This constitution (the “Constitution”) governs the New College Boat Club(“NCBC”), hereafter the “Club”. This Constitution supersedes all previousconstitutions of the New College Boat Club.All footnotes to the Constitution are not to be considered part of the Con-stitution, but rather as points of guidance and comment.

1 Objects

1.1 The Club’s objects are the support, development, improvement, and pro-motion of rowing at New College (the “College”), University of Oxford(the “University”); and the income and property of the Club shall beapplied solely to those objects.

2 Compliance

2.1 The Club shall be administered at all times in accordance with the Uni-versity’s Regulations for the Activities and Conduct of Senior Members.

2.2 The activities of the Club shall at all times be conducted in accordancewith the University’s procedures, codes of practice, and policies in forcefrom time to time on equality, harassment, freedom of speech, and safe-guarding, available via the University Student Handbook .

2.3 The Club shall be registered as a member of Oxford University RowingClubs (“OURCs”), and by extension of British Rowing.

2.4 The Club shall comply with all regulations and recommendations of goodpractice of both OURCs and British Rowing. Where the regulations andrecommendations of good practice of OURCs conflict with those of BritishRowing, the Club shall follow those of OURCs.

2.5 The Club shall observe RowSafe, ensure compliance with RowSafe by theClub Members, and follow an appropriate procedure for risk assessment.If and for so long as the Club is responsible for the organisation of an inter-college competition, RowSafe shall include guidelines and appropriate riskassessments for that competition.

2.6 The Club shall maintain a dedicated website and may apply to the Uni-versity’s or College’s IT Services to use its IT facilities in the name of theClub. Where relevant facilities are allocated by the IT Services of eitherthe University or College, these will be the responsibility of the Secretaryand Media Officers.

3. Membership

3.1 The Club Members include Ordinary Members, Active Members, OldMembers, and Associate Members.

3.2 Any member of College (“College Members”) and any person whosename is on the University’s Register of Visiting Students and is affiliatedwith College for the period of their visit shall be considered an ActiveMember for a term if, in that term, they shall have completed five (5) ormore training sessions or been entered into a race representing the Club.

3.3 All Active Members shall each term pay either senior subscriptions (“SeniorSubs”) or novice subscriptions (“Novice Subs”) if that term marks theirfirst experience of rowing as part of the Club and they are considered anovice for race entry under OURCs guidelines.

3.4 All Active Members who have paid Senior Subs for at least one (1) term,or have surpassed the requirements to do so that term, shall be consideredOrdinary Members and shall continue to be so considered so long asthey are a current member of New College (the “Ordinary MembershipEligibility Period”).

3.5 All Ordinary Members shall be eligible to vote at General Meetings and inClub Elections until such time as they come to the end of their OrdinaryMembership Eligibility Period.

3.6 An Ordinary Member who has come to the end of their Ordinary Mem-bership Eligibility Period shall be considered an Old Member.

3.7 Old Members shall have no voting rights, but will be encourage to partic-ipate in Club events and, at the discretion of the Executive Committee,may use Club owned equipment provided they have paid Senior Subs forthat term.

3.8 The Executive Committee may, at its discretion, admit to become anAssociate Member any person who:(a) Is affiliated with College for a term or more;(b) Is a University Member but is not affiliated with any college;(c) Is an alumnus/a of college, regardless of whether or not they arealready an Old Member.

3.9 Associate Members shall not have voting rights or be eligible to stand forelection, unless in circumstances at the discretion of the Committee.

3.10 The Committee notes that additional restrictions are placed on AssociateMembers competing in events administered by OURCs and will work withthe Club’s Associate Members to ensure any and all necessary conditions are fulfilled before allowing an Associate Member to compete representingthe Club.

3.11 All Club Members will be considered to have membership of the Club.

3.12 The Committee, with specific regard to the Senior Member’s advice inrelation to the relevant matter, may vote to revoke any Club Member’smembership of the Club if removal of such person from their membershipis deemed to be in the best interests of the Club. If the person concernedis a University Member, that person may appeal against such removal toa tribunal approved by the Senior Member, to be made up of persons whoare not Committee Members.

4 Meetings of the Club Members

4.1 All meetings will be presided over by the Chair. This role belongs tothe Secretary, unless they should be absent or decline to preside overthe meeting, in which case the Committee shall elect another CommitteeMember to take the position. Ordinarily, this should be the President.

4.2 Neither the President nor the Chair will vote in any matter unless thereis a tie, in which case the President will have the casting vote.

