The Purpose of Halls’ Committees
Different halls will have varying levels of tradition and regular activity, in the broadest sense, and as laid down in the Guild Constitution, the aims and objectives of Hall Committees are:
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To advance, promote and protect the interests of residents of the hall
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To develop the cultural, social and athletic life of hall residents at the University of Exeter
The information on this page, the various how to Guides available to you by following this link, and annex 15 the Hall Committees constitution have all been designed to give an overview of the structure of the Hall Committees and the support and facilities available to you, as well as information on how to manage your committee effectively. Although we have attempted to include as much information as possible, please do not hesitate to contact either the (Guild FATO), or Activities Co-ordinator J.l.taylor@ex.ac.uk /Activities Manager O.Murrish@ex.ac.uk for further advice and support.
It is important that all Hall committees read and understand the Hall Committees Constitution (Annex 15) Click here to access the document.
Treasurers Update August 2009
Old and new treasurers please read the attached; it will really help make running your finances as hassle free as possible.
Handbook
This information has been designed to give an overview of the structure of the Halls’ Committees and the support and facilities available to you as well as information on how to manage your committee effectively. Although we have attempted to include as much information as possible, please do not hesitate to contact the Facilities, Activities and Trading Officer (FATO), Welfare and Equal Opportunities Officer or the Halls’ Co-Ordinator for further advice and support.
The First Weeks of Term
Last year’s Hall President and Committee should stick around for Welcome Week and the first few weeks of term. This will help out members of the different halls before new committees are formed and also make for a smooth transition to another team once they are elected. It is recommended that they spend the summer organising a few activities to take place in Welcome Week, in conjunction with the Activities Co-Ordinator/Activities Manager.
A subscription to the Hall Committee students’ association should be levied in Welcome Week as students arrive. This pays for all the social activities of the Hall.
You must use the hall committee sign-up sheet (here). This is the only form approved for use and therefore must be used.
The amount collected and the person collecting the fee must be clearly indicated. Cheques must be made payable to EUGS wit the students name & hall committee name written on the reverse. If possible store collected fees in a secure place; ideally a safe.
As soon as possible pay collected fees in to Guild Finance (open on Monday 28th of september 2009; Devonshire House).
Remember new students just arriving are being asked to take in a lot of information in a strange environment; for some english will not be their first language. Be prepared to explain what a hall committee is all about; the benefits & activities; remember these students are new to university life and do not assume they know what life in halls is all about. Please do not put new students under pressure to pay hall fees and give consideration to the circumstances a new student may find him or herself in; if they are upset or having issues regarding their accommodation is this really the time to ask for hall fees?
All committee sign up sheets must be passed to the Joy Taylor; Activities Co-ordinator by the end of October 2009.
Elections
It should be made known in the first few weeks of term that there will be elections for a Hall Committee. This should be done in the various speeches in Welcome Week by last year’s Committee and the Guild representatives and also through publicity around the halls. Last year’s Hall Committee will have this task and can request assistance from the Guild senior elections officer.
Elections should take place by Week 4 of the Autumn Term. The Committee must inform the Guild senior elections officer of which day the election will take place.
We would suggest that the results are announced at dinner or similar popular gathering.
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Senior elections officer of the Guild to preside over the elections
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Chair of Halls’ presidents to oversee and be available for support and advice
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Each hall president will be responsible for the running of the election
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The elections will take place by the end of week 4
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The elections can be conducted in any form i.e. first past the post, sty
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The Guild (FATO) will be responsible for general publicity and nomination packs
Please refer to annex 15 Halls constitution (within the Guild constitution) for advice on committee structure and responsibilities.
The First Hall Committee Meeting
It is advisable to hold the first meeting of the new committee by Week 5. We would suggest that the first meeting is used to:
The Hall President will chair the meetings. Hall business is rightly something which many on the Committee will become passionate but most meetings will cease to be productive if they last longer than one hour.
A representative from Guild Council should attend your first meeting so we would ask that they be given notice as soon as the date is known.
What do Halls’ Committees do?
Different halls will have varying levels of tradition and regular activity, in the broadest sense, and as laid down in the Guild Constitution – the aims and objectives are :
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to advance, promote and protect the interests of the residents of the hall
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to develop the cultural, social and athletic life of the hall resident at the University of Exeter (see Annexe 16)
So Hall Committees are one of the first bodies to which problems and concerns about hall life will come. The officers of the Committee represent hall resident’s interests to the Hall Managers, Resident Tutors and on through the Guild Committee structure to Guild Council and ultimately the University.
A large part of the role of the Hall Committee will be social life in the hall. Through the subscription levied at the beginning of the year, the committee provides a number of activities such as –
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wine at hall formal dinners
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after formal entertainment such as karaoke or a DJ
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special events such as parties or BBQs
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trips to places of interest in the region or beyond
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themed balls at the end of the year or at Christmas
The previous Hall Committee and Guild representatives will be able to advise if roles are uncertain – the Resident Tutors have often had the experience of a number of committees before.
Annual General Meetings (AGM) and General Meetings (GM)
Each hall committee should organise an AGM during the summer term. This is the hall residents’ opportunity to hold the committee accountable for their activities, for the committee to present its finances and for residents to ask questions of the committee
Halls’ Accommodation and Executive Committee
This committee is tasked with co-ordinating the halls’ committees by representing residents’ views and concerns, advising on finance and events and sharing experiences and problems.
The committee consists:
Any Hall President not attending or sending a representative then the Guild reserve the right to freeze accounts until there is a satisfactory outcome.
Complaints
All complaints concerning halls should be addressed to the Welfare and Equal Opportunities Officer/FATO for consideration by this committee.
Guild Council
Guild Council is the decision-making body of the Guild of students – it is the key forum for debate and policy affecting all matters. Hall Presidents will receive a copy of the minutes from Guild Council meetings for their information. The Chair of Hall presidents also sits on Guild Council.
Training
The Guild will run training events for all halls’ committees – you will be notified with the details. We strongly advise as many members of the committee as possible to attend this training.
Rules for Halls
Don’t worry if this is a little official or daunting:
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halls must comply with the Halls’ Constitution (Annexe 16) in terms of their behaviour and activities
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the hall secretary must keep an accurate lists of members indicating their payment of subscriptions – and keep an accurate record of all committee meetings
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all committee members must sign a financial responsibility form
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the hall treasurer must keep accurate records of all financial transactions
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a subscription per member must be paid into the hall’s own account within the Guild each year
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a subscription per member must be paid into the hall’s own account within the Guild each year
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halls must ensure that a contract is drawn up when dealing with outside companies and ensure that the company produce a suitable level of public liability
Advice can be sought from the FATO or Activities Manager/Activities Co-Ordinator.
Health and Safety
All activities must be risk assessed – the Activities Manager (o.murrish@exeter.ac.uk) will give your committee any help and advice that you need. A how to guide outlining your commitments to Health and safety Provision can be found by clicking here.
This form has been created to help simplify the submission of listings for the X. pullout. Emails will still be sent out to the societies mailing list with this form in, but only event listings submitted using this form will be accepted.
The deadline for submission will usually be every Tuesday prior to a press week, but please check your emails for specific deadlines, as these may change. You are, however, free to submit any event listings as early as you like.
This form also allows you the ability to submit corrections or amendments to events (i.e. where the date, time or location has changed at short notice), and we will always submit the most recent version of the event as the one that goes to print. We regret, though, that any amendments or corrections that are submitted after the specified deadline may not be able to be changed in time before X. goes to press.
If there are any questions about this form, please email s.c.g.smith@ex.ac.uk.
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