YSTV Constitution

Introduction

York Student Television (often referred to as YSTV) is a student society based at the University of York which provides a television service to the staff and students of the University. This document sets out the details of how the Society is organised and administered, and should be read within the context of both the current Society Policy (see section 10) and with the constitution of YUSU (the University of York Students’ Union, at yusu.org).

Aims and Objectives

The Society aims to provide a television service to the University of York campus, and involve its members in all aspects of the operations of this service. As a part of this, the Society seeks to produce original programme content of interest and relevance to the Society’s membership and to the student body at large. It seeks to extend the opportunity to produce TV to as many students as possible at the University of York and to provide opportunities, wherever possible, for members to meet and network with members of the TV industry.

Terms and Definitions

YSTV is an abbreviation of York Student Television.
YUSU is an abbreviation of University of York Students’ Union.
YUM is an abbreviation of York University Media, the informal collection of media societies at the University of York.
AGM is an abbreviation of Annual General Meeting.
The terms "YSTV" and "the Society" refer to the Society’s membership as a whole.
An "Officer" is an member of the Society elected to a named position concerned with the running of the Society.
The "Committee" is a subset of the Officers, defined as those roles specified in the Constitution. Committee members have certain powers and responsibilities, as laid down in the Constitution and Policy, which exceed those of the remaining Officers defined in the Policy.
"The Station" refers to the rooms occupied by YSTV that are used for the production of television programmes.
"Facilities" refers to all of the rooms and equipment owned or occupied by YSTV.
"The Studio" is the room within the Station used for the set of television programmes.
"The Control Room" is the room within the Station which holds the electronic and computer equipment used in the production of programmes.
"The Workshop" (colloquially referred to as the "Techie Room") is the room within the Station used for the construction and maintenance of equipment.
"in writing" means a printed or handwritten document, which must be signed in person.
"OB" is an abbreviation of Outside Broadcast. Any live programme produced outside of the Studio is considered an Outside Broadcast.

Membership

Ordinary members are those members who have paid a membership fee and in doing so agree to abide by the rules and regulations established in this document and the current Policy.
Ordinary membership is open to all, subject to the rules defined by YUSU. Ordinary Members who are not members of YUSU are ineligible for an Officer position and may not vote in elections.
Ordinary membership may be withdrawn from any member in the event that they have committed a flagrant and wilful breach of the Society Constitution or Policy. The member must be notified in writing or by email at least six days in advance of the Station Meeting at which the decision will be taken. The member in question has the right to defend themselves in person at the meeting or issue a written statement to the Secretary defending their actions. The matter must be discussed, and then a majority vote will decide whether the membership is to be retracted. Anyone losing their membership forfeits their subscription. The expelled member may appeal to the YUSU Student Activities Officer if they feel their expulsion was unfair.
Honorary membership may be conferred upon anyone by means of a majority vote at a Station Meeting. It may also be withdrawn by majority vote at a Station Meeting, but the member in question should receive at least six days’ notice, by email, of the impending vote. Honorary members do not pay a subscription. They may not serve as Officers and have no voting rights at a Station Meeting.

