Constitution of the UCD Medical Society
Name
1. There shall be a society called the UCD Medical Society.
Objects
2. The objectives of the society shall be;
a. To further the academic, social and sporting interests of its members.
b. To aid with integration of its members from different medical years
and foster a community spirit within the school of medicine.
The Funds of the Society shall be applied for the purpose of furthering
these objects.
Membership
3. Membership of the Medical Society shall be open to all students, staff and
graduates of UCD. Membership shall be obtained by paying the appropriate
membership fee and signing the role of members.
Committee
4. There shall be a committee of the Medical Society which, subject to this
constitution and to decisions of General Meetings of the Society, shall be
the governing body of the Medical Society.
5. The Committee shall consist of:
The Auditor
The Secretary
The Treasurer
Ordinary Members (numbers to be decided by the Auditor to a max of 17)
6. Ordinary members of the Committee shall be elected at an election open to
all members held during UCD term. The Auditor shall ensure that there is
representation of all years on the committee. Any remaining vacancies shall
be appointed by the Auditor. Their term of office shall be from the end of the
UCD academic year in which they are elected until the same time the
following year.
7. Meetings of the Committee shall be convened by the Auditor or by
requisition of any four members of the committee. Notice of any such
requisitioned meeting shall be given to all members of the committee at
least 48 hours before the time of such meeting.
8. The quorum for any meeting of the committee shall be five members.
The Officers
9. There shall be an Auditor who shall be the chief officer of the Society. The
Auditor shall be entitled to preside at all Annual General Meetings of the
Society and at all meetings of the Committee. At meetings of the Committee
the Auditor shall have a deliberative and a casting vote.
10. The Auditor shall have been a member of the society for at least five
semesters prior to the date of the election if enrolled in the six year
programme. Students enrolled to the graduate programme or five year
programme shall have been a member of the society for at least three
semesters prior to the date of the election to eligible for nomination as
Auditor. The term of office shall be from the end of the UCD academic year
in which they are elected until the same time the following year.
11. There shall be a Secretary of the Society. The duties of the Secretary shall
include;
a. Compiling the agenda and recording the Minutes of all meetings of
the Medical Society and of its Committee.
b. Undertaking the correspondence of the Medical Society as directed
by the Auditor and the Committee.
c. Keeping the records, other than the financial records, of the Medical
Society.
d. Giving due notice of all meetings of the Society and its Committee.
e. Keeping a roll of members of the Medical Society.
The term of office shall be from the end of the UCD academic year in which
they are elected until the same time the following year.
12. There shall be a Treasurer of the Society. The duties of the Treasurer shall
include;
a. Managing the financial affairs of the Medical Society.
b. In association with the Senior Treasurer, maintaining and operating a
bank account in the name of the Medical Society.
c. Reporting to each meeting of the committee on the state of the
Medical Society’s finances.
d. Reporting on the finances of the Medical Society to the Senior
Treasurer on an approximately bi-monthly basis.
e. In co-operation with the Senior Treasurer, preparing an annual report
of the financial transactions of the society.
f. Maintenance of financial records of the society including a record of
all receipts and invoices.
g. Maintenance of a Cash Book and overseeing that cash is signed for
appropriately with two signatures from Society Officers, along with
appropriate receipts.
h. Overseeing that the lodgement of cash to the Society’s Account is
not unduly delayed.
i. To ensure the accounts are signed over to the incoming officers
before the end of the academic year.
The term of office shall be from the end of the UCD academic year in which
they are elected until the same time the following year.
Honorary President
13. There shall be an Honorary President of the Medical Society. The President
shall be chosen by the committee from among the staff of UCD and
affiliated hospitals and shall have such responsibilities as are laid down by
UCD and by this constitution, including representation at key events, advisor
to the Committee and maintenance of relations with university staff. The
Honorary President shall also attend selected Committee meetings as
appropriate.
Senior Treasurer
14. There shall be a Senior Treasurer of the Medical Society. The Senior
Treasurer shall be chosen by the committee from among the members of
the staff of UCD and affiliated hospitals and shall have such responsibilities
as are laid down by UCD and by this constitution including, supervision of
the Medical Society accounts and finances and advisor to the Treasurer.
The Senior Treasurer shall also attend selected Committee meetings as
appropriate.
General Meetings
15. The Annual General Meeting of the Medical Society shall be held in the
UCD academic year. At this meeting the business conducted shall include
the delivery of Annual Reports by the Auditor, Secretary and Treasurer of
the Medical Society.
a. An Extraordinary General Meeting must be convened if required in
writing by at least 50 members.
b. Notice of any General Meeting shall be given to all members at least
5 working days before such meeting by means of notices displayed in
suitable public areas.
c. Motions for discussion at a General Meeting may be proposed by any
member of the Medical Society. Notice of such motions shall be
given in such form as decided in advance by the Committee.
Elections
16. Elections to the offices of Auditor, Secretary and Treasurer shall take place
in the second semester of the academic year at a time deemed suitable by
the committee.
a. Prior to the elections, the committee shall appoint a Returning Officer
who shall be responsible for the conduct of the elections. The
Returning Officer shall not be a candidate for any office and must
remain impartial and not participate in any election campaigns.
b. The Returning Officer shall arrange the details of the election which
shall be carried out using a system of proportional representation.
c. Any vacancy in any office or among the Members of the Committee,
for whatever reason shall be filled by the committee.
Dismissal from Office
17. No officer shall be dismissed from office unless the following procedures
have been carried out;
a. Notice of a resolution to seek such dismissal, signed by at least 20
members of the Medical Society shall be given to the Auditor of the
Society at least 5 working days prior to a General Meeting of the
society.
b. The Auditor must give notice to the members of the Medical Society
at least 3 days prior to a General Meeting of the society.
c. The resolution shall have been passed by a two thirds majority at a
General Meeting.
18. No member of the Committee shall be dismissed from office unless the
following procedures have been carried out;
a. Notice of a resolution to seek such dismissal, signed by at least 20
members of the Medical Society shall be given to the Auditor of the
Society at least 5 working days prior to a Committee Meeting.
b. The Auditor must give notice to the members of the Committee at
least 3 days prior to a Committee Meeting.
c. The resolution shall have been passed by a two thirds majority at a
Committee Meeting.
General
19. There shall be a membership fee which shall be fixed by the Committee
from time to time.
20. The Medical Society shall seek to gain and to retain the status of
Recognised Society within the College. To this end, the Medical Society
shall comply with all reasonable requests from the Societies Council of the
University.
21. This constitution shall come into effect when it has been approved by two
thirds of the members of the Medical Society.
a. Notice of a proposal to seek an amendment to this Constitution shall
be given to all members at least 7 days prior to the Annual General
Meeting or Election at which the proposal will be voted on. Such a
proposal must receive the approval of a two thirds majority.
b. Notice of any amendment which has been duly approved shall be
forwarded to the Societies Council.
22. A minimum of six months notice of the dates for key events such including
Med Day and Med Ball shall be communicated to the Program Office. An
attempt shall be made to hold key events at the same time each year so as
to minimally disrupt teaching within the University.
23. The total sum of the collections from Med Day must be given to charity.
None of the funds are to be used for society business or administration.