ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF THE
STUDENTS' REPRESENTATIVES
(Approved by the Ramon Llull University Academic Board on
22 November 2001)
Explanatory Memorandum
We, the students representing the different centres making
up the Ramon Llull University, hereby set ourselves up as
the delegate’s committee to the Academic Board on 7
November 2000 to draft and present the Articles of association
of the representatives of the students of the Ramon Llull
University to the Academic Board.
We believe in the institutional participation of the students.
We believe that the responsibility and seriousness of the
students can contribute to enriching the Ramon Llull University.
We demand the opportunity to prove that we students deserve
to occupy a position of responsibility within the University.
It is our obligation to promote student participation above
and beyond the academic activities of the University. This
is why we aim to carry out the appropriate initiatives and
measures to extend and consolidate a framework of powers and
responsibilities for attaining our aims and interests, whilst
respecting the rules and principles of the Ramon Llull University.
This is the unanimous opinion of all the representatives of
the students of the centres. We therefore request that the
Academic Board approve the Articles of association of the
representatives of the students of the Ramon Llull University
on the 22 November 2001.
Chapter I:
Institutional participation of the students of the Ramon Llull
University
Art. 1. Given the federal nature of the University,
the centres of the Ramon Llull University have their own channels
of participation through the students, and their own methods
of choosing their delegates or representatives.
Art. 2. The institutional participation
of the students of the Ramon Llull University shall take place
through the students chosen as representatives of each of
the qualifications and centres.
Art. 3. The general functions of the representatives
of the students of the Ramon Llull University are:
1 To inform students of any issues and subjects
of academic interest, draft reports and promote or carry out
activities relevant to students.
2 To submit proposals, academically relevant
recommendations or complaints to the rectory.
3 To be informed and consulted in advance,
but not in a binding manner, of any changes or new additions
to the Curriculum, the Articles of association of the Ramon
Llull University and of any matters that may affect the students
of the University directly or indirectly.
4 To cooperate with the rectory in whatever
matters it may find appropriate.
5 To be duly informed in advance of any
matters put to the Academic Board for its consideration and
deliberated upon by the Board.
6 To elect the three members of the Academic
Board with voting rights to represent them.
7 To freely administer the budget which
the Board of Governors and/or other institutions chooses to
award it.
8 To freely administer the credits which
the Academic Board may see fit to award for participation
in the Students' Council, although specific academic rules
of the centres must be respected as concerns optional subjects.
9 To represent the students of the Ramon Llull University
in the areas concerning it.
Chapter II:
Structure and organisation of the representation of the students
of the Ramon Llull University
Art. 4. To perform the functions established
in article 3 and ensure their continuity year after year,
the representatives of the students shall be organised into
two bodies: the Council of Representatives and the Committee
of Representatives.
Art. 5. The Council of Representatives is
a collegiate body comprising the democratically elected representatives
of each of the degree and diploma courses taught in each centre
of the Ramon Llull University. Participation in the Council
shall also be open to representatives of masters and postgraduate
students of the Ramon Llull University.
Art. 6. The Committee of Representatives
is the executive body of the Council and comprises one representative
of each centre of the Ramon Llull University from among the
members of the Council of Representatives. The representatives
of the degree courses of each centre comprising the Council
shall be responsible for deciding who will represent the centre
before the Committee.
Chapter III:
The Council of Representatives
Art. 7. Council of Representatives
1. The representatives, constituted in a duly convened
Council of Representatives meeting, shall decide by simple
majority on matters upon which the Council is competent to
decide.
2. All the representatives,
including those who voted against and those who have not
taken part in the vote, shall be subject to the agreements
of the Council of Representatives.
Art. 8. Rights of the representatives
1. All representatives have:
a. The right to attend Council meetings and may always delegate
a proxy vote.
b. The right to vote in any of the Council's deliberations.
c. The right to be informed of the agenda, in the Council's
convening notice, to be informed of any matter in which
the Council is competent.
d. The right to express their opinion in any Council debate.
e. The right to own a copy of these rules.
Art. 9. Duties of the representatives
All representatives have the following obligations:
a. To attend all Council meetings convened in a valid way.
Repeatedly failing in this obligation may lead to disciplinary
action pursuant to Art. 30 of these Articles of association.
b. To discharge their responsibilities with
due loyalty and diligence.
c. To maintain due confidentiality and secrecy concerning
confidential information, even after they have ceased to
occupy their functions. Failure to comply with this duty
shall lead to disciplinary proceedings pursuant to Art.
30 of these Articles of association.
d. To ensure the correct functioning of
the Council of Representatives and the correct application
of these Articles of association.
Art.10. Convening of the first meeting
of the Council of Representatives in each academic year:
At the beginning of the academic year, the
Council of Representatives shall be convened once the respective
representatives have been elected in each centre. This election
must necessarily take place within the first four weeks
of the academic year.
1. The President and Secretary from the
previous academic year shall be obliged to convene the Council.
