There's something in the wind. You can hear it if you listen. The committee are restless - they huddle in groups, eyeing up the freshers. But what do they want? Well, it's the same thing we all want. Peace, a chance to rest, to lay down their immense burdens and to pass on the challenge to the next generation. It can only mean on thing - the Annual General Meeting. *'T'is the most wonderful time of the year' -* Rhys, as he wrote the same email twenty four months ago. The next Annual General Meeting will take place on* Tuesday 8th March* in six weeks time. It will be held at the *Union Bar*, starting at *7pm*. At the AGM we will present reports on the activities of the club, followed by elections for the new committee and the presentation of awards. __________________________________ Lets kick off with the more tedious aspect: *the reports. *The president and treasurer will boast of their achievements whilst carefully glossing over their failures. They will give you a well rounded view of what was done in the previous year, what the aims are for the next. __________________________________ Now the *elections*… as per our constitution they are definitely by single transferable vote. All full members of the club are eligible to vote. Although they are not mandatory to attend, attendance is strongly recommended if you are a club member. Voting is fun! Also, you can run for any position on the committee, nominations are open as of now. *Major and obvious Caveat: *you can't run for a position if you're not going to be studying at Imperial for the whole of next year. Positions run from August 1st to July 31st - the overlap with Slovenia is coincidentally and carefully planned. Traditionally the retiring president must hide underground for the night whilst the new president stalks the surface, lusting for blood. So you're going to stay at Imperial next year then you should definitely run for a position. Below are the descriptions - contact the person in brackets for more information. *President (Jack):* The roles of the president depends a great deal on the committee, and how good the president is at delegating. At the end of the day, the president makes most of the decisions by the time honoured tradition of arbitrary totalitarianism. 1. 6.4 The President shall organise trips; setting the dates, booking the minibuses, deciding which caves to do.. 6.5 The President shall be responsible for communicating upcoming trips to members and keeping track of the trip participants.. 6.6 The President shall be responsible for arranging drivers to come on trips and ensuring that people capable of driving union buses take the tests so they can do so.. 6.7 The President shall be responsible for deciding what new equipment needs to be purchased each year.. 6.8 The President shall be responsible for representing the club to our management group and the union in general.. *Treasurer (Ben):* Embezzle all the money to spend on salmon, or other such fripperies. Or this version if you prefer: 1. 6.9 The Junior Treasurer shall be responsible for day to day finances.. 6.10 The Junior Treasurer shall ensure that people pay for trips and any other services or goods they purchase from the club.. 6.11 The Junior Treasurer shall be responsible for budgeting each year.. *Secretary (James)* Apply for permits (a new idea we're trialing this year), book huts, reserve rooms at the Union - email makes it easy, so if you're on top of your inbox, you'll find this easy. 1. 6.12 The Secretary shall acquire hut bookings and cave permits as requested by the president.. 2. 6.13 The Secretary shall be responsible for organising Harlington and other grant applications for the club.. 3. 6.14 The Secretary shall represent us to the Council of Higher Education Caving Clubs, the British Caving Association and any other caving organisations outside the union.. 6.15 The Secretary shall be responsible for the upkeep of the club website.. *Tackle Meister (Peter):* Stores comprises of 20% gear and 80% mud. Are you brave enough to swing that ratio (in either direction)? Equipment is important - anticipating the needs of the club and purchasing appropriately is vital to the running of the club. You'll work closely with the president and treasurer. 1. 6.16 The Tackle Master shall ensure equipment is stored and maintaned correctly. 2. 6.17 The Tackle Master shall ensure equipment is safe to use. 3. 6.18 The Tackle Master shall perform yearly inventory of caving stores. *Medical Officer (Pavel)* Hmm… lets leave this one to the official description: 1. 6.19 The Medical Officer shall be responsible for purchasing new medicines and first aid equipment. 2. 6.20 The Medical Officer shall maintain first aid kits. *Health and safety (VACANT)* 6.19 The Health and Safety Officer shall ensure that new members are sufficiently proficient at caving to practise the sport safely. 6.20 The Health and Safety Officer shall ensure that reckless and dangerous behaviour is brought to the attention ofthe president. *Tours Secretary (Cecilia)* Rhys made this role up two years ago because he was terrified of relinquishing power. He set a powerful precedent, organising a massively overfunded three week expedition to the other side of the world. Cecilia followed up this year by organising two excellent tours (one was provably excellent, the other has yet to be tested) and going on neither. It seems the only requirement for the role is a unique approach to fulfilling it. The next Annual General Meeting will take place on* Tuesday 8th March* in six weeks time. It will be held at the *Union Bar*, starting at *7pm*. __________________________________ *Awards:* The club will choose the most worthy of the two following awards. Look carefully. It could be you or your neighbour. If so, don't hesitate, nominate them! *For Evans Sake: Creative Use of Bodily Fluids* Named in honour of the two brothers who dragged ICCC kicking & screaming up to its current international exploration glory, while retaining an ever present connection with their bodily needs. Awarded for most creative use of a bodily fluid. The award consists of 'Bob the Turd', a large coprolite (fossilised crap) found by Goaty in the Moroccon High-Atlas and dating from the Jurassic era, most likely produced by a Shark. *Herman Herz: Lucky Escape while Caving* Named after a mohican-wearing old-lag who stopped caving the day his nine lives were used up. Awarded for lucky escapes while caving - *As flies to wanton boys are we to the caving gods.* (Gloucester, as he prepares to jump off a cliff without his descender rigged properly). __________________________________ I will stand as *Returning Officer* this year: my contact details are the following jack.d.hare@gmail.com 07454 018498 for any queries you may have. Put it in your diary: The next Annual General Meeting will take place on* Tuesday 8th March* in six weeks time. It will be held at the *Union Bar*, starting at *7pm*. Yours till the terminal RON speech, Jack -- Imperial College Caving Club <http://union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving>