Our Constitution

 

The Maths Society will be affiliated to the Guild of Societies within Cardiff University Students’ Union and, as such, shall agree to the following:

  1. The Maths Society shall adhere to all rules of the University, the Students’ Union Constitution and the Students’ Union Social Policy and Activities Laws, which can be found on cardiffstudents.com.
  2. Representatives from the Maths Society shall attend Societies Council, Societies Forums, the Cardiff University Students’ Union Annual General Meeting (AGM) and any other meetings called by the Students’ Union, as laid out by the Tier Structure.
  3. The Maths Society shall maintain an active student membership of no less than 20 student members.
  4. The Maths Society shall elect a new committee at the end of each academic year, normally via the online elections system.
  5. The Maths Sociey shall maintain a core committee of three members – a President, a Secretary and a Treasurer.
  6. The Maths Society shall hold an Annual General Meeting at the end of each academic year.
  7. The Maths Society’s finances shall be kept in the assigned bank account in the Finance Office of the Students’ Union and managed by the Treasurer of the Maths Society.
  8. The Maths Society will seek advice and permission from the Students’ Union before entering into any contract or other legally binding arrangement.

 

[1] Title

 

[1.1] The Society shall be known as the Cardiff University Students’ Union Maths Society.

 

[2] Aims and Objectives

 

[2.1] The aims and objectives shall be:

  • [2.1.a] Enhance the student experience for students in the School of Mathematics;
  • [2.1.b] Develop a social community within the School of Mathematics;
  • [2.1.c] Promote career opportunities in Mathematics.

 

[3] Affiliation

 

[3.1] The Maths Society will be affiliated to the Guild of Societies within Cardiff University Students’ Union.

 

[4] Students' Union

 

[4.1] The Maths Society shall form part of Cardiff University Students’ Union, and as such, will adhere to all the rules of the University, the Students’ Union Constitution, the Students’ Union Social Policy and Activities Laws, and rules laid down herein.

[4.2] Representatives from the Maths Society shall attend the following meetings:

  • [4.2.a] Societies Council;
  • [4.2.b] Societies Forums;
  • [4.2.c] Cardiff University Students’ Union Annual General Meeting (AGM);
  • [4.2.d] Any other meeting called within the Students’ Union constitution that requires the attendance of Society representatives, such as a General Meeting.

[4.3] The number of representatives required shall be outlined in the Guild of Societies Tier Structure.

[4.4] The Guild of Societies reserves the right to veto any activities of the Maths Society should they feel it contravenes any Students’ Union policy, or places an undue risk on the individuals involved.

 

[5] Membership

 

[5.1] Membership may consist of any ordinary member of the Students’ Union wishing to participate in and further the aims and objectives of the Maths Society.

[5.2] At the discretion of the Maths Society committee, members of staff, alumni and associate members of the Students’ Union may join the Society.

[5.3] The Maths Society shall maintain an active membership of no less than 20 ordinary members of the Students’ Union.

[5.4] The membership fee shall be determined by the Committee and approved by the Societies Team annually.

[5.5] All participants in society activity must be registered members of the Maths Society and the Guild of Societies, or registered for specific events via Give it a Go or another Union Department. Activities which require registration are outlined in the Activities Laws.

[5.6] Members’ details will be held by the Students’ Union in line with the Data Protection Act and utilised in line with guidance in the Activities Laws.

[5.7] Student members are entitled to:

  • [5.7.a] Join and participate in any activity organised by the Maths Society, subject to funding, skill, experience and availability.
  • [5.7.b] Attend, address and vote at any general meeting of the Maths Society. 
  • [5.7.c] Attend any committee meeting of the Maths Society and, at the discretion of the committee, be granted speaking rights.
  • [5.7.d] Hold a position on the committee of the Maths Society.
  • [5.7.e] Vote to elect any committee members of the Maths Society.

[5.8] Non-student members are entitled to:

  • [5.8.a] Join and participate in any activity organised by the Maths Society, subject to funding, skill, experience and availability.
  • [5.8.b] Attend and address any general meeting of the Maths Society.
  • [5.8.c] Attend any committee meeting of the Maths Society and, at the discretion of the committee, be granted speaking rights.

