Our Constitution

Name and Definitions

  1. The name of the Society shall be the University of Sheffield Students’ Computer Science Society (hereafter referred to as ‘the Society’) and be abbreviated to Sheffield CompSoc or, simply, CompSoc.
  2. “CompSoc committee” or “committee” refers to the committee members of the University of Sheffield Students’ Computer Science Society, whose roles are detailed in this constitution, who are elected at each Annual General Meeting (AGM), or by byelection at an Emergency General Meeting (EGM).
  3. The definitions given in the University of Sheffield Union of Students Constitution shall also be valid throughout this Constitution.

Aims and Objectives

  1. Academic Interaction

The committee aims to facilitate academic interaction between students within the Department of Computer Science at the University as well as students outside of the department who have an interest in Computer Science or programming.

  1. Workshops

The committee aims to organise or put on workshops that cover various topics that are supplemental to the Computer Science course provided by the University as well as workshops that are outside of the scope of the course.

  1. Socials

The committee aims to provide at least one social per month catering to both drinking and non-drinking students; that is to say, opportunities for Society members to meet and socialise with other members of the Society.

  1. Coding Competitions

The committee aims to run coding based events such as Game Jams to facilitate interaction between Society members. The committee aims to keep these open events for non-Society members in order to facilitate interaction between Society members and other students and members of the public with an interest in coding.

  1. Orientation and intro weeks

During the first two weeks of each semester the committee aims to introduce new and returning students to the facilities the committee provides and inform them of the activities the Society provides.

  1. Department Ball

The committee shall organise or delegate the organisation of a yearly ball for anyone in the department to attend; staff and students.

  1. Health & Safety

In pursuance of the above Aims and Objectives, the Society shall ensure that the safety of all persons affected by the Society’s activities is treated with the utmost importance.

Membership

  1. Membership of the Society is open to all Full Members of the Union who are in broad agreement with the Society’s Aims and Objectives, as defined in section 2 of this Constitution.
  2. Membership of the Society may be granted to individuals who are in broad agreement with the Society’s Aims and Objectives, as defined in section 2 of this Constitution, but who are not Full Members of the Union, subject to a majority of Society members being Full Members of the Union.
  3. Membership shall only be granted on payment of a membership fee, the level of which shall be set by a Society General Meeting.

Society government

  1. Society Positions

Administrative affairs of the Society shall be conducted by a Society committee, which shall consist of the following positions:

  • President
  • Vice President
  • Operations Officer
  • Finance and Development Officer
  • Inclusion Officer
  • Events Coordinator(s)
  • Publicity Officer(s)
  • Technical Officer
  • Sports Officer
  • General Committee Member(s)
  1. Eligibility

All Society committee members shall be registered members of the Society and Full Members of the Union.

  1. Multiple roles

No person may hold more than one position on the Society Committee as per new SU regulations.

  1. Elections
    1. Society Committee Members shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Society, although vacant positions may be filled at any Society General Meeting.
    2. The Society is to provide the Union with a full list of committee members immediately following their election.
    3. The committee may call a byelection to fill any unfilled positions after an Annual General Meeting, and may temporarily co-opt members to fill any empty rolls until a byelection can take place, with a maximum holding period of 2 months. At the committee’s discretion, if a byelection is not appropriate (due to insufficient time before the Annual General Meeting or other concerns), members may be co-opted until the next Annual General Meeting. If possible, a byelection is always preferred. The committee’s decision to postpone a byelection until the Annual General Meeting will be ratified by an Officer of the Union and/or relevant staff support.
    4. Anyone who is a registered member of the Society and/or a student within the Department of Computer Science is eligible to vote at AGMs and Emergency General Meetings (EGI+ls) on the committee.
    5. Society committee members shall not operate on autonomous lines but shall take into account the needs and wishes of the Society membership, as expressed both at Society General Meetings and elsewhere.

