Membership Regulations

Membership Regulations

NOTE:  These regulations are written using terminology, particularly with respect to the categories and various classes of membership of the Society, which is defined in our Articles of Association (referred to below in 1.)  However, it should be noted that in everyday parlance we refer to:

• Individual Members – who are people. This term may or may not include Fellows and Student Members.
• Corporate Members – that are companies/organisations of various categorised size. Below, in 1, these are referred to as company members*.  Note that in 1, a Corporate Member is defined as the main contact person within the company.  Named employees within the company, the number of which is determined by its categorised size, are defined as Associate Members.

Introduction

1. The Society’s Articles of Association, as amended on 25 June 2015, defines in legal terms the categories and various classes of membership of the Society and the privileges they enjoy pertaining to the constitution, affairs, business, direction and management of the Society that exist from this day forward.

Category	Class	Definition	Voting Privilege
Member	Fellow Individual Member Corporate Member	Elected Individual Member A person who is a Member of the SUT Main person of contact with the company member*	Yes Yes Yes
Associate	Associate Member Student Member	A named employee within a  company member* Individual student member paying supported fee.	No No

2. Associates are those to whom privileges in relation to the Society are granted by the Council subject to the provisions of the Articles of Association and to the Membership Regulations. Members also enjoy the privileges referred to above, but because they have given an undertaking to contribute, in the circumstances envisaged in Clause 7 of the Society’s Memorandum of Association, to the capital funds of the Society and are therefore ‘Members’ within the meaning of Section 110 of the 1948 Companies Act, it is the Member category only who have a voice in matters pertaining to the constitution, affairs, business, direction and management of the Society. The Member category only has the right to attend, be heard and to vote at Annual General Meetings and other Statutory Meetings of the Society, and it is the Member category alone who have the responsibility of electing the Council of Management of the Society from among their number.
3. The Regulations set out here are made by the Council pursuant to Article 13 of the Society’s Article of Association and give the rules governing qualifications, election, transfer and resignation of Members and Associates and lay down the code of conduct expected of them and specify the membership subscription and any other dues payable.
4. Pursuant to Article 23 of the Society’s Articles of Association, all matters pertaining to membership including, inter alia, the implementation of these Regulations and all matters pertaining thereto or arising therefrom will be subject to the overriding authority of the Council
5. The expression ‘underwater technology’ when used in the Articles of Association and in the Regulations made pursuant to the Articles is deemed to mean:
   ‘Scientific knowledge, engineering techniques and practical skills necessary to the proper exploration, study and exploitation of the resources of the oceans, seas and rivers and of the earth beneath them together with the academic research, applied research, engineering techniques, skill and industry required to advance the development of the structures, machines, tools and equipment necessary to the exploration, study and exploitation aforesaid, along with the administrative, executive and managerial skills and techniques directly related to the foregoing.’

Qualifications for Membership

1. The Council may, subject to the provisions of Article 16(A), elect to Honorary Membership in the class of Fellow, any person who in the opinion of Council is:
   (A) a person of distinguished scientific attainments in a branch of science or engineering connected either directly or indirectly with underwater technology;
   (B) a person of eminence in the practice, organisation, administration, teaching or research of one or other of the fields of science, engineering or industry connected either directly or indirectly with underwater technology; or
   (C) a person of standing who has rendered distinguished services to the Society or to the achievements of its objects.
2. Every candidate eligible for transfer to the Membership Class of Fellow must be proposed by another full Individual Member with two additional seconders, also full Members of the Society. Nominations are to be accompanied by a short citation and background information to enable Council to establish to its satisfaction that he/she:
   (A) has attained the age of 33 years and has been an Individual Member or Corporate Member for a minimum continuous period of two years;
   (B) has achieved a high reputation in the field of underwater technology;
   (C) has been engaged or at least three years in a senior position of responsibility in a branch of underwater technology; and
   (D) has identified him/herself with the long term interests of the Society and the achievement of its objectives
3. Every candidate for election to the class of Individual Member shall, subject to the provisions of Regulation 4, be a person who has established to the satisfaction of Council that he/she:
   (A) has attained the age of 21 years;
   (B) shows a bona fide professional interest in or has experience of the field of underwater technology, ocean science or offshore engineering, i.e. within any areas of interest to the Society.
4. (A) Each candidate for the election to the class Individual Member is required to have a proposer who is known to the Society.  In cases where this is not possible, the Membership Officer will assist in appointing a suitable third party.

