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Warwick Tech Crew Constitution

Name​

  1. The name of the society shall be Warwick Tech Crew (henceforth referred to as ‘the Society’, ‘Tech Crew’ or ‘TC’).

Aims and Objectives​

  1. The aims and objectives of Tech Crew shall be:

    1. To provide our members with opportunities to manage, design, and operate the technical equipment for shows, productions, and other performance events.
    2. To provide our members with opportunities to develop their technical skills through the provision of workshops, training sessions, and shadowing.
    3. To work with other Warwick SU societies, providing them with guidance and support in the production of their events.
    4. To advise prospective production teams that are submitting a pack on the technical aspects of their proposals, and how their artistic vision can feasibly be achieved.
    5. To scrutinise packs submitted to a panel for any Warwick SU society.
    6. To maintain a supply of specialist technical equipment which, for a nominal fee, may be hired out, subject to terms and conditions.

  2. The aims and objectives of the Tech Crew Exec shall be:

    1. To promote opportunities to work on various shows and productions as and when they become available to the society members.
    2. To manage the assignment of members to roles on shows/events in a fair and inclusive manner.
    3. To ensure that the society’s activities are safe, and comply with relevant laws and regulations.
    4. To act as a central point of contact for any Warwick SU society or University of Warwick student who wishes to enquire about the provision of technical equipment and personnel.
    5. To direct the expenditure of the Society’s funds in a responsible fashion and in line with the aims, objectives, and planned activities of the Society.
    6. To facilitate the implementation of the Aims and Objectives of the Society in accordance with 1.
    7. To formulate and submit an annual bid for funds from the SU Societies Federation Committee prior to any specified deadline which shall include a statement of activities and objectives for the coming year and detailed justification of the figures contained within the bid.

  3. The Society, its Executives, its funds and all its activities shall be subject to the provisions of the By-Laws, Regulations, and Policy of the University of Warwick Students’ Union.

  4. This constitution may only be amended by the passing of a constitutional amendment as outlined in 6 and 7.

    1. Once an amendment has been passed, an updated constitution will be sent to the SU for ratification.
    2. The updated constitution will not enter into force until the SU has ratified it.

Membership​

  1. There shall be two types of membership to Tech Crew: Standard and Associate.

    1. Standard Membership is open to all current members of the SU Societies Federation.
    2. Associate Membership is open to anyone, subject to the approval of both the Tech Crew President and the SU.

  2. All memberships will expire at the end of each academic year.

  3. A person may not hold more than one type of membership to the society at any one time.

  4. A fee of £4.00 will be charged to purchase either type of membership.

  5. A person with either type of active Tech Crew membership shall be entitled to the following:

    1. Participate in all social events organised by the Society Executive.
    2. Participate in all training events organised by the Society Executive.
    3. Apply to work roles in the tech teams of any event that Tech Crew is working.

  6. All members are expected to abide by relevant codes of conduct, rules, regulations, and bylaws of Warwick SU, failure to do so may result in a referral for disciplinary action under SU Regulation 10.

General Meetings​

  1. The Society General Meeting shall be the sovereign body of the Society.

  2. It shall elect all officers of the Society and may decide on any matter relating to the activities of the society.

    1. The General Meeting may not dismiss a member of the Society Executive (‘the Exec’), the procedure to do so is explained in SU Regulation 9.

  3. The Society Executive (‘the Exec’) shall call at least one General Meeting a year for the purpose of electing the Exec Officers and discussing plans and activities for the coming year.

    1. The Exec shall give at least fourteen days’ notice of any General Meeting to all members and such notice shall include details of any elections to be held.
    2. The Exec may call additional General Meetings at its own discretion.
    3. Additional General Meetings may be called at the written request of 20% of the Standard members of the Society.
    4. Additional General Meetings may be called at the request of the SU VP Societies.

  4. General Meetings will be chaired by the President of Tech Crew.

    1. In the absence of the President, another member of the Exec should be designated to take on the responsibility of chairperson.

  5. Any person with any form of Tech Crew membership is entitled to attend and speak at a General Meeting.

  6. Standard members may propose a motion that they wish to be discussed and voted on at a General Meeting, they can do so in writing beforehand or verbally at the meeting.

    1. For a motion to be debated and consequently voted on, it must be seconded by another Standard member.
    2. Motions to amend the society constitution must be submitted in writing no less than one week before the General Meeting.