[5.9] The Maths Society will operate on a basis of inclusion, therefore, no member will be discriminated against in line with the Equal Opportunities Policy.

 

[6] The Committee

 

[6.1] The committee is responsible for the day to day running of the Maths Society in accordance with the aims and objectives in [2].

[6.2] The committee shall collectively, along with their own job roles, ensure that the Maths Society abides by the Cardiff University Students’ Union’s policies and procedures.

[6.3] All committee members shall be elected democratically. Elections shall normally be carried out online at cardiffstudents.com.

[6.4] Committee nominations must be open to every student Society member and all student Society members must have the opportunity to vote in the committee election. Non-student members will not be able to run or vote in committee elections.

[6.5] Committee positions must be resided by members who are current students at Cardiff University.

[6.6] The Maths Society committee shall have a minimum of three roles, a President, Secretary and Treasurer, at any one time.

[6.7] The duties of each of the Committee members shall be as follows:

  • President: Acting as the principal officer, spokesperson for the society and key contact with Cardiff University Students’ Union, the President leads and co-ordinates the Society, committee and members.  They shall be responsible for the planning, organising and chairing of committee meetings and for protecting the interests of the Society in accordance with its aims and objectives.
  • Secretary: The Secretary’s prime function is to administrate the running of the Society, keep accurate records and communicate with the committee and society members.
  • Treasurer: The Treasurer has responsibility for the financial affairs of the Maths Society, ensuring that Cardiff University Students’ Union Financial Guidelines are adhered to. They shall present the Society’s finances at a General Meeting of the Maths Society.

[6.8] Additional committee members shall include:

  • Vice President: The Vice President acts as a secondary point of contact for the society, and deputises for and assists the President where necessary. They take joint responsibility with the President for large events, and support other officers in event planning.
  • Social Events Officer: The Social Events Officer will be responsible for organising and marketing social-oriented events run by the Maths Society, such as the Maths Ball, as well as risk assessments for these events and ticketing where necessary. They will also assist the Academic Events Officer in their role where required.
  • Academic Events Officer: The Academic Events Officer will be responsible for organising and marketing academic-oriented events run by the Maths Society, such as academic talks, as well as risk assessments for these events and ticketing where necessary. They will also assist the Social Events Officer in their role where required.
  • Wellbeing Officer: The Wellbeing Officer is responsible for ensure the wellbeing of members of the society. This includes widening access to the society, ensuring Risk Assessments are completed to an acceptable standard, taking wellbeing concerns from members and signposting where necessary, and ensuring that the decisions and plans made by the committee account for the wellbeing of the members. This is one of the most important roles in the committee.
  • Postgraduate Representative: The Postgraduate Representative is responsible for maintaining accessibility and wellbeing interests of Postgraduate members are represented in the decisions and plans made by the committee.
  • Social Media and Communications Officer: The Social Media and Communications Officer will be responsible for communicating with the members of our society, handling the social media such as the Instagram account, and working on streamlining how we communicate with both members and external bodies.
  • Swyddog Iaith Gymraeg: Mae'r Swyddog Iaith Gymraeg yn gyfrifol am gynrychioli buddiannau myfyrwyr sy'n siarad Cymraeg, hyrwyddo diwylliant Cymru o fewn y gymdeithas a'i digwyddiadau, a chynyddu mynediad i'r gymdeithas trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Disgwylir iddynt gynorthwyo gyda chyfieithu ar gyfer cyfathrebiadau'r gymdeithas, felly bydd angen sgiliau iaith frodorol neu hyfedr yn y Gymraeg.
    • [Yn Saesneg: The Swyddog Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Officer) is responsible for representing the interests of Welsh speaking students, promoting Welsh culture within the society and its events, and increasing access to the society through the medium of Welsh. They will be expected to assist with translation for society communications, so native or proficient Welsh language skills will be required.]
  • Charity Officer: The Charity Officer is responsible for organising fundraising initiatives for causes aligned with the society and/or its members, including but not limited to mathematics, education, or current issues important to our members. They will also arrange for society participation in relevant SU led campaigns and initiatives.
  • First Year Representative: The First Year Representative is responsible for ensuring interests of First Year members are represented in the decisions and plans made by the committee. They will work to increase accessibility and engagement of the society to new students, being the voice of the First Year body within the committee, as well as representing the committee to First Year students.
  • Up to two additional officers at the discretion of the committee.

