Sunday 02-02-2020 - 17:00

 

Constitution for Bristol Improv

1. NAME

1. The name of the Society shall be Bristol Improv.

2. The Society shall be affiliated with the University of Bristol Students’ Union.

 

2. AIMS

1. Putting on improvised performances, primarily comedy.

2. Training members in improvisation skills by means of regular, free workshops, in order to facilitate performances.

3. Increasing awareness about and encouraging participation in comedy amongst marginalised groups. This will in part be achieved by our hosting of a number of themed ‘discussion workshops’ (previous examples include workshops on gender, race and class in comedy).

4. Collaborating with other groups and societies, for example Revunions, other PAF groups, and RAG.

5. To abide by the Union’s Code of Conduct.

6. To facilitate members performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe each year.

7. To be committed to sustainability by considering the environmental impact of plans we make, and evaluating how to improve them.

 

3. MEMBERSHIP

1. Full membership is open to all ordinary members of the Union by purchase via the SU website.

2. Associate membership is open to all other persons who are interested in the aims and objectives of the Society.

3. Not less than two-thirds of the Society members shall be full members of the University of Bristol Students’ Union.

4. The secretary shall keep a list of all members, differentiating between full and associate members.

5. There shall be a subscription fee levied for membership, which shall be fixed at the discretion of the committee being no less than the minimum rate demanded by the Societies Network.

 

4. PRIVILEGES OF MEMBERSHIP

1. Only full members may sit on the committee.

2. All categories of membership shall have equal rights of voting, attending meetings etc.

3. Only full members can have a role in Bristol Improv productions, be they roles as cast, directors, producers etc.

 

5. COMMITTEE

1. There shall be a committee of the society which shall be the executive decision making body of the society.

2. The President of the Committee shall be a full member of the Union.

3. The Committee shall be responsible for the general and financial policy of the Society, subject to such rules as laid out in the Union’s Constitution and By-laws.

4. Quoracy for committee meetings shall be set at 50% of the post filled positions plus one.

5. The committee positions are President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer,  Equality & Access Officer, ‘Dynamite!’ and Collaboration Officer, Publicity and Social Secretary, External Gigs Rep. 

6. President:

The President’s role is to chair meetings, be the public face of the society and primary contact with the union and other non-society members. They are to have final responsibility for ensuring that all functions of the society, including those in part 5(e) are fulfilled.

7. Vice-President:

The Vice-President’s role is to facilitate the training goals outlined in 2(b), primarily by running the workshops or sourcing other workshop leaders.

8. 1. They are responsible for maintaining and implementing the training syllabus.

   2. They are responsible for maintaining a session-log that may be used in evaluating the effectiveness of workshops.  This includes ensuring that this is completed for sessions they do not run themselves. 

   3. They are responsible for organising any external workshops or inviting external trainers.

   4. They are responsible for training new people to run workshops, and for ensuring the quality of the workshops run by these people.

   5. They are one of two points of contact (the other being the Equality and Access Officer) if there is a complaint or suggestion about workshops or someone running a session that cannot be taken to the person running the session.

   6. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President will chair committee meetings.

9. Secretary:

The Secretary’s role is to keep the members of the society and committee informed of events, including taking minutes of meetings and making these available to the committee as soon as reasonably possible, giving priority to documenting actions, and writing regular newsletters to the society mailing list.

9. Treasurer:

The Treasurer’s role is to maintain the accounts and other monies of the society, with responsibility for preparing accounts for audit annually or when requested.

10. 1. To produce budgets and forecasts to ensure the society stays out of debt.

    2. To be responsible for accurate financial reports which are circulated at AGMs.

    3. To prioritise the society’s financial viability in future years.

    4. To attend finance meetings with the SU.

    5. To authorise costs/expenses from the society’s account.

    6. To ensure all members including the committee have paid their membership.

    7. To produce and submit grant and sponsorship requests, ensuring the funds are spent within the limits of the agreement.

11. Equality and Access Officer

The Equality and Access Officer’s role is as follows:

1. 1. To be responsible for ensuring that there is a welcoming feel to Bristol Improv, to ensure all members feel safe and that their views represented whilst ensuring the Bristol SU Code of Conduct (as well as our own Equality Statement) is adhered to.

