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 for the public good.
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. Temporary Members shall have the rights of Ordinary Members excluding that of voting.
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 therefrom by the Committee, pay an Annual Subscription the amount whereof shall be determined at a General Meeting of Members.
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 remove 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. The removal by the Committee of a Member shall be reported to the next General Meeting of Members. Any Member who has been removed may appeal to a General Meeting of Members for reinstatement as a member. The decision of the General Meeting shall if necessary be submitted to a vote of all Ordinary Members.
3. Organisation
3.1 The business of the Society shall be conducted by a Committee of Ordinary Members of the Society consisting of the Officers, namely a Chairman, Past Chairman or Vice Chairman/Chairman Elect, Treasurer, 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 Officers shall be nominated on the proposal of two Ordinary Members, and submitted for election at a General Meeting of Members. In the event of more than one nomination for a post, the Secretary shall arrange a vote of all Ordinary Members. An Officer of the Society shall be elected for the following three years and shall not remain in office for longer than six years consecutively. The Honorary President shall be appointed by the invitation of the Chairman.
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 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 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 the Committee to change the rules of the Society, to amend the objectives of the company, as laid down in the Articles and to require the resignation of one or more Directors of the Society. These proposals together with the recommendations of the Committee, will be discussed at a General Meeting of Members, 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 that the issue be discussed again at a General Meeting of Members and, if necessary, submitted to a vote of all Ordinary Members. The Committee will be bound by the result of such a vote. No amendment shall be made to the objects, these amendment provisions or to the dissolution provisions which would cause the Society to cease to be a Charity in law.
3.9 All Members of the Society are taken to have agreed under paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to the Companies Act 2006 that the Society may send or supply documents and information to Members via the web site. It is the responsibility of all Members to ensure that the Society can contact them by email which together with the web site will be the preferred method of communication. The Society will not be obliged to communicate with Members by non-electronic means.
3.10 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. General Meeting of Members
4.1 A General Meeting of Members shall be held at least once in each calendar year. The annual business of the Society will be transacted at a General Meeting. A 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 six week's notice of any General Meeting shall be given. At any 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 General Meeting of Members held each year shall be to receive and consider 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. 4.3 A quorum at any General Meeting of Members shall consist of at least ten Ordinary Members of the Society.
4.4 Any member dissatisfied with a decision of the Committee is free, having gathered the necessary support, to call a General Meeting of Members of the Society to discuss the issue, and, if necessary, demand a vote amongst Ordinary Members on the issue in question. The Committee will be bound by the result of such a vote.
4.5 A Balance Sheet and an Income and Expenditure Account shall be made out once in each year and after having been audited shall be presented to a General Meeting of Members.
4.6 At a General Meeting of Members 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 Ordinary 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 electronic.
5. Scientific Meetings
5.1 Scientific Meetings will be held as decided by the Committee, usually at least once in each calendar year.
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 announced at the General Meetings of Members and on the web site.
5.4 Papers to be presented at Scientific Meetings may be submitted by Members, Candidates and Guests. They should not normally have been published previously. The submission should be in a form to be decided by the meeting's Organising Committee.