Regulations for Council

 Quorum
 Attendance at Council
 Student Member Attendance at Council

Quorum

1. (1) In accordance with section 19 of Statute VI, no business shall be transacted at any meeting of Council unless a quorum is present.

(2) A quorum is one third plus one of those members eligible to vote upon Council business (rounded to the nearest integer).

(3) A member who is participating in a meeting by telephone, video-conference or any other means of communication which permits all members simultaneously to hear one another, shall be considered present and therefore shall count towards the quorum.

2. If:

(1) a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting; or

(2) during a meeting a quorum ceases to be present

the business or remaining business of that meeting shall be deferred to another meeting, whether already scheduled or to be scheduled, or shall be dealt with by the chairman of Council acting under delegated authority in accordance with Council's Standing Orders.

Attendance at Council

3. If a member of Council serving under the provisions of section section 4 of Statute VI, or co-opted under the provisions of section 6, has attended fewer meetings than eight less the number of any meetings which have been cancelled in the course of any academic year, his or her seat shall at the close of that year be declared by the chairman of Council to be vacant and shall then immediately be vacated, subject to the following conditions:

(1) (a) A member shall only be required to attend the same proportion of meetings due to be held subsequent to the commencement date of his or her term as eight bears to the total number of meetings due to be held in the academic year, any fraction being reckoned to the nearest unit, and the resulting number then being reduced by the number of any meetings cancelled which were due to be held subsequent to that commencement date.

(b) The applicable commencement date is:

(i) the date of election or co-optation for a person elected or co-opted to fill a casual vacancy;

(ii) the date of the approval by Congregation of the nomination for a person nominated to fill a casual vacancy;

(iii) the date of appointment to the relevant office for a person serving ex officio.

(2) If a member of Council has been dispensed from his or her prescribed university or college duties for not less than one term in any year, he or she shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of this regulation if he or she has attended in that year at least six meetings less the number of any meetings which have been cancelled, or in the case of a person joining Council after the beginning of an academic year, if he or she has attended such lesser number as shall have been calculated in proportion to six by the method (with any necessary substitutions) prescribed under paragraph (1) above.

(3) A member of Council whose minimum attendance requirement has not been reduced under paragraph (2) above may, at the discretion of the chairman of Council, be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of this regulation if in any year he or she has attended, but for good reason has been prevented from attending more than, six meetings less the number of any meetings which have been cancelled, or in the case of a person joining Council after the beginning of an academic year, if he or she has attended, but for good reason has been prevented from attending more than, such lesser number as shall have been calculated in proportion to six by the method (with any necessary substitutions) prescribed under paragraph (1) above.

Student Member Attendance at Council

4. Student members shall be represented at meetings of Council by:

(1) the President of the Oxford University Student Union;

(2) the Vice-President (Graduates) of the Oxford University Student Union;

(3) one member of the Council of the Oxford University Student Union chosen by that council.

5. (1) The member appointed under regulation 4 (3) above shall serve for one year from the Saturday in the first week of Hilary Full Term and shall be re-eligible.

(2) If a casual vacancy occurs for a member appointed under regulation 4 (3) above, another member shall be appointed to serve for the remainder of the period of office of the vacating member, save that not more than one such replacement appointment may be made during any one period of office.

6. If the Vice-President (Graduates) of the Oxford University Student Union is or becomes during his or her period of office a member of the University in a category other than that of student member, he or she shall nevertheless be regarded as a student member for the purposes of these regulations.

7. The student members shall be entitled to speak at meetings of Council but not to vote.

8. (1) No student member shall be present for the discussion of reserved business.

(2) The following matters shall be reserved:

(a) issues of particular strategic sensitivity;

(b) issues of particular commercial sensitivity;

(c) issues solely for the consideration of the Trustees of the University;

(d) matters pertaining to specific individuals, such as honorary degrees, and decisions on appointments, promotions, and other matters concerning the personal position of members of the staff of the University; and the admission of individuals and their academic assessment and personal affairs; and

(e) any other matter at the discretion of the chairman of Council.

(3) In any case of doubt, the chairman of Council shall decide whether an item of business falls under one of the categories listed in paragraph (2) above, and his or her decision shall be final.

9. The student members shall receive the full Council agenda paper but not the papers or minutes relating to reserved business.

10. The student members shall respect the conventions of Council as set out in its standing orders.

11. While these regulations remain in force, the provisions of section 10 of Statute XIII, concerning access by student members on a joint committee to the parent body, shall not apply to the Joint Subcommittee of the Education Committee with Student Members.

Review

12. Council shall carry out a self-review of its operations and effectiveness at least every three years.