Constitution & Rules – Royal College of Science Association

PURPOSE
To promote and safeguard the interests of former students of the Royal College of Science, the interests of the Royal College of Science and the interests of the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine and to promote social intercourse among the Members.

STATUS
An unincorporated association of persons admitted as Members in accordance solely with these Rules. The association shall only conduct its business between Members in accordance with the resolutions of the Officers and Committee of the Association in line with the resolutions of the Members in a General Meeting.

DEFINITIONS
1. Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine shall hereinafter be called “the University”.
2. The Royal College of Science, hereinafter called “the RCS”, shall be defined as being the current departments of Biochemistry, Biology, CEP (Centre for Environmental Policy)^*, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics at the University plus any departments formerly described as part of the RCS (that awarded the ARCS Diploma) for such time as they were thus described.
3. The Royal College of Science Association shall hereinafter be called “the Association”.
4. The Student Union of the departments of Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics at the University shall hereinafter be called “the RCSU”.
MEMBERSHIP & SUBSCRIPTIONS
1. Former students of the RCS, current undergraduate and postgraduate students of the RCS, members of the RCS staff, and senior officers of the University shall be eligible for membership. The Committee may admit other members of the University to Memberships in accordance with bye-laws set down by them and ratified by a General Meeting.
2. The subscription payable by Members shall be determined annually by Ordinary Resolution at an Annual General Meeting on recommendation of the Committee.
COMMITTEE
1. The affairs of the Association shall be managed by the Committee, which shall comprise the Executive Officers and Ordinary Members as defined in 3.3 and 3.4.
2. All Committee posts shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
3. The Executive Officers of the Committee shall be:
  1. The President
  2. The Deputy President
  3. The Honorary Secretary
  4. The Honorary Treasurer
4. The Ordinary Members of the Committee shall be:
  1. Thirteen elected members, of whom:
    1. two representatives are chosen from among former students who entered the RCS no more than ten academic years prior to the date of the election.
    2. five representatives are chosen from among former students to represent the five current departments of the RCS.
    3. six representatives are chosen from among former students without reference to department or year of entry to the RCS.
  2. The Immediate Past President of the Association.
  3. Two registered students of the RCS, who shall be nominated by the President of the RCS Union or his/her nominee.
5. The Committee may at its discretion co-opt up to two further Ordinary Members, who may serve up to, but not beyond, the next Annual General Meeting.
6. The Committee may appoint up to ten Honorary Vice-Presidents, who shall have observer status and full speaking rights at Committee meetings.
7. Those Past Presidents who agree to serve shall have observer status and full speaking rights at Committee meetings.
8. Five members of the Committee, at least one of whom must be an Executive Officer, shall form a quorum.
9. The Committee may create and dissolve Sub-Committees and shall have the power to appoint as members of such Sub-Committees Members of the Association, whether or not members of the Committee.
10. The Committee may delegate powers to its Sub-Committees. All Sub-Committees shall report to the following Committee meeting.
11. The Executive Officers shall be ex-officio members of all Sub-Committees.
ELECTIONS & GENERAL MEETINGS
1. The Returning Officer for elections shall be the Honorary Secretary unless he is standing in a contested election, in which case the Committee shall appoint an independent Returning Officer. Members shall be informed of the opening and closing dates of nominations between four and five months prior to the date on which the Annual General Meeting is due to take place.
2. Nominations shall be open for a period of at least three weeks, and shall close between three and four months prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting.
3. Before the close of nominations, a Member may communicate to the Returning Officer his wish to be a candidate. The communication shall be made in writing and shall identify five other Members as nominators.
4. All nominators shall communicate their assent to nominate to the Returning Officer in writing before the close of nominations.
5. Once satisfied that a candidate’s five nominators are all Members of the Association, the Returning Officer shall confirm to the Member that his application to be a candidate has been successful.
6. After the close of nominations the Committee may appoint Members to fill vacant posts.
7. A list of all nominations shall be published and communicated to the membership at least six weeks before the Annual General Meeting.