4.3 The Secretary must call an Annual General Meeting for all Club Mem-bers, with no less than fourteen (14) days’ notice, before Week 5 in TrinityTerm of that year.

4.4 At the Annual General Meeting, the Club Members will:(a) Receive the annual report of the Committee for the previous year,the report having been approved by the Committee;(b) Consider any motions of which no less than fourteen (14) days’ noticehas been given and any other relevant business.

4.5 A General Meeting may be called in any Full Term, either:(a) By the President, the Secretary, or Treasurer, with no less than two(2) days’ notice.(b) Or on a written requisition by five (5) or more Club Members, statingthe reason for which the meeting is to be called and delivered to theSecretary not less than five (5) days before the proposed date of themeeting.4.6 Motions for a General Meeting may be proposed by any Club Memberand must be submitted to the Secretary no less than 12 hours before the meeting.

4.7 The Secretary shall circulate an agenda for a General Meeting in advanceof the meeting itself.

4.8 Motions shall be discussed at General Meetings as follows:(a) The proposer shall present their motion and, if there is no opposition,the motion shall be submitted for voting;(b) The proposer shall present their motion and, if there is oppositionto the motion, speak in favour of the motion, after which an opposershall speak against it. General debate of the motion shall be mediatedby the Chair, with members raising their hands to indicate a desireto speak or ask a question.(c) Amendments to the motion proposed can be friendly, in which casethey are adopted immediately into the motion, or unfriendly, in whichcase they are subject to the process of (b) and shall be voted onbefore the motion as a whole.(d) The Chair shall call a vote once after appropriate discussion onamendments and the motion as a whole.(e) Motions are passed by a simple majority, by a show of hands or secretballot at the Chair’s discretion.

4.9 The quorum for a General Meeting shall be sixteen (16) Club Memberspresent in person, online or by proxy, of whom five (5) must be CommitteeMembers. When any financial business is to be transacted, there must bepresent the Treasurer or a Committee Member deputed by the Treasurerto represent the Treasurer’s views to the meeting, provided that where itis a case of a deputy, the only financial business transacted shall be thatwhich was set out in the agenda accompanying the notice of the meeting.

4.10 The Secretary shall call a Committee Meeting at least once a term withno less than four (4) days’ notice.

4.11 Committee Members may submit items to be discussed at the CommitteeMeeting to the Secretary in advance of the meeting.

4.12 The quorum for a Committee Meeting shall be eight (8) Committee Mem-bers present in person or online. When any financial business is to betransacted, there must be present the Treasurer or a Committee Memberdeputed by the Treasurer to represent the Treasurer’s view to the meeting.

4.13 Every matter raised at a Committee Meeting, except where this Consti-tution provides otherwise, shall be determined by a simple majority ofmembers present and voting. Voting by secret ballot shall be permittedat the discretion of the Chair. In the case of equal votes, the Presidentshall have the casting vote. A vote held at a General Meeting shall be con-sidered equivalent to a vote held at a Committee Meeting, except wherethis Constitution specifies a vote is required at a General Meeting.

4.14 At all meetings, the Chair must take minutes, to be kept and formallyadopted, copies of which shall be made available on request to all ClubMembers and to the Senior Member.

5.The Committee

5.1 The Committee shall consist of:(a) The Executive Committee (see 5.6);(b) The Non-Executive (Running) Committee;(c) The Senior Member.

5.2 All persons on the Committee, whether elected or appointed, are to beconsidered as Committee Members.

5.3 The Committee shall administer all of the Club’s affairs, determine theNovice Subs and Senior Subs payable by all Active Members, have controlof the funds and property of the Club, and have ultimate responsibilityfor the activities of the Club.

5.4 College Members shall at all times make up the majority of the CommitteeMembers.

5.5 No Committee Member shall enter into or purport to enter into any ar-rangement, contract, or transaction on behalf of the Club with a valueexceeding £1,000 unless the Committee has resolved to approve the rele-vant arrangement, contract, or transaction.

5.6 The Executive Committee shall consist of:(a) The President (see 5.7);(b) The Secretary (see 5.8);(c) The Treasurer (see 5.9)(d) The Captains, both Men’s and Women’s (see 5.10).

5.7 The President shall:(a) Be responsible for the Club’s general running and operation, and takea general advisory and supervisory role;(b) Ensure cooperation between the Men’s and Women’s sides of theClub;(c) Ensure annual calendar obligations are met and that major eventsare properly run;(d) Ensure the general maintenance of the Core NCBC Folder;(e) Be responsible for amending the Constitution so that it remains fitfor purpose, by submitting amendments if deemed necessary by theprocedure detailed in Section 12;(f) Make a good-faith effort to ensure the long-term stability, accessibil-ity, and ethical conduct of the Club.

