These Standing Orders should be read in conjunction with the Articles of Association of Durham Students’ Union and any appendices and annexes attached herewith.

Terms used in these Standing Orders shall be as defined in the Articles of Association.

The following terms which are not defined in the Constitution shall have the following meanings unless the context otherwise requires:

• Colleges” : Those Maintained Colleges and Recognised Colleges as defined by the University;
• “Course”: A programme or course of study leading to a qualification awarded by the University;
• “Course Constituency”: An electoral constituency based upon Course cohort structures;
• “Faculty”: An aggregate of areas of academic study as defined by the University;
• “Officer”: The elected officers of the Union, including Sabbatical Trustees;
• “Secretary”: The University Secretary.

Democratic Rights

1. All Members shall be entitled to take part in all aspects of its democracy. Nothing in these Standing Orders shall be interpreted as allowing a committee or officer of the Union to restrict democratic rights, except by application of criteria set forth in these Standing Orders.
2. All Members shall have the right to stand for election and vote in elections subject to restrictions laid out in these Standing Orders.
3. Any Member shall have the right to opt out of Union membership. Students wishing to do so must complete an opt-out form and return it to the Union.
   1. A copy of the form will be sent to the Secretary.
   2. The opt-out shall be valid for a student’s academic career unless the
   3. student opts back into the Union.
   4. Any change to the opt-out form must be approved by the University.
4. Any Member shall be entitled to make a complaint under the terms of the Complaints Procedure.

Equal Opportunities

5. The Union shall have, and abide by, an Equal Opportunities Policy.
6. All bodies of the Union including Student Groups shall abide by the Equal Opportunities Policy.

Facilities and Benefits

7. Members shall be entitled to:
   7. make use of all welfare, commercial and other services provided by the Union, where doing so does not conflict with the right of another Member to do the same;
   8. to join any Student Group affiliated to the Union.
8. Students who have opted out of Union membership shall be entitled to make reasonable use of all welfare, commercial and other services provided by the Union where doing so does not conflict with the rights of Members to do the same, except where events or facilities are for Members only.
9. The Union shall have a disciplinary procedure for Members.
10. Nothing in this standing order shall prevent the holder of any licence which permits the sale or consumption of alcohol or the provision of entertainment of any sort on Union premises from taking any reasonable action to preserve such licences.

Data Protection

11. The Union will approve, and abide by, a Data Protection Policy

Purpose of Standing Order: Purpose of Standing Order: This Standing Order explains what Policy is, who can set it and how long it lasts for. To understand the process by which it is created, please refer to the Standing Orders for Assembly or sub-committees of Assembly.

Definition

1. “Political Policy” (both proactive and reactive) shall be a statement of the political and representational will or beliefs of Durham SU, and shall be binding upon all Durham SU activities, Sabbatical Officers, representatives and bodies of the Union as defined by Article 5.24.
2. “Administrative Policy” shall be principles or procedures set by the Board of Trustees or its committees to aid the administration of Durham SU and ensure its effectiveness or compliance with legal requirements. It shall be binding upon all Sabbatical Officers, Trustees, staff, volunteers, students and bodies of the Union. Administrative policy will, where appropriate, also be published for the information of members in the interests of transparency.
3. No policy may contradict the Articles of Association or the Standing Orders.
4. Current approved political policy shall be compiled in a “Policy Book” that will be available on the Durham SU website to all students. Administrative policy, where appropriate, will be made available on the Durham SU website.
5. The Trustee Board shall have the sole discretion to adopt, implement or refuse any policies due to any legal or financial limitation or because in their judgement it may cause an unreasonable risk to Durham SU.

Creation

6. Political Policy by one or more of these bodies shall constitute policy:
   6. Referendum as defined by Article 100.5
   7. Assembly as defined by Article 94
   8. Officer Committee as defined by Standing Order E
7. The order of precedence on matters of political policy shall be as defined above, subject to the provision of the Articles of Association. All representative bodies are subject to the powers of the Trustees to ensure that Durham SU operates in line with charity, education and other relevant law.
8. Further to article 101, Assembly may, by means of a substantive amendment, refer a question of determining a policy to a referendum of all Student Members. This will require that the motion passes with a majority of two thirds of Assembly members present.

