|
► TAKE A LOOK INSIDE
► SEARCH ASTONGUILD.ORG.UK
Advertise
Aston University Students Guild has various student marketing and student advertising tools that can promote your services direct to our students.
For all our student
marketing & advertising opportunities click the media pack button.
► Document D: Section 2
SECTION TWO:
GUILD COUNCIL
2.1 ROLE
The role of the Guild Council shall be to allocate the resources of the Guild so as to best promote the educational, athletic, social and general interests of its members.
2.2 MEMBERSHIP
2.2.1 The membership of Guild Council is laid down in Section 11 of the Constitution (Document B).
2.2.2 At the first Guild Council, a Guild Councillor shall be elected to serve as Vice Chairperson for that academic session. The Vice Chairperson shall serve for that session for the purpose of chairing meetings only. S/he shall not be a member of the Executive Committee.
2.3 AUTHORITY
2.3.1 As laid down in Section Five of the Ordinance (Document A), Guild Council shall have sole authority for exercising those powers derived from the Council of the University.
2.3.2 Guild Council may devolve authority for specific matters to student officers, standing committees or General Meetings of the Guild.
2.4 MEETINGS OF GUILD COUNCIL
2.4.1 All meetings of Guild Council shall be conducted in accordance with the Standing Orders detailed in Section 4 of the Constitutional Regulations (Document D).
Ordinary Meetings
2.4.2 Ordinary meeting of Guild Council for the transaction of general business shall be as required.
2.4.3 The times and dates of each meeting shall be determined by Steering Committee, and shall be displayed on the Guild noticeboard by the President at the beginning of each term. Changes to these times and dates must be resolution of Guild Council or by the displaying of a notice on the Guild noticeboard giving at least ten days notice.
2.4.4 The agenda for Ordinary Meetings of Guild Council, shall close a minimum of four days before the meeting. No paper may be submitted after the agenda has closed, and all papers should be ready for collection at least three days before the meeting.
Special Meetings
2.4.5 Special Meetings of Guild Council may be called by the President, Executive Committee, or twenty members of Guild Council, provided that at least seven days notice of the meeting is given. The agenda, time and date of such a meeting must be displayed on the Guild noticeboard during these seven days.
2.4.6 Notice of a Special Meeting of Guild Council must be given at a previous meeting of Council or by written notice to all members of Guild Council.
Emergency Meetings
2.4.7 The President or Executive Committee may call an Emergency Meeting of Guild Council provided that twenty four hours notice is given. A notice showing the agenda, time and place of the meeting shall be displayed on the Guild noticeboard during these twenty four hours.
2.4.8 An Emergency Meeting shall only be called if the matter to be discussed is of such urgency that the conduct of the business of the Guild will be impaired by delaying of discussion until an Ordinary or Special meeting can be called.
2.5 ATTENDANCE
2.5.1 Apologies must be submitted to the Chairperson in writing prior to the meeting.
2.5.2 At the discretion of the Chairperson, any member of Guild Council who fails to attend Council without adequate reason and without sending apologies shall be deemed to have resigned. The onus shall be on the Guild Council member to explain his/her absence.
2.6 QUORUM
2.6.1 The quorum for a meeting of Guild Council shall be a third of its members.
2.6.2 If there is no quorum present within fifteen minutes of the start of a meeting, the meeting shall not be held at that time. If, during a meeting of Guild Council, the Chair's attention is drawn to the lack of quorum, the meeting shall stand adjourned.
2.6.3 Any business not presented to a meeting due to lack of quorum shall normally be presented to a further meeting at a time specified by the Chairperson or, if the Chairperson does not arrange a time, to the next Ordinary Meeting of Guild Council.
2.6.4 At the Chairperson's discretion, any item of business not discussed due to lack of quorum may be resolved by Executive Committee, subject to a report being presented to the next Ordinary Meeting of Guild Council.
2.7 AGENDA
2.7.1 The first two items on the agenda shall be the "Roll Call" and "Approval of Agenda", in that order. At this state, the order of items on the agenda can be altered by a simple majority vote. However, during the meeting proper, the agenda may only be altered by a two-thirds majority vote.
