THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ARCHIMEDEANS ____________________________________ adopted 7th March 1969 amended 2nd June 1975 amended 8th March 1978 -1- Chapter I : The Interpretation of the Constitution __________________________________________________ SECTION 1 The Society shall be called 'THE ARCHIMEDEANS'. SECTION 2 Throughout this Constitution: i) 'The University' means the University of Cambridge, England, and terms and phrases relating thereto shall be interpreted as in its Statutes and Ordinances, ii) 'Member' includes all categories of Member of the So- ciety, except where specified to the contrary, iii) 'Committee' means that Committee defined in Chapter IV of this Constitution, iv) 'Day' means a day of University Full Term, v) 'College Society' means any Society recognised to be such as provided in Chapter XV of this Constitution. SECTION 3 Throughout this Constitution, words of the masculine gender shall be taken to apply equally to members of the female sex. SECTION 4 If any provision of this Constitution shall be found to conflict with the then current Statutes, Ordinances, Regu- lations or Proctorial Edicts of the University, it shall be deemed void insofar as it does so conflict. SECTION 5 The Society's financial year shall run from 1st April in any calendar year until 31st March in the following calendar year. -2- Chapter II : The Objects of the Society _______________________________________ SECTION 1 The objects of the Society are: i) to publish annually a journal which shall be called 'Eureka', ii) to cooperate with, and to cause cooperation between, the College Societies, iii) to promote the study of Mathematics, and to further the cause of Mathematicians in the University, iv) to cooperate with the Mathematics Faculty in the University, v) to hold meetings of interest to Mathematicians. SECTION 2 The activities of the Society shall have no political, racial or religious bias. Chapter III : Membership ________________________ SECTION 1 The Society shall consist of Honorary Members, Ordinary Members, and Associate Members. SECTION 2 The Committee may from time to time elect such persons as it thinks fit to Honorary Membership of the Society, such membership being valid for the period specified in the Standing Orders Section 1(a). -3- SECTION 3 An Ordinary Member of the Society shall be any resident member of the University who shall have paid the subscrip- tion specified in the Standing Orders Section 1(b). Ordinary Members who have returned to residence in Cam- bridge after an absence of more than one year and who wish to receive notification of the Society's meetings shall no- tify the Membership Secretary. SECTION 4 An Associate Member of the Society shall be any person not a member of the University who shall have paid the su- bscription specified in the Standing Orders Section 1(c). The membership of such a person shall be limited to that period specified in the Standing Orders Section 1(c). SECTION 5 All Members of the Society shall be entitled to attend the meetings of the Society other than Committee meetings, and to receive notice of meetings of the Society other than Committee meetings, except as provided in Section 3 of this Chapter. Ordinary and Associate Members shall be entitled to vote at General Meetings of the Society. SECTION 6 The subscription of an Ordinary or Associate Member shall become due on the first day of the Michaelmas Full Term each academic year and his membership shall date either from that day or from the payment of his first subscription (whichever is the later) or, in the case of a Member ret- urning into residence and wishing to enjoy the privileges of membership, from the date on which he returned to residence in Cambridge, until: i) his subscription becomes more than one term overdue, or ii) his membership is terminated by a General Meeting of the Society, or iii) he has given notice in writing to the Secretary of his resignation from the Society, or iv) he becomes an Honorary Member, or v) if an Ordinary Member, he ceases to be a resident member of the University. SECTION 7 Production of a currently valid Membership Card shall be held to be sufficient evidence that the person named on the card is a Member in the absence of evidence to the contrary. -4- Chapter IV : The Committee __________________________ SECTION 1 The affairs of the Society shall be governed by a Commit- tee consisting of the following Officers of the Society: i) The President ii) The Vice-President iii) The Secretary iv) The Senior Treasurer v) The Junior Treasurer vi) The Caterer vii) The Membership Secretary viii)The Minutes Secretary ix) The Visits Secretary x) The Editor of Eureka (if not already a member of the Committee, or else the Business Manager of Eureka if he is not already a member of the Committee) xi) The Bookshop Manager (if not already a member of the Committee). This Committee may co-opt further members to represent specific interests at its discretion. Such co-opted members shall resign not later than the end of the finan- cial year of the Society in