Public information

1. Section 42 of the Education (No.2) Act 1986 places a duty on the College to take such steps as are reasonably practicable to ensure that freedom of speech within the law is secured for its members, students and employees, and for visiting speakers.
2. The Section also requires the College to issue and keep up to date a Code of Practice, to be followed by students, other members, and employees of the College about the organisation of meetings that are to be held on College premises, and about the conduct required of those persons in connection with meetings. This Code of Practice therefore applies to all students, other members, and employees of the College in respect of meetings on any of the College’s premises, outdoor as well as indoor. It is a paradoxical result that the recent legislation, the object of which is to safeguard freedom of speech, forces the College to institute a process of codification which must inevitably limit to some degree the freedom and and discretion of organisers of meetings, but the Council hopes that the Code of Practice has been framed in such a way as to minimise this effect.
3. The attention of members of the College is drawn to sections 8 and 9 of the Code of Practice for Discipline in College. The regulations apply to ALL meetings held on College premises, including meetings organised by conferences and other outside bodies; members of the College are reminded that actions that disrupt meeetings or impede freedom of speech or lawful assembly will also costitute offences under the University’s regulations for discipline: see parargraph 7 below.

1. Permission is required for all meetings and other activities (including dinners, parties, and other entertainments) to which speakers are invited, and for all other meetings at which more than ten persons are expected to be present, whether or not the meeting is open to the public. Permission must be obtained from the Senior Tutor (or in the case of conferences, from the Conference Manager in the case of a conference to be held in College, or Warden of Wolfson Court if the conference is to be held in Wolfson Court) not less than seventy two hours beforehand. The application for permission should state the name of the person taking responsibility for the meeting, the date and time of the meeting, the place, the name, addresses and colleges (if any) of the organisers, the name of the organisation making the arrangements, and name of any expected speakers, whether or not they are members of the University.
2. The organisers of a meeting to which parargraph 4 applies must comply with any conditions set by the appropriate College authority in respect of the organisation of the meeting or other activity and the arrangements to be made. Such conditions may include the requirement that tickets must be issued, that an adequate number of porters/stewards shall be available, that the services of the porters shall be hired, that the police shall be consulted, and that the time and place of the meeting shall be changed. In extreme cases the College reserves the right to cancel a meeting on account of a threatened breach of the peace.

1. The organisers of any meeting on College premises, and of persons attending such meetings, must comply with instructions given by any person authorised to act on behalf of the College (including the Proctors) in the proper discharge of their duties. The attention of members of the College is drawn to sections 1 and 2 of the Code of Practice for Discipline in College and to the rules governing meetings and parties. Any person attending a meeting who is not a member of the College may be required at any time to leave the College’s premises, notwithstanding any payment he or she might have made to attend the meeting.

1. The provisions of section 43 of the Education (No. 2) Act 1986, apply also to the University in respect of all its members, students and employees, and to visiting speakers. The College may invite the Proctors to enter its premises and authorise them to act in the discharge of their University duties. Members of the College are reminded that University disciplinary regulations apply on College premises as elsewhere within the precincts of the University, and their attention is particularly drawn to the following University regulation for discipline (Statutes & Ordinances, 2005, p.195):
2. All members of the University shall comply with any instruction given by a University officer, or by any other person authorised to act on behalf of the University, in the proper discharge of his or her duties.
3. All members of the University shall state their names and the Colleges to which they belong when asked by a Proctor or Pro-Proctor, or by any other person in authority in the University or in any of the Colleges in the University.

1. The attention of the organisers of public meetings and assemblies is drawn to sections 11 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986, concerning processions and assemblies. Further details may be obtained from the Senior Tutor. Other legal requirements may affect the conduct of meetings. For example, a speaker who incites an assembly to persons to violence or to breach the peace, or to racial hatred, commits a criminal offence. Moreover, assemblies of persons, even if directed to lawful purposes, cease ot be lawful if they threaten serious public disorder or breaches of the peace.

1. Any person who is in doubt about the application of this Code of Practice to any meetings or public gatherings or parties in the College, is under obligation to consult the Senior Tutor (or in the case of conferences, the Conference Manager in the case of a conference to be held in College, or Warden of Wolfson Court if the conference is to be held in Wolfson Court) who will determine whether the provisions of the Code apply. In addition to this Code there is a further College Code of Practice for Parties and Meetings.
2. Breach by any members of the College of any of the requirements of this Code, will be treated as disciplinary offences.

Section 22 of the Education Act 1994 requires the College Council to take such steps as are reasonably practicable to ensure than any students’ union (which for Girton purposes means the MCR and the JCR) operates in a fair and democratic manner and is accountable for its finances.

The section also requires the Council to prepare and issue, and when necessary revise, a Code of Practice as to the manner in which these requirements are to be carried into effect. This Code of Practice therefore sets out in relation to each of the requirements details of the arrangements made to secure its observance. References to paragraphs are to paragraphs of the Appendix which will be annexed to the MCR and JCR Constitutions, the JCR version of which is reprinted below. The provisions of the Appendix to the MCR Constitution are identical, save that ‘MCR’ appears in substitution for ‘JCR’ and ‘graduate student’ in substitution for ‘undergraduate’ throughout.