Officers

The activities of the Society have been divided into five distinct areas. Each area has a Team of members associated with it, and each Team consists of one or more Officers and any other interested members.
- All Officers have a responsibility to uphold the Society Constitution and Policy and to carry out their duties as defined by the Constitution and Policy.
- All Officers are expected to abide by YSTV’s Health and Safety Policy and Computing Policy and make sure that all visitors to YSTV are aware of and abide by these. Failure to do so may result in ejection from the Society.
- All Officers have a right of access to the Station via the key list, their own key to the Station, and a right to an official Society email address.
- All Officers are expected to produce a weekly Officer Report, either orally in the Station Meeting or, preferably, a written report via the YSTV website’s Officer Reports function.
- All Officers are responsible for organising and providing adequate training of new and existing members in areas relating to the Team to which they belong.
Within each Team, one officership is defined as the Team Leader. Team Leader positions may not be held by more than one individual.
- Team Leaders are responsible for coordinating the activities of their Team and YSTV’s functions within their remit, and report directly to the Station Director.
- Team Leaders are responsible for carrying out the duties of any vacant officerships within their Team.
- Team Leaders are expected to hold a Team meeting, open and publicised to all, at least twice a term.
No member may hold more than one officership. After the AGM however, vacant posts may be covered by assigning the responsibilities of the post to another Officer. Otherwise, the responsibilities fall to the appropriate Team Leader.
- A delegate to a post is defined as an Officer who has been assigned the responsibilities of an otherwise unoccupied post.
- A post to which a delegate has been assigned is defined as a delegated post.
- The positions of Station Director, Deputy Station Director, Production Director, Commercial Director, Technical Director, and Computing Officer (as Team Leaders) are exempt from delegation. These posts must be held by a dedicated Officer. If the Team Leader post is vacant then the responsibility is shared between the Station Director and Deputy Station Director.
- An Officer may only take on one delegated post in addition to their primary officership.
- An Officer can be delegated to a post by a simple majority vote at a Station Meeting. This vote occurs in the same way as a regular election and is open to all paid members. A show of hands vote is sufficient, although the Officer must leave the room and, as always, any present member may request a secret ballot.
- Should another member (who does not hold an officership) wish to stand for the delegated post at a later date, a normal by-election should take place. The delegate to the post shall be required to relinquish the duties if the election decides in favour of the candidate, however if the election result is to reopen nominations, the delegate to the post shall continue their responsibilities.
- Any delegated posts will be reset at the AGM as with any normal officership.
In the event of an Officer failing to carry out their duties in accordance with the Society Constitution and Policy or abusing their powers, a Station Meeting may take a vote of no confidence in them. The Officer must be notified in writing or by email at least six days in advance of the meeting at which the vote is to take place. They have the right to defend themselves in person at the meeting, or to issue a written statement to the Secretary of the Society defending their actions. The matter must be discussed, and a majority vote will decide whether the officership is to be retracted. Any member can request to defer the motion to the next Station Meeting, and the vote to defer the motion will take place before any discussion is carried out. An individual no-confidence motion may only be deferred once.
Officers must resign if they stand for election to Parliament or to a sabbatical position within YUSU.
The Station Director is responsible for the Society as a whole and has the following duties:
- to be the Chair of the Society;
- to ensure that YSTV is promoted within YUSU and University bodies;
- to call and chair all meetings of the Society in normal circumstances. See Section 7 for details of meetings;
- to organise and chair the AGM;
- to coordinate and support the other Officers of the Society;
- to act as an initial point of contact for general enquiries about the Society and its activities, from both within the University and from the general public;
- to ensure that the membership are kept informed of and encouraged to participate in all the Society’s activities;
- to ensure that the Constitution and Policy are in accordance with the constitution of YUSU, the ordinances and regulations of the University of York and English law, and make sure that the members of YSTV are aware of law and minimise risk;
- to hold the code to the cash box and to be a signatory of any bank accounts held by the Society;
- to work with YUSU and the University to secure the continued independence of YSTV;
- to be responsible for Health and Safety within the day-to-day working of the Society;
- to communicate the views of the Society to YUSU and the university;
- to deal with the press and media (both campus and commercial), in association with the Commercial Director.
The Administration Team are responsible for the maintenance of the Society’s records, both secretarial and financial, and other general administrative matters.
The Deputy Station Director is responsible for the smooth running of the Station and has the following duties:
to deputise the Station Director;

to be the Team Leader for the Administration Team;

to act as a signatory of any bank accounts held by YSTV, and to keep YUSU’s details of Society signatories current;

to act as a first point of contact for any internal disputes within the Society;

to coordinate and support the other Officers in the Society;

to coordinate usage of the Station and ensure fair distribution of time between producers and programmes;

to work closely with the Social Secretary to encourage friendship within the Society;

to ensure the upkeep of any rooms occupied by the Society and to maintain a pleasant working environment, liaising with University administration where necessary;

to ensure that all rooms used by the Society for meetings and OBs are left in an acceptable condition;

to maintain the Control Room's smooth running by ensuring that it is tidy and organised, and by monitoring the working order of equipment used for programme making;

to ensure that the cameras are signed out, and look after tape stock;

to maintain overall control of and distribute Station keys to the officership;

to oversee the upkeep of YSTV’s documentation.
The Secretary has the following duties:
to ensure that all official correspondence is dealt with appropriately, and brought to the attention of other Officers and/or a Station Meeting, as appropriate;

to ensure that records of the Society’s membership are kept up-to-date;

to ensure that detailed, complete, and accurate minutes of all Station Meetings are kept on the YSTV website and with YUSU (when requested);

to hold the Society’s Planon room bookings system password and book rooms for YSTV members when requested;

to coordinate the writing of Team Leader reports, and reports from any other Officers;

to work with the Station Director to ratify the Society with YUSU.
The Treasurer has the following duties:
to keep detailed and accurate records of the Society’s financial status;