which they were co-opted. SECTION 2 In addition, each College Society shall have the right to send one representative to any Committee Meeting. Such a representative shall be a Member of the Archimedeans and shall not have a vote at the Committee meeting. SECTION 3 The Senior Treasurer shall be a resident senior member of the University and shall be ex officio an Honorary Member of the Society. SECTION 4 The offices numbered (i)-(iii) and (v)-(ix) shall be elective and shall be held by Ordinary or Associate Members. The elections shall take place at an Annual General Meeting of the Society. In the absence of candidates, the remainder of the Committee shall be emp- owered to elect persons to fill vacant posts. SECTION 5 The elected members of the Committee shall take office immediately upon the resignation of their predecessors and shall hold office until they themselves resign [, or shall have been deemed to have resigned at this time unless reelected].(*) They shall resign not later than the end of the next following financial year of the Society. If --------------- (*) The insertion of these mysterious words was one of the amendments of 2nd June 1975. -5- an elected member of the Committee resigns before a suc- cessor has been elected, the remainder of the Committee shall elect a substitute. No person shall hold two or more of the elective posts on the Committee at the same time. -6- Chapter V : The Duties of the Committee _______________________________________ SECTION 1 The Committee shall meet within 14 days of being called upon to do so by any three voting Committee members, and in any case not less than once in each Full Term. The Com- mittee shall also meet within 14 days of the post of Senior Treasurer falling vacant. SECTION 2 The Committee shall transact business of the Society only when there are at least five voting Committee members present. SECTION 3 The Committee shall transact the business of the Society in any manner that it thinks fit, save that it shall not delegate any part of the business of the Society to any person who is not a Member of the Society nor to any body of persons some of whom are not Members of the Society. SECTION 4 Voting on matters of dispute at a Committee meeting shall be on a simple majority basis of those Committee members present and voting. The Chairman shall have, in the event of a tie, a casting vote in addition to his normal vote. SECTION 5 The President, Secretary and Junior Treasurer of the So- ciety acting unanimously shall be empowered to transact such routine business of the Society as they think fit without reference to the Committee, provided that i) they shall report all decisions made and actions taken since the previous Committee meeting to the Committee at its next meeting, and ii) they shall not authorise any expenses greater in to- tal than twenty pounds between meetings of the Com- mittee. SECTION 6 Should the post of Senior Treasurer of the Society fall vacant at any time, the Committee shall, not later than 7 days after its next meeting, invite a senior member of the University to accept the post. SECTION 7 The Officers of the Society shall perform the following duties: i) The President shall chair all meetings of the Society other than Extraordinary General Meetings, unless he is unable to do so. He shall also be responsible for the entertainment of any guests of the Society. ii) The Vice-President shall take the chair at meetings of the Society other than Extraordinary General -7- Meetings in the case of the President's inability to do so, and shall organise such social activities as may be specified in Standing Orders Section 4. He shall be responsible for appointing a deputy to chair a meeting other than an Extraordinary General Meeting if neither he nor the President is able to do so. iii) The Secretary shall conduct the Society's corresp- ondence, invite speakers to address the Society, and inform the Proctors of the University of any change in the Constitution or change of Senior Treasurer. He shall also furnish on demand any persons with such information relating to the Society as may be their legal due. iv) The Senior Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial affairs of the Society as required by the University Statutes, Ordinances, Regulations and Proctorial Edicts. v) The Junior Treasurer shall conduct the financial af- fairs of the Society and keep true and faithful records thereof. These records shall be available on request at any reasonable time to Members and other persons authorised to require them. He shall also annually inspect the records kept by the Busi- ness Manager of Eureka and the Bookshop Manager on behalf of the Society. vi) The Caterer shall cause refreshments to be provided at meetings of the Society. vii) The Membership Secretary shall keep records of all current Members of the Society and shall coordinate the recruiting of new members in the various Col- leges of the University. viii)The Minutes Secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, Minutes of meetings of the Society. ix) The Visits Secretary