This is the write-up of the meeting between Kent Union and David Bell on August 18th 2006. The following is information regarding Compsoc joining the Kent Union and becoming a Kent Union society. It is not intended to argue for or against membership. It is intended to provide members with the relevant facts.
- Student socities must have 20 members (20 people who have paid £3) at the start of each academic year. The number of members may fall during the term, so in reality we need 20 people donating 3 pounds each at the start of each year.
- We must have a constitution. I have requested a sample Kent Union Society constitution and that will be sent to me as soon as the Kent Union are able to do so. We can modify it but certain aspects are required.
- The society must charge at least 3 pounds for every member. This gives us, with 20 members, £60. Obviously with more members we get more money. The society will recieve £100 on top of this from Kent Union.
- Thus with 20 members we will have £160 per year.
- The society can apply for grants for a particular item or event. For example you can apply for a £500 grant for an item. This will be handled by the Socities Federation. This obviously is source of money we don't currently have.
- Kent Union provide financial, health/safety and poltical training for the President, Treasurer and Secretary. In fact they must undertake the training.
- Purchases will require one person in Kent Union, a staff member, to quickly ensure the purchase is not for personal use, and then they will order the item on our behalf and give the item to us. It is an easy procedure.
- End of year financial problems: All money not spent which was taken from membership fees, the £100 grant and extra grants must be given back to Kent Union at the end of the year. The only money that can be rolled over to the next year is money raised by fundraising.
- The current money we have can be considered fundraising so if we joined the Kent Union the money we have now could be rolled over year on year and not treated as Kent Union supplied and thus taken away at the end.
Items we donate, so the hardware we have now, can be kept where they are now but can become KentUnion items and can be insured automatically. Items we buy will be insured.
- We can keep our relationship with Computer Science.
- Staff members cannot be involved in the "democractic process". They can be in an advisory role, and they can be co-opted onto the committee as an advisor, but they cannot vote or be in elections.
- The structure of our society is open to negotiation. Kent Union have made it clear that they are here to let students run the society. They do not want to enforce rules just because they are rules and really want to help us.
- Kent Union is happy to meet with anybody who has questions or has had bad experience with the Kent Union in the past.