Finance & Affiliations 2010-11

Goldsmiths Students’ Union 2010 - 2011 2

Society funds must be used to further -(a) The interests, aims and objectives of the Society as written in its Constitution;(b) The aims, objectives and rules of Goldsmiths Students’ Union;

Claiming back money from the society accountTo be able to claim money, you will need all receipts and invoice forms. Bring the receipts to the Student Development Coordinator for authorisation and you can claim back from the finance office. You can have it transferred into your account or can get the money back in cash from the finance office.If you are purchasing something that is more than £50 you will need a purchase order from the Student Development Coordinator before you buy it, otherwise you may not be able to claim back the money.

To claim back money you will need a receipt – it can not be the credit card receipt or a print out of an Ebay page. Invoices must be printed.

You must claim back the money within 6 weeks of purchase.You must have enough money in your society account to cover your expenses.

Reimbursements will not be authorised if the money is not in the account to cover it. There is no overdraft facility at the bank of GSU. If your society account is ‘in the red’ at the end of the year the debts will be carried over to the next year.Only the president and treasurer of the society can authorise money to be claimed back, unless they have arranged for others to be able to do so with the Student Development Coordinator.If you need to get more than £500 in cash please give a weeks notice so that we can ensure we have enough in the safe.Cash is not given without receipts – it is not given in advance of purchase.

Membership feesSocieties must decide how much they want to charge their members - £1, £3 or £5. All members must pay this subscription. Membership of a society lasts throughout the academic year and must be renewed each year. To be a society you need at least 10 members who have all paid the membership fee and filled in the membership form.

Where does my membership money go?The membership money goes back into the society. The money from the first 10 members goes into the print budget and the money from any further members goes into the individual society’s ‘bank account’ with the Students Union.

GSU ‘bank account’The society money must be kept in the Students Union bank account. The society code of conduct states that –

‘You must not Incur unauthorised expenditure of Union monies, or hold Club monies outside of the Union.’There are two main reasons for this. The first is that if an individual is holding society money and loses it, the money is not insured and can not be reimbursed by the Students’ Union. The second reason is transparency – if a student asks where their membership/fundraising money goes, we need to be able to show them.

Photocopy budgetAll societies have a photocopy budget and will be issued with a code for the photocopier when they are a fully registered society.

Grant/Loan applications and allocation proceduresEach society is eligible to apply for a grant or loan from a fund that is set each year by the Union Exec and allocated following applications from societies. The fund is for specific events or purchases that the society would like to make.A Society must submit a grant application form (click here to apply). . Carefully consider what your Society needs the money for and ensure the activities you plan fulfill your aims and objectives. Please contact the Student Development Coordinator for more details.

You can apply for a maximum of £250. If you are applying for less than £50 all you need to do is fill in the form. If you are applying for more than £50 the 2nd stage of the application process is to give a 5 minute presentation on what you would like the money for. The panel will be made up of the Student Development Coordinator, the Societies Officer and a Sabbatical Officer. You will be sent guidance notes on what to cover but it should include• What the society has been doing this year, including any

fundraising towards the activity the grant is for.• How receiving the grant will benefit your society.• A breakdown of what the money is required for.• The Student Development Coordinator or Societies Officer

will be able to help you write a proposal.• The fund is allocated by the Student Development

Coordinator and Societies Officer.• To be eligible to receive a grant your society must meet the

following criteria:• Have existed as a society for at least one full academic term.• Been demonstrably active over the past academic term. This

means that there must have been regular meetings and at least 1 event that was publicised to the wider student body (ie. not just to society members).

• The money requested is subject to the following conditions:• It must further the aims of the society.• It must support the ethos of the Students’ Union, ie ‘…

through representation we provide inclusive, accessible activities for Goldsmiths’ students’.