8. The Committee shall maintain a policy on the conduct of elections, including distance voting, and in the event of a contested election shall inform the membership of this procedure at the same time as the list of nominations is issued.
9. Any vacancy occurring on the Committee between any two Annual General Meetings may be filled by the Committee. Members so-elected shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting. The Executive Officers and Ordinary Members of the Committee elected at the Annual General Meeting shall take office immediately after the close of the Annual General Meeting of the Association.
10. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be summoned by the Honorary Secretary on receipt of a requisition signed by twenty members of the Association or on recommendation by the Committee within six weeks of receiving such a requisition.
11. At least one month’s notice shall be given of all General Meetings.
12. The quorum at General Meetings shall be twenty-five, but meetings shall be deemed quorate until challenged.
FINANCE
1. The Association’s financial year runs from 1 January to 31 December.
2. The Committee shall hold one or more bank accounts such as to maximise the assets of the Association. The opening and closing of bank accounts shall be reported to the Annual General Meeting for ratification in the Financial Report.
3. The Honorary Treasurer shall maintain these bank accounts on behalf of the Association. The accounts for the past year shall be submitted by the Honorary Treasurer at the Annual General Meeting.
4. The Annual General Meeting shall appoint Auditors of the accounts. No person who is an Executive Officer or signatory to the bank may be appointed as an Auditor. If there is a vote on an appointment or reappointment of Auditors at the Annual General Meeting, the Executive Officers for the forthcoming year shall not be permitted a vote on this matter. This provision shall not prevent Executive Officers from presenting motions or reports on the appointment or reappointment of Auditors.
5. In the event of a casual vacancy, the Committee may appoint an Auditor who shall act in such capacity until the next Annual General Meeting.
6. Should the Association be dissolved, its records and memorabilia shall be deposited in the Imperial College archives and its assets shall be donated to the RCSA Trust.
TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
1. Any Member may terminate his membership at any time by giving written notice to the Honorary Secretary.
2. The Committee may give to any person whose subscription is in arrears notice of such arrears and the membership of such person shall terminate four weeks from giving such a notice unless those arrears are received by the Honorary Treasurer within that period.
3. If at any time the Committee are of the opinion that the interests of the Association so require they may give to any Member notice of termination of his membership. Such termination shall take effect four weeks from when it is given unless, within that period, the member gives notice of appeal to the Honorary Secretary whereupon such termination shall not take effect unless and until confirmed by a resolution passed at the next General Meeting.
4. Where the membership of any person is terminated for any reason, that person shall remain liable to pay any subscription falling due before the receipt of the notice relating to such termination and shall not be entitled to any refund of any subscription already paid.
SERVICE OF NOTICES
1. Any notice required by these Rules may be given by sending it in writing to the last recorded address of the Member concerned.
2. If at any time a notice is to be given to a Member, including a Life Member, asking him to confirm his last recorded address or to supply a new one, no further notice need be given to that Member under any provision of these Rules, except Rule 6.3, until that Member provides such confirmation or supplies a new address.
RULES
1. Interpretation of these Rules shall be by the President. In the event of dissatisfaction, the matter shall be referred to the Committee and in the event of further dissatisfaction, to a General Meeting, whose ruling shall be final.
2. The term “in writing” shall include, but not be limited to, electronic mail.
3. An Ordinary Resolution shall require more votes in favour than against to be passed; a Special Resolution shall require at least twice as many votes in favour as against to be passed.
4. These Rules may only be altered by a Special Resolution of a General Meeting; provided that notice of the proposal to change a Rule shall be received by the Honorary Secretary at least four weeks prior to the meeting at which the proposal is to be discussed. The Honorary Secretary shall notify Members on the Agenda clearly of any motions changing the Rules and particulars of any proposed alterations or additions shall be sent to every Member at least two weeks before the meeting.
5. The Committee shall review these Rules annually.
6. These Rules are binding on the Association and all its Members as of 14 June 2016 as amended on 10 September 2017.

* Subject to ratification at AGM September 2023

RCSA Rules updated September 2017 (PDF)