TURKISH
MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
STUDENT COUNCIL REGULATIONS
Aim
Article 1: The aim of this directive is to regulate the foundation and function of the University Student Council, which will be established in order to help improve the academic, social and cultural facilities made available to the students as stated in the Mission Statement of Middle East Technical University, as well as to contribute to the development of the students as individuals with a sense of social responsibility and a deep understanding of the principles of democratic administration.
Scope
Article 2: The principles mentioned in the regulations pertain to undergraduate students.
Definitions
Article 3: Class Student Representative
The Class Student Representative is the person whom Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior students enrolled in each undergraduate program elect from amongst themselves to represent their class for a period of one year.
Article 4: Department Student Board and Representative
The Department Student Board comprises a student representative elected from amongst the students studying at each year (including the Department of Basic English) of the undergraduate programs in each department. At their first meeting every year, the Department Board elects from among its representatives the President of the Department Student Board (Department Student Representative) and an Assistant President who both serve for a one-year term. The Board submits the results of the election to the Chairperson of the department in an official report.
Article 5: Faculty Student Board and Representative
The Faculty Student Board consists of the representatives of the departments that belong to that specific faculty. At their first meeting every year, the Faculty Board elects from among its representatives the President of the Faculty Student Board (Faculty Student Representative) and an Assistant President, both of whom serve for a period of one year. The Board submits the results of the elections to the Dean of the faculty in an official report.
Article 6: University Student Council
All the Faculty Student Representatives form the University Student Council. At their first meeting every year, the University Student Council elects from among its representatives the President of the Student Council (University Student Representative), a Vice-President and a Secretary General. The University Council submits the results of the elections to the President's Office in an official report.
Elections
Article 7: Election Period
The elections and the formation of the boards and the Council are finalized by the end of the 7th week of each academic year. The Student Representatives as well as the boards and Councils serve for a period of one year, which starts with the announcement of the election results and ends with the announcement of the results the following year.
Election Board
Article 8: Department Election Board
The Department Election Board, chaired by one of the Assistant Chairpersons or Consultants to the Chairperson, comprises three faculty members, including the Chair of the Board, as assigned by the Chairperson of the department, and of two students who have not applied for candidacy.
Article 9: Faculty Election Board
The Faculty Election Board, chaired by an Associate Dean or Assistant to the Dean, comprises three faculty members, including the Chair of the Board, as assigned by the Dean.
Article 10: University Election Board
The University Election Board, chaired by a Vice-President or Assistant to the President, comprises three faculty members, including the Chair of the Board, as assigned by the President of the university.
The Duties of the Election Boards
Article 11: Duties of the Department Election Board
a) Preparing and announcing the list of voters;
b) Collecting the applications for candidacy, determining the eligibility of the candidates and announcing the names of the candidates who are eligible;
c) Ensuring that the ballots are printed and stamped;
d) Determining the members of the poll committees, and assigning them the duty;
e) Determining the places where the ballot boxes will be placed, announcing the places designated, and ensuring that the boxes are placed accordingly on election day;
f) Conducting the elections in accordance with these directives and informing the Faculty Election Board of the results in an official report.
Article 12: Duties of the Faculty Election Board
a) Taking the necessary measures to ensure that the elections are carried out according to the directives;
b) Officially informing the University Election Board of the election results;
c) Investigating and making decisions about objections regarding the election of class, department and faculty representatives,
Article 13: Duties of the University Election Board
a) Determining and announcing the calendar for the election of the class, department, faculty representatives as well as the President of the University Student Council;
b) Making the necessary plans so that the elections are conducted in an organized and safe manner;
c) Providing the ballot boxes and determining the rules and regulations;
d) Defining the nature of valid and invalid ballots;
e) Investigating and making decisions about objections regarding the election of the President, Vice-President and Secretary General of the University Student Council;
f) Submitting to the President's Office an official report on the results of the elections.
Article 14: Poll Committees
These committees consist of faculty members designated by each Department Election Committee. The Poll Committees are responsible for carrying out the elections, counting the votes immediately following the closing of polls and sending an official report informing the Department Election Board of the results.
Article 15:
For a student to be eligible to run for Class Representative, s/he must:
a) Be enrolled in the class in question (to be determined by the Registrar's Office);
b) Have a GPA and current semester average of at least 2.00, and students at the Department of Basic English must not be repeating the year;
c) Not have spent more than eight semesters, excluding the year spent at the Department of Basic English, at the university;
d) Not have received any disciplinary punishments;
e) Not be on leave of absence during the semester the elections are held;
f) Have no criminal record.
Election Procedures and Principles
Article 16: Class Student Representatives are elected for a one-year term by the students enrolled in the departments by secret ballot and open counting.
Article 17: For the Class Student Representative elections to be valid, of all the students enrolled in the concerned Department, a minimum of 80% in the first round and 50% in the second and third rounds must have participated in the elections. In order to be regarded as elected, a candidate must have received at least the absolute majority of the valid votes in each round. If the first round of voting is not decisive, the elections will be repeated within maximum four days with the participation of the two candidates having the most votes in the first round of elections. In the event that no result is obtained form the second ballot, the elections will be repeated within four days. If no candidate is duly elected in the third round of voting, that Department will be considered to have decided not to elect a Class Student Representative. In case of equality in the number of votes that two candidates have received, the Department Election Board determines the Class Student Representative by drawing lots.
