King’s College London Students’ Union: Bye-laws

1st June 2016

Background

1.King’s College London Students’ Union (“KCLSU” or “the Students’ Union” or “the Union”) is a company limited by guarantee (registered in England and Wales under number 5762196)

2.These Bye-laws are made by the Trustees pursuant to Article 63 of the Articles of Association of KCLSU.

3.These Bye-laws relate to the following:

  • Membership of the Students’ Union – Bye-law (1)
  • General governance of the Students’ Union – Bye-law (2)
  • The purpose, composition and powers of the Student Council – Bye-law (3)
  • Procedure regarding Students’ Union elections – Bye-law (4)

Definitions and interpretation

1.Words and phrases used in these Bye-laws have the same meaning as ascribed to them in the Articles of Association of KCLSU unless the context otherwise requires.

2.The Articles of Association of KCLSU shall take precedence over these Bye-laws and these Bye-laws shall not be interpreted or applied in any way which is inconsistent with the Articles of Association of KCLSU.

Amendment

These Bye-laws may be altered, varied or amended by the Trustees of KCLSU

These Bye-laws were updated on the 1st June 2016.

Signed:

KCLSU PresidentChair of Council of King’s College London

Bye-law (1): Membership
Status /
  1. Membership is as defined in the Articles of Association of KCLSU.

Opting-out /
  1. A student who wishes to opt-out or re-join the membership of KCLSU must write to the President of the Students’ Union and the Academic Registrar of King's College London to notify them of their decision to opt-out or to rejoin the Students’ Union and complete the relevant form issued jointly by the Students’ Union and the College.
  2. A student who has opted-out of the Students’ Union shall be termed a “User” until such time as they assume any form of membership which is defined within the Articles.

Rights & privileges /
  1. All members, be they Full Members, Associate Members or Honorary Life Members of KCLSU are subject to the Statutes and Regulations issued by the College from time to time.

Full Members /
  1. Full Members of the Union shall be entitled:
  2. To make use of any services and facilities of the Union.
  3. To hold ordinary membership of any Union club or society.
  4. to attend all Union committees as observers, except in such cases as are specified in these Bye-laws.
  5. To vote in, and to stand for office in, Union elections.
  6. To rights and privileges as company law members of KCLSU including (without limitation) the right to attend and vote at Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings of KCLSU.

Associate & Honorary Life Members /
  1. Associate and Honorary Life Members of the Union shall be entitled:
  2. To make use of any services and facilities of the Union which may from time to time be available to them.
  3. To hold ordinary membership of any Union club or society.
  4. To attend Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings of KCLSU as observers.

Users /
  1. A User of the Union shall be entitled:
  2. To make use of any services and facilities of the Union.
  3. To hold ordinary membership of any Union club or society.
  4. To attend all Union committees as observers, except in such cases as are specified by these Bye-laws.

Bye-law (2): General governance of the Students’ Union
Trustees /
  1. There shall be Trustees in accordance with the Articles
  2. The Trustees are charity trustees as defined by section 97(1) Charities Act 1993.
  3. The portfolios of Officer Trustees may be amended by the Trustees from time to time after consultation with members
  4. In accordance with Article 60, Trustee Board Sub-Committees shall include but not be limited to:
  5. Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee.
  6. Performance Committee.
  7. Human Resources Committee.
  8. Governance and Policy Committee.
  9. There shall be a Clerk to membership who shall be a Trustee.
  10. They will report from the Trustee Board to the membership.
  11. They will report from the membership to the Trustee Board.
  12. No Trustee can hold office as Union Development Committee Voting Member or Association Lead Officer

Student Officers /
  1. In accordance with Article 50 of the KCLSU Articles there shall be Student Officers (Officer Trustees):
  2. President
  3. Vice President for Education (Health)
  4. Vice President for Education (Arts & Sciences)
  5. Vice President for Activities and Development
  6. Vice President for Welfare & Community
  7. Student Officers shall be elected in accordance with Bye-Law (5)
  8. Vice President for Education (Health) shall be elected from and by members in the Health faculties
  9. Vice President for Education (Arts & Sciences) shall be elected from and by members in the Arts & Sciences faculties
  10. The Student Officer Portfolios are included as an appendix of these Bye-laws
  11. The Student Officer Team shall be politically accountable to the members. This authority shall be subject to the Officer Accountability Procedure as set out in the appendix