• There must be a clear plan to deliver on your aims and persons delegated to be responsible for ensuring these aims

SOCIETIES FINANCE


are met.• What the Students’ Union will not fund:• Purchase of alcohol• Events that are purely social, ie it should also further the

aims of the society• Personalised uniforms

Further notes:It is preferable that the society do some fundraising to contribute towards what is planned or use a portion of their existing funds raised through previous activities or membership payments.

If you are organising a commercial/fundraising event in the stretch or the common room please ensure you email

[email protected].

Fundraising & SponsorshipSocieties should, where possible, use fundraising and sponsorship to fund their events and activities. If you are applying for a grant from the Union we will ask your society to fundraise at least some of the money. The Student Development Coordinator and the Activities and Services Officer are here to help you with advice on how to fundraise for your society.

Ticket SalesIf you are selling tickets for a society event that cost more than £5 you will need to arrange for them to be sold by Students’ Union staff. You can not take the money and then pay it in bulk to the society account. If the tickets are under £5 you can take the money and then pay it into the account.

Carrying Money over to Next YearIf the society is continuing next year you need to notify the Student Development Coordinator if you would like the money to be carried over to the next academic year. If we do not hear from you the money will not be carried over and the society will start from £0 in the next academic year.

Finance Office Opening Hours9-5pmMonday and Wednesday-Friday (not available on Tuesdays)If you have any questions please get in contact with the Student Development Coordinator.

For more info check out - http://www.goldsmithssu.org/yourunion/societies


SPORTS FINANCE Budget Allocations

Competitive teams1.The minimum full student membership level is based on the needs of each club / team. This will either be the same as the Students’ Union minimum stipulated level of 10 memberships or the size of a playing team with substitutes. This minimum number does not include social members or training only student members. The below figures are based on one full team:• Men’s Basketball – minimum of 10• Women’s Basketball – minimum of 10• Cricket – minimum of 11• Men’s Football – minimum of 14• Women’s Football – minimum of 14• Men’s Hockey – minimum of 14• Women’s hockey – minimum of 14• Netball – minimum of 10• Rugby Union – minimum of 22• Volleyball – minimum of 10• Cheerleading – minimum of 15• Ju Jitsu – no minimum number of competitive members.

2.Competitive club members pay a minimum of £20 per annum per club.

3.Team committees may choose to charge more than the minimum required; however this must be approved in advance. Any membership money raised above the minimum required amount for full student memberships will be allocated directly to the club / team.

4.Each team will be allocated an SU grant based on their minimum membership level. The SU grant money will be allocated as follows:

a.The teams which play their fixtures at Loring Hall Sports Ground will be given £50 per full student member (up to their minimum level) – Cricket, Men’s Football, Women’s Football and Rugby.

b.All other competitive teams will be given £100 per full student member (up to their minimum level) – Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Cheerleading, Men’s and Women’s Hockey, Netball and Volleyball.

5.If a team does not reach the minimum required level of membership no funding will be released by the SU and the teams will have all external training and fixture bookings / competitions cancelled.

6.Money required above the grant amount should be raised through fundraising, gaining sponsorship or recruiting additional full, training only or social members.

7.Each team will be asked to base their membership fee on:• League affiliation fees (Basketball, Football, Hockey, Netball,

Rugby & Volleyball)• Competition affiliation fees (Cheerleading & Ju Jitsu)• NGB affiliation costs (Basketball, Football, Hockey & Ju Jitsu)• Training facility hire costs• Fixture facility hire costs• Coach / instructor costs• Officials’ costs. Teams which have officials paid for by

invoice through the Students’ Union (Rugby and Cricket) will be required to meet these costs.

• Expected membership level• The cost of on-line membership. (There will be a small

percentage of membership fee lost for fees charged)

8.Goldsmiths students may join competitive clubs as a training only member for £5 per annum per club. There is no minimum or maximum membership number for this type of membership. All training only membership money will be allocated to the club (once the minimum full student membership level has been achieved).

