ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF THE STUDENTS' REPRESENTATIVES
(Approved by the Ramon Llull University Governing 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 Governing
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 Governing 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 Governing 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 Governing Board for its consideration
and deliberated upon by the Board.
6 To elect the three members of the
Governing 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 Governing 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 Governing
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 Governing
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.
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