1. NAME

   1. The Inter Varsity Folk Dance Festival (referred to hereafter as IVFDF).

2. AUTHORITY

   1. Control shall be vested in a committee of at least three persons (Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer) appointed or elected from the group bidding to host the Festival, such appointment or election to take place as soon as possible after approval of a bid by a quorate and properly constituted Representative's meeting.
   2. Only one committee shall be responsible for the Festival in any particular year. It shall be the responsibility of that committee to maintain communication with every other active IVFDF committee. The responsibility of that committee shall cease with the transference of funds and of all relevant records and papers of the Festival to Information Point, which shall happen was soon as reasonably possible after the end of the Festival organised by that committee.
   3. The Festival site for a particular year will be chosen by the Representatives Meeting (referred to hereafter as RM) two years in advance, this choice to be considered as a strong recommendation, and confirmed if thought fit by the RM one year in advance.

3. COMMITTEE

   1. CHAIRMAN
      1. Shall conduct meetings of the committee.
      2. Shall conduct RMs where he shall report on the progress of the Festival.
      3. Shall call meetings of the committee.
   2. SECRETARY
      1. Shall keep minutes of the meetings of the committee.
      2. Shall keep minutes of the RMs.
      3. Shall be responsible for all correspondence and records of the IVFDF committee.
      4. Shall compile a list of Member Societies attending the Festival.
   3. TREASURER
      1. Shall keep detailed records of all monetary transactions undertaken in the name of IVFDF.
      2. Shall open such accounts as are required by the committee.
      3. Shall report at the RMs on the financial situation of IVFDF.
   4. MEETINGS

      1. The IVFDF committee meeting shall require at least two of the officers given in (1) above to be present.

      2. The IVFDF committee meeting shall require a quorum of at least two-thirds of the committee members.

      3. All cheques (or similar) drawn on IVFDF funds shall require the signatures of one of the officers in section 3 plus any one other committee member drawn from a group so empowered by the IVFDF committee.

      4. In the event of a drawn vote of any committee meeting the chairman shall have an additional casting vote.

4. MEMBER SOCIETIES

   1. A Member Society of IVFDF shall be any folk dance group which is recognised and supported by a British University. Folk dance groups from other institutes of higher education may be admitted to the current IVFDF at the discretion of the IVFDF committee.

5. REPRESENTATIVES MEETING

   1. At each Festival there shall be a meeting to which each participating society may send two representatives who are each entitled to one vote. Others may attend at the discretion of the Chairman but without voting rights. The IVFDF Information Point shall have a right of attendance. The meeting shall :-
      1. Decide on future venue(s) of IVFDF.
      2. Discuss the effectiveness of the current Festival.
      3. Examine the budget and planning of the nominated next festival.
      4. Confirm, subject a (simple majority) agreement that the items examined in 5.1.3 are satisfactory, the nominated next festival.
      5. Be in general responsible for the good order and name of IVFDF.

   2. Any five Member Societies of IVFDF may call a full RM (Information Point to be informed) at one month's notice at the University hosting the current Festival, the costs to be borne by the societies whose representatives attend.

   3. Eight Member Societies shall constitute a quorum at any RM.

6. FESTIVAL

   1. The IVFDF committee shall hold a Festival during February and the first two weeks of March to which all member folk dance societies shall be invited.

   2. The Festival programme shall be the responsibility of the IVFDF committee.

   3. The IVFDF committee may also invite other persons and groups as they see fit.

7. PROPERTY

   1. All property and assets of each IVFDF committee shall be vested in the officers given in (3) above, in whose names all transactions of the Festival shall be carried out. They shall hold themselves liable, on behalf of the Festival, for all proceedings undertaken for or against the Festival in any Court of Law, and shall indemnify themselves against the assets of the Festival for any liabilities incurred therein.

8. INFORMATION POINT

   1. An Information Point shall be maintained by some person (not a member of an IVFDF committee) with a permanent address. This person shall serve for a period of not less than five years, and their address and telephone number shall be made known to all Member Societies. Copies of the following shall be lodged at the Information Point each year :-

      1. Constitution.
      2. Mailing List and Attendance List of Member Societies.
      3. Accounts.
      4. Minutes of RMs.
   2. If the Festival does not take place in any period of thirteen consecutive calendar months, it shall be the responsibility of the Information Point to contact the next designated IVFDF committee and render such assistance as may be needed to ensure the survival of the Festival.
   3. A deposit account will be held at the Information Point. Transfers of funds between it and the current Festival Bank Account will be made as appropriate. The object of this account is to maintain a sufficient balance to refloat the Festival from scratch. Withdrawals shall require the signature of any two of the following :-
      1. The person referred to in (8.1) above.
      2. One of two persons nominated from a Member Society for this purpose.
   4. The Information Point shall have no liability for any debts of any IVFDF.
   5. The Information Point may be removed from post by passing a motion of no confidence at a quorate RM by a two-thirds majority. At least three months written notice must be given of a motion of no confidence in the Information Point. Such a motion shall require signatures from at least five Member Societies and must be sent to the Information Point and to all Member Societies who have attended at least one of the last three Festivals.

9. EFDSS

   1. IVFDF shall be an "associated club" of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, the subscription to be paid by the IVFDF committee.

10. DISSOLUTION

    1. If the Festival does not take place in any period of twenty-five consecutive calendar months, then IVFDF shall be said to be dissolved, when the following shall be enacted :-

       1. All property and assets shall be converted into cash and lodged in the bank account opened by the last IVFDF committee.
       2. All debts and liabilities of the Festival shall be settled immediately with the money accruing from (10.1.1) above.
       3. The remaining sum, being credit or debit, shall be shared equally between all folk dance societies who attended the last IVFDF.

11. CONSTITUTION

    1. This document may be altered in whole or in part by the assenting vote of at least two-thirds of the representatives present at a properly constituted RM. Proposals for alterations to this document must be sent in writing, giving at least three months notice, to the Information Point and to all Member Societies. Such notice shall be deemed to have been given if proposals are sent be email to an IVFDF electronic mailing list set up for that purpose.

    2. Proposals may be made by any single member society.

    3. Proposals which have been properly notified must form part of the agenda of the next properly constituted RM that takes place, and the minute shall record decisions taken.

    4. Proposals may be altered in whole or part as a result of discussion at a RM, but only matters raised with due notice may be discussed. The RM shall also have the power to make any other changed to this document which may be required as a knock-on effect of proposals for alterations.

    5. A copy of this document and every amendment shall be held by each Member Society of the Festival.

    6. This constitution must work in conjunction with, but not subject to, any Member Society's individual constitution.

Following amendments made at the RM of IVFDF 2001 (Cambridge).