9.Non Goldsmith students can join clubs for £10 per annum per club; classified as social members (alumni / staff / external students / friends / family of members / local businesses etc). Only current Goldsmiths students may take part in competitive fixtures and competitions. This membership will allow non Goldsmith students to train with the teams. There is no minimum or maximum membership number for this type of membership. All membership money will be allocated to the club (once the minimum full student membership level has been achieved).

a.Non Goldsmiths students will not be covered by the Students’ Unions insurance policy when training on non-Goldsmiths property. The Public Liability Insurance may be used for sessions on campus and at Loring Hall Sports Ground only.

10.Each club would be given up to £20 for photocopying. This is non transferrable. Any extra costs need to be paid for by the team. Each team will be allocated a printing number, however all printing will go through the Sports & Recreation Manager.

11.If teams wish to become a recreational team and drop out of leagues and competitions this will take effect from the following academic year. No refunds will be given on individual memberships, although current Goldsmiths students may switch their membership to another team free of charge.

12.The subsidised costs for transport will be changed. We will reimburse ½ the cost of a young person’s railcard for train journeys. This must be claimed back within 2 weeks of the date of travel. Taxis must be approved in advance and will also be reimbursed at 50%.Examples


• A club charges £20 per full student member, with a minimum full student membership level of 10. This is the minimum membership amount required. They train / play off campus and so receive £100 per full student member up to 10 students. Once the team have 10 members they will receive a grant from the SU for £1000. For each member that joins after this point the full amount for that membership category will go directly to the club.

• A club charges £25 per full student member, with a minimum full student membership level of 14. This is £5 over the minimum required amount. They train / play off campus and so receive £100 per full student member up to 14 students. They would therefore receive £1400 grant from the SU, plus £70 (14 x £5). For each member (Full, training only or social) that joins after this point the full amount for that membership category will go directly to the club.

Recreational teams1.The minimum membership number for a team to run is 10 current Goldsmiths students.

2.Recreational team members will be charged a minimum of £5 per student membership per annum.

3.Team committees may choose to charge more than the minimum required; however this must be approved in advance. Any membership money raised above the minimum required amount for full student memberships will be allocated directly to the club / team.

4.Non Goldsmith students can join a team for £10 per annum; classified as social members (alumni / staff / external students / friends / family of members / local businesses etc). Only current Goldsmiths students may take part in competitive fixtures and competitions. This membership will allow non Goldsmith students to train with the teams. There is no minimum or maximum membership number for this type of membership. Once the minimum full student membership level has been achieved all membership money will be allocated to the club.

a.Non Goldsmiths students will not be covered by the Students’ Unions insurance policy when training on non-Goldsmiths property. The Public Liability Insurance may be used for sessions on campus and at Loring Hall Sports Ground only.

5.Each club would be given up to £20 for photocopying. This is non transferrable. Any extra costs need to be paid for by the team. Each team will be allocated a printing number, however all printing will go through the Sports & Recreation Manager.

6.The SU retains the membership money for the first 10 members to cover administrative fees. All extra money raised through memberships is allocated to the club / team. There is no

cap on the number of memberships a club / team can sign up. The money must be spent on activities / services that will benefit the whole team, and not individual items or benefits.

7.If teams wish to become competitive and enter competitions this may take effect straight away provided all persons increase their membership fees to the competitive level. If teams wish to enter leagues, this will take effect from the following academic year. The extra £15 (+) membership money will be allocated to the club. The club will be not qualify for a competitive grant allowance from the SU until the following academic year, provided they submit a successful budget request.Examples

a.A club charges £5 per full student member, with a minimum full student membership level of 10. This is the minimum membership amount required. They do not sign up any social members. They do not receive any funding for the activities undertaken throughout the year.

b.A club charges £5 per full student member, with a minimum full student membership level of 10. This is the minimum membership amount required. They sign up 50 members and so receive the membership money for 40 full student members - £200 (40 x £5).

c.A club charges £10 per full student member, with a minimum full student membership level of 10. This is £5 over the minimum amount required. They sign up 30 student members and so receive the membership money for 20 full student members - £100 (20 x £5) plus the difference in membership money for 30 students - £150 (30 x £5). This is a total of £250.

d.A club charges £5 per full student member, with a minimum full student membership level of 10. This is the minimum membership amount required. They sign up 50 student members and so receive the membership money for 40 full student members - £200 (40 x £5). They also sign up at 5 social members at £10 per member, and so receive an extra £50 (5 x £10). This is a total of £250.