2. Should the Council not be convened
within the time envisaged in the previous paragraph, then
it may be convened on a request from any of the representatives
or by the Rector.
3. At this first Council
of Representatives meeting:
• A copy of the rules shall be given to all the representatives.
• The outgoing President of the Council of Representatives,
or if appropriate any of its members, shall provide a summary
of the management of the previous academic year.
• The Secretary shall then be elected, and shall be
given all of the documentation required in the performance
of her/his job, which she/he must begin immediately.
• Any issues considered relevant may be discussed.
• The members of the Committee of Representatives
shall be elected pursuant to these Articles of association.
Art. 11. Convening of the Council of Representatives
1. The Committee of Representatives
may convene the Council whenever it considers necessary,
by majority agreement.
2. The Committee of Representatives
must convene the Council when requested in writing by at
least one third of its representatives.
3. The Committee of Representatives shall
always be obliged to convene the Council in the first week
after Christmas, the last week before Easter and in the
first week of July.
4. At the last meeting
of the academic year, the Council must approve the annual
accounts presented by the Treasurer and approve the report
of the academic year drafted by the Committee of Representatives.
Art.12. Convening
1. The Council shall be convened in writing
sent to all the representatives.
2. The letter shall contain
the date of convening, the agenda and the date of meeting.
At least five days must elapse between the convening date
and the meeting date.
3. If the Council is convened
a second time, ten calendar days must elapse before the
first and second convening.
Art. 13. Constitution of the Council of Representatives
1. The Council's legal quorum at the first convening
shall be half of the representatives plus one.
2. At the second convening,
no quorum shall be necessary.
3. For the Council to agree any proposal
to amend the rules of institutional representation of the
students' representatives in a valid way, two thirds of
representatives must be present, both at the first convening
and at any subsequent ones.
Art. 14. Legal right to attend the Council
1. Only validly elected members are legally
able to attend Council meetings.
2. Notwithstanding the
above, the Council of Representatives may decide unanimously
to authorise the presence of any other person that it considers
appropriate, which must be stated in writing in the convening
notice.
Art.15. Representation
1. Any Representative may be represented
in the Council by another Representative.
2. Representation must be authorised in
writing especially for each meeting.
3. Representation may always be revoked.
The represented person's presence at the meeting shall amount
to revocation of the representation.
Art. 16. Adoption of agreements
1. Once legally constituted,
the Council of Representatives shall adopt its agreements
by simple majority of the representatives present at the
meeting, except in those cases in which another majority
is specifically required.
2. The Council may only
propose the reform of these rules by a two-thirds majority
of the representatives.
3. New matters not included
in the agenda may be debated in the case of a simple majority
of the members of the Council.
Art.17. Minutes of the Council of Representatives
1. The minutes of the meeting of the Council
must be approved by the Council itself after the meeting
is held, and shall be signed by the president and Secretary
of the Council.
2. The approved minutes
shall have executive force once approved.
Art. 18. Contesting of
the Council's agreements
1. Agreements by the Council may be contested
if they run counter to these Articles of association or
damage the interests of one or more representatives of the
Students' Council.
2. No agreement of the
Council may be contested when it has been properly replaced
by another agreement or annulled.
3. Contestation of Council agreements
shall lapse 30 days from the adoption of the contested agreement.
Art. 19. Legal rights and powers
1. The Committee of Representatives is
empowered to contest the agreements if a majority of its
members is in favour. This is also the case if one quarter
of the Council supports the motion, as long as they have
attended the meeting and have had their opposition to the
agreement recorded in the minutes.
2. The letter of contestation must be
sent to the Council following notification to the president.
3. The Committee of Representatives must
represent the Council in the contesting process. If the
Committee is the contesting party, the Council shall appoint
three representatives to represent it.
4. The process of contesting shall be
carried out according to the rules.
5. A five-member tribunal
may resolve the dispute. Only delegates from the centres
making up the Ramon Llull University, the rector and his
representatives may be members of the tribunal. The election
of the members of the tribunal and the process of arbitration
shall be carried out according to the rules.
Art. 20. Chairmanship of the Council of
Representatives
1. The chairmanship aims
to ensure the correct, orderly and effective working of
the Council.
2. The first meeting of
the Council will be chaired by the outgoing chairperson,
or, failing her/him, by the longest-standing representative,
and, in the event of a tie, by the oldest of them. The chair
shall provisionally fulfil the role of secretary.
3. Once the Council of
Representatives has been constituted, it shall be chaired
by a member of the Council, as agreed by the Council itself.
4. The Chairperson must:
• Draw up a list of the participating representatives.
• Moderate the Council debates and
ensure the orderly course of the discussions, giving the
floor to the different speakers.
• Ensure that the agenda is followed, and propose
new subjects not included in it.
• Put any controversial issues and decisions to be
adopted to the vote, lead the voting and count the votes
cast. In the event of a tie, the chair shall have the casing
vote.
• Maintain order, with the power to expel any representative
who disturbs the smooth running of the proceedings from
the Council.
