What is a constitution and why does it matter?

What is a constitution?

  • A constitution is a legal document that sets out the activities and procedures of an organisation. You have to have a constitution before your union is recognised by other bodies.
  • A constitution should ensure that a students’ union operates within the law, but should also provide a framework for it to operate effectively as a democratic student led organisation.
  • Constitutions should be transparent and accessible for both union officers and the ordinary members.
  • Constitutions should be seen as a tool to help student officers carry out their role, rather than simply a rulebook of what can and cannot be done.
  • It should outline where and how your members can be involved and how the Executive can act on their behalf.
  • Remember – being a legal document, the constitution protects your decisions provided they were arrived at by the method laid down in the constitution
The Parts of the Constitution

The constitution is not meant to be a complicated and secret document jealously guarded by the Executive. It is an active document that your members use to raise the issues that concern them, or that you use to seek their views on certain issues. Either way the constitution should be as easy to understand as possible. The way you set it out is therefore very important. There are two sections:

1. The Articles or main body, (the rules) which set out what people can or cannot do and define the aims and objects of the union.

2. The Schedules (the tools) which consist of some sections that require more detail. They cover particular areas of the constitution and are usually operational in nature, e.g. how to organise an election, how to set up clubs and societies.

Page Created: 27th Apr, 2008
Last Updated: 7:44pm on 27th Apr, 2008 by Tom Scott