Special Committee Meeting Minutes for 1976

Minutes of a special meeting of the Committee of the British Mathematical Colloquium, held in Rendel Library, Penbryn at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 7th April 1976.

Present: Professor Atiyah, Dr Dunwoody, Professor Goldie, Professor Halberstam, Dr Jameson, Professor Johnson, Dr McDonough, Professor Morris, Mr Rado, Dr Rees, Mr Reeve, Professor Schwarzenberger and Professor Wallace (representing the EMS).

The Committee considered the LMS/EMS proposal for linking the Colloquium with the Societies. After a detailed discussion, during which possible alternatives to the proposed method of guaranteeing the BMC against a limited loss were examined, it was decided to recommend the LMS/EMS proposal (which is attached below) to the General Meeting on Thursday.

The meeting ended at 8.20 p.m.

Minutes signed by J D P Meldrum (undated).

L.M.S./E.M.S. Proposal on Linking the Colloquium with the Societies

  1. The L.M.S. would be happy to offer the B.M.C. a 'guarantee' of £1000 (the E.M.S. would offer £100), in the sense that the Society would underwrite (up to this ceiling) any cumulative losses the B.M.C. might make. This would not be a cash grant, but an interest-free loan repayable as soon as practicable, preferably the following year. In a time of rapid inflation, when advance planning becomes tricky, the Society feels that this would help the B.M.C. organizers.
  2. In the event that the guarantee were invoked, the L.M.S. & E.M.S. would wish the financial arrangements for the following B.M.C to be decided by the B.M.C. Committee in consultation with the Societies. If no agreement were reached, the Societies would be free to withdraw their financial guarantee at that point, and the B.M.C. would endeavour to repay the outstanding loan at its earliest convenience.
    The Societies hope that the guarantee would never need to be invoked.
  3. The Societies would wish the B.M.C. to state in its advertising material that it was sponsored by them. This sponsorship would not imply control in any sense, but simply financial co-operation to avoid possible embarrassment if the B.M.C. incurred a loss; the scientific activities of the B.M.C. would continue exactly as at present, but on a more satisfactory institutional basis.
  4. The Treasurers of the L.M.S. and the E.M.S. would become the joint auditors of the B.M.C. accounts. This would provide a useful measure of continuity of financial know-how.
  5. The L.M.S. would wish to nominate two members to the B.M.C. Committee, and the E.M.S. two (out of a total of 16 members). These would be responsible for liaison between the B.M.C. and the Societies (especially in relation to the financial guarantees; cf. para 2) and might provide an extra element of continuity and some safeguard for minority interests on the Committee.
  6. The two societies would like to be associated with the largest Pure Mathematics meeting held regularly in the United Kingdom; this association would advertise the societies more widely and might result in improved membership, particularly among younger mathematicians.
  7. The L.M.S. would continue to advertise B.M.C. activities in the Newsletter and Bulletin as part of this agreement.