Assignment

9. Assembly may assign responsibility for implementation of any political policy to a committee, Durham SU Sabbatical Officer, or any combination of committees and Officers.

Alteration

10. The Secretary shall advise Assembly on the removal of any policy or section of policy that has become redundant or for which the implementation has been fully completed.
11. Assembly may alter or remove existing policies by the passing of a motion by simple majority, provided that it does not:
    11. Alter or remove a policy passed by a body of greater precedence within the current or immediately previous Academic Year.

Renewal

1. Officer Committee shall present current political policies of Durham SU at the final Assembly of the year and recommend that policies that have expired or been achieved are removed from the Policy Book.

The Returning Officer 

1. The Returning Officer will be appointed by the Board of Trustees, subject to ratification by Assembly. The Returning Officer must not be a member of Durham SU.
2. The Returning Officer will report annually to Assembly and, through the Board of Trustees to the Council of Durham University, on the extent to which elections to the Officer Committee have been fairly and properly conducted. The principal duty of the Returning Officer is to promote and safeguard the interests of the student electorate in fair elections.
3. The Returning Officer has authority to interpret the Elections Rules and will publish Guidance consistent with the Elections Rules to support candidates, campaigners, and voters, in understanding their roles in the elections.
4. The Returning Officer will appoint the Chief Executive or their nominee as the Deputy Returning Officer. The Deputy Returning Officer will administer elections to the Officer Committee on behalf of the Returning Officer.
5. The Secretary to Assembly will be the returning officer for referendums, elections to Assembly and for all Durham SU student groups. The Secretary to Assembly may appoint suitably qualified and trained persons to act on their behalf, which may include student members as appropriate.

Major Offices

6. All members of Durham SU are eligible to stand and vote in an election for major office, subject to also being able to serve as a trustee.

Other offices

7. Durham SU makes appointments to non-major union offices in different ways.

Durham SU trustees

8. Durham SU student trustees are elected in a cross-campus ballot.
9. No student who holds office as a Durham SU trustee may also hold another office under the Standing Orders; for the avoidance of doubt, this does not include any position within any Durham SU student group or any position within other student organisations, subject to the successful management of any interests.

By ballot

10. A ballot is an election in which all members within a defined constituency may stand and vote for their representatives.
    1. For Faculty Presidents, the constituency is all students enrolled on a course aligned to a particular Faculty of Durham University.
    2. For the International Students Officer, the constituency is non-UK fee paying students at Durham University.
    3. For the Societies Officer, the constituency is full members of Durham SU’s student groups.
    4. For the Liberation Officer, the constituency is self-defining students of a marginalised community, as defined in the Standing Orders.
    5. For members of Assembly, the constituency is as defined in the Standing Order which creates members of Assembly.
    6. For student groups, the constituency is full members of the student group, unless by agreement an election is conducted of some of the members.

By event

11. An event is an election at a defined time and place in which all members who are registered to attend may stand and vote in an election.
    1. The Postgraduate Research Students Officer will be elected at an annual conference for postgraduate research students.
    2. The Postgraduate Taught Students Officer will be elected at an annual event for postgraduate taught students.
    3. The Welfare Officer will be elected at an annual development event for welfare volunteers.

By nomination

12. The membership of the Committee of Junior Common Room Presidents, and the Committee of Middle Common Room Presidents, is comprised of nominees from Durham University Organisations and from independent charities. These Committees will nominate one of their number (from either Committee) to serve on the Officer Committee for one academic year, and Durham SU will compensate them for their time within a formal agreement.

By appointment

13. Assembly will accept nominations from the Officer Committee to make appointments.
    1. One member of the Officer Committee, who must be a postgraduate student, to serve on the Council of Durham University with the President ex officio.
    2. One student from each Faculty to serve on the Senate of Durham University, with the President, Education Officer and Community Officer ex officio. The Officer Committee will ensure that at least two student members of Senate are postgraduate students, and at least two student members of Senate are international students.
    3. To conferences of the National Union of Students, with the President ex officio.

Referendums

14. A vote of all Durham SU student members may resolve a question as set out in Article 100. The Secretary to Assembly will determine the exact language of a question to ensure that the question may be resolved with an unambiguous outcome.
15. A referendum need not be restricted to a ‘yes’ and ‘no’ vote, and may be used to rank preferences.