   2. To be one of the two points of contact (the other being the Vice-President) if there is a complaint or suggestion about workshops or someone running a session that cannot be taken to the person running the session. 

   3. The Equality and Access Officer must self identify into one or more of the Equality Act 2010’s protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation), those who identify as asexual, aromantic, polysexual, polyamorous, intersex, those who do not identify exclusively as male or female, and those questioning or as a widening participation student from a disadvantaged background/class.

   4. The Equality and Access Officer is responsible for organising discussion workshops on the themes of equality in comedy (such as race and gender), most often in collaboration with the Revunions.

I. ‘Dynamite!’ and Collaboration Officer

‘Dynamite!’ and Collaboration Officer’s role is to:

1. Arrange intersociety collaborations (most commonly with Revunions) to ensure upcoming intersocietal  shows, workshops and socials run smoothly.

2. Represent the society in organising external collaborations (for example charity fundraisers and cabarets), and show bookings, generally contacting The Bristol Improv Theatre and The Room Above for arranging shows.

3. Ensure that large Revunions and Improv events do not clash due to the significant crossover in membership.

4. Produce ‘Dynamite!’ once a fortnight, including coordinating standups, comperes, directors, improv casts and box office volunteers for each show at the Bristol Improv Theatre.

5. Manage the ‘Dynamite!’ social media profiles, creating events for the shows and updating info whilst working with the Publicity Officer to manage media and publicity.

m. The Publicity and Social Secretary

The Publicity and Social Secretary’s role is to:

1. Organise and if necessary run social events for the society’s members, responsible for socials and non-workshop and non-show based activities, including but not restricted to trips to see other Improv troupes and related performances.

2. This role will work closely with the Dynamite and Collaboration Officer in numerous society events. 

3. Promote the society externally, including but not limited to posters, flyers and press releases.  They are also responsible for consistently updating maintaining our online and social media presence in an up-to-date and relevant way.

1. 5. Producers of shows are responsible for their own publicity, but the Publicity Officer’s role in these shows is to support the producers, for example by giving advice or providing common copy and templates.

   6. By agreement with the secretary, the Publicity Officer may take responsibility for sending out a regular newsletter to the members of the society.

p. The External Gigs Rep

The External Gigs Rep’s role is:

1. Organising or helping organise shows.

2. Producing main shows and ‘Hilarity!’, the improvised comedy festival, or finding a producer for shows along with the director.

3. Working with the ‘Dynamite!’ and Collaboration Officer to provide details of when show bookings are being made and work as a supporting role on ‘Dynamite!’ show nights.

4. Take a leading role in organising the society’s shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe alongside the rest of the committee.

 

6. FINANCES

1. The Treasurer of the society shall be a full member of the Union and not in their final year at the University; if they are, they shall be approved by the Societies Network.

2. All financial arrangements must be made in accordance with current instructions to Society Treasurers, as set down by the Societies Network.

3. The society shall not have funds in personal bank accounts, and shall always follow the best practice of money handling provided by the SU.

4. The Bristol SU Union Affairs Officer, Sport and Student Development Officer and Director of Finance and Administration shall jointly be empowered to issue financial instructions on behalf of the society if:

(i) the society folds with outstanding financial affairs, or

(ii) change of mandate forms are not completed, and the previous committee are out of reasonable contact, or

(iii) financial irregularities are found.

 

7. GENERAL MEETINGS

1. There shall be an Annual General Meeting once per annum.

2. Notices of such meetings must be published through the society’s mailing list at least seven days beforehand, together with the Agenda.

3. Quorum of such meetings shall be set at twice the existing committee size plus one.

4. An Emergency General Meeting may be called by 5% of the membership of the society by application to the Secretary. An EGM shall be called as specified on the application, but at least 7 days notice shall be given.

5. Each officer may present a short verbal report at the AGM or EGM, but the Treasurer must present the annual accounts at this meeting.

 

8. ELECTION

1. Elections shall be held at the Annual General Meeting to elect officers of the committee for the following session.

2. If committee positions are left unfilled after the AGM then the Committee shall have the power to co-opt society members onto the committee to fill the vacant posts. However, co-opted committee members are not regarded as full committee members and can be removed by the committee members at any time.