5.8 The Secretary shall:(a) Maintain a register of the Club Members, which shall be availablefor inspection by the Senior Member and OURCs on request;(b) Send a list of Club Members annually to College’s Development Of-fice, for the purpose of identifying Old Members;(c) Give notice of all Club meetings to the relevant Club Members;(d) Provide the agendas for all Club meetings;(e) In conjunction with the Media Officer(s), take responsibility for theoperation and updating of a suitable club web-page, displaying atleast current club contacts and the Constitution;(f) Inform the Senior Member if the Club ceases to operate, or is to bedissolved, and in doing so present a final statement of accounts;(g) Maintain a record of when blades were chalked;(h) In conjunction with the Media Officer(s), maintain contact with theCollege Archivist in order to preserve the Club’s history;

5.9 The Treasurer shall:(a) Keep proper records of the Club’s financial transactions in accordancewith current accepted accounting rule and practices;(b) Oversee the organisation of Senior and Novice Subs;(c) Provide all information needed for battels to College;(d) Ensure that all Club Members are aware of the Club’s fines policy atthe start of each term;(e) Develop and implement control procedures to minimise the risk offinancial exposure;(f) Ensure that bills are paid and cash is banked in accordance with theprocedures developed under 5.3;(g) Prepare an annual budget for the Club and regularly inform theCommittee of progress against that budget;(h) Ensure that all statutory returns are made including VAT, incometax, and corporation tax if appropriate;(i) Seek advice as necessary on tax matters from the University’s FinanceDivision;(j) Develop and maintain a manual of written procedures for all aspectsof the Treasurer’s responsibilities;(k) Maintain separate accounts for an alumni fund, which shall be usedfor alumni and shall typically by the recipient of non-specific dona-tions to the Club from Old Members;(l) Make all records, procedures, and accounts available on request tothe Senior Member.

5.10 The Captains, comprising the Men’s Captain(s) and Women’s Cap-tain(s), for their respective sides of the Club shall:(a) Be responsible for overseeing the training and selection of crews, inconsultation with the coaching team;(b) Be responsible for the day-to-day organisation of rowing at the Club;(c) Hire and appoint coaches as required, subject to the approval of theExecutive Committee;(d) Be responsible for the maintenance of all Club equipment, in coordi-nation with the Boatman where necessary;(e) Represent the Club to OURCs, particularly in Captains’ Meetings;

5.11 On neither the Men’s nor Women’s sides shall there be more than two (2)Captains.

5.12 The Non-Executive (Running) Committee shall consist of:(a) The Vice-Captains;(b) The Captains of Coxes;(c) The Captain of Ergs;(d) The Social Secretary (or Secretaries);(e) The Kit Representative;(f) The Boathouse and Safety Officer;(g) The Alumni and Sponsorship Officer(s);(h) The Welfare Officers;(i) The Media Officer(s).

5.13 The Vice-Captains, comprising the Men’s Vice-Captains and Women’sVice-Captains, for their respective side of the Club shall:(a) Help the Captain(s) of their respective side manage and organise thesquad;(b) Be responsible for the training of the lower boats, in consultationwith the Captain(s);(c) Be responsible for the recruitment of novice rowers at the beginningof each academic year.

5.14 The Captain of Coxes shall:(a) Be responsible for the organisation, training, and certification ofcoxes in line with OURCs guidelines and rules;(b) Be responsible for the Club’s lifejackets, cox boxes, microphones, boatlights, and other such equipment as necessary for the proper conductof training;(c) Ensure that all equipment listed in ii. is in good working order andthat there is a proper and fair distribution between crews of suchequipment.

5.15 The Captain of Ergs shall:(a) Organise and run any Club indoor regattas, to take place in the ErgSuite;(b) Oversee the organisation of an annual 24 hour indoor ergathon inTrinity Term to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation, in co-operation with the Alumni and Sponsorship Officers.(c) Be responsible for the general maintenance of the Club’s ergometers,as well as other equipment in the Erg Suite;(d) Be responsible for the safety and tidiness of the Erg Suite.