Other matters

16. All Durham SU elections and referendums are counted under the rules for the single transferrable vote.
17. A limit may be imposed on campaign expenditure by candidates, and the trustees may also award a grant from Durham SU to support campaigning.
18. The Returning Officer should take reasonable steps to ensure that any election is a contest between Durham SU’s members. The unreasonable contribution or influence of other independent organisations may be considered as an unfair advantage or disadvantage, and may be considered under the complaints process, and a candidate may be sanctioned in the interests of a fair election.
19. All elections shall allow voters to void the current election by voting to Re-Open Nominations (RON).

Elections Guidance

20. Elections Guidance must contain:
    1. The process for nominations from students eligible to stand in an election.
    2. Standards of behaviour expected of candidates and their campaign teams during the election and campaign period, based on the Durham SU Code of Conduct for Student Members.
    3. Any other policies and procedures which apply to candidates and their campaign teams, such as the social media policy, the data protection policy, the management of interests policy, the expenses policy, and the right to request reasonable adjustments for accessibility.
    4. The process by which votes will be cast, counted, and the result declared.
    5. A complaints process, with detailed steps as to how any complaint will be handled consistent with the Elections Rules.

The complaints process

21. Complaints in respect of campaigning or voting should be received before the close of ballot. A result will not usually be declared unless outstanding complaints have been resolved. Candidates and their campaign teams are expected to cooperate promptly and fully in the event of a complaint being made in respect of their actions.
22. Complaints should be made in a manner consistent with the Durham SU statutory complaints procedure. The Deputy Returning Officer has initial authority to consider complaints and will establish the facts to the best of their ability, consider whether any Durham SU rule or policy has been engaged, and may make an initial ruling on the balance of probabilities as to an appropriate outcome.
23. The Deputy Returning Officer may impose a sanction if a candidate or campaign team has acted in breach of any Durham SU rule or policy. The sanctions available are: a requirement to act on guidance or undertake training, a formal warning, a final warning, or expulsion from the election. Any appropriate sanction may be applied without a need to impose a warning before expulsion. A failure to act on guidance, undertake training or heed a warning may be considered as an aggravating factor in further complaints.
24. A candidate who has had a ruling or sanction imposed on them may appeal the decision of the Deputy Returning Officer to the Returning Officer if they have grounds for appeal. The grounds for appeal are: that there was procedural irregularity at the first stage of the complaints process, or there is new evidence which for good reason was not previously available to the Deputy Returning Officer. There is no ground to appeal on the basis of disagreement with a sanction.
25. The Durham SU statutory complaints procedure is appropriate to consider a complaint that no confidence can be placed in the conduct of an entire election but is not a further appeal to a ruling of the Returning Officer. Any such complaint should be addressed to the supervising trustee in the first instance, who will report to the University Secretary.
26. Any complaint in respect of a Durham University or Common Room rule should be made to the appropriate organisation in the first instance. Complaints which don’t have any apparent relevance to the Durham SU Elections Rules may be declined or referred to the matter to the appropriate organisation.

Purpose of Standing Order: Purpose of Standing Order: Assembly is the body responsible for the political and campaigning role of Durham SU. It should be an accessible, vibrant, and open meeting that encourages debate to improve students' lives, resolves conflicts of opinion and gives different areas of Durham SU a chance to hear, celebrate and respectfully critique each other's work. This requires some processes to be in place so that this can happen effectively.

Purpose and Principles of Assembly

1. The Purpose of Assembly shall be:
   1. To set political policy that reflects the views of Durham students and allows Sabbatical Officers to direct their campaigning and representative work.
   2. To provide a forum for discussion and debate that furthers students' development while also allowing for the resolution of competing interests.
   3. To receive reports from the Officer Committee so that the work of the Officers can be reported back to the wider student community.
   4. To contribute to and approve aspects of Durham SU's governance as directed by the Articles and the Trustee Board.
2. The Principles of Assembly shall be:
   1. To be an accessible body in its culture and operation, seeking to work without unnecessarily restrictive rules or procedures as well as encouraging engagement.
   2. To be an actively transparent body, publishing information about its operation and discussions and encouraging its members to do so with the students they represent and interact with.
   3. To be a leading body, seeking to resolve competing interests and set clear policy positions from which Officers can work.
   4. To be a proactive body, seeking to set policies and the direction of the Durham SU before issues emerge and become of concern to students.
   5. To be a welcoming body, seeking to create a culture and tone that allows for differing views to be debated in a safe and supportive way, acknowledging that exploring new opinions and viewpoints is a necessary part of deciding how Durham SU should act.

