence shall be proposed by one officer of the Committee and seconded by another officer of the Committee.

3.4.4 The accused shall be notified of the motion at least 3 academic days before the designated Hearing of Charges, and they shall be granted an opportunity to plead their case to the committee at this hearing before voting occurs.

3.4.5 The Hearing of Charges may be the next regularly scheduled meeting of the committee, or another date and time decided on by the committee, such that a minimum of two-thirds of the committee are present and that at least 3 academic days have elapsed since notifying the accused. If either of these two requirements is not satisfied by the Hearing of Charges, the hearing shall be deferred to the next nearest date when the two requirements are met.

3.4.6 The motion of no confidence is passed by a majority vote of the officers present at the hearing. The accused does not reserve the right to vote on the motion.

3.4.7 Should the membership of the Club wish to dismiss an officer of the Committee, they may do so through the calling of a general meeting and submission of a motion of no confidence to the general meeting as allowed for in Article 4.

3.4.8 The dismissal of a member as an officer does not affect the right of that member to stand for future elections and they may still hold their position as a member of the Club.

3.4.9 If any committee member misses three committee meetings in a row without a valid excuse, they must be dismissed from the Committee.

3.5 Committee Meetings

3.5.1 Committee Meetings will be organised as deemed necessary by the Captain. They must be announced to all committee members.

3.5.2 In the absence of the Captain, either of the Vice-Captains, Treasurer or Secretary, may chair the meeting.

3.5.3 Upon election onto the Committee after the AGM, any new committee members may sit in on any remaining committee meetings of that year for a smoother transition period.

3.5.4 If an important vote is to be taken at the committee meeting, at least two-thirds of the current committee must be present to vote.

3.5.5 Non-committee members can apply to be observers of committee meetings to see how things are run and how the inner workings of the club flows. Observers should have a non-verbal role in meetings, meaning they don't contribute any input. This will allow people with interest in committee roles to see what they are would be in for.

3.5.6 The minutes from the last committee meeting should be approved by a vote at the start of each committee meeting.

3.6 Any payment from the Club (including card payment) must be approved by the Captain and the Treasurer. Club Officials are bound by the financial regulations of the University.

Article 4. General Meetings

4.1 The agenda should be made available to the Club Members 2 days in advance.

4.2 The minutes of general meetings are to be made available to all Club Members.

4.3 Each Member shall have one vote at any general meeting.

4.4 In the event of an equality of votes, the Chairperson shall have a casting vote.

4.5 In the event of a conflict of interest for the Chairperson, they must vacate the Chair and another Chairperson must be appointed by a vote of the members present for the duration that the conflict persists.

4.6 Quorum at General Meetings

4.6.1 The quorum shall be 20 members of the Club.

4.6.2 If the quorum is not reached at a general meeting the meeting cannot proceed, but must be reconvened within one week.

4.7 Motions

4.7.1 Club Members should be given the opportunity to submit motions or topics for discussion regarding the Club and its operation ahead of a general meeting to the Committee for consideration.

4.7.2 Motions must be shared with the membership 2 days in advance of the meeting.

4.7.2 Motions must be proposed and seconded by members of the Club.

4.7.3 Time will be allocated for members to speak on motions.

4.7.4 Voting on motions may be done by a show of hands.

4.7.5 Votes on all motions are by simple majority unless stated otherwise.

4.8 Annual General Meetings (AGMs)

4.8.1 The Annual General Meeting of the Club will be held every year before the beginning of the summer exams.

4.8.2 A minimum of two weeks’ notice of the Annual General Meeting has to be given to all Club Members.

4.8.3 The AGM is to be chaired by the Captain of the Club.

4.8.5 The format of the AGM will be as follows:

• Captain’s report – a report on the general operation of the Club over the year
• Treasurer’s report – a report on the financial operation of the Club over the year
• Motions / Discussions / Voting if necessary
• Elections

4.9 Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs)

4.9.1 An EGM of the Club may be called either directly by the Committee or by a written request to the Committee with at least 30 signatures of Club Members.