Article 18: A representative may be re-elected for another term. A representative is disqualified if s/he is granted leave of absence for a period of one term or one year or if s/he no longer has the eligibility requirements indicated in Article 15 (except for Article 15b).
Article 19: Applications for candidacy are made to the Department Election Board one week prior to the election date, the latest. The concerned Department Election Board announces the names of the candidates by posting them on the bulletin boards for a period of at least three days before the elections. Students in double major programs can apply for candidacy and vote only in their major departments.
Article 20: All kinds of publicity and propaganda notices and posters can be posted on places to be designated by the Chairpersons at the departments and by the President's Office elsewhere on campus within the week before the elections for a period announced by the University Election Council. Such campaign related material will be removed the day before the elections at 16:00. The campaign activities of the candidates may be conducted during this time at the places and times specified by the department chairpersons.
Article 21: On the day of the elections, the Poll Committee brings to the polling place the ballot box, the list of voters and the ballot papers at 09:30 latest. The committee opens the ballot box to show to the candidates as well as to the voters that it is empty. Then, upon showing their student identification cards, the voters collect their ballot papers from the Poll Committee, indicate their preferences on the ballot paper in the closed ballot booth, and sign their name on the voters' list before leaving the polling place. Voting closes at 16:00 on the election day.
Article 22: The voters indicate their preferences by marking the name of the candidate on the ballot paper.
Article 23: The counting of the ballots starts at 16:00 on the election day and is performed publicly by the Poll Committee. The Poll Committee submits the election results in an official report to the Department Election Board. The report indicates the number of voters and the valid votes received by the candidates. The names of the students who are duly elected as Class Student Representatives are announced and submitted to the Faculty Election Board in an official report by the Department Election Board.
Article 24: Any objections to the election results shall be made to the election board concerned within the first work day following the announcement of the results. The election boards carry out the necessary inspection and reach a decision within two days at most.
Article 25: In the event that the Department Election Board decides for the renewal of the elections, the elections are held within four days of the decision date.
Article 26: The elections of the Department, Faculty and University Student Representatives, their assistants and the council secretary general are conducted in one session and multiple rounds. A candidate has to receive the votes of the absolute majority of the board concerned in order to be elected. If the first two rounds yield no results, the candidate with the least votes withdraws and the election is repeated. When only two candidates are left, the candidate who receives more votes is the winner regardless of the number of the votes he/she has.
Article 27: The representatives elected at all levels convene within four days upon the invitation and under the chairmanship of the President of the Election Board concerned, and elect the representative and his/her assistant to participate in a higher board meeting. The President of the Election Board concerned reports the results to the higher election board and announces them.
Article 28: If a board president or vice-president resigns from his/her post for any reason or disqualifies as the Class Student Representative, the elections at the board concerned are repeated within two weeks under the same election principles. The newly elected person serves until the term of the person s/he has replaced ends.
Article 29: The students who have been elected in their departments as the Class Student Representative of the Department of Basic English (DBE), in addition to being a member of their Department Student Board, come together at a meeting chaired by the DBE Chairperson and elect two people from amongst themselves to represent the DBE student body. The DBE Chairperson may invite these representatives to join the Department Council meetings where student related issues are to be discussed, without the right to vote.
Duties and Activities of the Student Representative Boards
Article 30: Duties and Activities of the Student Boards
a) To represent the students of the units involved in student related activities;
b) To form working groups, conduct surveys and research, and develop suggestions regarding student relates issues;
c) To convey the problems, ideas and opinions of the students to the administrators and/or administrative organs of the units concerned.
Article 31: Duties of the Student Board President and Assistant Presidents
a) The Department Representative, the Faculty Representative and the University Student Council President convene the Department Student Board, the Faculty Student Board and the University Student Council (respectively) when necessary, chair these meetings and implement the board decisions.
b) Upon invitation by the concerned unit administrator, the Board Presidents or their assistants represent the students at the various board meetings (the Department Council, Faculty Council, Faculty Board of Directors and University Senate) where student related issues are discussed, without the right to vote. They leave the meetings once the discussion of the student-related issues has finished.
c) The assistant president acts as president in his/her absence.
d) The Student Board Presidents represent their units in a higher board meeting of the student representation.
Article 32: The sufficient number of members to hold a Student Representative Board or University Student Council meeting is half the number of all the members plus one.
Article 33: To reach a final decision at a Student Representative Board and a University Student Council meeting, the votes of more than half the number of members is required.
Article 34: At Student Representative Board and University Student Council meetings, minutes are kept and the decisions taken are put in writing and signed by the members. The minutes and all the reports that may be prepared are open to the public opinion of the university.
Article 35: Student Representative Boards, University Student Council and all the Student Representatives are to be in coordination with the university in all their actions and activities, to seek the approval of the university when necessary, and to proceed in accordance with the current regulations.
Article 36: At the end of their term in office, the University Student Council presents the President's Office with two copies of a report including the activities that have been executed during their term in office and those that are recommended to be carried out in the following term. The University Executive Board delivers a copy of the above-mentioned reports to the next elected University Student Council.
Article 37: The necessary budget for the University Student Council is determined by the University Executive Board.
Article 38: The regulations and activities of METU Student Clubs are not included in this directive.
Effect
Article 39: This directive is effective on the date it is approved by the METU Senate.
Execution
Article 40: This directive is administered by the President of Middle East Technical University.
Temporary Articles
Temporary Article 1: The first elections are completed within seven weeks following the University Senate's approval of this directive.