Union Development Committees /
  1. There shall be Union Development Committees in accordance with Bye-Law (3)
  2. Union Development Committees collectively form the Student Council, as referred to in the Articles

Associations /
  1. There shall be Associations in accordance with Bye-Law (4)

Company General Meetings /
  1. A General Meeting (to include the Annual General Meeting) for the purpose of company law activities shall be held at least once a year in accordance with 21-46 of the KCLSU Articles

Student General Meetings /
  1. A Student General Meeting not for the purposes of company law shall be held accordance with Bye-Law (7)

Referenda /
  1. A Referendum may be called in accordance with Article 48
  2. A resolution shall pass by Referendum as set out in article 48
  3. A Referendum shall be conducted in accordance with Bye-Law (6)

Appeals Committee /
  1. An Appeals Committee will be constituted in accordance with KCLSU procedures. Members will be able to appeal decisions taken by KCLSU, including student activity or disciplinary action.

Returning Officer for Elections /
  1. The Returning Officer and Deputy Returning Officer (where deemed necessary) shall be appointed annually by King’s College London, subject to consultation with the Trustees and shall be responsible for the good conduct and administration of the elections and shall have sole interpretation of the Election Procedures as set out in Bye-law 5.
  2. The Returning Officer shall be independent of KCLSU and King’s College London.

KCLSU Procedures /
  1. The Trustees, subject to consultation with members, may (and shall if required by the Education Act) issue KCLSU Procedures in the appendix of these Bye-laws on such issues as they consider to be useful, including but not limited to the following areas:
  2. Student Officer Portfolios.
  3. Officer Accountability.
  4. Election / Referenda Disciplinary Procedures.
  5. Staff-Student Protocol.

Conflicts of interest /
  1. Whenever a person has a personal interest in a matter to be discussed at a meeting they must:
  2. Declare an interest before discussion begins on the matter.
  3. Withdraw from that part of the meeting, unless expressly invited to remain.
  4. In the case of personal interests, not be counted in the quorum for that part of the meeting.
  5. In the case of personal interests withdraw during the vote and have no vote on the matter.

Policy Lapse /
  1. A policy may be valid without renewal for up to 2 years from the date it was passed

Campaigns /
  1. A Campaign can be set by:
  2. KCLSU petition signed by 150 members
  3. An elected Student Officer Manifesto
  4. A resolution by referendum in accordance with the Article 48 and Bye-law (6) may overturn a campaign set by petition
  5. A campaign must be the property of at least one named member
  6. Governance & Policy Committee shall have responsibility for allocating resource to a campaign
  7. Governance & Policy Committee shall determine whether a campaign is deemed to still be active

Petitions /
  1. A petition can be called by any member
  2. Petitions shall remain active for no more than 100 days

NUS Conferences /
  1. There shall be NUS delegates who represent KCLSU members at the NUS Conferences.
  2. NUS shall determine the delegate entitlement for these conferences
  3. Delegates for NUS Conferences shall be elected in accordance with Bye-Law (5)
  4. The President of KCLSU shall automatically secure a delegate place at the NUS National Conference and be the lead delegate
  5. Association Lead Officers shall automatically secure a delegate place at their respective NUS Liberation/Section National Conference
  6. Policy submitted by KCLSU to NUS National Conference shall be decided by Student General Meeting in accordance with Bye-Law (7)
  7. Policy submitted by KCLSU to NUS Liberation and Section Conferences shall be decided by the respective Association in accordance with Bye-Law (4)

Bye-law (3): Union Development Committee
Committees /
  1. Union Development Committees shall include but not be limited to
  2. Activities Committee
  3. Ethics Committee
  4. Interfaith Committee
  5. Sports Committee
  6. Welfare Committee

Role and Purpose /
  1. Receive and discuss ideas and issues from the membership; working together to set priorities, find solutions and form non-binding recommendations to the Trustees in regards to developing KCLSU.
  2. In addition, Activities Committee will have the role of
  3. Ratification, de-ratification, affiliation and disaffiliation of activity groups.
  4. Allocating activities funds.
  5. In addition, Sports Committee will have the role of
  6. Ratification, de-ratification, affiliation and disaffiliation of sports clubs.
  7. In addition, the Chair of each Union Development Committee shall sit on the KCLSU Awards Panel for the purpose of appointing Honorary Life Members in accordance with Article 17
  8. Union Development Committees may also
  9. Call for a Student General Meeting on an issue
  10. Receive and consider reports from Trustees, union committees, forums and representatives
  11. Review and scrutinise the decisions and actions of the Trustees

