Club & Society Agreement

By becoming a society affiliated with Keele SU, you are agreeing to a set of rules and behaviours that we expect from our groups in exchange for our support.  Clubs and Societies are a cornerstone of student life at Keele University and enhance the student experience in several ways. It is in the interest of all stakeholders; students, Keele University and Keele SU to expect that clubs and societies are conducted in a way which protects students, staff and resources.

This agreement references (and is superseded by) the Keele SU Member Code of Conduct, the Keele SU Bye-Laws, the standard Club and Society Constitution, University Regulations and Acts of Parliament. It is intended to be an extensive list of the conduct expected of Keele SU affiliated clubs and societies in the above legislation and is intended to help committee members ensure their clubs and societies are compliant with relevant policy.

Where a breach of this agreement is identified, Keele SU will follow the relevant policies linked in the agreement to appropriately investigate the matter. This agreement does not set out disciplinary sanctions; however, a breach of any part of this agreement may trigger disciplinary action being taken via the appropriate policy.

Please give the following a read-through, and contact the Student Experience Team if you have any questions.

• Training
• Competitive and Friendly Matches
• Socials on or off campus
• Committee meetings
• Club and Society meetings
• Club and Society events
• Shows and Performances
• Tours and trips
• Travel to and from club and society activity
• Online club and society activity
• Sign up events

Breaches of this agreement may relate to;

• Individual members and committee members
• A club or society committee
• A club or society as a whole

• Abide by the Keele SU Member Code of Conduct, University Regulations and where relevant, BUCS rules and regulations. (Keele SU Bye-Laws 7.2.c
• Be respectful of Keele SU and Keele University premises, facilities and resources, including online facilities such as the Keele SU website, your Club or Society email account and Microsoft Teams account (Keele SU Member Code of Conduct)
• Be responsible and legally compliant with the personal data of students and always adhere to GDPR and Data Protection regulations (Keele University Data Protection Policy,)(Keele SU Data Protection and Information Security Policy)
• Entrust the handling of club and society finances to the Keele SU Finance Department in accordance with Keele SU’s financial procedures (Keele SU Bye-Laws,7.3.a.i)
• Uphold democracy within clubs and societies by participating in Keele SU arranged Committee elections, holding at least one all-member meeting per year and adhering to the club or society constitution (Keele SU Bye-Laws, 10 Chapter 7) (Club and Society Constitutions)
• Allow any member of Keele SU to join the club or society on payment of the membership fee (Club and Society Constitutions)
• Allow any club or society member to join and participate in any activity organised by the society, attend and address any general meeting of the society, attend any Committee meeting and, at the discretion of the committee, be granted speaking rights (Club and Society Constitutions)
• Uphold freedom of speech as defined in Keele University Policy (Keele University Freedom of Speech: Code of Practise)
• Complete and abide by risk assessments which will be shared with Keele SU prior to the undertaking of club or society activity (Keele SU Bye-Laws, Chapter 7)
• Ensure that committee members engage with training provided by Keele SU (Keele SU Bye-Laws, Chapter 7)
• Follow the University Code of Conduct for group social events at all society and club meetings and socials (Code of Conduct for Group Social Events)

• Check BUCS Fixtures in advance of the season and inform Student Experience of any issues with fixture dates at the start of the year.
• Give the Student Experience Team a minimum of 72 hours ' notice should they not be able to fill a team (this may be the result of injuries etc.)
• Be responsible for any transport/walkover/BUCS fine as the result of late notice for fixture cancellation (with the exception of unexpected weather changes)
• Complete all team sheets in full ahead of each fixture on BUCSPlay
• Any BUCS fines for not completing team sheets will be paid for in FULL by the club
• Complete all result entries for HOME fixtures by 12:00 the following day
• Be responsible for any transport fees for not turning up for an organised team bus without 72hrs notice
• Inform the Student Experience Team and complete accident forms for all club injuries (including but not limited to training, home and away fixtures)

