The Dance HE Constitution
Standing Conference on Dance in Higher Education
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1. NAME
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The name of the organisation is the Standing Conference on Dance in Higher
Education, to be known as DanceHE (formerly SCODHE).
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2. AIMS
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The Conference is the representative body for higher education departments teaching and researching Dance in the United Kingdom. Working in partnership with the membership and related organisations, the conference aims are:
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2.1 To represent and advocate for the interests of the dance as a subject in higher education in the UK.
2.2 To provide a forum for professional and scholarly debate
2.3 To promote and disseminate excellence in dance teaching, learning and research.
2.4 To collect, exchange and disseminate information
2.5 To liaise and collaborate across the sector with other professional, scholarly and governmental organisations on matters relevant to the study and teaching of dance in higher education.
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3. MEMBERSHIP
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Institutions / organisations as outlined below are eligible for full voting membership:
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a) funded directly through HEFCE and/or
b) teaching in the subject domain at least to degree level or equivalent (whether in departments, subject groups, etc.).
c) other organisations with a vested interest in supporting the development of dance as a subject within HEI’s.
Membership is renewed annually by subscription (see below).
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1) INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP; full membership for department colleagues from one institution, with full membership access rights and voting rights to the organisation.
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2) INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP; this is ideal for individuals where there is a single member or two members of staff in the department or for an associate lecturer who may work across different institutions. This membership has full membership access rights and voting rights to the organisation. Institution e-mail as proof of identity is required.
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3) ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP; This is ideal for research assistants, PhD students and other associates connected to HE institutions who wish to become more informed with regard to the nature of the organisation, its work and some of its resources. This membership has restricted membership access rights and no voting rights to the organisation. Institution e-mail as proof of identity is required.
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4) HONORARY MEMBERSHIP – Related bodies and institutions, which fall outside the specified criteria for full membership may be granted Honorary Membership if it is deemed to be of mutual advantage. Honorary members will have the right to participate in the sharing of information and to attend and contribute to meetings, but will not be accorded voting rights and will pay no subscription.
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4. SUBSCRIPTION
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There will be a flat-rate fee per full-member institution at a rate determined by the Board. Rates may vary across HEI and non-HEI members and exceptionally small organisations may make a request to the Executive for a reduce rate/fee waver (but not for consecutive years). The subscription year will normally coincide with the academic year and the subscription will fall on or before 1 May each year.
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Changes in levels of subscription rates will be determined annually at the AGM and/or via electronic vote.
Full-member institutions that do not pay the subscription shall have their membership suspended.
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5. REPRESENTATION
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Full-member institutions must nominate a voting representative, and should notify the Chair of their designated voter for any business meeting. Meetings will be deemed quorate provided at least one third of the total voting membership is present, except under the particular conditions set out below under 6 and 10.
In the event of a meeting being inquorate, the Executive will post recommendations via the web/elist from the meeting as soon as possible afterwards for consideration by the membership. An electronic vote will allow such recommendations to be agreed as decisions by a simple majority of the total voting membership.
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6. STRUCTURES
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There will be an Executive made up of at least four officers who shall between them cover the following roles:
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Chair
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Vice-Chair
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Recording Secretary
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Finance (inc. membership)
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Partnership Liaison(s)
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Web Communications Manager
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Student Representation
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Projects Representation
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The responsibilities of the Executive, will include:
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6.1 The arrangement of ordinary/general meetings and the setting of agenda.
6.2 The execution of business in line with the organisations aims or as referred to it by membership (including the provision to appoint individual members or sub-groups of members to carry forward specific items of business as deemed appropriate),
6.3 The calling of emergency meetings
6.4 Responsibility for ongoing business and
6.5 Speaking for the subject domain in matters of national and international debate.
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The Executive shall have the power to co-opt members at any time, who may represent the organisation at specific events and/or in identified roles.
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Officers shall be elected by the AGM for a period of three years and may not serve in the same post for more than two consecutive periods of office.
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Elections to the Executive shall take the form of an in person/postal/email ballot, and shall be based on one vote per full member institution, cast by that institution’s representative. In the event of a tie the sitting chair shall exercise a casting vote. When elected roles are due for renewal elections shall be announced and an Elections Returning Officer shall be appointed. The Returning Officer shall receive nominations for a period of no less than four weeks. In order to ensure a broad representation no more than one member from an institution may normally serve on the Executive at any one time. Nominations may be self-nominations, which should be received with the support of another member.
At the end of the nomination period, the returning Officer will announce the names of those properly proposed and circulate them to representatives, who will be asked to vote / approve nominations by a deadline set by him or her. The candidates who receive the most votes shall be deemed elected. The results of the Election shall be announced by the Returning Officer at that year’s AGM / through the elist/web.
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The Executive shall have the power to appoint officers in the event of resignation or other emergencies between AGMs.
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Members of the Executive may be dismissed at any time by a vote of no confidence passed by a simple majority of the full membership.
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7. MEETINGS
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7.1 The executive shall hold meetings as and when required.
7.2 The Chair shall convene at least one General Meeting of the Membership per year. General Meetings shall be open to any number of persons from a member institution, but only one designated representative may vote. The General Meetings will comprise:
i. A business meeting which will perform two functions, a) to monitor and advise the Executive, and b) to discuss issues of current interest
ii. An AGM which will normally coincide with an academic conference or seminar.
7.3 Any member institution may convene an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Conference on obtaining the written support of at least one third of the membership. The Extraordinary General Meeting shall normally be convened at a mutually convenient location and time within six weeks of the Chair’s receipt of the request.
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All meetings will be minuted and minutes made available to the membership.
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8. ACCOUNTS
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The Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer will be signatories to payments.
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No reimbursement or payment made to a member of the executive should be counter-signed by that officer.
The Finance Office shall present to the AGM an independently-examined account of the financial transactions carried out in the Conference’s name. The Executive will appoint an independent auditor.
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9. CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION
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Changes to the Constitution may be made by a simple majority approval of the membership.
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10. DISSOLUTION
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The Conference may be dissolved by a simple majority of the voting members, provided that three months’ notice of the resolution has been given. In the event of the dissolution of the Conference, any residual monies shall be used at the discretion of the Executive in furtherance of the aims of the Conference or disbursed to the member institutions in proportion to their contributions in the previous two years.
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March 2001
Revised April 2011, July 2013.