COMMITTEE MEMBERS – OFFICE BEARERS
To affiliate with the SRC, a club must have at least three office bearers making up their committee. We recommend you use the titles of –
President – The president is the figurehead of the club. In most cases the president takes ultimate responsibility and is essentially the manager of the society.
Vice President – A Vice President is elected to act as a support to the President, and should make themselves familiar with the duties carried out by them. In certain circumstances, a VP might need to step in to take the place of the President, or be otherwise charged with specific responsibilities in the running of the club or society. Not all clubs will choose to have this position.
Secretary – The Secretary is generally responsible for the administration of the club, arranging meetings (and taking and circulating the minutes for these) and dealing with any administration regarding the club constitution.
Treasurer – The role of treasurer is very specific. They must keep accurate and up to date financial records for your club. They will oversee the clubs’ bank account, and are responsible for recording all sources of income and all outgoings.
Office Bearers must
- Be current registered students of the University of Glasgow*
- Ensure that whenever there is a change of position, a listed Office Bearer submits all the relevant details to clubsandsocs@src.gla.ac.uk. Please make sure to include the dates of which handover happened in your email.
- Ensure that regular up-to-date membership lists are submitted to the SRC.
*past presidents and honorary positions are the exception to this rule but they should not have any administrative powers or financial responsibilities, and they should not have any voting rights.
We now have a Club Management System on our new website, where clubs can securely store their documents. This function will be made available to clubs, once they have attended the compulsory training. You can find the dates for the training here.
ORDINARY MEMBERS
Membership must:
- Be available to all current registered students of the University of Glasgow
- Consist of at least 80% current registered students of the University of Glasgow
The membership list must include :
- Members’ names
- Members’ GUID numbers, all of whom must be current students of the University of Glasgow
Members that do not have their student number listed will be considered a non-student. Non-student members (also called associate members) include students from other universities, staff, and members of the public. The number of non-student members must not account for more than 20% of the total membership. Associate members do not have any club/society voting rights.
MEETINGS
It is advisable to host regular committee meetings to organise the activities of your club/society. As an affiliated club you are eligible to book SRC rooms such as the Williams Room and the Gilchrist Seminar Room. You are also eligible to book larger University rooms through the University’s Space Management and Timetabling department (formerly CTT).
- If your club/society wishes to book a room, you should contact either Space Management and Timetabling or the SRC directly to request a room (more information on available rooms can be found on our Room Bookings page). You can email us at events@src.gla.ac.uk, phone us on 0141 330 5360 or come to the Welcome Point in person to discuss a prospective booking. ?
- Information to include in your email is date of event, number of attendees and a short description on the event. Rooms can only currently be booked for the following –
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the provision of voluntary or charitable activities?
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education or training?
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organised exercise (indoors exercise currently not permitted due to additional restrictions, however marquee space may be available for outdoors exercise events. Please contact us for more information)?.
If your club is linked to a university department, they may be able to provide a room for meetings – contact the departmental secretary to see if this is the case.
Meetings should
- Have an agenda (usually agreed between the President and Secretary)
- Have a person appointed to take the minutes, record those unable to attend and take a note of any action points. This would normally be undertaken by the Secretary
*Please note that due to COVID-19 there are restrictions in place that will likely impact your club’s planned activities and access to certain services such as room bookings. To keep up-to-date with any changes being made to restrictions, please refer to the University’s information page and their FAQs page regarding COVID-19.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Most clubs hold an AGM in semester two. The SRC would recommend societies try to hold an AGM before the end of term in March each year, as this gives time for society Office Bearers to tie up loose ends and begin the process of handing over society administration (such as society bank accounts) to the new Office Bearers.
An AGM is an opportunity to:
- Inform members about what has been achieved
- Elect the new committee
- Approve the minutes of the previous AGM
- Present the president’s report to the members
- Present the treasurer’s report to the members
- Discuss any other business that is relevant
As not all registered students are over 18, the SRC discourages holding meetings in premises that require patrons to be over 18 to enter.
We would also advise against the use of private flats for club/society events, although we appreciate that it is not always possible to avoid this.
You can find information on hosting an AGM on our page How to host an AGM.
General accounts need to be made available to all members at the AGM and its important for the club’s finances be transparent to its membership.
Associate members do not have club/society voting rights at any general meeting or AGM.
HOSTING ONLINE MEETINGS
Online club meetings can run in a similar way to in-person club meetings, however there are a few additional points to consider:
- Ensuring all members are informed of how to access the online meeting
- Taking a record of all those in attendance (usually carried out by the Secretary)
- If you decide to record meetings, requesting permission from all attendees to record prior to the start of each meeting
- Having a system in place for recording and storing data of club meetings securely, along with a process for deleting data after it is no longer required (we recommend deleting data once a meeting has been minuted).
The above points will be discussed in club inductions. If you have any questions about hosting online club meetings, please email clubsandsocs@src.gla.ac.uk.
USEFUL ONLINE PLATFORMS
Now more than ever, clubs are using online platforms to hold their club meetings. We are discovering there are plenty of new and innovative ways you can keep in touch with your members.
For video calling
Online Voting
HOSTING CLUB/SOCIETY EVENTS
If you are organising an event, a great place to host it is on the glasgowstudent.native.fm platform. All societies can have their events in one place, making it easier for students to find your events and easier for you to advertise, host, and get more exposure. More information on hosting your events on Native can be found here. If you have any queries regarding hosting club/society events, please email events@src.gla.ac.uk
MEMBERSHIP FEES
To enable their club/society to raise funds, many clubs/societies charge a fee for membership,. Membership fees can be collected at any point during the year but you must be sure to advertise that there is a fee when members sign up and that all members are charged the same amount.
We understand that in the current climate clubs may be adapting to new ways of collecting membership fees. We would advise your club to be mindful of the personal data you give out or retain, and you may wish to discuss with your bank a system which enables your club to collect membership fees safely. While there may be no charge with taking membership fees by bank transfer, you may want to confirm this is the case with your bank. An alternative option would be PayPal, however please be aware that a charge is associated with PayPal transfers.
BANK ACCOUNTS
Clubs wishing to apply for grants must have a society bank account*. Many banks on the high street offer accounts which cater to small-scale clubs or societies. A club should shop around, approaching different banks to find out what accounts they can offer to clubs and societies, and choosing one they feel best suits their needs. The SRC cannot give recommendations on which banks to approach for an account.
The account you set up should be –
- a bank account designed for clubs and societies (banks have different names for these, such as a Clubs & Societies Account or a Community Account, etc). The account should allow for dual control (two signatories). Avoid opening a business account.
- in the name of the club that is listed on your affiliation application
- under the current committee’s control
Banks may require proof that you are affiliated with the SRC before they allow you to set up an account.
We would strongly advise that you set up online banking for your account and opt for paperless statements. Online banking will allow you to access your bank account remotely and going paperless will negate the possibility of important correspondence from your bank being lost in the post.
Please note that many banks will not allow clubs or societies to open an account with ‘University of Glasgow’, ‘Glasgow University’ or ‘GU’ in the name. Therefore the SRC recommends that clubs and societies avoid including this in their name if possible.
*In some cases of successful grant applications the SRC can pay a supplier directly on behalf of the club/society, should they choose not to set up a bank account. This must be discussed with SRC Admin staff before you order any items. If you have any questions regarding this, please email clubsandsocs@src.gla.ac.uk