4.9.2 An EGM must be called for the following To re-elect the Captain, Secretary, Treasurer or either of the Vice-Captains if necessary during the course of the year. To make amendments to the constitution. To vote on motions, including motions of no confidence in officers of the Committee, proposed by the membership and submitted to the Committee via the written request outlined in Article 4.9.1.

4.9.3 A minimum of seven days' notice must be given to all Club Members of an EGM.

4.9.4 The EGM is to be chaired by the Captain of the Club.

Article 5. Club Activities

5.1 All decisions relating to the organisation and funding of Club activities are the responsibility of the committee and the committee only.

5.2 The determination of what is and what is not a club activity shall be the responsibility of the committee, and the committee only.

5.3 All members who wish to partake in climbing-related activities and/or climbing areas must have passed a Club climbing assessment.

Article 6. Behaviour of Club Members

6.1 Members must agree to abide by all rules and regulations set out in this document and must behave in accordance with the University of Galway Code of Conduct when taking part in Club activities.

6.2 Club Members must take direction from walk leaders and/or climbing instructors at all times when participating in Club activities.

6.3 If a Club Member endangers himself or herself or another Club Member during a Club activity, they may be cautioned, and following two such cautions they may be banned from future Club activities.

6.4 In exceptional circumstances, a Club Member may be banned from all future activities without any warnings.

6.5 It is up to walk leaders and/or climbing instructors to judge when a Club Member has endangered themselves or others. They must notify a member of the Committee to deal with this.

6.6 Club Members must note that our outdoor activities are of an extreme nature and can be dangerous. Participants should be aware of these risks and accept responsibility for their own actions and involvement.

6.7 The Committee will have the final call on all involvement in the Club and have the right to prevent people from participating in Club activities if they deem there to be a valid threat to themselves or other Club Members in any way.

Article 7. Equipment

7.1 Failure to wear the necessary gear for hiking as specified in the gear list found on our website and/or wearing inappropriate items as listed in the gear list may lead to exclusion of a member from the activity (such as the Sunday hike). Gear will be examined and deemed appropriate by committee members or Hike Leaders, prior to boarding the bus.

7.2 The Club, as governed by the University of Galway Sport and Physical Activity Unit, claims ownership of all the equipment it owns or purchases for use.

7.3 In order to borrow an item of Club Equipment for use outside of a Club activity, Club Members must request to do so via the online system and inform the Captain and Equipment Officer. The equipment officer may apply conditions to the borrowing of an item of Club Equipment at their discretion. Club Equipment must be returned in the same condition it is given out.

7.4 Any noticeable signs of wear or noted large falls etc. on borrowed equipment must be reported to the Equipment Officer.

7.5 Club Members who borrow equipment can be liable to pay for the replacement or repair of equipment if lost or damaged. It is up to the decision of the Committee whether the Club Member will be charged.

7.6 All other issues related to equipment and its use (taking article 7.7 into account) are the responsibility of the Committee and the Committee alone.

7.7 Failure to wear the necessary equipment for climbing and/or wearing inappropriate items, as specified by the Committee (or their nominated representatives), may lead to exclusion of a member from the activity.

7. 8 The Club’s mountaineering quality tents will only be used at the Maamturks Challenge and in mountain situations where the use of such a tent would be required in order to ensure their longevity. It shall be the decision of the Committee to decide if a certain situation is a valid use of the tents.

7.9 All members borrowing Club Equipment for private use will be required to leave a minimum €5 deposit with the Committee. This will be refunded following the return of the equipment to a satisfactory standard as deemed so by the Committee.

7.10 All members borrowing Club Ropes will be charged €2 per day of use and fill in the log of any big falls taken on Club Ropes.

7.11 Failure to abide by any of the above rules (within Article 7) will result in a six-month equipment ban.

Article 8. Data Protection

8.1 An official data protection policy for the Club will be kept separate from this constitution and maintained jointly by the Committee and webmaster team.

8.2 The Committee will be responsible for ensuring all members' details are securely stored by the Club, all mailing lists will be blind cc’d to protect members' details.

