Discussion centered around constitution change

Present (9): Fergus (President), Aurora (School Rep), Arin (2nd Year Rep), Tomas (3rd year Rep), Ali (VP), Cat (Tech Sec), Vincent (First Year Rep), Elisa (Treasurer), Chives (Old Person Rep)

Minutes by AI, tweaked by Vincent.

Meeting opened at 5:04pm.

Fergus began by discussing the agenda for the meeting, which included the constitution rewrite, SIG formalization, voting procedures, committee roles, quorum, impeachment processes, and merch sales.

Constitution Rewrite Intro

Fergus outlined proposed changes to the constitution, including formalizing Special Interest Groups (SIGs), updating financial procedures, and clarifying impeachment protocols.

Ali suggested maintaining a list of active SIGs on the CompSoc website to improve transparency and allow for easy updating. This would definitively show which SIGs are currently a part of CompSoc.

The committee discussed quorum requirements. It was proposed that quorum be set at 75% of voting members, which would be approximately 15 people based on the current committee size.

There was debate over whether SIG Presidents should count towards reaching quorum or just as general votes. The initial proposal was to have them count as votes but not for quorum, to avoid a situation where SIG presidents could band together to overrule the core committee.

In terms of creating new SIGs, it was agreed this should require a vote by the committee. The exact process still needs to be formalized further.

SIG dissolution procedures were also discussed. It was agreed there needs to be a clearly documented process for disbanding a SIG, either voluntarily by the SIG itself or by CompSoc if needed.

There was discussion about having different levels or categories for the types of votes and decisions made in meetings:

• Trivial decisions that don't require quorum unless challenged
• Decisions requiring a simple majority vote
• Major decisions requiring a full quorum vote

SIG Formalization

Building on the prior discussion, the committee went into more details on formal policies and procedures for SIGs.

It was reiterated that the official active SIGs will be listed on the CompSoc website. A page will be created listing the SIGs, which can be easily updated.

Vincent suggested creating a SIG handbook that would outline all the policies SIGs need to follow, serving as a code of conduct. This could include things like:

• Requiring at least one SIG officer to attend CompSoc meetings
• Procedures for handling finances and budgets
• Rules around branding, logos, sponsorships
• Process for booking rooms and resources
• Protocols for elections and leadership transitions
• Policies for external communications and partnerships

The handbook would be issued to all SIG presidents/officers. It was also suggested to have a training/onboarding process for new incoming SIG presidents each year to make sure they understand the rules and their responsibilities.

In terms of SIG termination and dissolution, a clear process was outlined:

• If a SIG becomes inactive or is being mismanaged, it will be put on a 1-year review period by the committee
• During this time, the SIG will need to demonstrate that it is operating properly, holding events, has membership engagement, and is following all policies
• After the 1-year review, a 2/3 majority vote by the committee is required to formally terminate the SIG
• If a SIG itself wants to voluntarily shut down, the SIG President must submit a formal letter to the committee declaring their intention to dissolve
• A 30-day grace period will be given for any SIG members to express interest in taking over leadership of the SIG
• If no one volunteers to continue the SIG after 30 days, it will be officially dissolved

Potential penalties for SIGs who are found to be violating the agreed handbook policies were discussed:

• Withholding or reducing SIG funding allocations
• Placing restrictions on the SIG's ability to book rooms or event spaces under the CompSoc banner
• Limits on posting announcements and communications to the wider CompSoc membership
• In severe cases, the committee can vote to remove the SIG's dedicated seat on the CompSoc committee

Voting Procedures

The committee unanimously agreed to switch to using ranked choice voting for CompSoc elections. This applies to votes by the general membership, such as electing new committee officers.

Fergus shared that the Ranked Pairs algorithm will be used to calculate the winners. In a ranked choice system, voters will rank all the candidates in order of their preference. The Ranked Pairs algorithm then uses these rankings to determine the overall winner, taking into account the relative preferences between each candidate pair.

A Python script to implement the Ranked Pairs calculation already exists, but may need some cleaning up and additional testing before use. Chives volunteered to get the script ready for the next election cycle.

Committee Structure and Roles

The current committee structure and roles were reviewed. There are 13 core roles that will be maintained going forward:

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• EDI Rep
• Technical Secretary
• Social Secretary
• Graphic Designer
• 4 Year Representatives (one for each year - 1st through 4th)
• Old Person Rep
• Social Media Officer (New Role)

A new role of Social Media Officer will be added to the core committee. This person will be in charge of managing the society's social media accounts, working on digital marketing campaigns, analyzing engagement metrics, and assisting with community outreach efforts. They will work closely with the Graphic Designer and Social Secretary on visual designs and branding.

It was clarified that there will be only one Graphic Designer sitting on the core committee. However, the Graphic Designer can build a team of deputies/assistants to help with tasks as needed. Those deputy designers will not have committee voting rights.