  7. Only Standard members of Tech Crew may vote on a motion at a General Meeting.

  8. For any General Meeting to be quorate, the quorum requirements set out in SU Regulation 9 must be satisfied.

    1. When counting the number of members for a quorum requirement, absent standard members who have provided prior written notice to the Exec that they do not wish to attend may be included in the count.

Referenda​

  1. A referendum may be held in place of a General Meeting to vote on a motion to amend the constitution, or any other matter that will be highly impactful to the running of the society.

  2. Any Standard member of the society may propose a motion to the Exec to go to a referendum.

    1. For a motion to be put to a referendum, it must initially have the written support of the proposer and four other Standard members of the Society.
    2. A referendum cannot be used to dismiss a member of the Exec, the procedure to do so is explained in SU Regulation 9.
    3. A referendum cannot have the effect of overturning the result of a referendum held within the last four calendar months.
    4. A referendum cannot have the effect of overturning the result of a vote held at the most recent General Meeting.

  3. The Exec may refuse to allow a motion to go to a referendum if the following criteria are both met:

    1. The refusal is based on the fact that the motion is either:
      1. Facetious.
      2. Incompatible with 2.1 – 2.4.
    2. There are no votes from any members of the Exec, who are not already proposing or seconding the motion, to allow the motion to proceed to referendum.

  4. All Standard members of Tech Crew are entitled to one equal vote in a referendum.

    1. Associate members are not eligible to vote.

  5. For a referendum to be quorate, at least 20% of all Standard members must have voted on it, or have provided written notice to the Exec that they wish to abstain from voting on it.

  6. Once a motion has been approved to go to referendum, it must be presented to the members as soon as reasonably possible.

    1. At least one week must be allotted for the members to read the motion before it is to be voted upon.

  7. Once a motion has been presented to the members, it may not be altered.

  8. The voting period must be open for a minimum of 24 hours.

  9. A motion will pass if it receives a majority of the votes; in the event of a tie, it will fail.

  10. The result of a referendum is binding and may only be overturned at a General Meeting or in another referendum, subject to 2.3.

The Exec​

  1. The Exec shall be comprised of six ‘electable’ positions:

    1. President
    2. Treasurer
    3. Secretary
    4. Hires Manager
    5. Equipment Manager
    6. Training Manager
    7. Socials and Publicity Secretary

  2. The Exec shall also have four ‘non-electable’ positions, which may only be held by a person who also holds an ‘electable’ position:

    1. Vice President
    2. Welfare Officer
    3. Safety Officer
    4. Equal Opportunities Officer

  3. The Exec shall also have up to two co-opted, non-voting ‘Hires Assistant’ positions, which may only be held by a member who does not hold an ‘electable’ position.

  4. All positions may be shared in the following manner:

    1. Up to two people may share any electable position.
      1. To share an electable position, the people wishing to do so must run for election as a joint candidate and will be treated as one entity in an election.
    2. A person may hold up to two different positions.
      1. The positions of President and Treasurer may not be held by the same person.
      2. The positions of President and Welfare Officer may not be held by the same person.
      3. The positions of President and Equal Opportunities Officer may not be held by the same person.
      4. The positions of President and Vice President may not be held by the same person.
      5. The positions of President and Secretary may not be held by the same person.
      6. The positions of Treasurer and Secretary may not be held by the same person.

  5. All Standard members of the society may stand for election to up to two ‘electable’ positions, subject to 4.2.

  6. Elections and by-elections for ‘electable’ positions will be held in accordance with SU Regulation 9, using the First Past the Post electoral system.

  7. Following an election of the ‘electable’ positions, the ‘non-electable’ positions are decided by a simple majority vote of the newly elected Exec at a quorate Exec meeting.

  8. The term length for all Exec positions is until the next Annual General Meeting (as described in 3.3).

  9. There are no limits on the number of times a person may hold any position.

  10. All people who hold or share an ‘electable’ position are:

    1. Expected to organise Tech Crew’s appearance at the annual Societies Fair in Welcome Week.
    2. Expected to complete any relevant training as required by the SU.
    3. Expected to manage the assignment of roles to shows and events.
    4. Entitled to attend and vote at all Exec meetings.
    5. Entitled to hold the code for Tech Crew equipment storage areas.
    6. Entitled to have full access to all society digital resources.
    7. Expected to ensure at least one member of the exec is available where possible for shows.
    8. Expected to facilitate the execution of equipment hires.

  11. The President shall:

    1. Be the public figurehead of the society and represent the Society’s interests to the SU where required.
    2. Hold overall responsibility for all society matters and must ensure that the society adheres to its stated aims and objectives.
    3. Review the long-term aims and objectives of the society annually, and suggest amendments to the Exec.
    4. Ensure that, after a Warwick Arts Centre Show, a debrief is organised with the tech team either by themselves or another Exec member.
    5. Be responsible for scheduling meetings of the Exec.

