1. The Society
1.1 The society shall be called the Society for Computing and Technology in Anaesthesia.
1.2 The object of the Society is to promote research into the use of , and understanding of the place of computing and technology in anaesthesia and science related thereto, and to disseminate the useful results of such research as widely as possible .
1.3 The Society shall consist of and be governed exclusively by Ordinary Members, who alone shall have the power to elect Members and Officers and to change the rules.
2. Membership
2.1 The Society shall consist of Honorary, Ordinary and Temporary Members. The acceptance of Membership shall be deemed to imply an agreement to be bound by all the regulations of the Society for the time being.
2.2 Persons of distinction who have contributed to the advancement of computing or technology in anaesthesia are eligible for election as Honorary Members on the nomination of the Committee. Honorary members shall have the rights of Ordinary Members excluding that of voting.
2.3 Any Ordinary Member may propose Candidates for Ordinary Membership.
2.4 Each Ordinary and Temporary Member shall, unless exempted there from by the Committee, pay an Annual Subscription the amount whereof shall be determined at the Annual General Members Meeting.
2.5 No Ordinary or Temporary Member shall be admitted to the privileges of Membership until the subscription has been paid.
2.6 Any Ordinary Member whose subscription is two years in arrears and who has been informed in writing by the Treasurer shall cease to be a Member but shall be eligible for re-election.
2.7 The Committee shall be empowered to recommend to a Special General Meeting the removal of any Member if, in their opinion, the interests of the Society require it. The individual Member concerned shall have the right to be heard by the Committee before a final decision is made. recommend the removal of such Member. If two-thirds of the Members present a the Special General Meeting vote by ballot in support of the Committee, the Member in question shall cease to be a Member of the Society.allow the member to appeal to the Soceity and arrange a vote ?
3. Organisation
3.1 The business of the Society shall be conducted by a Committee of Members of the Society consisting of the Officers, namely a Chairman, Past Chairman or Vice Chairman/Chairman Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, Industrial Secretary and an Honorary President together with up to six members of the Society who are not Officers and will form the Committee members as provided in Clauses 3.4 and 3.5.
3.2 A quorum at a Committee meeting shall consist of five, two of whom shall not be officers.
3.3 The Officers for the following three years shall be nominated on the proposal of two Ordinary Members, submitted to the Secretary not less than 2 weeks before the Annual Members Meeting and submitted for election to the Annual General Meeting. All elections will be by ballot.. In the event of more than one nomination for a post, the Secretary shall arrange a vote of the eligible members. An Officer of the Society shall not remain in office for longer than six years consecutively. The Industrial Secretary shall be nominated and elected by the Industrial Members.
3.4 Two Ordinary Members of the Society shall be elected to serve on the Committee for a period of up to 3 years.
3.5 The Committee will may co-opt four members of the Society who will be the immediate past, present and next two meeting organisers. The Committee may co-opt other members of the Society who perform significant definable functions within the Society. The Committee has the power to grant voting rights to co-opted members of the Committee.
3.6 Past Presidents shall be considered non-voting members of the Committee. They are entitled to attend and speak at Committee Meetings.
3.7 The funds of the Society shall be under the control of the Committee who shall have the power to expend such funds as they think fit.
3.8 Ordinary Members may make proposals to change the rules of the Society to the Committee. These proposals together with those of the Committee, will be discussed at the Annual Members Meeting, where members' views will be actively sought. After due consideration, the Committee will decide on any proposed changes to the rules. A member dissatisfied with the decision of the committee, can request A Special Members Meeting to consider the issue and include, if necessary ,a vote. The Committee will be bound by the result of such a meeting.
3.9 Upon the dissolution or winding up of the Society any surplus assets remaining after payment of all outstanding debts and liabilities shall not be distributed amongst the members but shall be passed to such other charitable institutions having similar objects to the Society.
4. Meeting of Members
4.1 An Annual General Members Meeting shall be held in Autumn annually at which the Annual business of the Society will be transacted . A Special General Meeting may be summoned at any time by the Committee or by the Secretary on the written request of ten Ordinary Members. At least one week's notice of the Annual Members Meeting shall be given. At the Annual or Special General Meeting the Chairman, or in his absence, a nominee of the Committee shall take the Chair.
4.2 The business to be transacted at the Annual General Members Meeting shall be to receive and consider any the Reports and Accounts presented by the Committee, to deal with any proposal to change the Rules of the Society, to elect Officers and Members of the Committee for the ensuing year, and to determine the Annual Subscriptions. The committee shall inform members of any issues of relevance to the functioning of the Society, actively seek their views and opinions , and give members the opportunity to raise any matters of concern or interest . Any member dissatisified with the decision of the Committee is free, having gathered the necessary support, to call a Special General Meeting of the Society, where , if necessary, a vote can be held on the issue in question . The Committee will be bound by the result of such a vote.
4.3 A quorum at any General Meeting shall consist of at least ten Ordinary Members of the Society.
4.4 At any General Meeting, a resolution put to the Meeting shall be decided by a show of hands unless a ballot is, before or on the declaration of the show of hands, demanded by the Chairman or at least three Members The Chairman's declaration of the result of a show of hands that a resolution has been carried, or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority or lost shall be decisive.
4.5 A Balance Sheet and an Income and Expenditure Account shall be made out once in each year andafter having been audited shall be presented to the Annual General Members Meeting.
4.6 At a Special General Meeting the only business to be discussed shall be that on the Agenda circulated before the Meeting.
4.7 When a vote of members is required, the secretary shall arrange that all members will be able to vote, either by attending the meeting, by nominating proxies to vote on their behalf at a General Meeting or electronically .The preferred method of communication with members will be electronically
5. Scientific Meetings
5.1 Scientific Meetings will be held as decided by the Committee , usually at least Annually.
5.2 Members, Candidates for Membership and Guests may attend the Meetings. At certain Meetings, the number of Guests may be restricted.
5.3 The dates and places of the Scientific Meetings will be arranged by the Committee and confirmed at the Annual General Members Meeting.(duplicates 5.1)
5.4 The Secretary will inform all Members of the dates and places of the Scientific Meetings and invite the submission of papers. Two weeks before the Meeting, a programme will be circulated containing summaries of the papers to be given.
5.5 Papers may be submitted by Members, Candidates and Guests. They should not noramlly have been published previously. The submission should take the form of an abstract of not more than 400 words excluding references.