(B) It is recognised that most candidates in a region where there is an active branch, could join through the branch and be considered affiliated to that branch.

(C) Should a Branch Committee reject a candidate, it would inform the Membership Secretary accordingly.

(D) In the event of a candidate being rejected who felt that they satisfied the entry criteria, there would exist the right of appeal to Council, which would convene a Membership Committee to which it delegates responsibility for approval of election of the candidate or otherwise. Council shall have absolute discretion as to the election of any candidate. Such a candidate may be required to attend an interview at such time and place as may be decided by the Council or such convened Membership Committee.

1. Admission to the membership class of Corporate Member shall be confined to bodies corporate, which shall be deemed to include, inter alia, universities, colleges of technology, learned societies, incorporated companies, partnerships, central and local government departments and agencies, and nationalised industries.
2. The qualification for admission to the class of Corporate Member shall be that in the opinion of the Council such a Member is connected either directly or indirectly with underwater technology and has a contribution to make to the scope and/or the advancement of such technology.
3. Each Corporate Member shall participate in the affairs of the Society, to the extent permitted by these Presents, through a representative appointed in accordance with Section 139 of the Act.
4. Additionally, a Corporate Member may nominate a further number of its senior staff to use the facilities of the Society. This number shall be dependent upon the category of corporate (company/organisation) membership applicable to that Corporate Member. These staff members shall be deemed to be Associate Members, except that they shall not belong to that class in their own right. Their names shall not be entered in the Register required to be kept under the provisions of Article 14, nor shall they be required to pay any annual subscription.
5. In addition to the foregoing, a Corporate Member may enrol any of its staff whatsoever for conferences and seminars organised wholly by the Society at the ‘member’ rate of registration fee.
6. Every candidate for election to the class of Student Member shall be a person who has established to the satisfaction of the Council that he/she:
   (A) has attained the age of 17 years;
   (B) is able to provide confirmation of undergoing full-time education; and
   (C) intends to be engaged in the field of underwater technology or in a field of engineering, industry, science or teaching connected wither directly or indirectly with underwater technology.

Admission, Election and Transfer of Members

1. The admission or election, as the case may be, of candidates for membership in any class and the transfer of a member from one class to another shall be by the Council.
2. Every proposal for admission, election or transfer shall be on a form approved by the Council and shall be forwarded to the Membership Secretary at the office of the Society.
3. When a candidate has been admitted or elected, as the case may be, the Membership Secretary shall give him/her notice thereof in a form approved by the Council. Payment of the membership subscription should accompany the candidate’s application. Notwithstanding his/her admission or election by the Council, the candidate shall enter into membership only upon receipt by the Society of the aforesaid subscription. Once the monies due have been received, the candidate’s name shall be added to the appropriate Register and he/she shall be given a Certificate of Admission, the details on which shall include the Member’s name, class of membership, date of admission thereto and his/her registered number.
4. When an application for transfer has been approved by the Council, the Membership Secretary shall advise the applicant to this effect in a form approved by the Council. Any transfer fee imposed by the Council shall thereupon fall due for payment. Notwithstanding the approval of the transfer by Council, the applicant shall not enter into the class of membership to which his/her transfer has been approved until the aforesaid transfer fee has been received by the Society. Upon receipt of the monies due, the applicant’s name shall be added to the class of member in the Register to which he/she has transferred and deleted from the class of member from which he/she has been transferred, and he shall be given a new Membership Card, the details on which shall include the Member’s name, the class of membership and his/her new registered number.
5. Any Certificate issued under the provision of these Regulations shall remain the property of the Society and shall be returned to the Society when the Member to whom it was issued ceases, for any reason whatsoever, to be a Member of the Society.
6. Where the Council decides against admission, election or transfer as the case may be, the applicant shall be advised of the outcome of his/her application without any reasons being given for the Council’s decision. Such reasons shall not be recorded in the minutes of the meeting at which the decision was taken, nor shall any mention be made of any non-admission, non-election or non-transfer in any publication of the Society.
7. The Council may re-admit to membership any person whose membership has terminated from any cause, provided he/she is worthy of re-admission any pays such amounts, if any, in respect of arrears of subscription and other charges as the Council shall determine.