5.16 The Social Secretary (or Secretaries) shall:(a) Be responsible for the organisation, coordination, and publicity of allClub events, except those which are the responsibility of the Alumniand Sponsorship Officer(s) (see 5.19);(b) Have special responsibility for events in Freshers’ Week and eventsafter Michaelmas Novice Regatta, Torpids, and Summer Eights;(c) Ensure the smooth running of the Boathouse bar and barbecue duringTorpids and Eights’ Week, including fulfilling licensing requirements,stocking the bar and finding volunteers;(d) Maintain an inventory of all surplus food and drink held by the Club;(e) Organise crewdates in keeping with the Club’s demand and liaisewith other college’s boat clubs for the purpose of joint social events.

5.17 The Kit Representative shall:(a) Be responsible for all ordering and distribution of all Club-brandedclothing and sportswear, except the Club pin badges (see 5.19);(b) Be responsible for the ordering and distribution of the Club’s blazers;(c) Maintain an inventory of all spare clothing and sportswear owned bythe Club;(d) Ensure that Old Members have opportunities to buy Club merchan-dise, in conjunction with the Alumni and Sponsorship Officer(s).

5.18 The Boathouse and Safety Officer shall:(a) Ensure that all rowing activities, equipment, and facilities conformto OURCs and British Rowing safety standards and guidelines;(b) Maintain a yearly inventory of all Club equipment;(c) Organise and present safety briefings to the Club in accordance withOURCs procedures and stay abreast of OURCs safety guidelines;(d) Recruit volunteers for the Club’s contribution to the marshalling andumpiring of OURCs events.

5.19 The Alumni and Sponsorship Officer(s) shall:(a) Form part of an Alumni and Sponsorship Team, consisting otherwiseof the President, Secretary and Treasurer;(b) Be directed in their duties by an Alumni and Sponsorship Lead, whois appointed by the President in the case of there being more thanone Officer, and who conducts their duties in consultation with theTeam;(c) Be responsible for the organisation of events for Old Members, par-ticularly Eights Dinner and drinks receptions in London and Henley;(d) Oversee the organisation of an annual 24 hour indoor ergathon inTrinity Term to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation, in co-operation with the Captain of Ergs.(e) Collaborate with the Media Officer(s) to conduct outreach with OldMembers and potential sponsors;(f) Order and distribute the Club pin badges to Old Members, in coor-dination with the College Development Office;(g) Publish at least one (1) newsletter each year to the Old Members,with current information about the Club and its performance;(h) Maintain a working relationship with the College Development Of-fice, particularly with regard to fundraising and keep Old Membersengaged in the Club;(i) Research and, where possible, procure sponsorship for the Club andensure any sponsorship obligations are fulfilled;(j) Keep up-to-date with the status of the 1912 Fund, and make a good-faith effort to increase its endowment.

5.20 The Welfare Officers shall:(a) Act as a neutral third party in mediating complaints or resolvingdisputes within the club;(b) Have a complete knowledge of the Club’s Welfare Procedure;(c) Maintain high standards of impartiality and confidentiality; (d) Not have executive authority to impose sanctions, but may escalatematters in accordance with the Welfare Procedure.

5.21 The Media Officer(s) shall:(a) Report to the Secretary in most cases;(b) Maintain and update the Club’s websites and Wikipedia page;(c) Maintain and update Google Drive access for all necessary Club mem-bers;(d) Control access to the Club’s Instagram and Facebook pages;(e) Operate a centralised digital photo and video drive;(f) Consult with the Archivist (in conjunction with the Secretary) inorder to preserve and disseminate Club history;(g) Maintain regular activity on social media pages, including but notlimited to: marketing for events, fundraising and sponsorships; pro-motion of athletic activities; humorous, exciting and engaging contentto increase the Club’s visibility.(h) Collaborate with the Alumni and Sponsorship Officers to conductoutreach with Old Members and potential sponsors.

5.22 The Senior Member shall be the Warden of New College, unless theyrefuse, in which case the Executive Committee shall appoint a Fellow ofCollege, by their consent, to be Senior Member.

5.23 The Senior Member shall:(a) Keep abreast of the actions and activities of the Club;(b) Provide information relating to the Club to the Proctors on request;(c) Seek to settle any preliminary disputes between the Committee andthe other Club Members;(d) Ensure that adequate advice and assistance is available to the Pres-ident, the Secretary, and the Treasurer in the performance of theirresponsibilities (as detailed at 5.6, 5.7, 5.8);(e) Be available to represent and speak for the Club in the public forumand before the University authorities.

