An AGM is the Annual General Meeting. It is where the Board of Trustees presents all the business of the Student’s Association to its members for the previous year and reflects on progress towards the aims of the association.

The Board of Trustees is made up of student and non-student members. Typically, it includes the President and Vice President of the Students Association, two external Trustees who come from outside the university and four student members. This makes the Board of Trustees 75% students. Our board of trustees must have a 50:50 gender balance.

The Board of Trustees ensures that the Student Association operates within the governance of our constitution and oversees the main operational functions of the association; this includes staff, budgets and continuity through transitions of elected representatives. The trustees go through all business in the AGM and make sure that the Students Association stands up to its charitable aims and obligations.

Trustees go over the minutes from the previous AGM, making sure members are satisfied with what has been recorded. Those in attendance may also ask about outcomes of plans in the minutes for example “The minutes state that this should be fixed by March, has that been done?”.

The Trustees go over what they’ve done over the past year. What they’ve achieved, what they’ve been part of and what they planned to do.

The business accounts of the Students Association are shown, to provide reference to what’s been spent and what it has been spent on. This is for transparency.

The Trustees will present the auditor and their fee in order to appoint for the following year. Members are to approve this appointment.

The Trustees present the affiliations and costs with other organisations and bodies (e.g. NUS) for approval by the members.

This is an opportunity for anyone to ask questions to the Trustees. It’s primarily for you to better understand what the trustees and the Students Association do. You can ask almost anything, for example: What are the charity regulations of the Students Association? Why the Students Association do what they do? Why are there trustees? Why has money been spent on something?

1. A general meeting shall be called by at least 14 clear days’ written notice.

2. Every notice calling a general meeting shall specify the place, day and time of the meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted. If the meeting is an annual general meeting, the notice must say so and the business to be transacted shall include:
2.1. ratification of minutes of previous AGM;
2.2. receiving the report of the Trustees on the Association’s activities since the previous AGM;
2.3. receiving the accounts of the Association for the previous financial year;
2.4. appointment of the auditors;
2.5. approving the list of affiliations of the Association; and
2.6. open questions to the Trustees by the Members.