Code of Conduct - Constitution - Risk Assessment

CONSTITUTION OF THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY TENNIS CLUB*

1. The name of the Club is The Oxford University Tennis Club.

OBJECTS
2. The objects of the Club shall be to organise or provide, or assist in the organisation or provisions of, facilities which will enable and encourage students at the University of Oxford to play real tennis or other games or sports and thereby to assist in ensuring that due attention is given to the physical education and development of such students as well as to the development and occupation of their minds.

MEMBERSHIP
3. The members of the Club shall be:-
(a) Those individuals who, being eligible for ordinary membership under Rule 4, have been accepted as ordinary members by the Committee and have paid the annual subscription from time to time fixed by the Committee under Rule 38; and
(b) Committee Members who are members ex officio by virtue of Rule 26.

(b) If during Full Term he or she satisfies the requirements for residence from time to time laid down by the University.

GENERAL MEETINGS

Right to attend, speak and vote
5. All members shall be entitled to attend and speak at any general meeting of the Club, and to vote on any resolution moved at the meeting..

6 An individual who is not a member of the Club but is a candidate for election as an Officer or Committee Member shall be entitled to attend the meeting at which the election is to be held. The candidate shall be entitled to address the meeting on matters relating to his or her candidacy but (unless otherwise qualified to do so under Rule 6) shall not be entitled to speak on any other matter or to vote on any resolution moved at the meeting..

The Chairman of the Meeting
7. The President shall act as chairman of any general meeting of the Club. If at any meeting the President is not present within five minutes of the time appointed for the holding of the meeting, or the President has previously stated that he or she is unable to attend, then the Committee Members present at the meeting shall select one of their number to act as chairman of the meeting.

The Annual General Meeting

8. The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held during the last two weeks of Michaelmas Full Term in every

year. The business to be conducted at the Annual General Meeting shall include:-
(a) A report by the President or his deputy on the activities of the Club and the work of the Committee during the preceding year;
(b) The election of the President and (in any year in which the office falls vacant) the Senior Treasurer;
(c) The election of other persons to serve on the Committee;
(d) The consideration of the balance sheet and income and expenditure account presented to the meeting under Rule 34;
(e) The transaction of any other business arising for consideration at the meeting.

Special General Meetings
9. A Special General Meeting may be called in Full Term:-
(a) By the President; or
(b) On a written requisition which:-

(i) is served on the Secretary not less than 14 days
before the end of Full Term;
(ii) is signed by not less than seven members; and (iii) states the purpose for which the meeting is to be called.

Quorum
11. The guorum for a general meeting of the Club shall be 15 members (including at least three members of the Committee) present in person. No financial business may be transacted at such a meeting unless the Senior Treasurer is present in person or by proxy.

Voting
12. Voting on any resolution moved at a general meeting of the Club shall be:-
(a) By show of hands; or
(b) On a poll.
A poll shall only be held if it is required by Rule 41 or Rule 43 or if (in any other case) it is demanded by the chairman of the meeting or by at least three members who are present in person or by proxy. The poll shall be conducted in such manner as the Committee may determine.

13. On a show of hands every member present in person shall have one vote. On a poll every member present in person or by proxy shall have one vote.

14. Except where Rule 27, Rule 41 or Rule 43 applies, any question arising at a general meeting of the Club shall bedecided by a simple majority of the votes cast. In case of equality, the chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

Proxies
15. Any member of the Club may appoint a proxy to attend and vote instead of the member at a general meeting of the Club. The form appointing the proxy must be signed by the member making the appointment and must be given to the Secretary prior to the commencement of the meeting. The proxy need not be a member of the Club. The proxy shall not be entitled to vote on a show of hands or to speak at the meeting except for the purpose of joining in the demand for a poll Provided that a proxy appointed by the Senior Treasurer shall be entitled to address the meeting on any financial business which comes before the meeting. A proxy appointed for this purpose by the Senior Treasurer must be a member of congregation whom the Senior Treasurer judges to be competent to address the meeting on any financial business which is likely to come before it.