2.7.2 The order of remaining business for an Ordinary Meeting of Guild Council shall be:
a) Minutes of the last Guild Council, and Matters Arising
b) President's Business
c) Financial Business
d) Other Executive Business
e) Question Time
f) Chairperson's Rulings
g) Policy Update
h) Members' Motions
i) Executive and Standing Committee Minutes
j) Announcements
2.7.3 No formal motion shall be allowed in a report. If a motion is proposed as a result of the report, it shall immediately follow the report, and be published with the agenda.
2.7.4 In setting the agendas for Guild Council, Steering Committee shall order motions as follows:
1) Guild business
2) Other issues directly affecting students
3) Local issues
4) National issues
5) International issues
MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
2.7.5. Guild Council shall approve as a correct record and sign the minutes of the last Ordinary Meeting and all meetings of Guild Council held since the last Ordinary Meeting and to deal with any matters arising from there.
2.7.6 Any officer or group instructed in the minutes to carry out a course of action shall present a written report to Guild Council on the outcome of their actions.
PRESIDENT'S BUSINESS
2.7.7 The President shall bring to the attention of Guild Council any business that (s)he feels Council should be made aware of.
2.7.8 All recommendations from Executive and all applications for Honorary Life Membership shall be introduced under President's Business.
2.7.9 All items introduced under President's Business shall be the subject of a separate written report and may be tabled. Guild Council shall then consider if any action is necessary and advise the appropriate officer or body of what action should be taken.
FINANCIAL BUSINESS
2.7.10 The Vice President (Finance and Advancement) shall introduce matters of major financial policy to Guild Council. Each matter shall be the subject of a separate written report.
2.7.11 The Vice President (Finance and Advancement) shall introduce matters of major commercial policy to Guild Council including any recommendations from Executive Committee. Each matter shall be the subject of a separate written report.
OTHER EXECUTIVE BUSINESS
2.7.12 Any other member of the Executive shall bring to Guild Council important business that s/he feels Guild Council should be aware of or any business s/he is mandated to report to Guild Council.
QUESTION TIME
2.7.13 There shall be a question period during each Ordinary Meeting of Guild Council. Guild Councillors may ask relevant verbal questions of any Councillor during this question time. Once the member has had an opportunity to answer the question the points raised will be open for debate by other members.
2.7.14 The Chairperson shall be the sole judge of whether or not the question is relevant.
2.7.15 If a member of Guild Council putting the question is not satisfied with the answer, (s/he may move the following procedural motions:
a) that the decision of the Executive or relevant committee be rejected
b) that the Officer or Councillor be censured
c) that the Officer, or Committee, carry out further work on the matter
d) that a written report be submitted to the next Ordinary Meeting of Guild Council.
2.7.16 These procedural motions shall normally be moved with one speech against. The Chairperson, at his/her discretion, may allow further debate.
POLICY UPDATE
2.7.17 All Policy passed at General Meetings or Guild Council should be represented to Guild Council by the President after four years. Guild Council must then vote to retain or lapse it. They cannot amend this policy.
MEMBERS' MOTIONS
2.7.18 Any member of Guild Council may put forward a motion for consideration by Council.
2.7.19 All motions shall relate to some matter over which Guild Council has powers or duties or which directly affects the Guild. Any motion, or part of a motion, not so relating to matters over which Council has powers or duties shall be ruled out of order by the Chairperson.
2.7.20 All motions shall be signed by the member or members of Guild Council giving the notice and shall be delivered to the office of the Vice President (Student Involvement) at least four days before the next meeting of Guild Council.
2.7.21 Motions shall be posted on the Guild notice-board forty eight hours before the meeting.
2.7.22 Amendments to motions may be submitted to the Vice President (Student Involvement) (up till 1 hour before Guild Council and tabled at the meeting).
2.7.23 Drafting amendments can be made. A drafting amendment shall be taken to mean an amendment, which interprets the motion and addresses itself to the practicalities of the motion.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MINUTES
2.7.24 Executive Committee minutes shall be made available for inspection by all members of Guild Council as soon as they have been ratified by a subsequent meeting of Executive.
2.7.25 If any member of Guild Council wishes to raise some point arising from the Executive minutes they shall give notice to the Chairperson in the form of a written question.
2.7.26 Guild Council shall only note the minutes of meetings of Executive Committee that have been ratified at least eight days prior to the Guild Council meeting.
