FAVS

  1. History
  2. Society Constitution

Society Constitution

National Farm Animal Veterinary Society (FAVS)

Society Constitution

Society

  1. The name of the society shall be: Farm Animal Veterinary Society (FAVS).
  2. FAVS shall be a non-profit organisation.
  3. The society's aims shall be to promote farm animal medicine within the veterinary student body, which will include an annual congress.
  4. FAVS shall host an Association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the annual Congress, to be held in the first academic term of the calendar year.
  5. All veterinary schools within the British Isles will be invited to be members of FAVS.

The Committee

The FAVS committee will consist of the following positions:

  1. President
  2. Secretary
  3. Treasurer
  4. Junior Representative
  5.  New graduate (Ambassador)
  1. A term runs from the AGM at which the new committee is appointed, for approximately one year until the subsequent AGM. 
  2. Each University FAVS will be eligible to have a member on the FAVS committee. The representative can be either the President of the respective farm veterinary societies or an alternative nominated member.
  3. FAVS will meet at least quarterly via Video Chat with additional meetings to be scheduled as required - this will be in addition to regular messenger chat to discuss issues and developments

President – Role of the President will primarily be to maintain the Farm Animal Veterinary Society Website “FAVS.org.uk”, this will entail regular updates and discussion on the following: 

  1. Dates of FAVS Congress, tickets release dates and information about the congress
  2. Online webinars available – these can be uploaded to the website from external speaker or University FAVS talks
  3. Society Talks – all speaker who give permission for recording and sharing of their material for FAVS Members use
  4. Facts and Governmental Legislation Resources – Resources approved by the BCVA and XLvets
  5. Veterinary Practices contact details for the EMS Database – these can only be added when permission from a partner or practice manager has been attained
  6. Veterinary Practices Employment Adverts – only to added when permission from Practice Partners or Practice Managers
  7. Adding members to the website when the individual societies send through the updated members lists – responsibility of the University FAVS to keep the Membership Lists Updated
  8. Maintain the online resources 
  9. Updating all profiles for websites – All committee profiles for both National and University Committees

Role of the president with regards to congress, this will entail the following to be completed:

  1. FAVS Congress Host University are kept to a sufficient time scale with regards to ensuring advertisement and tickets sales.
  2. Ensure Hosting University are put in contact with the presidents of each university as rapidly as possible via a What’s App Group – Facebook is not acceptable 
  3. Ensure Ticket sales are out by the 1stNovember of each academic year.
  4. Ensure allocation of tickets is divided equally as per the attendance interest from each university.
  5. Ensure all Universities pay the host within the set time limit and that no exceptions are made which would thus cause financial issues for the Hosts.
  6. Ensure all Universities only sell the allocated number of tickets and no more.
  7. Ensure the “Junior Rep” is promoting and advertising opportunities for practices and companies to provide sponsorship for the Congress Hosts in return for a stall at the careers fair.
  8. Ensure National FAVS have the annual stand at FAVS Congress and must man this to answer any questions or queries that delegates might have – president must attend no exceptions.
  9. Ensure maintain banner, leaflets, contacts diary, etc. – inventory list.
  10. Chair the FAVS AGM:
  11. Election of the new committee – Junior Rep, Treasurer, Secretary, President
  12. Election of the new BCVA Rep – this will be over seen by the BCVA representative
  13. Election of the next FAVS Congress Hosts
  14. Summaries the events and achievements of the National FAVS
  15. Set a date and venue for the handover between committees
  16. Thank the Hosts and Congress Committee

Other duties will be to maintain discussion and communication between all parties involved with FAVS. These will include the following:

  1. Set up the What’s App Group for communication between the National Table and the representatives of each University Farm Animal Veterinary Society – FAVS Reps with the appropriate academic year.
  2. Set up the What’s App Group for National Committee – National FAVS Committee.
  3. Maintaining Contact with the BCVA Representative about relevant events or changes being made within the Farm Animal Veterinary Society both at National and University Level.
  4. Put the relevant University in contact with potential sponsors or speakers via distribution of the appropriate email contact: nationalfavs@gmail.com

Treasurer – The role of the treasurer is primarily to manage the funds of national committee.

This will include management of the following areas:

  1. Bank account – documenting all transactions made by the society
  2. With regards to monetary decision, the treasurer will have the final decision on all topics
  3. Maintain a fully accessible accounts book, this can be presented to any university on request
  4. Will provide monetary receipts for all universities with regards to payments 
  5. Will provide BCVA will full invoice for each talk or sponsorship event they are involved with

They will also be in sole charge of organising the National Committee’s clothing and stall equipment.