• Ensure respect of the formalities and requirements
laid down in the rules for the acts and agreements of the
Council to be valid.
• Sign the Council minutes.
• Preside over the Committee of Representatives.
Art. 21. Secretary of the Council of Representatives
1. The Council shall elect a secretary
by a majority of its members.
2. It corresponds to the Secretary to:
• Assist the Chairperson.
• Take written note of the subjects debated in each
Council.
• Draw up the minutes and any other documents of the
meeting, signing each of these at the foot of the page at
the end of the Council meeting.
• Guard and archive the letters and any other documents
of the Council.
• Perform the administrative functions attributed
it by the Council.
• Act as secretary of the Committee of Representatives
when specifically requested to do so by the Council.
Art. 22. Dismissal and relinquishment
1. The dismissal of the
President may be agreed by the Council by a majority of
three quarters of the participating representatives.
2. The dismissal of the Secretary may be
agreed by the Council by a majority of three quarters of
the participating representatives.
3. The representative to
replace the President, the Secretary, or both must be elected
during the same Council meeting.
4. The Chairperson may
renounce her/his post at any time, presenting the reasons
in writing to the Council, and may convene an extraordinary
meeting to find a replacement.
5. The Secretary
may renounce her/his post at any time, presenting the reasons
in writing to the Council to the chairperson of the Council,
who will propose the holding of an extraordinary meeting
to find a replacement, if she/he feels it appropriate.
Chapter IV: The Committee
of Representatives
Art. 23. The Committee of Representatives
is the only valid interlocutor before the rector and the
other members of the administration of the URL as regards
the execution of the agreements adopted by the Council and
for the exercise of the powers falling to it.
Art. 24. Incompatibilities. To be dealt
with according to the rules.
Art. 25. Internal rules of the Committee
of Representatives
1. The committee shall adopt its decisions
by a majority of its members, except in
such cases in which unanimity or qualified majorities are
required.
2. The Committee shall
regulate its own internal operation according to the rules.
3. The Council shall be
authorised to demand any information that it requires from
the Committee of Representatives.
Art. 26. Treasurer
1. This will be dealt with according to the rules
Art. 27. Committees
1. The Committee of Representatives may
delegate the specific exercise of a given power or entrust
specific tasks to ad hoc committees by simple agreement
as per a given deadline.
2. All committees shall
have a chairperson, who will be the only valid interlocutor
before the Committee.
3. Any students that the
Council or the Committee consider appropriate may be members
of a committee.
4. The working of the committees
shall be governed by the internal rules approved by the
Committee.
Art. 28. The Committee of Representatives
must elect students as members of the Academic Board of
the Ramon Llull University, the Interuniversity Council
of Catalonia and the Joan Lluís Vives Institute and
the representatives of other forums in which the University
is to be represented.
Art. 29. Interpretation of the rules
1. The Committee of Representatives must
interpret these rules.
2. In the event of a disagreement,
one third of its members may contest the interpretation.
Art. 30. Disciplinary system and sanctions
1. All representatives shall be subject
to disciplinary responsibility.
2. Infringements shall
be slight, serious or very serious.
3. The corresponding
infringements and sanctions shall be regulated in the internal
rules.
Chapter V: Financial and
material resources
Art. 31. Material resources
1. The Council of Representatives shall
be provided with the appropriate resources for carrying
out its activities, as well as an archive, a notice board,
a computer equipped with the latest technology, a printer
and Internet connection with an e-mail address through which
to communicate with all the students of the University.
Art. 32. Budget and finance
1. The Committee of Representatives shall
draft a budget, in line with the proposed actions, which
shall be put to the Board of Governors of the Ramon Llull
University and shall be updated each year.
2. The Administration of
the Ramon Llull University shall avail the Committee of
Representatives of the funds, following a written request
accompanied by a receipt of expenditure.
3. The Administration of
the Ramon Llull University may also forward amounts of money.
The Committee of Representatives shall provide the corresponding
receipt of expenditure within a period of (15) fifteen days.
4. The Board of Governors
may earmark a higher amount than the sum agreed in view
of any special circumstances or events that may occur during
the academic year.
5. The budget shall be
assigned at the beginning of the academic year, once the
representatives of the Committee of Representatives have
been chosen.
1st transitional provision
1. The representatives elected in the
academic year 2000/ 2001 shall be empowered to negotiate
these articles of association with the rectory and management
of the Ramon Llull University.
2. These articles of association
shall enter into force on the day following their approval
by the Academic Board.
2nd transitional provision
1. Temporarily, pending approval of these rules,
the representatives shall organise their work as they see
fit.
Final provision
1. The Committee shall enact the rules of procedure
envisaged in these Articles of association within a maximum
period of one year.
2. Any internal rules shall
be attached to these rules as an annex.
3. Approval, amendment
or derogation of any internal rules shall require the same
process and majorities as those envisaged for amendment
of the rules.
e-mail info@url.edu •
Website with the IQUA quality seal • 
+ contrast
- contrast