shall organise visits to places of interest to Members of the Society, in particular the annual visit to Oxford. x) The Editor of Eureka shall perform the duties set out in Chapter XI. xi) The Bookshop Manager shall perform the duties set out in Chapter XII. -8- Chapter VI : Standing Orders ____________________________ SECTION 1 There shall be Standing Orders of the Society. Any pro- vision of the Standing Orders shall govern the conduct of Society Members and Society Business as though it were a provision of the Constitution of the Society, provided that if it conflicts with any provision of this Constitution it shall be void insofar as it does so conflict. SECTION 2 The Standing Orders may be amended by i) a simple majority at a General Meeting of the So- ciety, or ii) a simple majority at a Committee meeting, provided that a) no such amendment of the Standing Orders may take effect earlier than seven days after the motion containing it is passed, or while an Ex- traordinary General Meeting of the Society called to discuss the amendment is pending b) any such amendment of the Standing Orders shall be subject to ratification at the next General Meeting of the Society. SECTION 3 Any amendment of the Standing Orders shall be publicised by a notice on the Society's notice board within 72 hours of the passing of the motion containing it, and the notice shall remain there for at least seven days. This shall be the responsibility of the Chairman of the meeting at which the amendment is passed. -9- Chapter VII : Meetings ______________________ SECTION 1 The Business Meetings of the Society shall be: i) Committee meetings ii) Annual General Meetings iii) Extraordinary General Meetings. SECTION 2 No Society Business may be conducted at a meeting other than a Business Meeting of the Society, except that the Minutes of a meeting of the Society other than a Business Meeting may be read, taken as read, amended if necessary and approved at a meeting of the Society which is not a Business Meeting. SECTION 3 A Committee meeting is a meeting of the Committee as defined in Chapter IV, duly called as set out in Chapter V Section 1 and in the Standing Orders Section 2(a). SECTION 4 An Annual General Meeting is a Meeting called as set out in Chapter VIII Section 1 and in the Standing Orders Sec- tion 2(b) to transact Society Business as detailed in Chapter VIII Section 2. SECTION 5 An Extraordinary General Meeting is a Meeting called as set out in Chapter IX Section 1 and in the Standing Orders Section 2(c) in order to transact the Society Business for which it was called. -10- Chapter VIII : Annual General Meetings ______________________________________ SECTION 1 An Annual General Meeting shall be held each year in the Lent Term at a time and place calculated to be to the convenience of Members. The Meeting shall be void unless: i) at least 14 days' notice of the time and place of the Meeting has been given to all resident Members of the Society, and ii) there are present at least the positive square root of 'n' Ordinary or Associate Members including at least five members of the Committee, where 'n' is the total number of Ordinary and Associate Members of the Society. SECTION 2 The business at an Annual General Meeting shall include: i) reading, amendment if necessary, and adoption of the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and of any subsequent Extraordinary General Meeting, ii) ratification in whole or in part of such changes in the Standing Orders as have been made since the im- mediately previous General Meeting, iii) presentation and acceptance of the Junior Treasurer's interim report for the current financial year, and presentation and acceptance of the audited accounts for the previous financial year, iv) presentation of reports by the Editor of Eureka and the Bookshop Manager, v) election of auditors to examine the Junior Treasurer's books for the next Annual General Meeting, vi) election of the Officers of the Society for the coming year, vii) any other business. SECTION 3 The election of Officers shall take place in the foll- owing order: i) the election to the post of President, ii) the election to the post of Vice-President, iii) the election to the post of Secretary, iv) the election to the post of Junior Treasurer, v) the election to the post of Caterer, vi) the election to the post of Membership Secretary, vii) the election to the post of Minutes Secretary, viii)the election to the post of Visits Secretary. SECTION 4 Nominees for election as Officers of the Society shall be Members and shall be proposed and seconded by different Ordinary or Associate Members. Nominations shall be made in writing to the Secretary at least twenty-four hours in advance of the Annual General Meeting and shall be accom- -11- panied by the signature of the nominee indicating his willingness to stand. Nominations may only be withdrawn by the nominee who may withdraw his nomination at any time. Members may stand for more than one post, but no person already elected to a post at an Annual General Meeting may stand in a further election