Adopted at the Annual General Meeting of 10th March 1984,
amended at the Extraordinary General Meeting of 8th June 1985,
and at the Annual General Meeting of 11th March 1989,
and at the Extraordinary General Meeting of 10th June 1994,
and at the Annual General Meeting of 7th March 2009,
and at the Annual General Meeting of 6th March 2010,
and at the Annual General Meeting of 1st March 2013,
and at the Annual General Meeting of 5th March 2014,
and at the Annual General Meeting of 7th March 2015,
and at the Annual General Meeting of 5th March 2016,
and at the Annual General Meeting of 11th March 2020
1. Introduction
1.1. The name of the Society shall be “The Cambridge Tolkien Society”. For the purposes of the Tolkien Society smials’ organization, the Society may be known as “the Minas Tirith Smial”.
1.2. The Society shall register with the Junior Proctor of the University of Cambridge and shall do nothing that would cause such registration to be withdrawn. All regulations made by the University of Cambridge and the Junior Proctor for registered societies shall be binding upon the Society.
1.3. The Society shall take any action consonant with this Constitution that is necessary to be recognized as a smial of the Tolkien Society.
1.4 The aims of the Society shall be:
- to encourage interest amongst the people of Cambridge and the surrounding areas in the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien
- to provide an opportunity for people in Cambridge and the surrounding areas interested in the life and works of JRR Tolkien to meet one another
- to provide support to scholarship, writing, and study into the works of J.R.R. Tolkien
1.5 The society shall commit to providing an accessible and welcoming environment for all those who wish to participate in the society's events.
2. Membership
2.1. Membership of the Society shall be open to all members of the University, and any other that have an interest in the life and works of J. R. R. Tolkien.
2.2. Membership may be for life or annual, and upon payment of a charge to be determined by the committee. Lifetime honorary membership, for which there shall be no charge, may be awarded by Ordinary Resolution.
2.3. Any individual may become a member of the society, except that the Committee may by unanimous vote refuse membership to an applicant.
2.4. If any member breaches any rule or Special Resolution of the Society, or behaves in such a way as to bring the Society into disrepute, or behaves objectionably at any meeting of the Society, the Committee may expel that member. Such expulsion or suspension can be effected by a majority vote of the Committee. In the event of an expulsion, the excluded member is required to return all equipment, documents and finances belonging to the Society within 7 days. They will not be entitled to any full or partial refund of annual subscriptions. A member so expelled may appeal to the next General Meeting, at which the Committee shall move the member’s expulsion by Ordinary Resolution.
2.5. An officer of the society shall keep a register of members.
3. Officers
3.1. The management of the Society shall be vested in a Committee, comprising, in decreasing order of seniority a Steward (Chairman), Keeper of the Red Book (Secretary) and Smaug (Treasurer). The committee may also include Quickbeam (Social Events/Ents Officer) and Bill the Pony and Gwaihir the Wind Lord (Officers without Portfolio). The Committee shall be known as the Captains of Gondor. Members of the Committee may designate deputies at any time to fulfil their role should they be temporarily unable to discharge their duties for any reason.
3.2. The Committee for each year shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the previous year, and shall hold office during the year for which they were elected; provided that Smaug shall retain responsibility for the accounts of his year of office until the audit of those accounts is complete.
3.3. Vacancies occurring on the Committee during the year, or occurring because no nominations for a post were received at the AGM, may be filled by persons appointed by the remaining members of the Committee. Appointment shall be by majority vote with the Steward holding the casting vote; three shall form a quorum.
3.4. A member of the Committee may resign by giving two weeks’ notice to the Steward, or in the case of the Steward to the Keeper of the Red Book. A member of the Committee may be removed by Special Resolution.
3.5. The Committee shall appoint a Senior Treasurer in accordance with the regulations of the University. The Senior Treasurer shall have the rights of resident annual members and the right to attend Committee meetings, but shall not have the right to vote at any committee meeting. The Senior Treasurer shall not be personally liable for any debt of the Society, unless specifically agreed in writing. The Senior Treasurer may be referred to as Glaurung in situations where this is appropriate.
3.6. The Committee may appoint officers for special purposes and may authorize such officers to incur expenditure on behalf of the society.
3.7. Smaug shall keep records of the accounts of the Society, and shall at the end of each year prepare the accounts for audit and arrange the audit in accordance with the regulations of the University.
4. General Meetings
4.1. The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held in the latter half of the Lent Term. At least 21 days notice of the meeting shall be given to all members. The Committee shall at the written request of at least ten members, or may of their own accord, call an Extraordinary General Meeting, to be held not later than 28 days after receiving such a request.
4.2. A quorum shall be eight members, at least two of whom must be members of the Committee.
4.3. The chair at a General Meeting shall be taken by the most senior member of the committee present.
4.4. At the Annual General Meeting the Officers shall present their reports. Smaug’s report shall include the audited accounts for the previous year, and a statement of the accounts for the current year up to the Meeting.
4.5. Any member may stand for any office without prior notice. However they must be nominated and seconded by members of the society – this may be done either in advance in writing or at the AGM. Voting for contested elections shall be by secret ballot and shall be by single transferable vote. The chairman of the Meeting shall appoint two tellers to count the votes. The results shall be declared as soon as practicable, and shall as soon as is convenient be announced to each resident member.
4.6. Voting at General Meetings shall, except in the case of elections, be by show of hands or by secret ballot, as a majority of members present shall by show of hands determine. In either case, the chairman of the meeting shall appoint two tellers to count the votes.
4.7. Resolutions at General Meetings shall be of two kinds, Special and Ordinary.
A Special Resolution shall be a resolution which is proposed as such, and of which the membership has received 10 days’ notice, and which is passed by not less than two thirds of those present and voting. Special Resolutions must be sent to reach the Keeper of the Red Book not later than the 14 days before the date of the meeting at which they are to be proposed. A Special Resolution must be proposed and seconded by members of the Society.
A resolution other than a Special Resolution shall be passed as an Ordinary Resolution if passed by a simple majority of those present and voting.
A Special Resolution may, before being put to the vote, be amended by Ordinary Resolution, provided that the proposer and the chairman of the meeting consent. The provisions of a Special Resolution shall be binding upon members of the Society. An Ordinary Resolution is binding on the committee only.
5. Details
5.1. Standing Orders may be passed by Ordinary Resolution, and shall be binding upon the committee provided they do not conflict with the constitution. They may be amended or removed by Ordinary Resolution.
5.2. This Constitution may be amended by Special Resolution.
5.3. The Society may by a Special Resolution dissolve itself. In the event of the dissolution of the Society, its monies and other assets shall be distributed as follows:
- first, all outstanding liabilities shall be paid;
- second, assets amounting to any sum received from the University shall be transferred to another Registered University Society, or to the Societies' Syndicate;
- third, any remaining assets shall be transferred to the Societies Syndicate, the Tolkien Society, or another registered University Society, or another society with related aims. This transfer shall be specified in any resolution to dissolve the Society.
5.4. In the event of any dispute arising touching the meaning of this Constitution, the matter shall be referred to the Junior Proctor, whose decision shall be final.
5.5. The society may from time to time publish a journal, to be called Anor.