Cambridge University Guild of Change Ringers

Rules

Revised 1995, further revised 1998

1. Name

The society shall be known as The Cambridge University Guild of Change Ringers and is in these Rules referred to as The Guild.

2. Object

The object of the Guild is to promote the art of change ringing among members of Cambridge University.

3. Members

(1) The Guild shall consist of the following classes of members:

  1. Life members. Life membership shall be open only to matriculated members of Cambridge University.
  2. Annual members. Annual membership shall be open only to members of colleges and approved societies of Cambridge University.
  3. Associate members. Associate membership shall be open to any person who rings regularly with the Guild in Cambridge who is not qualified for annual membership, and shall be for life.
  4. Reciprocal members. Members of the Oxford University Society of Change Ringers shall be reciprocal members of the Guild.
  5. Honorary Members. The Guild may elect as an honorary member any person who has made a significant contribution to the promotion or welfare of the Guild or its object.

(2) Life members and annual members shall be full members of the Guild.

(3) An annual member who is or becomes qualified to be a life member may at any time proceed to life membership without further election but subject to the payment of such sum, if any, as is required by Rule 5(2).

(4) All members of the Guild shall have the same entitlements with respect to any activity or business conducted, excepting that only full members shall be entitled to vote, hold office or ring in a recognised Guild Peal.

4. Election of Members

(1) Admission to life membership, annual membership, associate membership and honorary membership of the Guild shall be by election.

(2) Life members, annual members and associate members may be elected at any meeting of the Guild.

(3) Honorary members may be elected at any general meeting of the Guild.

(4) Every candidate for election shall be proposed by one full member and seconded by another, and shall be elected if approved by a majority of those full members present at the meeting.

(5) A full member may be elected immediately prior to a Guild peal attempt by the unanimous vote of all the full members present, subject to ratification at the next meeting of the Guild in accordance with the preceding section of this Rule.

5. Subscriptions

(1) Life members on election shall pay a single subscription of such amount as may be determined by the Guild in general meeting from time to time.

(2) An annual member proceeding to life membership under Rule 3(3) shall pay a sum equal to the amount, if any, by which the total of subscriptions already paid by him to the Guild is less than the subscription for life members at the time he becomes a life member, but shall not be entitled to any refund on account of over-payment.

(3) Annual members shall, in each academic year, make one payment of such amount as may be determined by the Guild in general meeting from time to time.

(4) Annual membership shall lapse on 30 September each year, but persons who continue to be qualified for annual membership shall continue in membership if they pay the approved subscription by 31 October following.

(5) Associate members, reciprocal members and honorary members shall pay no subscription.

6. Meetings

(1) Meetings of the Guild may be general meetings or ordinary meetings.

(2)

  1. An Annual General Meeting shall be held in Cambridge early in each Easter Full Term. Notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given to all members by the last day of Lent Full Term.
  2. A Special General Meeting may be called in Cambridge by the Committee or by no fewer than seven full members at any time during Full Term upon giving not less than 7 days notice to all members.
  3. An Annual Guild Week Meeting (which shall be a general meeting) shall be held on Guild Week in each year but no notice shall be necessary for such meeting.
  4. An advertisement in all Cambridge towers at which the Guild regularly rings shall give sufficient notice to resident members of any general meeting.
  5. An advertisement in the Ringing World shall give sufficient notice to non-resident members of any general meeting.

(3) An ordinary meeting may be held at any time upon notice being given as in Rule 6(2)(d) for not less than 7 days before such meeting.

(4)

  1. A quorum for a meeting shall be six full members, one of whom must be the President or the Master or a full member nominated by the President.
  2. Full members shall be entitled to attend, speak and vote at meetings.
  3. Associate, reciprocal and honorary members shall be entitled to attend and speak at meetings but not to vote.
  4. In the case of equality of votes at any meeting, the President, whom failing the Master, whom failing the person nominated by the President under Rule 6(4)(a) shall have a second or casting vote.

7. Officers

(1) The Officers of the Guild shall be the President, Master, Assistant Master, Secretary, Senior Treasurer, Librarian, Steeple-Keeper, Auditor and such other officers as may be elected by the Guild.

(2)

  1. Elected officers shall normally be elected by the Annual General Meeting and shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting unless they resign, are disqualified, or are removed from office by a General Meeting.
  2. Officers, other than the President, Senior Treasurer and Auditor, shall be resident members of the University, who are engaged in a full time course of study in the University.

(3)

  1. Every candidate for election as an officer shall be nominated by one full member and seconded by another.
  2. Nominations shall be in writing and shall be displayed on the Guild's notice-board.
  3. Nominations for the offices of President, Senior Treasurer and Auditor shall close on the last Friday of the Lent Full Term.
  4. Nominations for offices other than those mentioned in Rule 7(3)(c) shall close at 12 noon on the Sunday immediately preceding the Annual General Meeting.

(4) In the event of a vacancy in any of the offices, the Committee may fill such a vacancy from among the eligible members until the next General Meeting in Cambridge, when an election should take place. Rule 7(3) shall apply in respect of any such election, with any necessary substitution of dates if the election does not take place at an Annual General Meeting.

8. Committee

(1) The Committee shall consist of all the officers and former officers who continue to be resident members of the University and who are engaged in a full time course of study in the University.

(2) The quorum for meetings of the Committee shall be three, one of whom must be the President or the Master. In the event of vacancies in the offices of both President and Master a Committee meeting may take place in their absence.

(3) The Committee may make or amend any necessary regulations for the conduct of its business.

9. Central Council

(1) The Guild shall be affiliated to the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers and shall elect full members as its representatives in accordance with the rules of that Council.

(2) Subject to Rule 9(1):

  1. The Guild's Central Council Representatives shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Guild;
  2. Rule 7(3)(a), (b) and (c) shall apply to the election of Central Council Representatives as they apply to the election of the President, Senior Treasurer and Auditor.

10. Guild Peals

No peal shall be recorded as a Guild peal unless every ringer in the peal is a full member of the Guild.

11. Data Protection

Personal data relating to members of the Guild, whether in manual or in computer form, shall only be held or processed by the Guild or on its behalf in accordance with the data protection legislation.

12. Amendment

(1) These rules may be amended, added to or rescinded in whole or in part only at a general meeting of the Guild with the consent of not less than two-thirds of the full members present.

(2) Notice of a proposal to make any such amendment, addition or rescission shall be given at a meeting not less than one month before such general meeting and immediately advertised in writing for at least one month of Full Term before such general meeting in all the Cambridge towers at which the Guild regularly rings.

(3) An advertisement in an edition of the Ringing World appearing at least one month before such general meeting shall be deemed sufficient notice of the proposal to non-resident members.

(4) Any member of the Guild shall be entitled to a copy of the current Guild Rules upon application.

Rules corrected 1 November 1995 - C.M.P. Johnson and A. Pearson.
Further revision 3 May 1998 - C.M.P. Johnson and E.C. Carter.
Further revision 28 Jan 2000 - C.M.P. Johnson and W.J. Edwards.