The Old Ellesmerian Club - Rules

Governance:

1) Title:  The Club shall be called "The Old Ellesmerian Club" (hereinafter referred to as "The Club').

2) Objectives:

The Club aims to:

  • Promote comradeship between its members
  • Provide vehicles through which contacts between members may be furthered
  • Encourage sporting links between its members and the College
  • Provide support to the College and pupils where appropriate
  • Facilitate career advice and opportunities to pupils and Ellesmerians
  • Promote the College and its activities
  • Maintain a record of the activities of club and College
  • Ensure the future of the Club through healthy debate

3) Membership:

All former pupils of Ellesmere College, who have been at the College for not less than twelve months, shall be eligible for membership at the discretion of the Executive Committee.

4) Hon. Members:

The Executive Committee may nominate Honorary Members and submit names to the Annual General Meeting for election. Honorary Members have no voting rights.

5) Officers:

The Officers of the Club shall comprise:

  • Officers of the Executive
  • Honorary Appointments

Officers of the Executive:

All members of The Old Ellesmerian Club are entitled to propose themselves, or other members, to hold positions on the Executive Committee.

The structure of the executive committee is defined in a document entitled "The Old Ellesmerian Club Executive Structure" and the roles and responsibilities of the individual committee members are defined in "The Old Ellesmerian Club Roles and Responsibilities".

In addition to the Executive structure defined in the documents above there will be a maximum of 5 members without specific roles.

Ex officio members of the Executive committee will include:

  • The President
  • Vice Presidents
  • The Headmaster
  • Director of External Relations
  • The Director of Operations
  • Administrator

Ex officio members do not have voting rights but may ask for their opinions to be formally recorded in the minutes.

All Officers will be individually elected but may be re-elected 'en bloc' at the April Executive, for ratification by the AGM.

Executive committee members without specific roles must seek re-election every 4 years.

All executive members are expected to attend at least one Executive meeting a year. Non-attendance at four consecutive meetings will lead to automatic termination of that individuals place on the Executive committee and any other positions they may hold within The Old Ellesmerian Club.

The Executive Committee may invite members of The Old Ellesmerian Club to sit on sub committees as required from time to time.

A minimum of five members of the Executive Committee can form a quorum but at least two of the following officers (Chairman, Vice Chairman and any other director) must be present.

A Steering Group comprising the President (ex.officio), Chairman, vice Chairmen, will report their proposals direct to the Executive Committee. Other members of the Club or other third parties may be invited to attend Steering Group meetings as determined by the Agenda for that particular meeting.

The Chairman, Vice Chairmen and Treasurer can together, if necessary, take executive action on behalf of the Club but must justify this and its actions at the next Executive Committee. The Chairman will be responsible for recording such actions.

Honorary Appointments: These will include:

The President, usually nominated on the basis of their contribution to The Old Ellesmerian Club, Ellesmere College or society, is elected to office for a period of one year. The shortlist of suitable candidates will be submitted by the Chairman to the 'October Executive' and the final nomination will be put forward to the next 'April Executive', following which the appointment will be ratified at the AGM. The honorary appointment of President of The Old Ellesmerian Club does not automatically confer the right to a vice Presidency at the end of the term office but the holder is invited to attend Executive Meetings (in an advisory capacity) held during their tenure but without any voting rights.

Vice Presidents, who are proposed in recognition of their exceptional service to The Old Ellesmerian Club, Ellesmere College or for outstanding public service are elected at the AGM and hold the position 'for life'. The position of Vice President does not automatically entitle holders to sit on the Executive Committee. Vice Presidents would be expected to stand in for the President, if requested, and the President was unable to attend a formal Club function.

The Chronicler who is appointed by the Executive Committee and the appointment is subject to review as for Officers of the Executive Committee.

6) Meetings:

The Executive Committee will normally meet at Ellesmere College on the first Friday of the Summer Term (the 'April Executive') and prior to the Manchester Regional Dinner (the 'October Executive'). Fourteen days’ notice of a meeting is required and the publication of the dates of the meetings in a Newsletter will be deemed to be notification to the membership of the Committee. The Agenda should be distributed at least 28 days prior to the meeting. All meetings of the Executive Committee should be formally minuted and records kept of attendance, decisions made etc. Minutes of the Executive Committee, once approved by the Chairman, will be distributed to all members of the Committee and published in the next Newsletter.

The Steering Group will meet three times a year, usually at Ellesmere College with a meeting held one month prior to each of the Executive Meetings. The Agenda should be distributed 14 days prior to the meeting. All meetings of the Steering Group should be formally minuted and records kept of attendance, decisions made etc. The Minutes are to be made available to members of the Executive Committee.