5.24 If during the period between the Club’s annual Elections (see Section8) any vacancies occur amongst the Committee Members, the Committeeshall have the power of filling the vacancy or vacancies up the next electionsby co-optation, subject to a Committee vote in the case of Executivepositions.

5.25 Outgoing Committee Members must instruct their successors in the properconduct of their office. This is in most cases expected to be done througha handover document, and an in-person meeting.

5.26 Each Committee Member must, and shall procure that other Committee
Members shall, at the end of their term of office promptly hand to the
relevant successor in office (or to another Club Member nominated by the
incoming Committee) all documents and records belonging to the Club,
together with, on request from the Committee, any other property of the
Club which may be in the outgoing office holder’s possession.

5.27 The President and the Treasurer must complete any requirements to trans-
fer authority relating to the control of the Club’s bank account(s), building
society accounts, or other financial officers to their successors in office.

5.28 The Committee shall have power to make regulations and standing orders
in order to implement the paragraphs of this Constitution, and to settle
any disputed points not otherwise provided for in this Constitution.

5.29 A Committee Member may be removed from their office if they are con-
sidered to be abusing their office, failing to carry out the duties relevant to
their office, or bringing the Club into disrepute. A vote of no confidence
may be brought against a Committee Member by:
(a) Any Committee Member at a Committee Meeting, in which case they
will be removed by a majority vote;
(b) At least five (5) Ordinary Members, who should submit the motion
to the President in writing, who will arrange with the Secretary for
an emergency General Meeting to be called at which the Committee
Member may be removed by a two-thirds majority vote of approval.

5.30 In the case of a Committee Member being removed from their office, their
duties shall fall to the President until the Committee has appointed or
elected a successor.

6 Operations

6.1 The Committee shall fulfil all debts and contractual obligations entered
into by any previous Committee.

6.2 Non-Club Members may only use Club equipment or property accom-
panying and in the presence of a Club Member by the invitation of the
Committee, or in accordance with a training- or equipment-sharing pro-
gramme organised by the Captains.

6.3 Damage to Club equipment or property must be reported immediately to
the President, Captains, and Boathouse and Safety Officer.

6.4 The Committee shall award Blades to all Eights which gain achieve a
bump on each and every day of Torpids or Summer Eights without be-
ing bumped, or which is Head of the River at the close of racing on the
Saturday of a bumps campaign

6.5 The Committee may award Discretionary Blades to an Eight whichgains a bump each day of racing without being bumped, consisting of atleast three days of racing. Technical bumps, penalty bumps, or technicalrow-overs, as defined by OURCs, may be admitted or disregarded at theCommittee’s discretion. Discretionary Blades must always be subject toa vote by the Committee.

6.6 Only first and second boat Blades can be chalked in College’s GardenQuad, which only has capacity for five (5) chalkings. The Committee, tothe best of its ability and in consultation with College, will ensure thateach chalking is up for a minimum of five years from when it was originallychalked.

6.7 A Club Member shall have the right to purchase a first boat blazer (cream)if:(a) They are entered, or have been entered in previous years, as a crewmember of the Men’s or Women’s first boat for Summer Eights;(b) The Committee votes to award the right, when a Club Memberhas made a significant and sustained contribution to the Men’s orWomen’s first boat but has not fulfilled condition (a).

6.8 All Club Members have the right to purchase a Club blazer (purple).

6.9 Purple unisuits shall only be worn in races by those who have been selectedfor first boats, unless the Captains allow otherwise.

6.10 Care should be taken for Michaelmas Novice Regatta that novice kit isagreed upon across the Men’s and Women’s sides and between boats.

7 Subscriptions

7.1 The Treasurer shall propose the cost of senior subscriptions (“SeniorSubs”) novice subscriptions (“Novice Subs”) (together, the “Subs”)at the first Committee meeting of each term. This fee shall be disclosedto Active Members before Week 3 of each term.

7.2 Subs shall be determined as follows:(a) Subs shall cover, wholly where possible, the cost of maintenance ofClub equipment, coaches’ pay, and entries into internal competitions.(b) Subs shall not cover external training or training camps, the cost ofwhich shall be the responsibility of participant Club Members.(c) Club Members shall pay half of the entry and trailering costs whenentering external regattas, up to the cost of £15. The Club shallcover the remainder of these costs, though the Treasurer retains theright to alter this arrangement if the cost to the Club exceeds £270 per Eight. If this is so, the Treasurer will notify all participant Club
Members of the proposed change to the cost to them well in advance
of their entry.
(d) Subs may be reviewed at other times during term under extenuat-
ing circumstances. If this occurs, the Treasurer shall disclose the
reviewed Subs fee first to the Committee and, if there are no objec-
tions from the Committee, then to all Club Members. If there are
objections from the Committee, the Subs fee shall remain unchanged
until the following term.