THE SECRETARY AND THE CAPTAIN
16. The Secretary and the Captain shall be members of the University First or Second Team and shall be elected by the members of the University First and Second Teams after the Annual Blues Match with Cambridge and before the beginning of Trinity Full Term in each year. And for the avoidance of doubt the University First Team is the team which plays Cambridge University in the annual Blues Match with Cambridge and the University Second Team is the Second Team which plays Cambridge University Second Team at the annual match between Oxford University Second Team and Cambridge University Second Team.

OFFICERS
17. The officers of the Club shall be:-
(a) The President who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting in each year and shall remain in office until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting in the following year;
(b) The Senior Treasurer who shall be a member of Congregation and shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting and remain in office until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting held in the third year following his election; and
(c) The Secretary who (having been elected in accordance with Rule 17) shall take up office at the beginning of Trinity Full Term and remain in office until the beginning of Trinity Full Term in the following year.

THE COMMITTEE
Composition
18. The affairs of the Club shall be managed by a Committee consisting of:-
(a) The President, the Secretary and the Senior Treasurer, each of whom shall be a Committee Member ex officio;
(b) The Captain, who shall be a Committee Member ex officio and who (having been elected as Captain prior to the Annual General Meeting in accordance with Rule 17) shall take up office at the beginning of Trinity Full Term following his or her election and remain in office until the beginning of Trinity Full Term in the following year;
(c) Four Ordinary Committee Members (of whom one shall be an ordinary member of the Club and three shall not be undergraduates) shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting in each year and shall remain in office until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting in the following year.
(d) Such Additional Committee Members (not exceeding two in number) as may from time to time be co-opted by the other members of the Committee and who shall hold office until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting next following the date of their co-option.

19. Any casual vacancy in the Committee may be filled by the Committee and any person appointed to fill such a vacancy shall hold office until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting.

Proceedings of the Committee
20. The Committee shall meet at least once in each Full Term and shall hold such further meetings as the President shall think fit.

21. The President shall act as chairman of any meeting of the Committee. If at any meeting the President is not present within five minutes of the time appointed for the holding of the meeting, or the President has previously stated that he or she is unable to attend, then the other Committee Members present shall select one of their number to act as chairman of the meeting..

22. The quorum for a meeting of the Committee shall be four Committee Members (including at least two who are not undergraduates) present in person. No financial business may be transacted at such a meeting unless the Senior Treasurer is present in person or by a proxy appointed under Rule 24.

23. The Senior Treasurer may appoint a proxy to attend a meeting of the Committee and to speak and vote on any question arising out of any financial business which comes before the meeting. The proxy need not be a member of the Club but must be:-
(a) A member of Congregation whom the Senior Treasurer judges to be competent to address the Committee on any financial business which is likely to come before it at the meeting;
(b) Appointed in writing by an instrument given to the Secretary prior to the commencement of the meeting.

24. Any question arising at a meeting of the Committee shall be decided by a simple majority of the votes cast. In case of equality, the chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

Ex officio membership of the Club
25. Any Committee Member who is not an ordinary member of the Club shall become a member of the Club ex officio on his election or appointment to the Committee. A Committee Member who is an ex officio member under this Rule shall only be entitled to use the facilities of the Club to the extent necessary for the proper discharge of his or her duties as a Committee Member and any additional duties which he or she may be required to discharge by virtue of any other office held in the Club..

Removal of Committee Members
26. A Committee Member may be removed from office by a resolution of the members of the Club passed at a Special General Meeting of the Club. A resolution shall not be effective for this purpose unless it is passed by not less than two-thirds of the votes cast. A vacancy arising from the removal of a Committee Member under this Rule may be filled by the Committee under Rule 20 but the Committee shall not fill a vacancy arising under this Rule by appointing any person who has been previously removed from office under this Rule.