Powers of Assembly

1. Assembly shall have the authority to:
   1. represent the voice of Durham students;
   2. set the political policy of Durham SU and refer policy to other bodies so as to give guidance on how to act between meetings;
   3. make, repeal, and amend the Standing Orders jointly with the Trustees;
   4. appoint student representatives, other than ex officio representatives, to University committees as and when required;
   5. hold the Sabbatical Officers to account for their representational work
   6. approve Honorary Life Members of Durham SU;
   7. carry out any other duties assigned to them by the Articles or Trustee Board.

Duties of Assembly Members

1. The duties of all Assembly Members shall be:
   1. To actively uphold the principles and purpose of Assembly, especially creating a positive culture that is respectful of others and seeks to resolve differences wherever possible.
   2. To actively uphold the values of Durham SU, contributing to the success of the Students' Union by helping Assembly deliver on its purpose.
   3. To promote Assembly and its work and debates to the student community.
   4. To engage on issues planned to be discussed at Assembly with students that the member represents.
   5. To bring student issues to Assembly via the policy process.
   6. To attend all meetings of Assembly and send apologies in advance when unable to do so.
   7. To represent members of their constituency to the best of their ability

Proceedings at Assembly

1. The Chair of Assembly shall set the agenda for each meeting with the advice of the Secretary, including proposed timings, and ensure that it is published and circulated to all members in good time for the meeting. The pre-agreed meeting agenda will not normally extend over 2 hours in length.
2. Quorum for Assembly shall be set at 50% of Assembly members in post at the time of the meeting.
3. The agenda for an Assembly meeting shall include the following:
   Initial Business
   1. To note apologies and declare potential conflicts of interest arising from the agenda
   2. Requests for notices not requiring a resolution from members.
   3. Approval of Minutes from previous meeting and update on Matters Arising not on the agenda.
   4. Approval of reports via a vote from other bodies including the Board of Trustees.
      Substantiative items
   5. Policy Discussion (part a. proactive policy, part b. reactive policy)
   6. Reports from the following bodies:
      1. Durham SU Officer Committee
      2. Durham SU Board of Trustees
      3. Elections to other bodies
   7. Review of the Policy Book (once a year)
   8. Notices not requiring a resolution.
4. The order of the Substantive Items may be altered to aid the smooth running of Assembly with the exception of any notices not requiring a resolution, which shall be last. "Notices not requiring a resolution" shall include any information that is vital to share to Assembly members that has occurred since the circulation of the Assembly papers.
5. A "conflict of interest" as described by Durham SU's Articles of Association is defined as 'any direct or indirect interest which they [a member of Assembly] have in a proposed transaction or arrangement with the Union; and any duty or any direct or indirect interest which they have which conflicts or may conflict with the interests of the Union on their duties to the Union."

Setting Policy

10. To ensure that policy is debated in an informed way and that all legal obligations are considered, the outlined process shall be followed.
    Policy Process before the meeting
    1. Appropriate deadlines for the submission of motion will be agreed in the Assembly guidance and shared in advanced.
    2. The Board of Trustees shall review motions and amendments for any legal, financial, or reputational risks. The Board may request changes from the student who submitted the motion and, at their sole discretion, may decline the policy, or part of the policy, from being discussed. If they do so, reasoning must be given in their report to Assembly. The Trustees may also require that advice on the legal, financial, or reputational implications are included in the circulation of papers, to support Assembly members in their decision making.
       Policy Process at the meeting
    3. For each motion the Chair will invite the proposer of the motion (or a delegate of the proposer) to speak for an amount of time set by the Chair.
    4. The Chair may allow speeches for and against each motion and amendment, ensuring the debate is balanced.
    5. The Chair may request that Assembly splits into small discussion groups for a time allocated by the Chair to discuss the motion informally. At the end of this time questions may be asked of the student who submitted the motion.
    6. Once the Chair believes there has been enough debate to inform Assembly members of the issues at hand or it is no longer possible to balance the debate, they will call for a vote. This will be done by a show of hands with no member having more than one vote. A simple majority of votes in favour of the motion will mean it becomes policy of Durham SU as defined by Standing Order B. If a vote is tied, the motion shall fall, but may be resubmitted with amendments at the next Assembly.
    7. If the motion proposer or other persons speaking on the motion are not Assembly Members, then they are not entitled to vote on the motion.