to manage the general Station maintenance budget;

to compile, in consultation with the other Officers and the Society in general, a yearly budget proposal, when requested to do so by YUSU;

to manage the Society’s finances efficiently, including the payment of bills, collection of debt and reimbursement of claims made;

to be a signatory of any bank accounts held by the Society;

to hold the code to the cash box;

to be ultimately responsible for all Team budgets.
The Production Team are responsible for all in-house productions and any rebroadcasting of third party material.
The Production Director has the following duties:
to be Team Leader for the Production Team;

to manage the Team’s budget;

to encourage production of a wide range of high quality programming, assisting producers if needed;

to exercise editorial control over all broadcast output, whether in-house or third-party;

to coordinate and support producers of all YSTV productions;

to liaise with all other campus societies who are interested in television coverage of their activities;

to coordinate and collate YSTV’s entries for the National Student Television Awards alongside the Head of Presentation;

to encourage all members of the Production Team to feel part of the Team;

to work with the Station Director and Commercial Director to encourage new members to get involved with YSTV and promote new shows.
The Head of Presentation has the following duties:
to ensure a coherent and consistent brand identity for the Station;

to work with the Commercial Team to ensure consistency between on-screen and printed branding;

to monitor the quality of all output, and advise producers on ways to improve the appearance and technical quality of their programmes;

to work closely with the Production Director to nurture producers and productions, encouraging the development of high quality output;

to work closely with the individual Team Leaders to equip producers and other members with the skills necessary to maintain high standards of output;

to aid the Production Director in assessing and reviewing YSTV’s programming to continually strive to produce programmes of a high quality aimed appropriately at our audience;

to coordinate the logistics of YSTV’s entries to and attendance of the NaSTA conference and awards and be the first point of contact for NaSTA queries.
The Commercial Team are responsible for YSTV’s public image and for raising money for the Society through commercial activities.
The Commercial Director has the following duties:
to be the Team Leader for the Commercial Team;

to manage the Commercial Team’s budget;

to coordinate the raising of money for the Society through advertising, sponsorship and other commercial activities;

to ensure that contracts entered into with commercial organisations are "watertight" and in the interests of the Society, whilst liaising with YUSU;

to ensure that all contracts entered into with advertisers and sponsors are met;

to coordinate the promotion of YSTV and its activities to students and the general public;

to be responsible for the acquisition of merchandise for the Society, and actively seek the best quality and best value for the Society and its members;

to ensure that YSTV, both as a society and as a television station, is well promoted within the student body and the general public;

to encourage new members and the student population to interact more with YSTV;

to coordinate recruitment campaigns for new members;

to hold the password of YSTV’s social media accounts and be responsible for their frequent updating.
The Social Secretary has the following duties:
to encourage members of the Society to socialise together;

to promote friendship and understanding between members of the Society;

to organise social events for members of the Society to facilitate the above;

to encourage people to get involved with YSTV through socials.
The Technical Team are responsible for the technical operations of the Society, the maintenance of the Society’s equipment, and liaison with other Officers of the Society with respect to technical matters.
The Technical Director has the following duties:
to be Team Leader for the Technical Team;

to manage the Technical Team budget;

to supervise and direct the technical operations of the Society;

to ensure all equipment owned by the Society is adequately maintained;

to advise the Society on technical equipment purchases;

to advise the Society on technical matters;

to ensure that all equipment owned by the Society is safe to use;

to maintain an up to date audit of all Society equipment, assets and risk assessments, alongside the Station Director and Deputy Station Director;

to train all new members of YSTV in technical issues and deliver relevant technical training to all YSTV members;

to maintain the Studio and Workshop's smooth running by ensuring that they are tidy and organised, and by monitoring the working order of equipment used for programme making.
The Computing Team are responsible for all computer and network equipment of the Society, their operation, and maintenance.
The Computing Officer has the following duties:
to be Team Leader for the Computing Team;

to manage the Computing Team budget;

to be responsible for the operations and maintenance of all general purpose computing equipment owned by the Society;

to be responsible for the Society’s compliance with the regulations laid down by the University of York’s IT Services;

to advise the Society on purchases of computing equipment;

to keep adequate backups of data and software owned by the Society;

to liaise with the Technical Director in matters concerning broadcast critical computing equipment;

to ensure the security of all network connected computer equipment;

to control access to all computers within the Station;

to ensure any and all of YSTV’s network-attached broadcasting screens are serviced and functioning.