Responsibilities of individual members

  1. President
    • Calling meetings – but your Operations Officer compiles the agenda and minutes
    • Chairing meetings – ensure everything is covered and no-one dominates
    • Delegating tasks – you shouldn’t do everything yourself!
    • Understanding the broader picture – keep the vision and aims of the society in mind at all times.
    • Understanding your responsibilities and legal ‘duty of care’ for the society’s activities
    • Being a spokesperson or figurehead – representing your society to students, the Students’ Union, the University and even the media!
    • Maintaining committee enthusiasm – if you’re not passionate, no-one else will be
  2. Vice President
    • Calling meetings – but your Operations Officer compiles the agenda and minutes
    • Chairing meetings – ensure everything is covered and no-one dominates
    • Delegating tasks – you shouldn’t do everything yourself!
    • Understanding the broader picture – keep the vision and aims of the society in mind at all times.
    • Understanding your responsibilities and legal ‘duty of care’ for the society’s activities
    • Being a spokesperson or figurehead – representing your society to students, the Students’ Union, the University and even the media!
    • Maintaining committee enthusiasm – if you’re not passionate, no-one else will be
  3. Operations Officer
    • Encourages collaboration and consultancy – encouraging committee members to work together on projects;
    • Acts as Project Manager for initiatives in the student group;
    • Facilitates the core administrative capacity of the student group;
    • Responsible for minuting student group general meetings;
    • Ensures that appropriate space is booked for student group activity;
    • Responsible for submitting/managing risk assessments;
    • Regularly reviews the student group’s constitution to ensure it is reflective of current activity;
    • Responsible for organising the society AGM/EGM, recruiting counting and returning officers.
  4. Finance and Development Officer
    • Learning and understanding the Students’ Union financial systems
    • Keeping track of all income/expenditure
    • Organising affiliation to national bodies
    • Applying for Students’ Union (and external) funding and
    • Collecting all membership fees and paying all bills in good time
    • Keeping the committee and members informed of the society’s financial situation
    • Organising fundraising or sponsorship for your group
  5. Inclusion Officer
    • Publicising your role to members and at events
    • Being a confidential and direct contact for members and potential members
    • Ensuring that meetings and events are as accessible as possible
    • Ensuring there are a diverse range of socials, ensuring some are non-alcoholic
    • Looking at potential inclusion issues and how they can be addressed
    • Asking members about dietary requirements and other needs
    • Uploading an accessibility statement onto your website
  6. Events Coordinator(s)
    • Up to 2 Events Co-ordinators may be elected onto the committee.
    • It is suggested, but not required, that the team is split into the organising of technical events (coding competitions, etc.) and socials.
    • Responsible for planning all technical events organised by the committee alongside the socials sec.
    • Responsible for planning and arrangement of all social activities organised by the committee.
    • Ensures at least 1 committee members are present at socials and at least 2 are present at all times during larger events such as coding competitions.
    • Liases with the publicity officer(s) and the Operations Officer to ensure adequate publicity for all events.
  7. Hackathon Events Coordinator
    • Responsible for planning all hackathons events organised by the committee.
    • Liaises with the publicity officer(s) and the Operations Officer to ensure adequate publicity for all events.
  8. Publicity Officer(s)
    • Up to 2 Publicity Officers may be elected onto the committee.
    • It is suggested, but not required, that the team is split into the running of the website/social media and graphics design.
    • Takes responsibility for all social media for the committee including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the website.
    • Regularly posts on these medias on behalf of the society.
    • Takes responsibility for all creative media (posters, flyers, stickers, etc) for events, socials, general meetings, and general use.
  9. Technical Officer
    • Responsible for administrating CompSoc’s Game and Web Server and ensuring information security
  10. Sports Officer
    • Responsible for organising Campus Leagues and Training where a demand for it lies within the society
  11. General Committee Member(s)
    • Up to 2 per year group may be elected to the committee.
    • Contribute thoughts and opinions to group discussions.
    • Helps publicise events to their respective year groups.
    • Assist other roles in their responsibilities.
    • Assist with large scale events.

Society General Meetings

  1. All General Meetings of the Society shall be open to all Full Members of the Union.
  2. Ordinary General Meetings shall be called by either the Chairperson of the Society or 15% of the registered Society membership.
  3. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Society shall be held not more than thirteen months nor less than eleven months after the previous AGM.
  4. The business for the AGM shall include the election of Society Committee members and presentation of the annual financial accounts of the Society.
  5. A minimum of five days’ notice of General meetings shall be given, except for the Society AGM, of which at least ten days’ notice shall be given.

Society Finances

  1. The Society’s funds shall only be used in furtherance of the Aims and Objectives of the Society, as defined in clause 2 of this Constitution.
  2. The Finance and Development Officer shall be responsible for the proper accounting of Society funds, in accordance with Union regulations.
  3. The committee requests and is allocated a yearly budget from the Department of Computer Science. This money is then to be allocated to fulfill each of the objectives, defined in section 2 of this Constitution, as appropriate.
  4. Quorum is required for any expenditure of £500 or more requiring a simple majority in favour, with the Finance and Development Officer overseeing smaller expenses.
  5. Any expenditure of over £100 but below £500 must be agreed upon by the president, finance and development officer and operations officer.
  6. Comprehensives records should be kept of all expenditure.
  7. Money acquired through sponsorship should be used to further fulfil the objectives of the Society and meet any agreed conditions of obtaining the sponsorship provided by the sponsor.

Relations with the Union

  1. As a recognised Union society, the Society shall at all times abide by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Union.
  2. The Society shall also abide by all regulations issued by the Activities committee.

Suspension, withdrawal or refusal of membership

  1. Membership of the Society may be refused, suspended for a specific period of time or withdrawn provided that the committee has quorum and there is approval of a two-thirds majority of a Society General Meeting.
  2. This shall be subject to appeal to the Activities committee which may uphold, amend or annul the decision of the Society.

Affiliation with British Computing Society

  1. The University of Sheffield’s Computer Science Society are currently affiliated with the British Computing Society, The Chartered Institute for IT.

Amendments to the constitution

  1. Amendments to this Constitution shall be deemed to take effect once approved by a two-thirds majority at a Society General Meeting and accepted by the Activities Officer.

This page is accurate and up to date as of the 1st November 2021.