Standard Rules of Procedure – Boards of Studies
Standard Rules of Procedure – Boards of Studies
Standard Rules of Procedure for Boards of Studies of 11 January 2008
AU-2004-010-010
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Prepared within the framework of the Standard Rules of Procedure for Boards of Studies as laid down by the rector, see article 19(5) of the Aarhus University By-laws.
Membership, constitution of the board etc.
Article 1 The board of studies shall consist of ….(a maximum of 18).... members, with an equal representation of lecturers and students.
(2) The board of studies may invite non-members to participate, to a specified extent, as observers in board of studies meetings. Observers shall have a right to speak, but shall not have voting rights.
Article 2 The teaching staff on the board of studies shall be elected for a period of three (3) years. The students on the board of studies shall be elected for a period of one (1) year.
(2) The board of studies shall hold its first meeting no later than one (1) week before newly elected student members join the board. The resigning chairman shall convene the meeting. At the meeting, the resigning chairman shall brief the board of studies on the board’s work, and the board of studies shall schedule its future meetings.
(3) At its first meeting, the board of studies shall elect a chairman from among the full-time academic staff members elected to the board as well as possibly an alternate for the chairman for a period of one (1) year. In the event of the chairman being prevented from performing his duties, an alternate shall take over the chairman’s tasks and powers.
(4) At its first meeting, the board of studies shall furthermore elect a deputy chairman from among its student members. The deputy chairman shall participate in the organisation of the work of the board of studies.
(5) The election of the chairman shall be headed by the resigning chairman. As soon as the election of a chairman has taken place, the new chairman shall become chairman of the meeting, and a deputy chairman and alternate, if any, shall be elected according to the same rules. No one may be elected chairman or deputy chairman against their will.
(6) At the first meeting of the board of studies in years when both teaching staff and student members are newly elected, the board of studies shall recommend a director of studies to the dean. The director of studies shall be appointed by the dean for a period of three (3) years. The board of studies may recommend to the dean, however, that a director of studies be removed during his term of office.
(7) The dean shall approve the chairman, alternate and deputy chairman elected.
Committees
Article 3 The board of studies may appoint advisory committees; however, such committees cannot be assigned any independent powers.
Ordinary and extraordinary meetings, documentation in writing
Article 4 The board shall perform its activities at meetings, see, however, Article 6. Ordinary meetings shall be held at the university ............................................................; however, not in the period 1 July - 15 August.
(2) No later than four (4) working days prior to each ordinary meeting, the chairman shall distribute an agenda or a notice cancelling the meeting to the members. The deputy chairman shall participate in the organisation of the work of the board of studies, including in the preparation of proposals for the agenda. At the same time, the agenda or the cancellation shall be published on the university’s website or in another suitable manner. A supplementary agenda with additional cases may be distributed no later than two (2) days before the meeting.
(3) If, no later than one (1) week prior to an ordinary meeting, a member requests that a case be considered, the chairman shall include the case as an item on the agenda for the meeting in question.
(4) The chairman shall ensure that the information required to assess cases is presented to the members. If such information has not been sent to the members along with the agenda for an ordinary meeting, such material shall, as far as possible, be made available for inspection at ................................................ at least three (3) working days prior to the meeting.
Article 5 Extraordinary meetings shall be held when deemed necessary by the chairman. Extraordinary meetings shall furthermore be held if so requested by one-third of the members of the board of studies. The meeting shall be held no later than one (1) week after such request being made.
(2) Extraordinary meetings shall be convened subject to a notice of no less than twenty-four (24) hours. The notice shall specify the items on the agenda and shall contain the information required to assess the cases.
Article 6 If all members agree thereon, routine cases may be decided without holding a meeting through written consideration. A proposal for a decision along with the information required to assess the case shall be distributed and shall form the basis for the consideration. The members shall indicate whether they can accept the procedure for the consideration and, in the affirmative, whether they can approve the decision proposed for the case. Where a member is unable to accept that the case is determined through written consideration, the case shall be included on the agenda for the next meeting of the board of studies.
Public access to meetings
Article 7 The meetings of the board of studies shall be public. The board of studies may decide, however, that meetings shall be held behind closed doors during the consideration of individual items on the agenda if deemed necessary due to the nature of the case or otherwise required by the circumstances.
(2) Where the board of studies finds that its deliberations are being disrupted, the board may exclude one or more members of the audience from the meeting in question. If necessary, the rest of the meeting may be held behind closed doors.
(3) Meetings shall be held behind closed doors when considering cases involving information that must be kept confidential to safeguard public and private interests. This means that the following cases, among others, shall be considered behind closed doors:
1) Exemption cases to the extent that such cases concern persons mentioned by name.
