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The Old Queenian's Association Rules

1. The name of the Association shall be "The Old Queenians Association" (hereinafter referred to as "the Association") and its headquarters shall be Queen's College, Taunton (hereinafter referred to as "the School").

2. The Association shall be administered subject to these Rules by a General Committee of the members of the Association (hereinafter called "the General Committee"), which shall comprise:

 a. Elected Officers:

  i. A President;

  ii. A Vice-President;

  iii. A General Secretary, who shall be responsible in consultation with the General Committee for the administration of the Association's affairs;

  iv. A Website Manager who shall ensure the proper production, maintenance and use of the database of members' records and be responsible for the maintenance of the Association's website providing news, events details and information about the Association and its members;

  v. An Honorary Treasurer, who shall control the Association's funds and shall be responsible for the maintenance of the Association's books and the preparation of accounts, which shall be considered by the General Committee and signed by the Treasurer and one other officer as being correct.

 b. Elected Representatives:

  i. Ten, in addition to the Officers, and one member who shall represent the Association at the meetings of the Board of Governors.

 c. Ex Officio:

  i. The Headmaster;

  ii. The three most immediate Past Presidents;

  iii. The Alumni Relations Manager whose responsibility shall include the organisation and co-ordination of social functions and/or the Development Director (or a representative of the Development Office);

  iv. Any Old Queenian (or Old Queenians) on the Teaching Staff of the School;

  v. Head Boy and Head Girl - by invitation.

 d. Co-opted Members:

  i. The General Committee shall have the power to co-opt such additional members as may be necessary to ensure the proper performance of its functions.

  ii. The Headmaster shall preside as Chairman at Annual General, Extraordinary, General and Committee Meetings in the absence of the President, the Vice President and the General Secretary.

  iii. In the event of any of the ten Representatives above referred to being unable to attend at any Committee Meeting, they shall have the right to nominate an Old Queenian to represent them, subject to such person/persons providing the Chairman with a letter of confirmation written by the absentee Representative/Representatives.

3. All past students of the School who have attained a minimum age of 18 years (excepting those who at any time were permanently excluded from the School) shall be eligible for ordinary membership of the Association. Membership of the Association by present and former academic and non-academic staff of the School shall be by invitation of the General Committee.

4. The Objects of the Association shall be the welfare of the School, the retention and renewal of old friendships and the formation of a bond of union between past and present Queenians.

5. In furtherance of the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding approved and signed on 29 June 2008 by the Association, the Governors and the Headmaster, membership of the Association shall be subscription free.

 a. The expenditure of the Association shall be funded by the School based upon an agreed annual budget to be submitted by the General Committee. Any monies received by the Association from previously subscribing members who have not amended their annual payment arrangements shall be transferred to the Queen's College Taunton Foundation following the end of the Association's financial year, as approved by the General Committee.

6. All Officers of the Association, that is the President, Vice President, General Secretary, Website Manager, Honorary Treasurer and a representative to the Board of Governors, shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall hold office for one year. The President and Vice President shall be eligible for re-election for a second year of office; the other Officers of the Association shall be eligible for re-election without restriction as to the number of years served.

 a. The ten Representatives shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting for a period of five years, two shall retire annually and shall be eligible for immediate re-election. Representatives shall retire in order of seniority of their election. In the event of any of the ten Representatives resigning or vacating office for any other reason, the vacancy may be filled by election at the next Annual General Meeting and such elected Representative shall retire on the date that his/her predecessor would have retired.

 b. The President - who may serve as such for a maximum period of two years - shall, at the conclusion of his/her term in office remain as an ex-officio member of the General Committee for a period of three years.

 c. All elections shall be by show of hands but the Chairman at his/her discretion may order an election to be by secret ballot.

7. The General Secretary shall give not less than fourteen days notice of a Meeting of the General Committee to all members thereof. Seven members attending in person shall constitute a quorum.

8. The General Committee shall meet at least twice in every year. Subject only to the provision of Rule 17, the responsibility for calling a General Committee Meeting shall rest with the General Secretary.

9. The General Committee shall have the power to co-opt any member or members of the Association to their number for any particular meeting. No current pupil attending a Committee meeting shall be entitled to vote.