• (a) Written constitution. Both the MCR and the JCR already have written constitutions.
• (b) Constitutions to be approved by Council and to be reviewed by it. See paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Constitution.
• (c) Opting out. See paragraph 5 of the Constitution.
• (d) Appointment to major union offices. See paragraph 6 of the Constitution.
• (e) Conduct of elections. See paragraph 6 of the Constitution.
• (f) Sabbatical or paid elected offices. See paragraph 7 of the Constitution.
• (g) Financial management. See paragraphs 8 and 9 of the Constitution.
• (h) Financial reports. See paragraph 10 of the Constitution.
• (i) Allocation of resources to groups or clubs. See paragraph 11 of the Constitution.
• (j) Affiliation to external organisations. See paragraph 12 of the Constitution.
• (k) Report on affiliation. See paragraph 13 of the Constitution.
• (l) Review of affiliations. See paragraph 14 of the Constitution.
• (m) Complaints procedure for students. See paragraph 15 of the Constitution.
• (n) Remedies. See paragraph 15 of the Constitution.

1. In this Constitution the expression ‘Council’ shall mean that Council of the College, and the expression ‘affiliation to an external organisation’ shall include any form of membership of, of formal association with, an organisation whose purposes are not confined to purposes connected with the College.
2. No alteration shall be made to any part of this Constitution without the approval of Council; (ii) No alteration shall be made to this part of this Constitution except in accordance with the provision of the Education Act 1994; (iii) In the event of an conflict arising between any provision of this Constitution and any provision of this Part of this Constitution, the provision of this part shall prevail.
3. This Constitution shall be submitted to the Council for review, in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1994, on 1 October 1995 and at intervals of five years thereafter.
4. The JCR shall operate in a fair and democractic manner in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1994.
5. Notwithstanding any provisions in this Constitution as to automatic membership of the JCR, any person who would by virtue of those provisions be a member of the JCR may in any academical year by written notice declare that he or she does not wish to be a member, and in that case such a person shall not be a member of the JCR for that academical year. Such written notice shall be served on the President of the JCR within one week of the commencement of the Michaelmas Term; (ii) An undergraduate member of the College who exercises the right not to be a member of the JCR shall not be unfairly disadvantaged with regard to the provision of services or otherwise.
6. Appointment to major JCR offices shall be by election in a secret ballot in which all members are entitled to vote, and at which the Senior Treasurer or a Fellow of the College appointed by the Senior Treasurer to serve as his or her deputy shall act as returning officer.
7. There shall be no sabbatical or paid elected offices in the JCR contrary to the provisions of s.22(2)(f) of the Education Act 1994.

1. At the first Open Meeting of every Michaelmas Term the JCR shall agree a budget for the coming academical year and submit it to the Council for approval.
2. The Junior Treasurer shall present to the Bursar of the College before the first Open Meeting of every term the JCR accounts for the previous term, and shall present to the Bursar anually the accounts for the previous year for the submission to the College Auditors.
3. The JCR shall publish anually to all undergraduate members of the College a financial report, which shall be presented to the Council. The Report shall include details of any donations made by the JCR to external organisations in the period to which it relates.
4. The JCR shall set down in writing, and make freely accessible to all undergraduate members of the College and to the Council, a statement of the procedure for allocating resources to groups and clubs, ensuring that the procedure is fair.

1. If the JCR decides to become affiliated to any external organisation, it shall publish to all undergraduate members of the College, and to the Council, a notice of this decision stating the name of the organisation and the details of any subscription or similar fee paid or proposed ot be paid, and of any donation made or proposed to be made, to the organisation.
2. The JCR shall publish anually to all undergraduate members of the College, and to the Council, a report stating the names of all external organisations to which it is affiliated and the details of any subscriptions or similar fee paid, and of any donation made or proposed to be made, to the organisations within the year covered by the report.
3. Upon the request of at least three percent of its members, the JCR shall submit for the approval of its members a list of the organisations to which the JCR is affiliated. If at least five percent of the members so require, the question of continued affiliation to any particular organisation shall be decided upon by a secret ballot at which all members are entitled to vote. No such ballot shall be held less than four calendar months after the previous ballot.

1. Please see the Student Complaints procedure as detailed on the Intranet, or available from Tutors.
2. All undergraduate members of the College or groups of such members who are dissatisfied in their dealings with the JCR, or who claim to be unfairly disadvantaged by reason of having exercised the right not to be a member of the JCR, may prefer a complaint to the President of the JCR. An appeal shall lie from the President of the JCR to a person appointed by the Council to serve for such period as the Council may determine, who may not delegate his or her responsbility for hearing the appeal. The Council shall have power to provide such effective remedy if any as it considers appropriate when a complaint is upheld.