[6.9] A vote of ‘no confidence’ in a committee member must be submitted formally in writing by any member to the entire committee and the Guild of Societies. This is to be voted on in an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) called by the committee with at least two weeks’ notice. A minimum of half the society’s membership must be present and the motion must be passed by two thirds of those present. The decision of this vote is subject to appeal by the committee member through the Societies Executive Committee.

[6.10] A change in committee roles must be passed at an EGM before nominations open.

[6.11] The committee shall have the power to appoint appropriate sub-committee.

[6.12] Committee members should always act in the best interests of their Society. Where a committee member has interests outside of the Society that could come into conflict, or could be perceived to come into conflict, these should be declared to the entire committee. It may be appropriate for them to abstain from the relevant decision making processes.

[7] Committee Meetings

 

[7.1] Committee meetings shall be held regularly, as required.

[7.2] Quoracy for committee meetings is half of all committee members plus one, or three committee members, whichever is the greater.

 

[8] General Meetings

 

[8.1] General Meetings, to which all members are invited, shall be held as and when necessary.

[8.2] An Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall normally be held during the Spring Semester.

[8.3] At least two weeks’ notice of a General Meeting shall be given by the Secretary to all members and Cardiff University Students’ Union.

[8.4] Constitutional amendments, which include changes in committee structure, can be passed at any General Meeting by two thirds of those present or by more than half of the membership, whichever is the lesser.  Amendments will then require ratification by the Societies Team.

 

[9] Finance

 

[9.1] The Maths Society’s finances must be administered in accordance with the guidelines set out by the Guild of Societies and Cardiff University Students’ Union.

[9.2] In the event that the Maths Society is no longer able to carry out its activities, and thus folds, all assets and debts will revert back to Cardiff University Students’ Union.

[9.3] Under no circumstances will the Maths Society’s funds be distributed amongst members.

[9.4] Committee members shall not receive payment or any other kind of financial benefit from the Society. Only genuine out-of-pocket expenses will be authorised by the Societies Team.

[9.5] The Maths Society may not enter into any contract or other legally binding arrangement without the permission of Cardiff University Students’ Union.

 

[10] Complaints, Discipline and Appeals Procedures

 

[10.1] Informal complaints against the Maths Society or any of its members or committee members shall be submitted to the Maths Society President. The committee shall consider the complaint and may uphold or dismiss the complaint and may be entitled to take suitable action.

[10.2] The Maths Society committee shall attempt to resolve complaints, but shall contact the Guild of Societies for advice and further discussion.

[10.3] Reports of alleged misconduct or inappropriate behaviour of any members or committee members shall be submitted in writing to the Maths Society President or the Guild of Societies.

[10.4] The Guild of Societies may refer matters to the Students Union’s Complaints Policy, Discipline Policy or Disputes Between Members Procedures.

[10.5] The complaints procedures shall be clearly communicated to the alleged offender(s) to ensure they understand their rights and responsibilities.

[10.6] The initial complaint or report of alleged misconduct should be forwarded to the Vice President Societies for consideration if:

  • [10.6.a] The Maths Society Committee feel unable to consider the complaint without bias, or;
  • [10.6.b] The complainant feels the complaint or report will not be considered without bias.

[10.7] In this case, an appeal against the outcome of a decision shall be sent to the Students’ Union President.

[10.8] Actions from complaints and allegations, which are upheld, may include the following;

  • [10.8.a] Verbal or written reprimand and/or;
  • [10.8.b] Suspension of any or all membership privileges and/or;
  • [10.8.c] Termination of membership of the Maths Society and/or;
  • [10.8.d] Referral of complaint to the Students’ Union Complaints or Discipline Procedures and/or;
  • [10.8.e] Other actions as outlined in the Activities Laws.

[10.9] Outcomes of a complaint or report of alleged misconduct are subject to appeal. Appeals should be submitted in writing to the Vice President Societies, as outlined in the Activities Laws.

 

Ratification

This constitution was ratified at a General Meeting of the Maths Society on 05/05/2026. Submission of this document to the Guild of Societies will be deemed as ratification of the Maths Society’s Constitution.