Constitution

  1. The name of the Society shall be: “The Cambridge University Tai Chi Chuan Society”.
  2. The Society’s aims shall be:
    1. To offer instruction on Tai Chi Chuan that may include self defence, push hands, hand forms, weapons forms (an extra charge for weapons forms training may be raised) and Nei-Kung (Nei-Kung to be taught by special arrangement).
    2. To include conditioning exercises as part of Tai Chi training.
    3. To include sparring training as part of Tai Chi instruction.
    4. To encourage students to take part in competitions.
    5. To promote Tai Chi Chuan in all its aspects including those of health, aesthetics, ritual, philosophy and self-defence.
  3. Membership of the Society shall be extended to all members of the University and any others who may apply to the Committee. There shall be an annual fee of membership which shall be fixed by the committee. The committee shall not refuse any application of membership on the grounds of race, sex, sexual orientation, religion or political views. It may, however, expel any member for behaviour likely to bring the Society into disrepute. Expulsion shall be decided on the discretion of the committee, by majority decision, at a meeting for which there shall be two weeks notice. All members shall have full voting rights as Society members.
  4. Meetings of the Society:
    1. The Annual General Meeting shall be held each year in the first half of the Lent Term. The time and venue of this meeting will be determined and publicised by the committee at least seven Full Term days beforehand.
    2. Additional meetings will be arranged as necessary. The times and venues of these meetings will be determined and publicised by the committee at least three Full Term days beforehand.
  5. The Committee and Technical Panel of the Society shall be elected at the AGM. Nominations for the Committee and Technical Panel must be submitted to the Secretary at least seven Full Term days before the AGM. Any member of the Society may be nominated for any post on the Committee by two other members of the Society. There may be hustings at the AGM. Votes shall be counted at the AGM by two persons at the AGM who are not candidates for Committee posts themselves. The Committee may at its discretion co-opt additional Committee members to itself where it perceives the need, or to fill vacancies that may arise.
  6. The Committee shall consist of: President, Junior Treasurer, Secretary, Computing Officer, and Social Secretary.
  7. A Senior Treasurer shall be appointed by the Committee each year to audit the Society’s accounts.
  8. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by any member of the Society, and must be submitted to the President in writing. This Constitution may only be amended at an AGM, or a meeting specially called for that purpose. No vote on a Constitutional amendment shall be valid unless the vote is carried out in the presence of the President. Notice of at least 14 days of Full Term shall be given to all members of a meeting called for the purpose of making changes to the constitution.
  9. The society will have a Technical Panel. The aim of the Technical Panel is to assess prospective instructors for the CUTCCS and give guidance to the CUTCCS committee as to the ability of these instructors to meet the aims of the CUTCCS constitution, particularly article 2. Additionally, the Committee and the Membership must refer to the Technical Panel any matter that involves either current or future instruction of the Membership. The Technical Panel will then give guidance to the Committee and it will decide by majority vote whether to accept it.
  10. All instructors must be insured by the British Council of Chinese Martial Arts. Failure to be insured will mean the instructor will not be allowed to teach a class. The Committee with guidance from the Technical Panel may allow instructors insured with other recognised organisations to instruct.
  11. It is the Society’s aim to encourage instructors from many styles of Tai Chi Chuan to take part in teaching.
  12. All Tai Chi Chuan students must be insured by the British Council of Chinese Martial Arts within 21 days of their first class or at the instructor’s discretion. Failure to be insured will mean that instructors will not allow students to take part in classes or competitions etc. The Committee with guidance from the Technical Panel may allow students insured with other recognised organisations to be taught.