  12. The Treasurer shall:

    1. Be responsible for all financial matters relating to the running of the society.
    2. Liaise with the Union’s Finance Department where necessary.
    3. All sales and purchases must be approved by the treasurer.
      1. Purchases over £250 must be approved by the Exec as a whole.

  13. The Secretary shall:

    1. Take minutes of every meeting of Exec and General Meetings, these will be presented to the Exec and a redacted version made available to all society members.
      1. Redaction will only be used where the subject matter at hand is sensitive, and the public release of such information would be detrimental to the people/issue concerned.
      2. Redaction may also be used to ensure compliance with any relevant data protection legislation or SU regulation.
    2. Maintain a register of members, keep a record of known skills and interests of those members, and record show assignments – this responsibility is shared with the Training Manager.
    3. Be responsible for all administrative matters relating to the running of the society, including responding to incoming emails, or forwarding to the appropriate exec member.
    4. Be the Returning Officer for elections unless running for a position themselves.
    5. Be responsible for producing newsletters/emails to all the Society’s members informing them of upcoming events.

  14. The Hires Manager shall:

    1. Be responsible for responding to and managing contacts from third parties wishing to hire equipment.
    2. Decide if hires can be facilitated, based on factors including equipment and member availability, in consultation with the rest of the exec.
    3. Ensure hires have the required members assigned to facilitate them.
    4. In conjunction with the rest of the exec, be responsible for appointing up to two Hires Assistants on a termly basis.
    5. Oversee the temporary involvement of Hires Assistants, ensuring jobs are fairly distributed between them.

  15. The Equipment Manager shall:

    1. Maintain an inventory of all Society equipment and will submit this annually to the SU.
    2. Ensure equipment is maintained appropriately for use on shows and hires.
    3. Liaise with the Arts Centre staff to organise an annual maintenance period.
    4. Have responsibility for the organisation and upkeep of society storage spaces.
    5. Manage sourcing and purchasing new equipment, in consultation with the rest of the Exec and society members.
    6. Maintain an inventory of all Society consumables and liaise with the Treasurer to order new stock.

  16. The Training Manager shall:

    1. Be responsible for training within the society, which will include at least one fresher’s introduction session.
    2. Arrange training sessions for society members and will seek the involvement of other executive committee members or external persons where necessary to achieve this.
    3. Arrange shadowing of technical jobs where possible.
    4. Maintain a register of members, keep a record of known skills and interests of those members, and record show assignments – this responsibility is shared with the Secretary.

  17. The Socials and Publicity Secretary shall:

    1. Be responsible for marketing the Society.
    2. Ensure the Society’s logo is included on advertising for all events the Society is involved in.
    3. Be responsible for maintaining the Tech Crew website with up-to-date information regarding shows and maintaining Tech Crew social media.
    4. Be responsible for all social activities run by, or arranged through, the society.

  18. The Hires Assistant(s) shall:

    1. Support the Hires Manager and the wider exec in facilitating hires by: organising quotes, equipment and logistics, allocating members, and/or operating the hire.

  19. The Vice President shall:

    1. Assume any responsibility and/or obligation of the President, should the President declare absence. The Vice President will temporarily assume the role of Acting President until the President states they are fit to continue.
    2. Act as a secondary point of contact for other Warwick SU societies.
    3. Automatically assume the role of ‘Acting President’ should the role of President become permanently vacant for any reason.
      1. The role of Acting President will have the full powers and responsibilities of the President as described in 10.
      2. The Acting President will remain in office until such a time that a replacement can be found in accordance with SU Regulation 9.

  20. The Welfare Officer shall:

    1. Be a point of contact for any member who wishes to discuss a matter relating to their welfare.
    2. Assist in directing members to the SU, central university, and other local services that could aid members’ welfare.
    3. Consider the welfare impacts of role assignments on members when assigning people to a show/hire.
    4. Assist members in collecting evidence to support allegations of misconduct and with referring such issues to the appropriate authority.

  21. The Safety Officer shall:

    1. Be a point of contact for any member who wishes to discuss a matter relating to safety.
    2. Be responsible for completing the society risk assessment.
    3. Ensure that anything stored in the Tech Crew section of the DC Cupboard is done so safely, including managing the proper storage of anything subject to COSHH.
    4. Ensure that there is adequate first aid coverage at all society events.
    5. Be responsible for reporting accidents and near misses to the SU.