at that Meeting. In the event of more than one nomination for any of the posts listed in Section 3, the election shall be by majority vote among the Ordinary and Associate Members present, each of whom shall have one vote in each election. The voting shall only be valid if it takes the form of a show of hands during which the nominees shall have with- drawn from the Meeting, or of a secret ballot. In the event of a tie in an election the Chairman shall have a casting vote in order to resolve the election. No nominee for any post may be elected against his wish. Officers of the Society may stand for re-election. SECTION 5 Voting on matters of dispute at a General Meeting shall be on a simple majority basis of the Ordinary and Associate Members present and voting. The Chairman shall have, in the event of a tie, a casting vote in addition to his normal vote. If seven Members present demand a secret ballot such demand shall be granted. -12- Chapter IX : Extraordinary General Meetings ___________________________________________ SECTION 1 An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be held at a time and place calculated to be to the convenience of Members, not more than 21 days nor less than 7 days after the motion requesting it is passed by the Committee, or after receipt by the Secretary of a request for such a Meeting signed by at least the positive square root of 'n' Ordinary or Asso- ciate Members, where 'n' is defined as in Section 1 of Chapter VIII. Notice of the Meeting shall contain details of all business to be discussed and shall be given at least 7 days in advance of the Meeting. SECTION 2 Such a Meeting may appoint a Chairman from among Ordinary Members present, and may transact any Society Business, including the change of the Society's Constitution if no- tice of this change has been given in accordance with Chapter XIV of this Constitution. It may also: i) call for the resignation of any elected Officer of the Society, dismissing him from his post if such resignation is not offered, ii) dismiss from his membership any Ordinary or Associate Member, provided that seven days' notice has been given to him in writing of the Meeting and of his proposed dismissal, and provided that such dismissal shall have been agreed to by at least two-thirds of the Ordinary or Associate Members present and voting at the Meeting. No business may be transacted however if there are not at least the positive square root of 'n' Ordinary and Asso- ciate Members present at the Meeting, 'n' being defined as in Section 1 of Chapter VIII. SECTION 3 The voting on matters of dispute at an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be governed by the same rules as the voting at an Annual General Meeting, except that on a mo- tion calling for the resignation or dismissal of any elected Officer of the Society the Chairman shall have no casting vote. SECTION 4 If an Officer of the Society offers his resignation or is dismissed at an Extraordinary General Meeting, the Meeting may elect his successor from among Members present at the Meeting, using the procedure of the preceding Chapter (dispensing with the provision that the nomination must be in writing and made 24 hours in advance of the Meeting). If the Meeting does not do this, the Committee may elect any Member of the Society to the Office or Offices in ques- tion. -13- If the Chairman at an Extraordinary General Meeting is nominated for election to any Office in the Society at that Meeting he shall vacate the chair, and a Chairman shall be appointed by the Meeting from among the Ordinary Members present. SECTION 5 The Chairman at an Extraordinary General Meeting shall appoint some person, him being willing, from among the Members present to be responsible for keeping the Minutes of the Meeting. -14- Chapter X : Minutes of Meetings _______________________________ SECTION 1 The Minutes of a Committee meeting shall be read at the next following Committee meeting, and when passed by a majority vote with or without amendment, shall be signed by the Chairman at that following meeting. SECTION 2 The Minutes of any General Meeting shall be read at the next Annual General Meeting, and when passed by a majority vote with or without amendment, shall be signed by the Chairman at that following Annual General Meeting. SECTION 3 The Minutes of all meetings of the Society shall be available for inspection by any Member at any reasonable time. -15- Chapter XI : Eureka ___________________ SECTION 1 The Committee shall appoint an Editor of Eureka and may also, with the approval of the Editor, appoint a Business Manager who shall keep true and accurate accounts of Eureka's financial affairs. These records shall be kept available for inspection by Members at any reasonable time. Should no Business Manager be appointed the Editor shall undertake his duties. The Editor and the Business Manager shall be jointly responsible for all matters concerning Eureka to the Committee and shall both be Members of the Society, but neither of them shall be its President, Secretary or Junior Treasurer. They may