7.3 A waiver of Subs may be granted to any Active Member whom the Trea-
surer, after a confidential discussion, deems unable to pay the required
amount. This waiver shall be granted on a case-by-case basis.

7.4 At the discretion of the President and the Treasurer, a reduced sculling
subscription (“Sculling Subs”) may be offered to members wishing to
use only the Club’s Small Boats.

8 Elections

8.1 Members of the Club shall annually elect Committee Members. Com-
mittee Members are eligible for re-election. Any office except those of
President, Secretary and Treasurer may be held by multiple Members,
provided, in the case of Captain, Vice-Captain and Social Sec roles, that
the candidates run and be elected jointly. The Senior Member shall be a
member of the Committee ex officio.

8.2 Elections shall be held in Trinity full term annually. The incoming Com-
mittee will replace the outgoing Committee on Saturday of 5th Week in
Trinity Term. The incoming Committee shall be considered to hold their
offices once the Warden has left the Dining Hall after Eights’ Dinner, or
after the dinner has concludes, should the Warden be absent.

8.3 Hustings for each contested office and all Executive offices shall be held,
and voting shall commence immediately after the conclusion of hustings.
The Secretary shall give no less than seven (7) days’ notice of the hustings.

8.4 Candidates standing for election must submit their manifesto no less than
two days before hustings. Manifestos should be submitted anonymously
using a service such as Dropbox, and should not be viewed until two
days before hustings, at which point they should be made accessible to all
Members.

8.5 A manifesto must consist of:
(a) A proposer and a seconder, both of whom are Ordinary Members.
These may be Executive Committee Members, or the current office
holders, but these choices are typically avoided.(b) Details of the candidate’s suitability and plans for the role.

8.6 If no candidate has submitted a manifesto for a role less than two days be-fore hustings, manifestos for this role can be submitted until immediatelybefore hustings.

8.7 If a Committee position has not been filled after hustings, then the Com-mittee reserves the right to appoint a member, on the receipt of a mani-festo, by vote.

8.8 Only Ordinary Members (as specified in 3.4) shall be eligible to vote inelections. Voting for every office shall be held online in the 24 hoursfollowing hustings, and be overseen by the Returning Officers, and suchexisting Committee Members as they request for assistance. Voting shallbe by single transferable vote, i.e. a ranked ballot. The President shallabstain from voting, and in the event of a tie, shall have the casting vote.

8.9 All voting ballots must include the option to re-open nominations.

8.10 Elections shall be overseen by two Returning Officers. In the first instance,these shall be the Secretary and the President. If, after the deadlinefor manifesto submission, either of the above is standing for election toany position, Member(s) not standing for election may self-nominate tothe temporary position of Returning Officer. This appointment shall beratified by secret ballot of the Committee.(a) The Returning Officers shall oversee the voting process, and shallhold office from their appointment until the results of the electionare confirmed, at which point the office shall be dissolved. ReturningOfficers should not vote, nor should they disclose any details of thevoting to other members of the Club.(b) The identities of the Returning Officers shall be announced to theClub no less than 24 hours before hustings. If no Returning Officersare forthcoming, the position defaults to the Senior Member, whomay nominate a member at their discretion, who is not standing forelection.

8.11 Voting for certain positions shall be restricted to certain groups of Mem-bers.(a) Only members of the men’s squad may vote for election of the Men’sCaptain(s) and Men’s Vice-Captain(s). Only members of the women’ssquad may vote for election of the Women’s Captain(s) and Women’sVice-Captain(s).(b) Only members of the men’s squad may vote for election of the Men’sWelfare Officer. Only members of the women’s squad may vote forelection of the Women’s Welfare Officer.(c) Members entered to cox in a race for either squad in that academicyear may vote for both men’s and women’s positions.

8.12 If any Member feels a position has been incorrectly elected, they maylodge an appeal with the outgoing Committee no later than five daysafter the announcement of results. Such an appeal may be the result ofany reasonable grievance, including, but not limited to, the ineligibility ofa candidate, misapplication of the rules specified in this Constitution, orineligibility of electors to vote for the position.

8.13 In the case of such an appeal, an emergency Committee meeting (includingany temporary Returning Officers) shall be called by the outgoing Secre-tary to investigate the allegation, unless they are the subject of the appeal,in which case any unimplicated Executive Committee member may callthe meeting.

