Statute XIII: Student Members: Other Provisions

Approved with effect from 1 October 2002
(Supplement (1) to Gazette No. 4633, 9 October 2002)
Amended with effect from 15 October 2002 (Gazette Vol. 133, p. 250, 17 October 2002)
Amended with effect from 14 October 2003 (Gazette Vol. 134, p.139, 16 October 2003)
Amended with effect from 24 April 2007 (Gazette Vol. 137, p.1050, 26 April 2007)

PART A: OXFORD UNIVERSITY STUDENT UNION AND CONSULTATION WITH STUDENT MEMBERS

Oxford University Student Union

1. (1) There shall be an Oxford University Student Union, which shall be an association of the generality of student members of the University, as defined in section 4 of Statute II.

(2) Junior Common Rooms and Middle Common Rooms of the colleges, societies, and Permanent Private Halls referred to in Statute V may be affiliated to the Student Union.

(3) Such individual affiliated Junior Common Rooms and Middle Common Rooms shall be the constituent organisations of the Student Union.

2. Every student member of the University shall have the right to opt out of membership of the Student Union.

3. The Student Union shall be recognised by the University as the organisation representing the generality of student members on university, as distinct from college, matters and shall elect student members to such committees as may be specified by statute or regulation or otherwise.

4. The Student Union shall have a written constitution the provisions of which shall be subject to the approval of Council and to review by Council at intervals of not more than five years.

5. Council shall take such steps as are necessary to satisfy itself that elections to major offices of the Student Union are fairly and properly conducted.

6. (1) The Student Union shall not, except as permitted by sub-section (2) below, have as an officer or as a full member, that is a member entitled to vote in any meeting or election, any person who is not a student member of the University.

(2) The Student Union may nevertheless have as an officer a person who was a student member of the University at the time of his or her election to the office concerned even if he or she is no longer a student member while holding that office.

7. (1) Council shall publish a code of practice setting out the manner in which the requirements of the Education Act 1994 with regard to student unions are to be carried into effect.

(2) The code of practice shall be brought to the attention of all student members annually together with any restrictions imposed on the Student Union by the law relating to charities and with the provisions of section 43 of the Education (No. 2) Act 1986.

8. Information with regard to the right to opt out of membership of the Student Union, and arrangements made to supply Student Union services to student members who have exercised this right, shall be drawn to the attention of all student members annually and to the attention of persons considering whether to become students at the University.

9. Council shall have power to make regulations governing the Student Union and its officers.

Joint Committees with Student Members

10. No recommendation from a Joint Committee with Student Members, or other body for consultation with student members, established under any statute or regulation or otherwise shall be rejected without the student members of the committee or body having been given an opportunity of discussion with the body with which it is a joint committee or consultative body.

Committee of Presidents of Junior Common Rooms

11. There shall be a Committee of Presidents of Junior Common Rooms to which the President (or other chief officer) of the Junior Common Room of every college, society, and Permanent Private Hall referred to in Statute V shall be entitled to belong.

12. The committee shall elect from its own number undergraduate student members to such committees as may be specified by statute or regulation or otherwise.

PART B: STUDENT MEMBERS AND MEDICAL INCAPACITY

13. This Part makes provision for the assessment of student members who appear to suffer a serious problem arising from ill-health.

14. Any information submitted or considered under this Part shall be regarded as strictly confidential and any person or body dealing with such information shall have due regard to the duty of confidentiality attaching to the information concerned.

15. For the purposes of this Statute there shall be a Medical Board comprising:

(1) a person nominated by Council;

(2) a person nominated by Council in consultation with the student member's College, Society or Permanent Private Hall;

(3) a medically qualified chairman nominated by the Regius Professor of Medicine.

16. If it appears that a student member is suffering a serious problem arising from ill-health, he or she may be referred to the University's Occupational Health Service by any of the following:

(1) The Proctors;

(2) Any Panel of the University established under section 8 of Statute XI;

(3) The student member's head of department or head of faculty or duly authorised deputy;

(4) The student member's head of college or duly authorised deputy.

17. The consideration of any disciplinary matter by the Proctors or a panel of the University shall be suspended when such a referral is made pending a determination under this Part.

18. The Occupational Health Service shall be responsible for the assessment of the student so referred and shall seek medical advice from the student member's General Practitioner and shall arrange for the student to have an independent medical examination, if necessary, at the University's expense.

19. Any request for a medical report from a student member's General Practitioner shall observe the provisions of the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988.

20. The Occupational Health Service, having considered the evidence available, shall produce a report setting out:

(1) whether or not the student member is suffering from a serious problem arising from ill-health and if so,

(2) whether the problem is such as to affect his or her capacity to continue his or her programme of study, with specific regard to the requirements and circumstances of that student member's study programme at the time of the report.

21. The report from the Occupational Health Service shall be regarded as strictly confidential.

22. The report from the Occupational Health Service shall be considered in the first instance by the head of department or chairman of faculty board in the case of a graduate student, or by the student's college in the case of an undergraduate student.

23. The Assessor or an appropriate person (or persons) appointed by him or her shall determine, in consultation with the head of department or chairman of faculty board and the college, whether the matter should be:

(1) dealt with by the department or faculty, which may:

(a) direct that no further action is required;

(b) determine that the student's continued residence be subject to such reasonable conditions as may be recommended by the Occupational Health Physician;

(c) suspend the student member (whether or not subject to conditions including conditions specifying the nature of the medical evidence required before any reinstatement can be considered) for a specified period, or for an indefinite period; or

(d) in any case where disciplinary proceedings have been adjourned, but the evidence suggests that the student member is not suffering from a serious problem relating to ill-health, refer the matter to the Proctors for the resumption of those proceedings;

(e) recommend that further medical evidence be obtained;

(2) dealt with by the college under procedures to be determined by the college.

24. The decision shall be communicated to the student in writing by the head of department, chairman of faculty board or college as appropriate.

25. If the student member wishes to appeal against the decision, he or she should have a right of appeal to the Medical Board.

26. The powers, duties and procedures of the Medical Board shall be set out by Council by regulation.

27. Any hearing under the procedure should be in private.

28. Where a student member's condition or conduct gives rise to a need for immediate action, the Proctors may suspend him or her forthwith pending further investigation, such suspension to be reviewed after twenty-one days.

29. If no decision has been made under section 23 above within twenty-eight days from suspension, the student member may appeal against suspension to the Chairman of the Medical Board.

30. Council may, but is not required to, make further regulations under this Part that are not inconsistent with it.