Articles summary of amendments
At the UWLSU Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2020, members will be asked to vote on a special resolution to approve the amended Articles of Association…this is confusing legal language that’s not always accessible, so this webpage sets out what’s going on in a more accessible way. If you still have questions after reading this, please email su.elections@uwl.ac.uk and we will help you.
What is an AGM?
It’s a formal meeting where members (students) can ask questions directly to the trustees and leadership team of the SU, as well as approving important legal/financial things to do with the SU as a company.
What are the Articles of Association?
This is the main document that sets out the rules of the Union. We also have to abide by the rules set out in the Bye-Laws and some other documents which set out our agreements with UWL, but the Articles are the main set of rules we have to follow.
For example, the AGM itself must follow the rules set out in the Articles about how it has to run. A copy of the current Articles can be found here.
These rules have to be updated at least once every five years. The last time we updated them was in January 2016, so they have to be updated again by January 2021.
What are the proposed changes?
A copy of the full proposed draft Articles can be found here.
The main changes are:
- To make it easier for students to have formal petitions recognised
- To make it easier for students to call referendums (all-student votes on big issues)
- Removing the need for students to vote at formal company law general meetings, but making it easier for students to challenge the trustees and leadership team of the SU in other, more accessible ways. Only trustees would be Company Law Members, students would be Student Members.
- Appointing student trustees instead of electing them, so that we are less likely to have periods where student trustee roles are vacant
- Adding the option for one more External Trustee role, so that we can ensure the trustee board has the expertise it needs whilst making sure that the majority of board members are UWL students
The other changes are to bring the wording of the Articles in line with the most up to date model versions.
If you have any questions about these proposed changes, you can email su.elections@uwl.ac.uk and we will help you.