8.14 The member lodging the appeal shall have the right to represent their caseat this meeting, or may remain anonymous. In this case, a member of theExecutive Committee, who is not involved in the appeal, shall representtheir case.

8.15 If a specific member of the Club has been accused of wrongdoing, theyshall also have the right to represent themselves at this meeting.

8.16 The Committee shall vote by secret ballot whether to uphold the appeal.If the majority vote is to uphold the appeal, the Returning Officers shallarrange a re-election for the position in question.

8.17 Any discretionary or exceptional changes to these criteria must be votedon by the Committee and communicated in full to the Club no less than14 days prior to the election.

9 Welfare & Complaints.

9.1 The Club shall aim to foster an inclusive, respectful and mutually salutary environment, based on principles of sportsmanship. Members and coachesshall aim to endorse these values at all times.

9.2 The Committee shall produce, distribute and uphold a Welfare Proce-dure detailing the proper redress of complaints, conflicts, and matters ofpersonal support.

9.3 This Welfare Procedure may be changed by the Committee, subject to a two-thirds majority vote.

10 Indemnity

10.1 So far as may be permitted by law, every Committee Member shall be en-titled to be indemnified out of the Club’s assets against all costs, charges,losses, expenses, and liabilities incurred by the relevant Committee Mem-ber in the execution or discharge of their duties as a relevant office holderor the exercise of their powers as a relevant office holder, or otherwise inrelation to or in connection with the relevant office holder’s duties as arelevant office holder. This indemnity shall extend to any liability incurredby a relevant officer in defending any proceedings, civil or criminal, whichrelate to anything done or omitted or alleged to have been done or omittedby the relevant office holder as a relevant office holder and in which judg-ment is given in the relevant office holder’s favour (or the proceedings areotherwise indisposed of without any finding or admission of any materialbreach of duty on the relevant office holder’s part), or in which the relevantoffice holder is acquitted, or in connection with any application under anystatute for relief from liability in respect of any such act or omission inwhich relief is granted to the relevant office holder by the Court.

10.2 No Club assets shall be used to pay fines awarded by OURCs, except atthe Committee’s discretion. This Committee may also decide to pay onlya portion of the fine, and, regardless, Club Members shall, in the firstinstance, be liable to covey any fines they incur.

10.3 So far as may be permitted by law, the Club may purchase and maintainfor the benefit of any relevant office holder insurance cover against anyliability which by virtue of any rule of law may attach to the relevantofficer in respect of any negligence, default, breach of duty, or breachof trust of which the relevant office holder may be guilty in relation tothe Club and against all costs, charges, losses, expenses, and liabilitiesincurred by the relevant office holder and for which the relevant officeholder is entitled to be indemnified by virtue of 10.1.

11 Dissolution

11.1 The Club may be dissolved at any time by the approving votes of two-thirds of those present in person or by proxy at a General Meeting, afteran Executive Committee officer proposes the resolution to dissolve theClub. This General Meeting shall be held within 30 days of the resolutionbeing proposed.

11.2 A General Meeting motion on the Club’s dissolution is the only motionfor which Old and Associate Members shall have voting rights.

11.3 In the event of the Club being dissolved, its assets shall not be distributedamongst Club Members, but shall be paid to College for use in support ofrowing in College, or secondarily other sporting activities.

12 Amendments

12.1 Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed by any CommitteeMember and should be sent to the President. The President shall informthe Secretary of the proposed amendment, to be added to the agenda ofthe next Committee Meeting for discussion and review.

12.2 Amendments shall be adopted by a two-thirds majority at the next quo-rate Committee Meeting, in which case they shall be appended to theConstitution.

12.3 Should an amendment be passed, the updated Constitution shall be circu-lated immediately to all members of the Club and uploaded to the Club’scloud drive and website.

13 Interpretation

13.1 Any question about the interpretation of this Constitution shall be settledby the President, in consultation with the Executive Committee, and theSenior Member where appropriate.

13.2 This Constitution shall be binding on all Club Members, No regulation,by-law, or policy of the Club shall be inconsistent with, affect, or repealanything contained in this Constitution.

Given that the Michaelmas novice regatta got scratched and Torpids took such an abridged form that only half the divisions were able to race, we needed to enter as many crews as humanly possible into races before the start gun goes off for Eights in a few weeks. We thus sent our finest four crews - two women's eights and two men's fours - down to ISL on Sunday to demonstrate to the people of Oxford how you do this rowing business properly.