There was discussion about the role of the School of Informatics Representative. Traditionally, the School Rep has been a voting member of the CompSoc committee. However, it was agreed that this is no longer required.

Going forward, the School Rep will not automatically be a member of the core committee. However, they are welcome to attend committee meetings if they wish. The committee can also vote to grant the School Rep voting privileges on a year-by-year basis if it is deemed necessary for tighter coordination with the Informatics department (requires 2/3 majority).

Quorum and Voting

The requirements for reaching quorum in official committee votes was discussed. Quorum will be defined as 75% of the core committee roles being present (and 2 of those being executive).

With the current proposed structure of 14 committee roles, quorum would be 10 people (rounding up from 9.33).

It was emphasized that the SIG seats on the committee do NOT count towards reaching quorum, as they are not core committee roles. However, if present, SIG representatives are still allowed to vote as normal.

Certain categories of major decisions will always require quorum to be met in order to proceed to a vote:

• Any changes to the CompSoc constitution
• Votes to formally create or dissolve a SIG
• Impeachment votes to remove a committee member
• Any decisions that are deemed irreversible or highly sensitive in nature

For all other general votes and decisions, quorum is not a requirement. However, there will be a process for members to petition and trigger a quorum requirement for a particular vote if they feel it is necessary:

• The petition must contain at least 15 verified signatures of CompSoc members
• The petition can be submitted up to 24 hours before the scheduled vote
• If validated, quorum will then be required for that particular vote to be binding

Impeachment Process

There can now be multiple avenues that can trigger an impeachment vote:

1. If a complaint is submitted against a committee member that includes at least 15 verifiable signatures of CompSoc student EUSA members
2. If 2/3 of the current committee members vote to initiate impeachment proceedings
3. If the School of Informatics Head of Student Services submits a formal request for impeachment

Once an impeachment process is triggered, a dedicated hearing will be held by the committee:

• The committee member in question will be given the opportunity to respond to the complaints and present their case
• The committee will then hold a vote after this hearing
• A 2/3 majority is required to advance the impeachment to a full EGM
• If the 2/3 threshold is not met, the impeachment fails and the member remains in their role

If the committee vote passes, an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) will be called with the full CompSoc membership:

• The EGM must be announced to all members and the details communicated
• A formal motion will be raised to remove the committee member from their role
• Time will be given for statements from both the complainants and the defending committee member
• After arguments are heard, the full EGM will vote on if the committee member should be removed from their role
• A 2/3 majority of the EGM attendees is required to successfully impeach and remove the officer
• If the vote fails, the committee member will remain in their position

Merchandise Profit Margins

Vincent raised concerns about the very slim profit margins CompSoc is currently making from selling branded merchandise. He argued that the prices need to be increased to make the effort worthwhile and to raise more funds for the society.

Currently, CompSoc mugs cost £9.70 each to produce and are sold for £10, only a 30p profit per unit. The committee agreed to raise the price to £12 per mug going forward.

Wooden keyrings are currently sold for £1.50 each. It was agreed to increase these to £2. Acrylic keyrings which are currently £1.50 will be increased to £2.

It was also discussed to have more merchandise available for purchase at in-person events like the STMUs, balls, workshops, etc.

There was a suggestion to look into creating limited-edition or special themed merchandise to generate buzz and increase sales.

Finally, it was proposed to open an online web store for CompSoc merchandise, so people can purchase items and have them shipped out.

Meeting adjourned at 6:47pm.

To do's

Action Items & Next Steps:

• Ali, Vincent:
  • Work on updating the official constitution document to incorporate the agreed upon changes around SIGs, committee structure and roles, voting procedures, quorum requirements, and impeachment processes
  • Have a draft ready for committee review by March 20th
  • Begin drafting the SIG handbook which outlines all the policies and procedures SIGs must abide by
  • Share with committee for feedback before finalizing
  • Send out these full meeting minutes to the committee for approval before posting publicly
• Chives:
  • Finalize the Python script for running Ranked Pairs voting algorithm
  • Conduct testing to ensure it is working as intended
  • Write up a guide explaining how it works to share with the committee
• Cat:
  • Update the CompSoc website to reflect the new committee roles, removing any outdated ones
  • Create a page on the site listing out the current active SIGs
  • Coordinate with Vincent and Ali to get the updated constitution posted once ready
• Elisa:
  • Set up a meeting with Fergus and Ali to review the budget allocations for SIGs for the 2024-2025 academic year
  • Prepare a report on current SIG finances to aid in allocating the budget
• Yuto:
  • Organize a merchandise sale at the upcoming STMU event
  • Work with vendors to order more mugs, stickers, keychains at the new agreed upon price points
  • Design graphics to advertise the merch offerings
  • Coordinate with Charlotte on announcements/communications to promote the merch sale