This will include the following:

  1. Organisation and printing of the Navy Blue Polo Shirts – these are to include the following:
  2. Name – left chest plate
  3. Position – right chest plate
  4. National FAVS Logo – back 
  5. Leaflets – to include the contact details of each University FAVS and the National Committee
  6. Banners – to be used year on year 
  7. Raffle at national favs congress – contact sponsors to provide raffle prices for National FAVS Congress
  8. Organise Charity Sponsorship

Secretary – The role of the treasurer is to primarily manage minutes and the Social Media Advertisement for FAVS

Social Media:

  • Twitter – to be advertise FAVS Congress and the role of FAVS in the veterinary industry
  • Instagram – Fact Tuesday, Adverts for Graduate Jobs, EMS Opportunities, CPD Opportunities
  • Facebook – Promote FAVS and all the relative events and courses
  • Minutes – attend meetings and produce summary minutes of the points discussed and the plans for execution of these points, ensure all university bodies receive a copy of the minutes

  Other Responsibilities:

  • Co-Chair the FAVS Congress AGM
  • Organise the handover meeting with the new committee
  • Ensure all paperwork and minutes are presentable and filed accordingly to ensure a smooth hand over

Junior Rep – The role of the junior rep is to support the president with contacting relevant personnel and help organise the BCVA talks with each university and the BCVA Student Rep.

This will include the following breakdown:

  • Support of the FAVS president with matter of communication
  • Contacting Speakers etc for the BCVA sponsored talks for each university
  • Start to establish their own ideas within FAVS

Graduate Ambassador – The Role or the graduate ambassador is to provide a support network for the Committee to ask questions.

This will include the following:

  • Provide a blog of the events that you as a new graduate have encountered and things that might be useful and you had wished you had known as a new graduate
  • Provide Support for the committee and be available to answer questions
  • Attend the Congress for the whole weekend – to provide either lectures, practical’s or CV workshops

Congress

  1. FAVS Congress will be held annually in the first academic term of the calendar year
  2. All member Veterinary Schools will be eligible to host FAVS Congress
  3. Some preference will be given to applications from schools who have not hosted Congress recently, with the intention of Congress rotating through each Vet School approximately every seven years.
  4. Member schools will be invited to tender for the Congress four weeks prior to the FAVS AGM. Nominations will close one week prior to the AGM.
  5. The FAVS committee Representatives from each university will vote on the location of the next Congress, proposed prior, at the AGM.
  6. The election of the new National FAVS Committee will be made during the AGM, nominations need to be made 1 week prior to the congress, election will be decided by general vote. 

Nominations and voting - 

  1. Advisor
  2. The Advisor will ideally be a graduate. Past FAVS committee members who have had good attendance at meetings will be eligible to stand for the position of Advisor.
  3.  If there are insufficient nominations for the role of Advisor, the current Advisor may at their discretion open nominations to the profession, including recent graduates.
  4. All positions other than the Advisor are expected to be veterinary students.
  5. Individuals eligible to stand for committee positions will be invited to stand for nomination from four weeks prior to the Congress with the closure of nominations two weeks prior to Congress. 
  6. The Secretary will invite nominations from undergraduate members and the Advisor will coordinate graduate members.
  7. All member societies will have one vote on committee positions and all member societies must vote. A majority will be required for election.

Finances

  1. FAVS is a non-profit organisation.
  2. FAVS reserves the right to request a membership fee from their member societies after a majority decision from the committee, to be re-assessed yearly at the AGM.
  3. The funds will be used for publicity, stationery and stash where appropriate and as voted for by the committee.
  4. The Society’s finances will be presented to the society by the Treasurer at interim meetings and at the AGM. Details of finances will be published in the meetings of each AGM.
  5. The transcript will be released to the members two weeks prior to the AGM.
  6. Should FAVS disband, any assets of the society will be equally divided between member farm animal societies. If a Veterinary School does not have a farm animal veterinary society, the money shall be bequeathed to their respective veterinary student associations.

General

  1. The committee shall not refuse applications on grounds of race, sex, sexuality, age, religion, or political views.
  2. Upon a majority vote, the committee may expel any member whose conduct is likely to bring the society into disrepute.
  3. The committee may, at its discretion, co-opt additional committee members to itself where it perceives the need, or to fill vacancies which may arise.
  4. Proposed changes to the Constitution must be made four weeks prior to the AGM and close two weeks prior to the AGM. The Secretary will distribute proposed changes to the FAVS Committee. The FAVS Committee will vote on the changes during the AGM. All members of the previously named committee must vote.
  5. A majority vote must be reached. Those committee members unable to attend the AGM may vote remotely by email/letter. The deadline for remote voting will be 24 hours prior to the AGM.
  6. Should FAVS wish to disband, a unanimous vote from all committee members will be required.