Regulations
27. The Committee may make such regulations as it thinks fit for:-
(a) The conduct of its meetings and other proceedings;
(b) The employment and remuneration of staff, consultants and professional advisers;
(c) The keeping of proper accounting and other records;
(d) Ensuring the safety of persons using the facilities available to the Club;
(e) Maintaining high standards of discipline and sportsmanship among playing members of the Club;
(f) Any other matters which appear to the Committee to be necessary to ensure the efficient administration of the affairs of the Club.
No regulation made by the Committee shall have effect if and to the extent that it is inconsistent with these Rules.

NOMINATIONS FOR ELECTION
28. Subject to Rule 30, no person shall be eligible for election as an Officer or Ordinary Committee Member unless he or she has been nominated for election by a written notice which is:-
(a) Given to the Secretary not less than 14 days prior to the Annual General Meeting at which the election is due to take place; and
(b) Signed by at least four ordinary members of the Club.

29. A retiring President, Senior Treasurer or Ordinary Committee Member who has been elected at an Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be eligible for re-election without nomination at the Annual General Meeting at which his or her term of office is due to expire.

CONTESTED ELECTIONS
30. If in any year:-
(a) There is a contest for the office of President or Senior Treasurer; or
(b) The number of candidates for election as Ordinary Committee

Members exceeds the number of vacancies,

THE UNIVERSITY FIRST TEAM
31. The University First Team shall be selected by the Captain with the advice of the Club's professional coaches. The other
members of the Committee shall have no say in the selection of the team..

HONORARY BLUES
32. The Committee may from time to time confer the title of Honorary Blue on any individual who has provided exceptional services to the Club. The number of Honorary Blues shall not exceed six at any time. Unless qualified as members under Rule 3, Honorary Blues shall not be members of the Club, nor entitled to any of the rights enjoyed by members of the Club.

FINANCE AND PROPERTY
33. The Senior Treasurer shall be responsible for ensuring that proper accounts are kept of the finances of the Club and in particular that an income and expenditure account and balance sheet covering the last complete financial year of the Club are presented to the members of the Club at the Annual General Meeting next following the end of that financial year.

34. The Committee shall appoint four persons to act as Trustees for the Club. The Committee may transfer, or procure the transfer, of all or any part of the property from time to time belonging to the Club to the Trustees.

35. The Committee shall have power to direct the Trustees to apply or invest the property of the Club in such manner as the Committee may think best calculated to promote the objects of the Club.

36. The property of the Club shall be held and applied exclusively in promoting the objects of the Club but nothing in these Rules shall prevent the payment of reasonable remuneration to any person for the time being employed by the Club or to the repayment of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by any member or officer of the Club in transacting any business on behalf of the Club.

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND CHARGES
37. Each ordinary member of the Club shall pay an annual subscription which shall be determined by the Committee from time to time.

38. The Committee shall determine the amount of the charges payable by members for the use of the Club's facilities.

UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS
39. The Club shall at all times be administered in accordance with the regulations for University Clubs for the time being in force Provided that this Rule sheill not in any circumstances require the Club or its property to be administered in any manner which would cause the Club to cease to be a charity in law.

DISSOLUTION
40. The Club may at any time be dissolved by a resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the votes cast on a poll at a general meeting. No such resolution shall have effect unless:-(a) The number of members voting comprised not less than one quarter of the total membership of the Club at the date of the meeting; and
(b) The notice convening the meeting (or any agenda accompanying that notice) stated that a resolution for the dissolution of the Club was to be moved at the meeting.

41. If the Club is dissolved, its property shall be applied first in discharging any debts or other liabilities of the Club and subject thereto shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution having objects similar to the objects of the Club as the Committee may determine.

AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES
42. These Rules may at any time be amended by a resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the votes cast on a poll at a general meeting. No such resolution shall have effect:-
(a) Unless the nature of each proposed amendment was stated in the notice convening the meeting (or in any agenda accompanying that notice); or
(b) If the effect of any such amendment would be that the Club ceased to be a charity in law.

* This constiturion imay be subject to amendment to conform to OU Sports Federation guidelines.