Hello there Adventurers,
As you’ve (hopefully) heard we’ll be holding this years AGM on the 3rd of April at 5pm, online and between our regular gaming sessions. This unfortunately long email is all about how to get involved with the AGM and the behind the scenes of the society. I’ve broken it down into sections so you can find what you need, but it’d be appreciated if everyone read the first section.
Voting and General Behaviour
Due to current restrictions, we’ll be holding the AGM online again this year and have decided to go ahead with a live meeting that will be hosted on either Zoom or Discord. This will allow those submitting motions or running for election to directly address the membership, and for the members in turn to ask questions of the speakers. It’s important to know that only matriculated students who have bought membership at least 24 hours before the meeting can vote, any member who isn’t currently enrolled at the University of Edinburgh isn’t allowed to vote in any capacity. However, any member is welcome to speak at the AGM as well as submit motions for consideration.
We’re trusting that you’ll all be considerate during the meeting and employ common curtesy towards your fellow members, including staying muted when not invited to speak and moderating your language when you are. Everyone is welcome to take part but we have a zero tolerance policy for bullying and harassment, this includes recording/streaming the meeting or being purposefully disruptive. This is not a platform to air personal grievances with other members or the committee, if you have a complaint it should be directed as per our complaints procedure, which can be found here: https://geas.org.uk/about/complaints-procedure/
Proposing A Motion
The best way to help shape GEAS is to submit a motion to be voted on at the AGM, this could be to introduce a policy you’d like us to adopt or something you want us to take action on. These will need to be submitted by Saturday the 19th of March, so that the membership will have time to read and consider your motion. Proposing a motion can be daunting, so we have a guide on how to do so and a template available here: https://geas.org.uk/proposals
All proposals should be sent to the committee here: geas.committee@gmail.com
Applying for a Committee Position
All committee positions below will be open for election, however only matriculated student members may run for non-advisory roles, this is a requirement by EUSA and not something we can change. The advisory role of Social Media Manager is being retired this year and won’t be up for election. If you want to apply for one of these roles then you must attend the AGM on the 3rd, you’ll be expected to give a short speech about why you should be elected to the committee and answer questions from the membership.
- President (Executive) – The head of the committee, responsible for delegating tasks among office bearers and direction of the society as a whole.
- Secretary (Executive) – Responsible for communication with the society and student union, filing GEAS’s paperwork, organising and minuting committee meetings.
- Treasurer (Executive) – In charge of managing the society’s finances and allocating money for events, such as the Conpulsion budget and pub quiz prizes.
- Events Organiser – Organises larger society events such as pub quizzes, one-shot nights, and the Student Nationals trip.
- Socials Coordinator – Responsible for organising monthly society socials, this has in the past included; casual gaming nights, coffee shop socials, and pub meet ups.
- Conpulsion Liaison – The point of contact between the GEAS and Conpulsion committees, responsible for working with the student union to help organise the society’s gaming convention.
- Webmaster (Advisory) – Responsible for the upkeep of the GEAS website, mailing list management, and keeping committee owned accounts secure.
- Equality and Wellbeing Officer (Advisory) – Acts as a point of contact for anyone with welfare concerns that are related to the society, and enforces the society’s complaints and anti-harassment policies.
We’ll be back in contact closer to the AGM with more details of the meeting. If you have any questions about the committee positions or how the AGM will be run, please send us an email at geas.committee@gmail.com or contact a committee member directly on the Discord.
I love democracy,
Sophie Hine
GEAS Secretary