8.3 Incident reports should be kept in a safe place as per the length of time which is the statute of limitations (currently 6 years) unless the Committee decides to extend this. Medical forms should be kept for one year.

Article 9. Insurance

9.1 University of Galway Sports Club Insurance covers members on Club activities only.

9.2 A safety form is signed annually by all Club Members, both hikers and climbers and kept in Club records. The safety forms are to be reviewed by committee members and filed in a secure location.

9.3 The Club will make Mountaineering Ireland membership available for all Club Members at the appropriate rates but it will not be subsidised by the Club.

9.4 While insurance will not cover non-members, members of the public may take part in Club activities on ‘visitor’ status but they must sign an indemnity waiver to acknowledge that they will not fall under Club Insurance.

9.5 In the event of an incident of any serious nature, the incident must be communicated as outlined in current Sports Unit Policy.

Article 10. Maamturks Challenge

10.1 The Maamturks Challenge is an annual event in the Club Calendar that takes place in spring. The Club commits to holding this event every year, when/if possible. It may be cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances.

10.2 The Committee is required to ensure a Maamturks Challenge Sub-Committee is appointed by November

Article 11. Amendments

11.1 Any amendments to this document can only be made at an AGM or EGM of the Club by a majority vote of those present.

11.2 Amendments and the reasoning will be noted in the appendix.

11.3 New points will be added under new numbers and the number of any points removed will be re-used for different points.

11.4 When updated, the revision number and date on the cover page should be updated as required to avoid any confusion. The file name should also be changed.

11.5 The Committee will be the owner of this document. It is the responsibility of the Committee to ensure the proper updating of this document as necessary.

11.6 The Committee has the discretion to change the wording of any article without altering the meaning of the article, in relation to spelling and grammar mistakes.

 

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Appendix

Any amendments, reasonings or relevant notes should be recorded here.

EGM, 12th October 2015

RE: 11.3: It was decided that Mountaineering Ireland membership was too costly in times of less funding to provide it for free for members of the committee and last year’s captain as has been the custom. The club will remain affiliated with Mountaineering Ireland and will continue to offer it, but interested will have to pay the membership fee (~€20) themselves.

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AGM, 11th April 2016

RE: 4.18: It was decided to introduce the role of Environmental Officer based on requirements by Mountaineering Ireland to have one in the club. As the committee was already large, it was decided that this role could be given to one of the members already sitting on the committee. This would be at the discretion of the current committee.

RE 4.19 & 4.20: In order to allow for continuity and lessons learned to stay with the club, it was decided to introduce a Committee Advisor who would be an experienced committee member who could offer advice when needed.

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EGM, 23th November 2016

RE: 1.4: To allow the constitution to be hosted on the Wiki.

RE: 4.6: Ordinary committee member was added to the list of positions available for election at an AGM.

RE: 4.21: It was officially noted that a maximum of three OCMs could be appointed to a committee at any one time. This was to prevent the committee from becoming too large.

RE: 9.5: No point related to climbing gear was in the constitution. It was decided at the EGM that this point would be written at the first committee meeting of 2nd semester.

RE: 11.1: It was noted that club insurance only covers members at an official club event. It is up to the committee to decide beforehand if an event is an official club event. Generally, these events would be open to all members and suitable to advertised.

RE: 13.6: Allows the committee to change spelling mistakes without an AGM/EGM.

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AGM, 29th March 2017

RE: 1.2: This motion will allow GMIT members to join club activities. The exact nature of how still needs to be sorted.

RE: 4.6: Amalgamation of the climbing & hiking registrar positions.

RE: 4.6: GMIT Officer added.

RE 9.6: Line added about charging committee members.

RE 4.12: Word Maximum added.

RE 4.19: Allowed advisor to be elected at an AGM/EGM.

RE 9.4: (taking article 9.6 into account) added.

RE 9.6: Whole article added.

RE 9.7: Whole article added.

RE 7.3: Whole article added.

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AGM, 19th April 2018

RE 9.3: Removal of "or a Senior Committee Member". Only the equipment officer will have the ability to give out gear.

RE 9.3: Addition of "Gear must be returned in the same condition as it was given out".

RE 9.3: Addition of note stating club gear cannot be used for caving.

RE 9.7: Addition of the word "minimum".

RE 9.8: Whole article added. This is to support the upkeep of club ropes.

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AGM, 2nd April 2019

RE 4.22 Added to allow debit card use for the club.

RE 6.6 Proposed by Fionn Delahunty, designed to ensure that committee positions are active.

RE 9.3 Introduction of an online system.

RE 9.10 Ensuring rules are kept.

RE 10 - 10.3 Updated to reflect GDPR.

Registrar changed to Trip Officer.

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EGM, 17th October 2022

Updated name of National University of Ireland, Galway to University of Galway.

Updated name of Galway Mayo Institute of Technology to Atlantic Technical University.

RE 4.21 Increased number of OCMs from 3 to 4.

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AGM, 22nd March 2023

Added 4.8 ATU officer must be atu student

RE 4.21 Decreased number of OCMs from 4 to 2

RE 9.3 Removed club equipment not allowed to be used for caving

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EGM, 27th September 2023

Added 1.2 a definition of what a club member is

Committee article is now article 3 instead of article 4, it was also reorganised into sections and has new points added

• 3.1 Updated the definition of the committee
• 3.2 Added a section on the composition of the committee that breaks down the roles
  • Added when the committee term starts
  • Added the rule that you cannot hold two or more positions
  • Added 3.2.12 adds the position of climbing trainer
• 3.3 Added section on the election of committee members describing the process of being elected
  • Added unfilled positions are to be available at a subsequent EGM
  • Added that you must be seconded by a member of the club
  • Specified the system used for voting
  • Added that each OCM must have its own election
• 3.4 Added a section on dismissals and resignations
  • Added a process for resigning
  • Added that the hearing of charges must have a minimum of 2/3 of the committee present
  • Added that the vote must be passed by a majority vote and that the accused does not have the right to vote
  • Added that the membership can dismiss a member of the committee by calling an EGM as described in article 4
• 3.5 Added a section on committee meetings
  • Added that minutes from the last meeting should be approved at the start of each meeting
  • Added 3.5.5 Allows non committee to apply to observe committee meetings

Added an article 4 on general meetings that combines what was article 3 and 5

• Agenda for the general meetings are to be made available to all club members 2 days in advance
• Minutes are to be available for all general meetings not just agms
• Added that each member has one vote
• Added that the chair must vacate the chair and someone else is appointed in the case of a conflict of interest
• 4.6 Added a section on quorum
  • Added a quorum of 20 members and if quorum is not reached then the meeting is reconvened another time
• 4.7 Added a section on motions
  • Added that motions must be shared 2 days in advance
  • Added that motions must be proposed and seconded by members
  • Added that time is allocated for members to speak on motions
  • Added that motions are by simple majority unless otherwise stated
  • Motions are to be shared to the committee and not specifically the captain
• 4.8 Added a section on agm
• 4.9 Added a section on EGMs
  • Changed EGMs to stand for extraordinary instead of emergency
  • Added details on why an egm should be called
  • EGM should be chaired by the captain of the club

Updated point 5.3 to not include asking for climbing assessment card as they are no longer used.

Article 5 is updated from club events to club activities to remain consistent with the rest of the constitution

Article 7 equipment

• Changed wording of how the club equipment is owned
• Added that any signs of wear or large falls should be reported to equipment officer

Changed the word gear to equipment for consistency

Article 9 Insurance

• 9.4 Removed the limit of 3 activities for guests in line with the new guest waiver the sports unit approved

Article 10 Maamturks Challenge

• Added 10.2 that the committee is required to ensure a subcommittee is appointed

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EGM, 24th January 2024

Ordinary Committee Members are not Extraordinary Committee members

Section 3.2.4 added an additional Extraordinary Committee member

Minutes

Folder of EGM/AGM Minutes