  1. Activities Committee
  2. Activities Committee voting members shall be:
  3. Academic groups representative
  4. Business and Entrepreneurship groups representative
  5. Campaign & Political groups representative
  6. Common interest groups representative
  7. Faith and Spirituality Culture groups representative
  8. Fundraising & volunteering groups representative
  9. Media groups representative
  10. Medical groups representative
  11. Music, performance & Creative groups representative
  12. They shall be an existing committee member of a ratified Activity group
  13. They shall be elected by members of ratified Activity Groups and in accordance with Bye-Law (5)

Composition /
  1. Ethics Committee
  2. Ethics Committee shall be no more than 8 voting members
  3. They shall be elected in accordance with Bye-Law (5)
  4. Interfaith Committee
  5. Interfaith Committee voting members shall consist of 1 nominee from each ratified Faith group
  6. They shall be an existing committee member of a ratified Faith group
  7. Nominees shall be decided by their respective Faith group
  8. Sports Committee
  9. Sports Committee voting members shall be:
  10. BUCS Representative x 2 - members of BUCS recognised sports
  11. Non BUCS Representative x 2 – members of non-recognised BUCS sports
  12. Martial Arts Representative – member of a martial art group
  13. Medical Representative – member of sports group enrolled in a health school
  14. They shall be an existing committee member of a ratified Sports group
  15. They shall be elected by members of ratified Sports groups and in accordance with Bye-Law (5)
11Welfare Committee
11.1Welfare Committee voting members shall be
11.1.1Disabled Students Officer
11.1.2International Students Officer
11.1.3LGBT Officer (open place)
11.1.4LGBT Officer (trans place)
11.1.5Mature Students Officer
11.1.6People of Colour Officer
11.1.7Widening Participation Officer
11.1.8Women’s Officer
11.2These positions are in accordance with Bye-Law (4) and shall be elected from and by members of their respective Association in accordance with Bye-Law (5)
Holding Office / 12Term of Office for Activities, Interfaith, Sport and Welfare Committee shall be from 1st August to the following 31st July.
13Term of Office for Ethics Committee shall be 1st November to the following 31st October
14Committee Voting Members shall cease to hold office upon written notice of resignation sent to the Committee Chair.
15In the case of only the Activities Committee, Ethics Committee and Sports Committee, should a Committee Voting Member cease to hold office, a co-option of a new member shall be held at the next quorate meeting of the Committee.
16The Returning Officer or their representative shall be responsible for ensuring that the election is free and fair.
17In the case of only the Welfare Committee and Interfaith Committee, should a Committee Voting Member cease to hold office, the respective Association or Faith Group shall decide a nominee.
Union Development Committee Chairs / 18Each Union Development Committee shall select a chair of their committee from amongst and by the voting members of the committee
Quorum / 19For a decision to be made 50% of voting members of (each of) the convened committee(s) must take part
20A decision shall pass by a simple majority
Attendance / 21The Chair can choose to declare agenda items as closed business for voting committee members only
22The rights of non-members to attend and speak shall be at the discretion of the Chair.
Agenda / 23Dates of submission deadlines and agenda circulation will be published by KCLSU.
24Any student may submit an item for discussion and decision by Union Development Committees
25On receiving an item the President of KCLSU shall determine which Union Development Committee(s) shall take property of this for a decision
Bye-law (4): Associations
Associations /
  1. Associations will include, but will not necessarily be limited to:
  2. Disabled Students’ Association.
  3. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) Students’ Association.
  4. People of Colour Association.
  5. Women Students’ Association.
  6. International Students’ Association.
  7. Widening Participation Association
  8. Mature Students’ Association

Role & Purpose /
  1. A KCLSU Association is the recognised representative body of the respective student community. The purpose of an Association is to:
  2. Engage and Connect – Connect with the students they represent, sourcing the issues and ideas from them as students at King’s and as members of KCLSU.
  3. Understand and Build – Understand student issues within their community, making decision and forming priorities to amplify as the representative body.
  4. Act and Change – Lead collective campaigning to bring change and improve the experience for their student community and beyond.
  5. Share and empower – Share their students’ successes with the Association and wider student community, empowering them to make positive impact as a collective Union.

