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Grievances

We hope all our members enjoy the club and are happy with the way it’s run, but inevitably things go wrong occasionally. Members are entitled to ask for a review of any decision by the club’s administration by following the procedure below.

Last revised: AGM, May 2006.

1. Any member wishing to make a formal appeal against a decision by the club’s administration may do so by submitting their objection in writing to the President together with a £10 fee.
2. Upon receiving a formal objection, if no amicable resolution is immediately available, then the President shall form an appeal committee to review the decision, normally consisting of:
   1. the President (who shall act as chair where necessary)
   2. the Senior Treasurer
   3. the Junior Treasurer
   4. four additional committee members selected as in 4.
3. Where any member of the appeal committee is unavailable within a reasonable time or has a conflict of interest, they must stand down, and an additional committee member must be selected to replace them as in 4.
4. The President shall select additional committee members for the appeal committee by asking randomly chosen members of the club’s organising committee if they are willing to hear the appeal until the required number have agreed.
5. If the appeal relates to a decision by the President, then the written objection may be made to any Vice President, who shall then take on the responsibilities normally assigned to the President under 1, 2 including 2a, and 4.
6. Any interested parties shall have reasonable opportunity to make their case to the appeal committee.
7. The appeal committee shall then consider privately whether the original decision was reasonable, and report their decision and the reasons for it to both the appellant and the club committee.
8. The decision must be reached within one week for objections raised during Full Term, or by the end of the first week of the following Full Term otherwise, unless the appeal committee requires additional time to seek legal or financial advice or to consult with University authorities, in which case the decision shall be made promptly on receiving the necessary information.
9. If the appeal committee finds that the original decision was unreasonable, then they may direct any reasonable alternative decision, and this shall be binding on the administration. An appeal committee may not direct a major change in club policy, but may require that such a change be brought before the full club committee for a vote at its next meeting.
10. Regardless of the outcome, the £10 fee shall be returned to the appellant unless the appeal committee decides, in its sole discretion, that the appeal had no realistic chance of success; such a decision may not itself be appealed.
11. Appeals should be made promptly. Where an appeal is made after a significant delay, the appeal committee may take this into account when deciding whether it is reasonable to adjust the decision.