• Show, encourage or allow bullying and harassment towards anyone, either in person or online. (Keele University Bullying, Harassment and Victimisation Policy Statement for Students) (Keele SU Member Code of Conduct)
• Show, encourage or allow discrimination, harassment and/or victimisation of others on the grounds of their age, disability, gender, gender identity, pregnancy, maternity, race, religion, belief, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by relevant Equality legislation (Keele University Bullying, Harassment and Victimisation Policy Statement for Students) (Keele SU Member Code of Conduct) (Keele University Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy) (Gender Segregation Joint Code of Practice)
• Behave in a manner which brings or is likely to bring Keele SU or Keele University into disrepute (Keele Member SU Code of Conduct) (Keele SU Bye-Laws 7.2.c.ii)
• Steal, defraud or misappropriate club or society funds (Keele SU Member Code of Conduct)
• Arrange sponsorship or affiliation to outside organisations without the approval of Keele SU (Keele SU Bye-Laws 7. 3.b)
• Invite anyone who is not a student or staff member at Keele University to speak, perform or host at an event held by a Keele SU club or society, either on campus, online or off campus without gaining permission via the External Speaker Process. (External Speaker Approval Procedure)
• Risk the health and safety of others (Keele SU Member Code of Conduct)
• Campaign as a club or society on behalf of any candidate in a Keele SU election. This includes elections for Full and Part Time Officer positions, committee elections and Student Voice Rep Elections. (Keele SU Bye-Laws 11.2.l)
• Allow non-members of Keele SU to unduly influence the democratic or financial arrangements of clubs or societies (Keele SU Bye-Laws 7)
• Exclude or sanction any member of a club or society, even when the committee feels that a member has breached club or society regulations. All investigations and subsequent disciplinary action will be undertaken by Keele SU (Keele SU Bye-Laws, 7)
• Arrange or knowingly allow Initiations. An ‘Initiation’ is defined as: An instance in which members (often, but not limited to, new members) of a club are encouraged, expected or forced either directly or through peer pressure to perform a task or tasks as a means to gaining entry, credibility, or status within that club and where that task may compromise a person’s inherent dignity. (Code of Conduct for Group Society Events)
• Undertake activity which could place Keele SU in breach of charity law, such as donating club or society funds to other charities and using club or society funds to engage in political activity (Keele SU Constitution 5)

• Action may be taken against individual members or committee members or against the Club or Society as a whole.
• Failure to comply with this agreement may result in the punitive action listed in the relevant policies and procedures. Relevant procedures that individual students can be investigated and sanctioned against are laid out in the Keele SU Member Code of Conduct and University Regulation B1: Student Discipline.
• If any members have concerns about the behaviour of another member, then they must report this to the Student Experience department (su.activities@keele.ac.uk/au.athleticunion@keele.ac.uk), who will arrange for an investigation to be conducted. Committees must not carry out investigations and/or impose sanctions.
• Action can be taken against a Club or Society. The process for this is laid out in the Member Code of Conduct and the Keele SU Bye-Laws, with specific reference to the below section in Chapter 7 (Clubs and Societies;

“8. c. A Keele SU society/club may be dissolved by Union Council only when the Union Council believes that the society is in continuous breach of the SU’s governing documents.

8. d. A Keele SU society/club shall be dissolved by the Activities and Community Officer only when it holds that the society is in breach of charity law or financial regulations.”

Keele SU has a responsibility to support Clubs and Societies to ensure that they are providing an excellent student experience. To ensure we’re fulfilling our duties, we have listed a set of behaviours that you can expect from us. If you don’t feel as though we are meeting these standards, you are able to offer your feedback or raise a complaint at keelesu.com/yoursu/feedback/. We commit to:

• Maintain accurate records and financial accounts for all Keele SU Clubs and Societies
• Provide fair access to grants and funding for clubs and societies
• Offer appropriate and timely training to all committee members
• Ensure that clubs and societies are provided with safe and functioning spaces and equipment to allow them to carry out their activities
• Uphold the health, safety and well-being of students engaged in clubs and societies by supporting and enabling safe student activities
• Promote engagement in clubs and societies and provide opportunities to promote student activities such as organising sign-up fairs
• Communicate regularly with Clubs and Societies by informing them of opportunities, information and updates
• Negotiate with BUCS and other Students’ Unions to organise regular fixtures for sports clubs
• Negotiate with the Sports Centre to ensure suitable space for sports clubs to practise and train
• Respond to enquiries within five working days
• Provide an inclusive, accepting and safe space for students to engage in activities
• Host and administer annual club and society elections to ensure the fair election of club and society committees
• Represent the interests of clubs and societies to the University and the wider community
• Work to continually improve and enhance the experience of students engaging in clubs and societies
• Appropriately reward and recognise students for their contributions to clubs and societies
• Upload appropriate club and society activities to students’ Higher Education Achievement Records (HEAR)
• Provide support and mediation for clubs and societies in conflict or crisis
• To intervene appropriately and fairly when clubs or societies breach this agreement
• To signpost to appropriate services when we cannot assist a club or society or member
• Confirm Keele SU room and equipment bookings within 5 working days and provide 5 days' notice for any changes or cancellations to your bookings other than in exceptional circumstances
• Always uphold the values of Keele University Students’ Union by being supportive, friendly, creative and always putting students first
• The Keele SU Student Experience Team will maintain responsibility for this document and will ensure that is kept up to date with any additional policies or regulations and changes to relevant legislation.