New team

1.All new teams have to complete a constitution to detail the aims and objectives, the committee who will run the club, where and how many times a week training is required and any resources required from the SU. Details of any leagues or competitions the club wish to enter are also needed.

2.Upon completion of the Constitution, new teams will be treated the same as a recreational team and will have the same budget allocation procedures.

For more info check out - http://www.goldsmithssu.org/yourunion/sports


Here at Goldsmiths we strive to be as transparent as possible sharing information on our structure, finances and affiliations with our key stakeholders in the student body and further field.

Working to the 1994 education act and more importantly to make sure that we’re understood by our students we aim to make sure all key data about our ventures, finances and affiliations is accessible This page serves as a communication point for all such Information, making it easy and accessible for all those who wish to see it.

In the 1994 education act it states that -

“If the union decides to affiliate to an external organisation, it should publish notice of its decision, stating the name of the organisation, and details of any subscription or similar fee paid or proposed to be paid, and of any donation made or proposed to be made, to the organisation, and any such notice should be made available to the governing body and to all students.”

Unless notice has been given prominently on the Goldsmiths SU website or otherwise on the Goldsmiths finances and affiliations page then as of start of the academic year 2011-12 Goldsmith currently has no affiliations to report on. Within the same parameters as above Goldsmiths SU has no affiliate donations or new affiliations to report upon to for the academic year of 2010-11.

CURRENT AFILIATIONS

For more info check out - http://www.goldsmithssu.org/yourunion/goldsmiths_affiliations_&_finances


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1. Introduction

This is the formal procedure for dealing with disputes with Goldsmiths Students’ Union, in particular complaints arising from disputes between a student or other member of Goldsmiths College and elected officers and/or Goldsmiths Students’ Union itself. Efforts should be made in every case to resolve the complaint(s) informally before this procedure is invoked.

This Complaints Procedure shall be interpreted to comply with the terms of the Education Act (1994) and Goldsmiths College’s Code of Practice relating to Students’ unions.

Where time limits for action are defined, they are to be considered as maximum limits; all complaints and appeals will be dealt with as promptly as possible. Where there is good reason why a time limit cannot be met, the complainant(s) will be informed immediately.

All complaints will be dealt with in strict confidence. However complaints cannot be made anonymously

All complaints relating to Students’ Union staff should be referred to the staff process outlined in the staff handbook.

2. Application

This procedure shall apply in all instances except where the operational policies and procedures of Goldsmiths Students’ Union, as approved by the relevant committee or by the College Assembly, allows for variation. For example within Licensed areas.

If there is no operational policy or procedure, this section shall apply absolutely.

3. Making a complaint

The procedure allows any student, group of students or other member of Goldsmiths College to make a formal complaint(s) against the services and facilities of Goldsmiths Students’ Union or an individual or group within Goldsmiths Students’ Union • Relating to their treatment by Goldsmiths Students’ Union; • Relating to their treatment by anyone acting on behalf of

Goldsmiths Students’ Union; or • If they feel they have been unfairly disadvantaged by having

exercised the right to opt out of membership of Goldsmiths Students’ Union.

3.1. Valid complaints

Complaints shall be considered valid if the complainant:

a. provides details of their name, address and contact telephone number (if any);

b. provides details of the event or occurrence which gave rise to the complaint; and

c. raises the complaint within 28 days of the event or occurrence giving grounds for complaint.