Rules and Regulations

The Society shall conduct its affairs in accordance with the constitution of YUSU, the YUSU Media Charter, OFCOM, the ordinances and regulations of the University of York, and English law. It is the Station Director’s responsibility to uphold this (see 5.6).
Further to the above, the Society shall conduct its affairs without discrimination on the grounds of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other basis. Any member who feels that discrimination has occurred should contact the Station Director or YUSU Welfare Officer.
All members of the Society are required to comply with the society’s policy on health and safety matters when making use of the Society’s facilities.
The Society shall be guided by the Independent Television Commission’s Codes of Practice for Advertising and Journalism, the Advertising Standards Authority’s Code of Practice and by the NUS/NUJ Guidelines for student journalists.
No member of the Society shall be liable for any loss, damage or misfortune which may happen to be incurred by the Society during any Society business. However, this does not affect their liability for the consequences of any wilful misconduct or negligent act on their part.
A decision may be taken by a Station Meeting (or, in an emergency, by a Team Leader) to withdraw the use of any Society facilities from a member if it is decided that the Constitution has been or would have been breached. Any action taken by a Team Leader under this provision must be reported to and ratified by a subsequent Station Meeting.
Keys to the Station may be allocated to Ordinary Members at the discretion of the Station Meeting. The holding of a key to the Studio, including those held by Team Leaders, can be removed by a majority vote at a Station Meeting. Unauthorised holding of a key may be grounds for disciplinary action involving YUSU, the University or the Police.

Meetings

Society meetings (referred to as Station Meetings) shall be held weekly during the term time of the University of York. At least 24 hours of notice is required to all members.
All Officers are required to attend Station Meetings, or present a verbal or written apology to the Secretary, Station Director, or their Team Leader, giving reasons for their absence.
If an Officer does not attend, and fails to provide an apology, for three consecutive society meetings, a vote of no-confidence may be taken in them, in accordance with the rules laid down in section 5.4.
The meeting shall ordinarily be chaired by the Station Director. In their absence, the person present who is highest in the following list shall chair the meeting:
- Deputy Station Director
- Production Director
- Commercial Director
- Technical Director
- Computing Officer
- Treasurer
- Head of Presentation
- Social Secretary
- Secretary
The agenda for Station Meetings is split into two sub-meetings; the ‘Officers’ Meeting’ and the ‘Production Meeting’. Matters likely of interest only to those involved in the running of the society should be brought to the Officers’ Meeting, though any member may attend if they wish. The separation from the Production Meeting is to allow those members only interested in production work (direct involvement in shows) to attend only the section that interests them and avoid topics such as the passing of budget funds.
The specific format of Station Meetings is at the discretion of the Chair, however it is advised that they include:
- Apologies for absence
- Elections for vacant posts
- Production de-brief
- Shows going out this week
- Officer Reports and Questions
- Any other business
The Chair of the meeting may be required to defer the Chair to the next available person on the above list if they are deemed to be unfit to chair the meeting or have a perceived conflict of interest in the matter under discussion. The decision to defer the Chair shall be taken by a simple majority vote.
All binding decisions regarding the Society (except where explicitly described elsewhere in the Constitution) shall be passed by a simple majority vote of quoracy except the Chair of the meeting. Proxy votes (via a secure and sufficiently real-time method) are permitted in the case of unavoidably absent officers, agreed at the start of the meeting. Members may abstain, in which case their vote does not count towards either side. In the event of an even split, the Chair of the meeting shall have the casting vote. After the vote, the Chair should announce that the motion has been carried or defeated, and the results and voting figures noted in the Minutes.
Quorum for a Station Meeting shall be one quarter of the number of serving Officers at the time of the meeting and not less than 10% of the total number of ordinary members.
Votes should ordinarily be taken by show of hands, but any member of the society present at the meeting may request a secret ballot. In this case, the ballot should be counted by the Deputy Station Director, or in their absence, by an officer nominated by the Chair. They should pass the result to the Chair to be announced.
All Officers are expected to submit an Officer Report for the Station Meeting. They may give a verbal report if preferred at the meeting; however, a written report submitted via the website is preferred.
The Secretary should circulate copies of the Minutes of all previous meetings that await ratification, via email and the relevant folder in the Documents drive on the Station network. The Minutes should be circulated to the membership within two days of the Station Meeting. A member may contest that the Minutes are a true and accurate record of the events of the meeting, and a vote may be taken to amend the document.
The Society shall hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) once per academic year, during week 4 of the Summer term. Ten days’ notice should be given in writing or by email to all members of the Society. The AGM has the full powers of a Station Meeting and replaces it for that week.
The outgoing Committee shall review the Society Constitution and Policy in advance of the AGM to determine if revisions are required to reflect current practice and conditions.
The Station Meeting may create (by majority vote) a working party to address specific matters. This must report to the Station Meeting on request.