Return from Members

1. On or about the first day of July in each year, or at such other time as the Council may decide, every Member shall make a return to the Society in such form as the Council may prescribe, notifying a place of business or residence as his/her registered address. If any Member shall fail to give a registered address, he/she shall not be entitled to receive notice of General Meetings of the Society and no such meetings shall be invalidated by reason of his/her not having received such notice.

Annual Subscriptions

1. (A) Unless otherwise resolved by the Council, the annual subscriptions shall be due and payable by each Member on the first day of July in each year.
   (B) The Council may, from time to time and at is absolute discretion, prescribe an increase in such fees and subscriptions provided:
   (i) that the date of effect of any such increase shall be the first day of July next following the date of the Council resolution so to increase such dues; and
   (ii) that the amount of any such increase shall not exceed twenty percentum of the amount payable by Members in respect of the year in which the Council’s decision to increase fees and subscriptions is made.
2. Should, in the opinion of the Council, it be necessary to increase fees and subscriptions with effect from a date other than the first day of July as aforesaid, or by an amount in excess of the twenty percentum stipulated in the preceding Regulation, then any such recommendation form the Council shall be considered at an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting and shall require the consent of a simple majority of those present and voting before coming into force.
3. A full year’s subscription shall be payable on admission. However, where the date of admission is on or after the first day of January in any year, then an amount equal to one half of the subscription payable on admission shall be due.
4. When a Member transfers from one class of membership to another, the subscription payable in respect of the class to which he/she is transferred shall not become payable by him/her until the first day of July next following the date of transfer. The Member shall be decided by the Council, having regard to the date of any such transfer and other relevant circumstances.
5. In cases of hardship, the Council may suspend or waive payment of the subscription payable by any Member on such terms and for such period as it may think fit.
6. If a Member resigns from or forfeits his/her membership for any reason whatsoever, he/she shall not be entitled to any refund of his/her subscription unless and until the Council at its absolute discretion shall decide otherwise.

Retirement from and Forfeiture of Membership

1. Any Member wishing to resign his/her membership shall tender written notice to the Council and, on its acceptance, his membership shall cease accordingly. Any Member giving such notice shall remain liable to pay any subscription or other sums due from him at the date of such notice.
2. Any member shall ipso facto cease to be a Member in the event of his/her annual subscription or other sum payable by him/her to the Society being in arrears for three months from the date on which such subscription or other sum became payable, provided that the Council shall have power to suspend the operation of this Regulation in any case in which they are of the opinion that it is reasonable to do so. A person who has ceased to be a Member under this or the preceding Regulation may be re-admitted to membership by the Council on such conditions as it may think fit.
3. If any Member shall become bankrupt or shall make or agree to make an assignment for the benefit of his/her creditors or shall make any arrangement or composition with his/her creditors or execute any similar deed or agreement or shall take or attempt to take the benefit of any statutory provision for arrangement with his/her creditors, he/she shall ipso facto cease to be a Member, but the Council may re-admit him/her to membership on such conditions as it may think fit.
4. Any person ceasing by death, resignation or otherwise to be a Member of the Society shall not, nor shall his/her representatives, have any claim upon or interest in the funds of the Society.