3.2. Persons to whom complaints shall be addressed

Complaints shall be addressed to:

President Goldsmiths Students’ Union Dixon RoadNew CrossLondonSE14 6NW

If the complaint is directed against the President then it should be addressed to the Welfare and Education Officer at the same address.

The President or Welfare and Education Officer where relevant will provide a written acknowledge of receipt of the complaint within five working days.

4. Investigation of complaints

All valid complaints shall be investigated and the results of that investigation communicated to the complainant within ten working days of receipt of the complaint. If there is a valid reason to delay investigation the complainant will be advised within five working days of submitting the complaint.

The President will investigate all complaints about the Chief Executive, elected officers and Goldsmiths Students’ Union committees.

The President must delegate responsibility for the investigation into the complaint where appropriate.

a. The Chief Executive will normally be asked to investigate complaints about SU staff (including student staff).

b. Other members of the Senior Management team will investigate service complaints regarding service failures in their areas.

COMPLAINTS


c. The Student Activities and Services Officer will normally be asked to investigate complaints about student activity.

4.1. Guidelines for investigation of complaints

4.1.1. Investigations shall be conducted by the President or by that person nominated by the President (see above) and at least two other people designated by the President or their nominee.

4.1.2. No person involved in the investigation of any complaint shall have a direct or vested interest in the outcome of the same.

4.1.3. All parties to the complaint shall be offered the opportunity to submit written and oral statements and present appropriate evidence, including mitigating circumstances.

4.1.4. All parties to the complaint may be assisted by a representative or friend, without charge or cost to Goldsmiths Students’ Union.

4.2. Outcome of an investigation

The outcome of an investigation shall be determined immediately after all parties to the complaint have presented their case and any supporting evidence.

The person(s) conducting the investigation shall determine:

a. all findings of fact;

b. any mitigating circumstances; and

c. any recommended appropriate further action.

Copies of the investigation report will be made available to all parities involved in the complaint. Confidential records of the investigation report will be kept for three years following the complaint.

The investigation report will determine whether the complaint has been upheld or rejected.

4.3. Justified complaints against a service or facility

In the event of a justified complaint against a service or facility, the following procedure shall apply:

4.3.1. The person(s) conducting the investigation shall consider how to prevent any future instances of the event or occurrence that gave rise to the complaint and propose remedial action to the President.

4.3.2. The person investigating the complaint (if not the President) will inform the President immediately of the outcome of the investigation. The President will confirm in writing the outcome of the investigation to all parties to the complaint within ten working days of the receipt of the original complaint form.

4.4. Justified complaints against a person or group

In the event of a justified complaint against a person or group, the following procedure shall apply:

4.4.1. If the person(s) conducting the investigation consider that there has been a breach of the Articles of Governance, Staff Protocol, Equal Opportunities Policy or Codes of Conduct then the Disciplinary Procedure will be invoked.

4.4.2. The complainant shall not have a right to demand that the Disciplinary Procedure is invoked, or that sanctions should be imposed.

4.4.3. The person investigating the complaint (if not the President) will inform the President immediately of the outcome of the investigation. The President will confirm in writing the outcome of the investigation to all parties to the complaint within 10 working days of the receipt of the original complaint form.

4.5. Complaints which are not upheld

Where complaints are not upheld, they shall be deemed unsubstantiated complaints and the following procedure shall apply:

4.5.1. The person investigating the complaint (if not the President) will inform the President immediately of the outcome of the investigation. The President will confirm in writing the outcome of the investigation to all parties to the complaint within 10 working days of the receipt of the original complaint form.

4.5.2. The complainant will be informed by the President of their right to appeal to the College or other statutory organisations, as might be appropriate.

4.5.3 Where complaints are found to be malicious relevant disciplinary processes will be invoked.


COMPLAINTSFLOW CHART


Goldsmiths students UnionDixon RoadNew Cross SE14 6NW

goldsmithssu.org

Documents

Finance & Affiliations 2010-11