2.7.27 If no written notice is given of a query arising from the minutes of an Executive Committee meeting, then the minutes shall be noted without discussion.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
2.7.28 At the last Ordinary Meeting of each term, Guild Council shall receive written reports from each Standing Committees of Guild Council and University committees (on which Guild Councillors sit) detailing the Committee's activities for that term. All reports shall be submitted to the President at least four days before the meeting.
2.7.29 If any member of Guild Council wishes to raise some point arising from a Committee report, they shall give notice to the Chairperson in the form of a written question.
2.7.30 If no written notice is given of a query arising from a Committee report, then the report shall be noted without discussion.
2.7.31 Where a sabbatical is a student representative they will have responsibility for writing a report. Following the University Committee elections, Guild Council shall be informed which committee member will take responsibility to submit the report.
2.7.32 The advisory length should be no more than half an A4 page.
2.7.33 Any member of Guild Council may move a motion of censure against the Chairperson of a Standing Committee (or student representative responsible) that fails to submit a written report.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
2.7.34 Any Guild Councillor may at this point in the meeting make an announcement about an event that has taken place or will be taking place.
2.8 EMERGENCY MOTIONS
2.8.1 Any member of Guild Council may submit emergency motions up to 12 noon on the date of the meeting, provided that the content of the motion refers to matters or incidents that have arisen significantly since the closing date for ordinary motions. Emergency motions shall be accepted at the Chairperson's discretion.
2.9 CODES OF PRACTICE
2.9.1 Guild Council may express its views on any specific issue over which it has authority in the form of a Code of Practice.
2.9.2 All officers and committees must abide by these Codes of Practice in the execution of their duties.
2.9.3 Codes of Practice shall normally only be adopted by Guild Council after the relevant committee or a specially formed working party has had the opportunity of investigating the issue and presenting a written recommendation to Council.
2.9.4 Guild Council may establish such a working party or instruct a committee to draw up a Code of Practice without prior notice. The Code of Practice shall normally be presented to the next Ordinary Meeting of Guild Council.
2.9.5 Codes of Practice may be amended by a simple majority of Guild Council.
2.10 OBSERVERS
2.10.1 Any full member of the Guild may attend meetings of Guild Council as an observer, except that the Regulations or a Code of Practice may require certain issues to be resolved in closed session. The number of observers shall be subject to the accommodation available.
2.10.2 Observers shall have automatic speaking rights but no voting rights.
2.10.3 Chairperson shall have the power to direct any observer to withdraw and shall have the power to adjourn a meeting where any observer fails to comply.
2.10.4 Non-full members wishing to attend may not do so unless they send a written request to do so to the Vice President (Marketing & Communications)’s office at least forty eight hours in advance. The request shall be put at the meeting before discussion of the Agenda.
2.10.5 Any non member of Guild Council unable to present a valid ID card shall be directed to withdraw from the meeting.
2.10.6 Although normally not entitled to vote full and part time members of the Guild shall be entitled to vote at Guild Council on the following matters:
a) Elections to University committees as requested by the University
b) Elections of ordinary members to Guild standing committees as outlined in the Constitutional regulations.
c) Motions of No Confidence in Guild Councillors.
2.11 ACCOUNTABILITY AND RECOGNITION OF REPRESENTATIVES
2.11.1 A motion of No Confidence may be submitted to Guild Council after two censures, each censure being passed at separate meetings.
2.11.2 After three censures, each at separate meetings, then an automatic motion of No Confidence is to be proposed at the next meeting of Guild Council.
2.11.3 A Motion of No Confidence can be brought straight to the meeting by submitting a No Confidence petition, accompanied by the signatures of 200 Guild members. The petitioner can choose as to whether the No Confidence Motion is to go to Guild Council or a Special General Meeting. The subject of the No Confidence motion shall have final choice.
2.11.4 Motions of No Confidence to Guild Council must be submitted according to the deadlines set down is section 2.7 (Members' Motions). They shall not be subject to amendments and shall be placed on the agenda for the meeting.
2.11.5 If it is felt that a Guild Councillor has achieved more than is expected of them, then a commendation may be awarded.
2.11.6 A Commendation is a token of appreciation awarded by Guild Council and shall have no bearing on censures.
Bookmark with:
Delicious
Digg
Facebook
reddit
StumbleUpon
|