An Annual General Meeting will be held at Ellesmere College immediately after the conclusion of the 'April executive' each year. All members of The Old Ellesmerian Club are entitled to attend and, if they wish to have an item added to the Agenda, they should submit full details, in writing, to the Administrator at least 30 days prior.

7) Financial Issues:

The subscription for Life Membership as at April 2007 is £150.00 sterling.

The Executive Committee will review the subscription each year at the 'April Executive' and any proposed increase will be ratified at the AGM The fee will be payable termly (generally over a fifteen term period) by those at the School, with any deficit being collected as a lump sum when the pupil leaves.

The Treasurer is responsible for preparing a budget on an annual base for maintaining an accurate set of accounts

The Executive Committee shall have power to invest surplus funds in such stocks, shares or other securities of whatever nature, as they shall from time to time decide.

All payments made shall be authorised by the Treasurer and countersigned by the Executive Chairman or a Vice Chairman. At every Executive Committee Meeting a financial report will be presented.

All regional secretaries for dinners, or organisers of other formal Club events, are to submit full financial resumes to the Treasurer within thirty days of the event being held.

The financial year shall end on 31st December in every year. A balance sheet will be prepared by the Treasurer that shall be duly certified by the Club Examiner and made available to members of the Executive Committee, and, on application, to members of the Club, at or before the AGM.

Applications for sponsorship should be passed to the Administrator.  They will be determined at the next Steering Group meeting but in an 'emergency' the, Chairman, and vice chairmen and will have the authority to make a decision as to the suitability of the application and the level of financial involvement by the Club All applications must demonstrate that other funding routes are unavailable or financial hardship could result if sponsorship is not made available. Recipients of sponsorship from The Old Ellesmerian Club will be expected to make a written report and to make a presentation at a Regional Dinner or Executive Meeting following completion of their project.

8) Administration:

The Administrator will be primarily responsible for the efficient administration of The Old Ellesmerian Club on a day today basis, working closely with other Officers of the Club and will act as a focal point for correspondence with other members.

All mailings, electronic or postal, issued by the Club are deemed to arrive at their destination. The Old Ellesmerian Club will not be responsible for any damage, loss or consequential damage that may be caused should an electronic mailing be infected or corrupted by a virus or similar.

Postal mailings to overseas addresses will be at the discretion of the Administrator who may, prior to the despatch of a mailing overseas, send a request postcard asking for the address to be verified as accurate

All changes of address must be advised to the Administrator promptly. Should the administrator, or other Officer of the Club, receive back any mailing, or other correspondence marked “Not known at this address”, “Gone Away”, “Addressee Unknown” etc. then the contact details of that member will be deleted from the membership register until such time as correct details are submitted to the Administrator.

The Administrator will manage and maintain the Club Database keeping it accurate, safe and secure whilst liaising closely with the Marketing Department of Ellesmere College to ensure the efficient and accurate exchange of data gathered. The Membership database will be managed as required under the Data Protection Act and only those individuals who have registered with the Administrator will be able to receive contact information on other registered members. An updated copy of the database is provided to Ellesmere College on a regular basis, subject to a formal agreement and an undertaking, that membership information will not be divulged to any third party.

Members of The Old Ellesmerian Club shall be entitled to a copy of each issue of the 'Newsletter'. An 'Ellesmerian' magazine will be sent annually, as soon as copies are made available to the Club, to those members who left Ellesmere College within the last five years

The Administrator will compile (in association with the Chairman) and distribute Agendas and take Minutes for the Executive Committee and Steering Group and distribute the same.

9) Club Colours:

The Club colours shall generally be Oxford Blue and Silver but other designs and schemes may be approved by the Steering Group and or Executive Committee for special events or functions

10) Club events:

In general these will be organised by the relevant Directors, Chairmen and Secretaries.

11) Rules:

The Executive Committee of The Old Ellesmerian Club may change the rules if two thirds of those present at the meeting agree on the amendment. Amendments to the rules can be challenged at the AGM. Any proposed challenge to a rule amendment must be submitted, in writing, to the Administrator sixty days prior to the AGM and the document submitted must include the names and addresses of the Proposer and Seconder. The challenge will succeed if two thirds of those present at the AGM are in agreement.

12) Conduct:

All members of The Old Ellesmerian Club are expected to respect the Club, its aims and purposes. They are expected to respect the views and privacy of other members of the Club and are expected to behave in a courteous manner at all functions, whether organised by the Club or not, where other Ellesmerians are present. Complaints as to the behaviour of an Ellesmerian should be lodged with the Chairman who will convene a disciplinary meeting to ascertain if the Club should take any action, such action may include expulsion from the Club The disciplinary committee is to comprise of the Chairman, Vice Chair, and four other members of the Executive Committee.

01/03/2013