delegate any or all of their duties, but none of their financial resp- onsibilities, to other Members of the Society, who must first be approved by the Committee. SECTION 2 The Editor and the Business Manager shall hold their posts independently of each other until either i) they tender their resignation to the Committee, or ii) they are relieved of their duties by the Committee, or iii) they cease to be Members. SECTION 3 The Society shall be financially responsible for Eureka in all circumstances. With the approval of the Committee, Eureka may have a financial year different from that of the Society. -16- Chapter XII : The Society's Bookshop ____________________________________ SECTION 1 The purpose of the Bookshop is to buy and sell mat- hematics textbooks to Members at rates better than those offered by town bookshops. It shall not be expected to make a profit, although any profit made is either to be kept in the Bookshop funds or else returned to the Society. Both the books in stock, and any monies in the Bookshop's cash reserves or its bank accounts are the property of the Society. SECTION 2 The Committee shall appoint a Bookshop Manager, who shall be responsible for all matters relating to the Bookshop to the Committee. He shall keep true and accurate records of the Bookshop's affairs, and make these available to the Junior Treasurer for inspection when required. He shall be a Member and may delegate all or any of his duties to other Members, retaining responsibility for their actions. He shall produce an account of the Bookshop's financial position at each Annual General Meeting. SECTION 3 The Bookshop Manager shall hold his position until either i) he tenders his resignation to the Committee, or ii) he is relieved of his duties by the Committee, or iii) he ceases to be a Member. -17- Chapter XIII : Indemnity ________________________ SECTION 1 No Member other than the Senior Treasurer shall be held responsible for the debts incurred on behalf of the So- ciety. 'On behalf of the Society' shall be taken to mean with the approval of a voting majority at a Committee meeting, and of the Senior Treasurer and the Junior Treasurer, except as provided in Chapter V Section 5. SECTION 2 The Society shall not be held responsible for debts ot- herwise incurred, nor for the personal property or effects of any persons. Chapter XIV : Amendment of the Constitution ___________________________________________ SECTION 1 Except as provided in Section 2, this Constitution shall be amended only by an Annual General Meeting or an Ex- traordinary General Meeting, and only provided that i) details of the proposed amendment shall have been given to all resident Members at least 14 days in advance, and ii) the proposed amendment shall have been agreed to by at least two-thirds of the Members present and voting at the Meeting. SECTION 2 If the Standing Orders of the Society are amended in such a way as to renumber paragraphs or Sections, references within this Constitution to the renumbered paragraphs or Section may also be renumbered, such renumbering being treated as an amendment of the Standing Orders under the procedure of Chapter VI. -18- Chapter XV : College Societies and Subgroups ____________________________________________ SECTION 1 The following shall be deemed to be recognised as College Societies at the date of adoption of this Constitution: i) that society in existence on 31st December 1968 in the University known as 'The Adams Society', ii) that society in existence on 31st December 1968 in the University known as the 'New Pythagoreans', iii) that society in existence on 31st December 1968 in the University known as 'The Quintics', iv) that society in existence on 31st December 1968 in the University known as 'The Tensors', v) that society in existence on 31st December 1968 in the University known as 'The Trinity Mathematical Society'. SECTION 2 The Committee may from time to time recognise a Society or other body as being a College Society within the meaning of the Constitution. It shall however at no time recognise any Society or other body which has not formally requested such recognition on a date at least one year and one day before the passage of the formal motion recognising that Society, except that in the case of a recognised College Society changing its name or dividing to form two or more Societies, or in the case of two or more recognised College Societies amalgamating, the Committee may recognise at once any of these Societies as College Societies at its discre- tion, so long as the aims, corporate membership, assets and liabilities of the new Society or Societies are identical to those of the dissolved one(s). SECTION 3 It is a condition of recognition as a College Society that it admit to its meetings as a guest anyone who is a Member both of the Archimedeans and of any other College Society. As long as a recognised College Society conforms with the above condition it shall continue to be recognised until either: i) it dissolves itself, or ii) it fails to hold a meeting during any academic year, or iii) it is