10. An Annual General Meeting of members shall be held during November each year, or on such other date as may be decided on by the General Committee, or should it prove impracticable for the General Committee to so decide, as shall be decreed by the President after consultation with the General Secretary.

 a. A notice convening an Annual General Meeting shall be sent to members not less than fourteen days before the date fixed for the Meeting and shall contain an Agenda of the Meeting and Statement of Accounts for the preceding year. A quorum for the purpose of such Meeting shall be twelve members.

11. At the Annual General Meeting the following business shall be transacted:

 a. To receive and, if approved, to adopt a statement of the General Committee's report and the Accounts of the Association for the preceding year;

 b. To elect the Officers and other Representatives to the General Committee;

 c. To appoint a suitably qualified person to review the Treasurer's accounts and report to the Association;

 d. To consider any motion, of which not less than two months notice has been given to the General Secretary, together with the names of the proposer and seconder;

 e. To deal with any matter that the General Committee may wish to bring before the members and to receive suggestions from the members for the consideration of the General Committee.

12. Any funds of the Association may be invested in such securities as the General Committee shall think fit and such securities or other funds or property that may accrue to the Association shall be held in such name and/or subject to such restrictions as the Committee shall think fit.

13. In accordance with the Data Protection Act, any Old Queenian who does not wish his/her details to be held on the membership database constructed and maintained by the Association may, at any time, request their removal from the database by making written application to the General Secretary.

14. The General Committee shall have the power to remove the name of any Old Queenian from the list of members if, at any time, they shall be of the opinion that the interests of the Association and of the School so require. In the event of such power being exercised and prior to its final authorisation, a member shall have the right to appear before and address the General Committee following twenty-eight days notice of the General Committee's intentions given in writing.

15. Old Queenians shall be encouraged to arrange year-group or social functions in addition to those arranged by the School and/or the Association. The General Committee shall have the discretion to offer financial support to such functions but shall not otherwise be held responsible for meeting the costs of arranging such functions. Neither the Association nor the General Committee shall accept liability for damage or personal injury incurred as a result of the arrangement of such functions.

16. The Association may, from time to time, approve the design and manufacture of merchandise which may be worn by Old Queenians and may assist with the sale and marketing of such merchandise.

17. The General Secretary shall call a Special Meeting of the General Committee after receiving a request in writing, signed by any five members of the General Committee. Such a request must state the purpose for which the Special Meeting is required.

18. An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association may be called at the request of the General Committee. An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association may also be called upon request in writing to the General Secretary of not less than twenty-five members who shall be signatories thereto and such request must state the purpose for which the meeting is required. Twenty-eight days notice to members from the General Secretary must be given of any Extraordinary General Meeting called under this Rule and such notice must give the date, time and location as well as the Agenda for such a meeting. A quorum for the purpose of such meeting shall be twelve members.

19. The financial year of the Association shall end on 31 August.

20. These Rules may be added to, repealed or amended (but nothing shall be in conflict with the charitable purpose and intent of the School) by Special Resolution of which twenty-eight days notice has been given, at any Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting, provided that no such Resolution shall be deemed to have been passed unless it be carried by a majority of at least two-thirds of the members present and voting thereon.

21. Except where otherwise provided in these Rules, voting at Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings and at General Committee Meetings shall be by way of simple majority with the Chairperson having a casting vote.

22. All Old Queenians of a minimum age of 18 years- who are henceforth regarded as being automatically members of the Association having ceased to be pupils at the School and who have not been permanently excluded from the School or who have requested the removal of their names from the database of members - shall be deemed to agree to abide by the Rules of the Association for the time being in force.

23. In the event of the Association being wound up by an Extraordinary Resolution of the members at a General Meeting or otherwise, the net assets of the Association shall be passed to the Queen's College Taunton Foundation or, if the School has ceased to exist, shall be used in any way authorised by the General Meeting, avoiding any conflict with the charitable purpose and intent of the School.

 

Initially amended as approved at the Extraordinary General Meeting held at the School on 29 June 2008 in accordance with Rule 20.

 

Further amended and confirmed at the Annual General Meeting held at the School on 16 November 2008.