This being ISL, each crew trained together for about 15 minutes - long enough to row down to the start line and not much else. ISL, for the uninitiated, is a time trial upstream along the Isis. In comparison to Eights, it's a touch monotone: it's devoid of screaming NCBC ultras on the banks, the reward of a post-race Pimms or the thrill of bumping your bowball into some inferior crew's stroke seat. What it does offer, however, is the chance to put yourself through some serious pain over a couple of kilometres.

Our four crews put down some pretty solid performances. The men came second and seventh in their event, while the women (competing in a much larger category) came tenth and twenty-fourth.

The top 3 divisions were run as half-divisions to keep boats away from Iffley Lock, while the bottom 3 divisions were very sadly cancelled, leaving the bulk of our seven-boat fleet bereft of racing. A small silver lining for the lower boats is that since Rowing On could still take place, the new boats (W3 and M4) should be able to get a higher position for next year, but it doesn't take the sting out given the lack of racing so far. Our W1 and M1, however, still got a chance to get out there.

W1 (+4!):

W1 started the campaign with a bang. A cruise down the course saw them bump a strong Jesus crew in front of our own boathouse (to the glee of our coach), making them sandwich boat in Div 1, where they pushed past LMH. Trinity fell very easily the next day, as W1 caught them before Donny Bridge. (God Damn Bloody) Magdalen were only marginally more challenging on Day 3: our chief challenge was posed by the same Jesus crew from day 1 sprinting off the start line and threatening to bump from behind. Their sprint was in vain, however, since our W1 caught Magdalen well before the gut. We missed out on blades only by a small margin, rowing over on Day 4. A fabulous effort that bodes very well for Eights.

M1 (+1):

M1 started on bungline 10, a tricky place: you're nestled in a corner that the boats behind you can cut, allowing them to gain on you right off the start. That, however, becomes irrelevant if you just row faster. On day 1, we caught a Catz crew on their way down, bumping them before we had a chance to settle within around 15 strokes, filling us with confidence for Day 2. Even though we gained rapidly on Merton and got overlap, it was not to be, as Merton themselves bumped the crew in front and then cleared the line spectacularly badly, leaving us 3 lengths behind Balliol. We still closed it down to within a few feet but couldn't convert it before the finish post. We took them down by the gut the next day. Day 4 unfortunately didn't go our way: we were gaining on Merton again, but were severely punished by a momentary slip into the heavy stream and got bumped by a blades-winning Hertford crew.

Our lower boats, W3, M3 and M4 had Rowing On. This time trial along the Isis in Oxford serves as the 'qualification stage' for Torpids: the faster crews get placed in the starting order to chase down their foes for four days. All NCBC boats qualified with ease, and W3 substantially outpaced the boat in front of them (Somerville W3), portending bumps in our immediate future. This means that New is the joint largest boat club on the river (an honour shared with Wolfson), with a whopping 7 boats.

Not to be left out, our W1 and M1 headed down bright and early to Hammersmith Head. Running along the Tideway in west London, the 4.4km course includes around two-thirds of the Boat Race championship course. The men cruised to victory in their category, beating out 19 other boats (plenty of which were on their home waters) to win the race with a finish time of 11:32.1. W1 put down a very respectable performance of their own, beating a good number of boats by up to a minute and finishing in 13:33. A very good weekend for NCBC.

Given the fast stream on the Isis this week, it's fair to say that experience of the choppiness of an exposed tidal stretch might be critical in getting bumps this Torpids. (One day to go!)

The weather tried but did not manage to extinguish those flames. Although our camp was blighted by heavy rain a few days prior and a consequent red flag on the Isis, we didn’t let that stop the extravaganza of training, freezing temperatures, and questionable chat. NCBC went on a couple of excursions to Furnivall Club down in Hammersmith and over to Gloucester, where the sharp Oxford law could not pursue us, to get some water time in and improve our technique. To supplement that, we got plenty of land training done on the ergs, in the ‘tank’ facility at the university sports centre, and hit some weights to round it all off. Rowers often say ‘ergs don’t float’, but they’re such brilliant fun that you can’t skip them entirely.

Mindful that people might theoretically want to do some revision, we did do things other than rowing, getting together for communal meals, merriment and to chill out; training camp really helps to integrate novices and seniors into one club. A huge thank you is in order to our coach Jack and his moustache for his help – hopefully the experience and fitness gained on this camp will translate into some monstrous 2k times going down this week and our rivals getting humiliated in Torpids.