Membership /
  1. Any student who self-defines as LGBT is a member of the LGBT Association.
  2. Any student who self-defines as a person of colour is a member of the People of Colour Association.
  3. Any student who self defines as a woman is a member of the Women Students’ Association. This includes transgender students.
  4. Any student who self defines as disabled is a member of the Disabled Students’ Association.
  5. Any student who is an international student is a member of the International Students’ Association.
  6. Any student who self-defines as being from a widening participation background, as defined by King’s College London and KCLSU, is a member of the Widening Participation Association.
  7. Any student who started their first degree over the age of 21 is a member of the Mature Students’ Association

Elected Positions /
  1. There will be Lead Officer(s) of the Association:
  2. LGBT Association – LGBT+ Officer (open place); LGBT+ Officer (trans place)
  3. People of Colour Association – People of Colour Officer.
  4. Disabled Students’ Association – Disabled Students’ Officer.
  5. International Students’ Association – International Officer.
  6. Widening Participation Association – Widening Participation Officer.
  7. Mature Students’ Association – Mature Students’ Officer
  8. Term of Office for Association Lead Officers shall be from 1st August to the following 31st July.
  9. These roles shall be voluntary and part time.
  10. On request from an Association, there shall be a Committee for the respective Association.
  11. Association Lead Officers and Association Committees shall be elected from and by members of their respective Association in accordance with Bye-law (5).

Campaigns /
  1. An Association Campaign can be set by:
  2. KCLSU petition signed by 75 Association members
  3. An elected Association Lead Officer Manifesto
  4. The respective Association committee may overturn an Association campaign set by petition
  5. A campaign must be the property of a minimum of one named Association member
  6. The respective Association Committee shall determine whether a campaign is deemed to still be active
  7. Associations will be supported by a Student Officer.
  8. Each Association will have an autonomous annual campaigns budget from KCLSU.

Bye-law (5): Elections
Scope / 1. KCLSU will hold cross campus elections for the following positions:
1.1Student Officers (also referred to as Officer Trustees).
1.2Student Trustees.
1.3Association Lead Officers.
1.4NUS Conference Delegates.
1.5Union Development Committees
1.6Association Committees
2. KCLSU Elections shall be conducted fairly and properly. KCLSU is committed to ensuring that the elections process is fair, inclusive and free from any kind of intimidation, and will therefore engage the Elections Disciplinary Procedure for any alleged breach of this Bye-law by an individual election candidate or member of their campaign team.
Appointment of the Returning Officer /
  1. The Returning Officer (RO) and Deputy Returning Officer (DRO) shall be appointed according to Bye-law 2.

Powers of the Returning Officer /
  1. The RO is responsible for ensuring that these provisions are implemented.
  2. The RO is the official responsible for ensuring the processing of all complaints about the conduct or administration of the election other than those which relate to the conduct of an election candidate, which are the responsibility of the Election Disciplinary Committee.
  3. In determining a complaint the RO after hearing all the appropriate evidence, may uphold the complaint and either halt the election for specified post(s) or specify that some remedial action be taken, or may reject the complaint.
  4. Where the Elections Disciplinary Committee is responsible for determining a complaint it will be processed and determined under the KCLSU Elections Disciplinary Procedure.
  5. The RO/DRO will be responsible for promoting good conduct and will be available throughout the elections to answer any queries that candidates may have.

Election Process /
  1. KCLSU will publish an election timetable at least two weeks before the opening of nominations, confirming the dates and times related to:
  2. Nomination process.
  3. Candidates Briefing and Campaigning Process.
  4. Manifestos.
  5. Voting.
  6. The Count.

Nominations /
  1. Individual candidates are responsible for ensuring their own nomination is submitted on time and with the correct details and position they wish to stand for.
  2. Individual candidates are responsible for verifying the information received related to their candidacy, either during a candidates meeting or via another means agreed by the RO or their representative.
  3. Nominations forms will be available on kclsu.org.
  4. The RO or their representative has some responsibility for declaring a submitted nomination form valid for a single position.
  5. When the RO is satisfied, all valid nominations will be confirmed with the candidates.
  6. By submitting their nomination, candidates give KCLSU permission to:
  7. Include the candidates name and publicity in any press releases for the KCLSU Elections.
  8. Display the candidates’ manifesto in publicity for the KCLSU Elections.
  9. Display the candidates’ name on the KCLSU website.
  10. Forward candidate information onto the College for the purpose of verification.
  11. Place on the KCLSU website a brief outline of the Elections Disciplinary Panel’s findings, if found in breach of any of the disciplinary grounds. This information can include candidate name, disciplinary sanction imposed and the reason for any sanction.