3. There shall be provision for by-elections to be held at an EGM in the following academic year should there be vacant committee posts.

   1. The responsibilities of these vacant posts must be covered by the rest of the committee.

4. Nominations must be received before the start of the election phase of the General Meeting.

5. A chair will be nominated by the committee prior to the General Meeting. They will count the votes when motions are proposed and officer elections are held. The chair will not vote except in the case of a draw, when they will cast the deciding vote. The chair should not be running for a committee position.

6. The candidates for a position will each speak for one minute and thirty seconds.

7. A discussion, led by the chair, will take place to determine each candidate’s suitability for the role.

8. Whether or not a position is contested, members may vote to reopen nominations:

   1. If there are more votes to re-open nominations than the other candidates, any other members may stand.

   2. These new candidates may give a speech and a further discussion will take place

   3. The vote is then retaken including both the original and new candidates alongside the option to reopen nominations. 

   4. If there are more votes to reopen nominations at this point, or no further members stand, the position remains unfilled until an EGM can be called. A member of the society may be co-opted into the role. If nobody is co-opted, the role will remain unfilled until an EGM can be called.

9. Voting is by instant runoff (or AV) and is conducted by the issue of ballot papers to voters. A count is taken of the ballot papers by a committee member. Those running for the position leave the room during the voting process.

10. All members of the society have an equal vote.

11. Any member absent from the meeting during any part of the election for a particular position may not participate in the vote for that position, and is not counted as an abstention.

 

9. AFFILIATIONS

1. The society shall affiliate to external bodies only where membership of those bodies is essential to the fulfilment of the core aims, and only with the prior agreement of the Union’s Societies Network.

 

10. EQUALITY STATEMENT 

1. We at Bristol Improv recognise that, in terms of making our society more inclusive and supportive, there is always more that can be done. We want our society to be the best that it can be, and for every single one of our members to feel happy, included, and safe. 

2. As such, we have created an Equality Statement to enshrine the values that we believe the society strives to represent. This statement will be applicable at all official Bristol Improv events, which includes workshops, shows, society-run socials, and more. 

3. Our commitments as a society are:

   1. To lead by example. In particular, the committee will, as far as is possible, make every effort to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every member.

   2. The committee will also make the appropriate contact information available to every member of the society, so that they can be the first port of call with any concerns or points of interest. 

   3. A zero-tolerance policy towards the harassment or mistreatment of those with protected characteristics, those who identify as asexual, aromantic, polysexual, polyamorous, intersex, those who do not identify exclusively as male or female, and those questioning or as a widening participation student from a disadvantaged background/class.

   4. To support and defend any victims of behaviour which breaches the policy. Within this support, Bristol Improv will also refer any victims to the appropriate authorities, such as the Students’ Union.

   5. To take appropriate action against offenders. Such action might include warnings or referral to the Students’ Union.

   6. To resolve any issues in an appropriate and well-considered manner.

   7. Bristol Improv will never make the final judgement in serious cases - this authority will be deferred to the Students’ Union.

   8. To have vigilance for possible improvements or changes to make the society more inclusive or accessible to members. 

4. We know that we can continue to develop and improve the society, and ensure its existence as a safe space for future years. 

 

11. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

1. Any amendment to this constitution shall require a two-thirds majority of the members present at a properly constituted General Meeting.

2. All such amendments shall become valid only after approval by the Societies Network.

3. The changed constitution shall have a version number one more than the previous version, which shall be stated at the end of the constitution along with the date of the General Meeting that caused the change.

 

12. CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES

Version 2, edited in 2012

Version 3, edited on March 30th 2014

Version 4, edited on June 28th 2015

               Version 5, edited on 14th September 2016 from Annual General Meeting 15th April 2016.

Version 6, edited on June 30th 2017

Version 7, edited on 12th March 2018

Version 8, edited on 26th April 2018

Version 9, edited on 25th February 2019 from EGM 12th December 2018

Version 10, edited on 17th June 2019 from AGM on 5th May 2019

Version 11, edited on 20th December 2019 from EGM on 5th December 2019 and subsequent recommendations