disaffiliated by a General Meeting; this may only be done if a) 14 days' notice has been given to the College Society of its proposed disaffiliation, and b) two-thirds of the Members present and voting are in favour of the disaffiliation. SECTION 4 The Committee may approve the formation of Subgroups for -19- special interests within the objects of the Society. Such Subgroups shall be organised by Members authorised by the Committee to do so. Meetings of Subgroups shall be open to all Members. The expenses of authorised Subgroups shall be paid by the So- ciety, provided that they shall have been incurred within the conditions of Chapter XIII Section 1. -20- Standing Orders (as from 23rd April 1978) __________________________________________ 1. MEMBERSHIP a) Honorary Membership shall be valid for five years measured from the 1st April following the election of the Honorary Member by the Committee, which may extend the membership at its discretion. b) The subscription for an Ordinary Member of the Society shall be: i) for one year, 1/2 x ii) for two years, 3/4 x iii) for as long as the Member satisfies the conditions of Ordinary Membership, x where the value of x shall be as determined in the Standing Orders at the time of payment. Ordinary Members who have paid three annual subscriptions under clause (i), or one annual and one two-year subscription under clauses (i) and (ii), shall be considered Members for as long as they satisfy the conditions of Ordinary Membership. c) The subscription for Associate Members of the Society shall be: i) for one year, 1/2 x ii) for two years, 3/4 x iii) for three or four years, x where the value of x shall be as determined in the Standing Orders at the time of payment. The membership of an Associate Member shall lapse after the period of years for which he has paid a subscription, but may be extended on payment of a further subscription. d) Members of the Society who have paid one year's subscrip- tion shall receive one free copy of Eureka, if it is printed in that year. Members of the Society who have paid either of the subscriptions under clauses b(ii) or c(ii) above shall receive free copies of Eureka in the year of payment and in the following year, if it is printed in those years. Members of the Society who have paid either of the subscriptions under clauses b(iii) or c(iii) above shall receive free copies of Eureka in their year of joining and in the two subseq- uent years, if it is printed in those years. e) x shall currently be £3.00. Any amounts specified above shall be rounded downwards to the nearest multiple of 5p. 2. NOTICE OF MEETINGS a) A Committee meeting may transact Society Business only when every Committee member has received advance notice of the time and place of the meeting. This notice shall take one of the following forms: if the Committee meeting is to be held in Full Term, but not in the first two nor the last two days of Full Term, either i) a notice on the Society's notice board three days in advance of the meeting and 48 hours' personal -21- notice to each resident member of the Committee, or ii) a notice on the Society's notice board seven days in advance; if the Committee meeting is to be held outside Full Term or within two days of the beginning or end of Full Term, iii) 72 hours' personal notice to each resident member of the Committee, this being either sent through the post or delivered by hand to the member's College. In no case shall accidental non-receipt of notice by any person invalidate the proceedings of the meeting. b) The notice required to be given for an Annual General Meeting, or the notice giving details of proposed changes in the Society's Constitution, shall take the form of a poster prominently displayed on the Society's notice board for the 14 days preceding the Meeting concerned. c) The notice required to be given for an Extraordinary General Meeting shall take the form of a poster promi- nently displayed on the Society's notice board for the 7 days preceding the Meeting. 3. DEPUTIES Should the Secretary or the Junior Treasurer be unable to perform his duties at any time, the Committee shall app- oint a temporary replacement, who shall be a Member and who shall serve until i) the former holder of the post is again able to perform his duties, or ii) there is a General Meeting of the Society, or iii) his appointment is terminated by the Committee, or iv) he resigns. 4. SOCIAL ACTIVITIES The social activities of the Society shall include an annual punt party and an annual ramble. 5. THE SOCIETY'S NOTICE BOARD The Society's notice board shall be situated in the Arts School, Bene't Street, Cambridge. 6. EUREKA The President, Secretary, Junior Treasurer, Editor and Business Manager shall together determine the cover price of Eureka. This shall not exceed one-sixth of x without the approval of the Committee. For each Member paying a subscription the Society shall pay Eureka at this cover price for each free copy that the Member will receive under Section 1(d). 7. CO-OPTED MEMBERS The Computer Group Secretary shall be co-opted onto the Committee. -22-