Elections

Annual society elections take place in week 4 of the Summer term, along with the Annual General Meeting. All Society officerships come up for election. The Officers shall serve from the end of the annual election until the end of the following annual election, subject to their resignation or being deprived of their officership by a vote of no confidence at a Station Meeting.
In the event of abdication from a position, a vote of no confidence or a vacant position, a by-election may take place at any Station Meeting.
The membership and the YUSU Student Activities Officer shall be notified in writing or by email at least 7 days in advance of the election. The details of the vacant post(s) shall be included in the notification.
The Returning Officer shall be the Chair of the Station Meeting, as described above. They are entitled to vote in the elections or abstain as they wish. If the Returning Officer wishes to stand for an individual officership they must pass the Chair of the meeting to the Secretary for the individual position. If both the Secretary and Returning Officer are standing for the same position, the duty of Returning Officer for the position passes to the next most senior position.
Members wishing to stand for election should be nominated in writing by two members of the Society. The person nominated must be present at the election for the nomination to be valid, and must publicly accept the nomination at the meeting. In the event that a nominated candidate fails to attend, the election will be postponed. Only paid members of the Society are eligible to stand.
Candidates for Officer positions must have read the YSTV Constitution and Policy before standing for election.
If more than one position is up for election, they will be decided in seniority order:
- Station Director
- Deputy Station Director
- Production Director
- Commercial Director
- Technical Director
- Computing Officer
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Head of Presentation
- Social Secretary
- Assistant Production Director
- Assistant Commercial Director
- Deputy Technical Director
- Deputy Computing Officer
- Scheduling Manager
- OB Coordinator
- Webmaster
All candidates shall be invited to give a speech, which is not to exceed five minutes for Committee positions or three minutes for all other officerships. During each speech other candidates for the same officership shall be excluded from the room. Candidates should be invited to give speeches in alphabetical order by surname. When all of the candidates have given their speech, the candidates shall return to answer questions put to them jointly. The order of answering shall be determined by the Chair.
Voting in all elections shall be by secret ballot, according to the Alternative Transferable Voting system, with the addition of an option to reopen nominations (commonly known as RON). However, if there is only one candidate standing for an officership, a vote of confidence may be taken by show of hands, with the candidate excluded from the room. The candidate shall be elected if they receive more votes in favour than against.
Only paid members of the Society present at the meeting are eligible to vote. An exception may be made, at the discretion of the Chair, to allow paid members to vote remotely in real time via a secure connection.
The Returning Officer may release the voting figures with the consent of all the candidates, or by request of a majority of two thirds of the membership present at the meeting.
Any candidate who is elected to an officership shall be deemed to have resigned at the end of the meeting from any other officership that they may hold in the Society. Their new officership commences from the end of the meeting.

The Constitution

The Society Constitution outlines the aims, objectives, rules, regulations, and procedures of the Society as an association. It does not cover the specific rules, regulations, and procedures required in the day-to-day use of the Society’s facilities and equipment.
The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote (abstentions should be deducted from the number of those eligible to vote) of all members present at a Station Meeting. Notice of a constitutional amendment shall be given at the previous Station Meeting, and the membership shall be notified of the proposed amendment at least seven days before the vote, in writing or by email.
If amended, the constitution shall be re-ratified by the YUSU Student Activities Officer before coming into effect.
It is the Secretary and Computing Officer’s joint responsibility to ensure that whenever the Constitution is amended, the out of date copies are destroyed or marked as invalid, and that a new edition is published.
The Society Constitution should be on display prominently within the Station, and also made available in electronic form on the Society’s website.
The Secretary should also ensure that YUSU hold an up-to-date copy of the Society Constitution.

The Policy

The Society Policy sets out the rules, regulations, and procedures governing the day-to-day use of the society’s facilities and equipment. It covers matters such as equipment loans, production guidelines, charges for commercial services, safety, security, purchasing, and other such matters.
Amendments to the Policy should be discussed at a Station Meeting and may be voted on by a simple majority vote of those members present at the meeting.
It is the Secretary and Computing Officer’s joint responsibility to ensure that whenever the Policy is amended, the out of date copies are destroyed or marked as invalid, and that a new edition is published.
The Society Policy should be on display prominently within the Station, and also made available in electronic form on the Society’s website.