  22. The Equal Opportunities Officer shall:

    1. Be a point of contact for any member who wishes to discuss a matter relating to ensuring they or others get an equal opportunity to participate in the society.
    2. Ensure that all members are given an equal opportunity to be assigned to roles on shows and that no one is unduly excluded from role assignments.

Exec Meetings​

  1. The aims and objectives of an Exec meeting are as follows:

    1. Allow the Exec to discuss matters relating to the day-to-day running of the society.
    2. Allow the Exec to vote on issues that require Exec approval.
    3. Allow each member of the Exec to give a brief report of their activities since the last meeting.

  2. The President shall chair the Exec meeting and will produce an agenda that will be made available to the other members of the Exec ahead of time.

  3. In the absence of the President, the Vice President will chair the meeting.

  4. The Exec should aim to meet weekly during term time.

    1. This may not always be possible due to show week(s) and other disruptions. Where this is the case, the Exec should meet as soon as reasonably practicable.

  5. At an Exec meeting, each member is expected to give a brief report of their activities since the last meeting.

  6. For an Exec meeting to be quorate, holders of at least four different ‘electable’ positions (see 1.1) must be present.

  7. Any matters that require a vote must be voted on at a quorate Exec meeting.

  8. For a vote to succeed, it must pass with a simple majority.

    1. Each person who holds an ‘electable’ role is entitled to an equal vote on any matter.
    2. A person may abstain from voting.
    3. Abstentions have no impact on the quoracy of an exec meeting.
    4. In the event of a tie, the motion being voted on will not pass.

  9. All members of the Exec have the right to call an emergency meeting. However, this should only be done when a member of the Exec has an issue that needs discussing urgently.

    1. An emergency meeting must be held as soon as possible after being requested.
    2. Unless it is also practical to hold the weekly exec meeting at the same time, the only item on the agenda should be the emergency issue that needs to be discussed.
    3. If it is practical to hold the weekly exec meeting at the same time, the emergency issue should be at the top of the agenda.

  10. In an Exec meeting, the Exec may propose and vote on the creation, alteration, suspension, and abolition of any regulatory instrument (including but not limited to: bylaws, regulations, codes of conduct) that addresses any issue if all the following are met:

    1. The issue has not been voted on at the most recent General Meeting.
    2. The proposed motion does not contradict this constitution.
    3. The proposed motion does not contradict any SU regulations, bylaws, or codes of conduct.
    4. The new/altered/suspended/abolished regulatory instrument is communicated in writing to the members of the Society.

Role Allocation for Warwick Arts Centre (WAC) Shows​

  1. The assignment of roles for WAC shows is at the sole discretion of the Tech Crew Exec.

  2. No member can be a Head of Department on a WAC show more than twice in ten consecutive calendar weeks.

  3. No member can be a Head of Department on a WAC show more than four times in one academic year.

  4. Once a member is assigned a leadership role on a WAC show, they become ineligible for any leadership role on a WAC show that would occur within two weeks of the completion of the show they were initially assigned to.

  5. An exemption to a restriction under 2–4 can be granted in individual cases, but to do so all the following criteria must be met:

    1. The Welfare Officer must have a discussion with the applicant to ensure that they understand the obligations they are accepting.
    2. The Equal Opportunities Officer must ensure that granting such an exemption will not unduly deprive other members of an opportunity to work on a show.
    3. The Exec must approve an exemption to this restriction by simple quorate majority vote.
      1. Should the Equal Opportunities Officer vote against a motion to exempt a person from 2 or 3, the motion will automatically fail, regardless of how the other Exec members vote.
      2. Should the Welfare Officer vote against a motion to exempt a person from 4, the motion will automatically fail, regardless of how the other Exec members vote.
    4. Should the member applying for an exemption under 5 be the Welfare Officer or the Equal Opportunities Officer themself, the same criteria must be met, except their responsibilities and requirements in 5.1–5.3.2 should be carried out by the President.

  6. For the purposes of this section, a ‘Head of Department’ refers to all the following roles: Lighting Designer, Sound Designer, Stage Manager, Set Designer, Deputy Stage Manager

    1. A ‘Head of Department’ does not refer to the role of Technical Manager.

  7. For the purposes of this section, a ‘leadership role’ refers to all the following roles: Technical Manager, Lighting Designer, Sound Designer, Stage Manager, Set Designer, Deputy Stage Manager

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Contributors: Josh Heng

Last updated on by Josh Heng

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