2) Cases presented to the board for an opinion or for information which concern the personal or financial circumstances of individuals.
(4) Any uncertainty as to whether a case warrants consideration behind closed doors shall be settled behind closed doors in advance as decided by the chairman or a majority of the members.
(5) The board of studies may grant permission for observers to be present during the consideration of cases conducted behind closed doors.
(6) In cases considered behind closed doors in accordance with Article 7(3), members and observers shall observe confidentiality.
Quorum, the chair and consideration of cases
Article 8 The board of studies shall form a quorum when at least half of its tenured members are present.
(2) The chairman shall preside over the meetings of the board of studies. The chairman of the meeting shall decide in all matters relating to the conducting of the meetings.
(3) Cases shall be considered at meetings in the same order as they are listed on the agenda.
(4) The board of studies may decide to include new items on the agenda, and it may decide to deviate from the original order set out in the agenda and consider cases in another order.
(5) Decisions in cases which were not included as individual items on the agenda distributed prior to an ordinary meeting may an only be made where none of the members present at the meeting object to this.
(6) Decisions in cases which were not included as individual items on the agenda distributed prior to an extraordinary meeting may only be made where all the members are present and none of the members object to this.
Article 9 The board of studies’ decisions shall be carried by a simple majority of votes.
Compulsory attendance, competence to act and calling in substitutes
Article 10 The members shall attend the board’s meetings.
(2) Members who are unable to attend a meeting shall notify the chairman thereof before the meeting. The resolution minutes for each meeting shall state which members were absent.
(3) Members may only vote at meetings of the board of studies if they are personally present at such meetings, see, however, Article 6.
Article 11 A member shall notify the chairman if there are circumstances in which there are doubts about the member’s competence to act. Such notification shall as far as possible be given before the meeting.
(2) In cases of doubt, the board of studies shall determine whether the member may participate in the consideration of the case in question. Where the member cannot participate in the consideration of the case and a substitute has been elected for the member, the chairman shall call in the substitute to participate in the consideration.
Article 12 Where a member is absent due to illness, a study trip etc. for a period of more than two (2) months and therefore unable to participate in the work of the board of studies, the chairman shall call in the substitute to take the member’s place on the board during the period of absence. The chairman shall decide whether the conditions for calling in the substitute are satisfied. Decisions concerning the calling in of substitutes shall be announced to the Elections Secretariat.
(2) Where a member is no longer eligible, such member shall resign from the board of studies. Where a member takes a leave of absence, the rector (through the Elections Secretariat) may decide – on the recommendation of the board of studies – that said member shall only withdraw from the board during the leave of absence.
Article 13 In the event of a vacancy on the board of studies and where a sufficient number of substitutes have not been elected or appointed to ensure that the board of studies is made up of the required number of members, the board of studies shall submit a recommendation to the rector (through the Elections Secretariat) indicating whether the vacant seats should be filled through supplementary elections or whether the seats should remain vacant until the next ordinary elections.
Resolution minutes and execution of the board of studies’ decisions
Article 14 The board of studies’ decisions shall be recorded in resolution minutes, which shall be distributed no later than fourteen (14) days after the meeting, if possible. The minutes shall be sent to the board for approval or shall be submitted for approval at the next meeting. Any member disagreeing shall have the right to demand that a brief mention of his or her opinion be entered in the minutes.
(2) The chairman shall execute the board of studies’ decisions.
(3) Approved minutes from meetings of the board of studies shall be published on the university’s website to the extent that such decisions are not subject to confidentiality. The minutes shall be sent to the dean, the head of department and the director of studies.
(4) The chairman of the board of studies shall be responsible for ensuring that the board of studies actively communicates information about its work.
Article 15 Any questions concerning the interpretation of the Rules of Procedure shall be settled by the board of studies.
(2) Any questions concerning the interpretation of the Standard Rules of Procedure or concerning the compliance of the Rules of Procedure with the Standard Rules of Procedure, however, shall be submitted to Rector.
Amendments to the Rules of Procedure and the Standard Rules of Procedure
Article 16 These Rules of Procedure shall enter into force on ...................... Any decisions to amend the Rules of Procedure shall be carried by a simple majority of votes in the board of studies where such proposed amendment has been submitted no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting at which it is to be considered.
(2) Any amendments adopted to the Standard Rules of Procedure for Boards of Studies, as laid down by the rector, shall also amend these Rules of Procedure.
(3) In exceptional cases and within the framework of the Rules and Regulations, the rector may grant an exemption from the provisions of these Rules of Procedure.
Aarhus University, 11 January 2008
Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen
Rector