Emergency Motions

1. The Durham SU Officer Committee, or upon a joint petition by ten Assembly members may submit emergency motions to Assembly. This may only be used to help set Durham SU's stance on an issue that has emerged since the motion deadline and is of such importance that Durham students should discuss and act upon it.
2. Such motions should be submitted no later than 48 hours in advance of the Assembly meeting to the Chair, who will have the discretion to accept it and circulate it to members.
3. Any student may submit a request to the Officer Committee for an emergency motion to be submitted. If such a request is declined, the Committee must provide reasoning for this decision in their report.

Reports

1. Assembly shall receive reports at each meeting from the bodies specified above in 7.6.
2. The Chair, through the Secretary, shall provide a report to the Board of Trustees on the proceedings of Assembly.

The Chair

1. The Chair shall be responsible for the running of Assembly meetings, ensuring members stick to the agenda and that discussion and debate is open and balanced. The Chair shall be a non¬ voting member of Assembly. If the Chair is unavailable for a meeting, or part of a meeting,
2. Assembly shall elect from its membership an acting Chair for the time during which the Chair is unavailable.
3. The Chair will be elected by Assembly members during the final Assembly meeting of the academic year.
4. Any current student member of Durham SU shall be eligible to nominate themselves for Chair.
5. The duties of the Chair shall be:
   1. To promote an accessible and inclusive culture at Assembly meetings and among members outside formal meetings.
   2. To ensure the proceedings of Assembly inform members on the issues being reported and debated to allow them to make meaningful decisions.
   3. To seek the clear resolution of issues and the creation of policy so that Durham SU can concentrate on representing students and making change for them
   4. To ensure fair and balanced debate within meetings
6. The Chair shall have the following powers:
   1. To check quorum for the meeting
   2. To call for a vote on a policy, amendment to a policy, or report
   3. To set a length on the debates taking place
   4. To call for rounds of speeches
   5. To close the meeting
   6. With the concurrence of the Assembly, require members or participants of Assembly to leave the meeting, where their behaviour has been consistently disruptive to proceedings and they have disregarded previous warnings from the Chair.

Procedural Motions

1. Procedural motions are votes aimed to express the autonomy of the Assembly in the management of its own affairs. Any member of Assembly may request a procedural motion at any point during a meeting; in such cases, the motion must be supported by at least four other members. The Chair may not deny requests for such procedural motions. The case for the procedural motion will be put by the member requesting it in a speech of not more than 2 minutes. The Chair or another member of Assembly will be able to reply for up to 2 minutes before Assembly votes on the procedural motion.
2. The Procedural Motions in order of precedence will be:
   1. That the Chair be replaced by an elected substitute for the rest of the meeting
   2. That the Chair's ruling be reversed
   3. That the Chair enact one of their powers as outlined above.
   4. To call for a secret vote on a policy, amendment to a policy, or report
   5. To remove an item from the agenda until the next meeting
   6. To refer an item on the agenda to a Task & Finish Group or other body of Durham SU for approval
3. Procedural motions shall pass with a simple majority of members voting, with the exception of the use of procedural motion 28.4 to call for a secret vote, which shall require the support of two thirds of members present.

Operational Matters

1. Assembly Dates will be set by the Chair of Assembly with advice from the Secretary to maximise participation and help ensure issues debated within the University can be influenced by Assembly positions.
2. Emergency meetings may be called by the Chair of Assembly at the request of ten members of Assembly, or by the Board of Trustees. Such a request must include the reason for calling the additional meeting. Adequate notice is required for additional meetings and the business, including any motions, must be circulated five days before the meeting.
3. Papers and minutes of Assembly shall be placed on Durham SU's website as soon as possible. Minutes shall be presented in draft form if not yet approved by Assembly.
4. No member shall have more than one vote on a matter of business, or hold more than one position on Assembly.

Transparency of Assembly

1. The outcomes of an Assembly meeting, including any new policy created, shall be published on Durham SU's website.
2. Names of all members of Assembly shall be made publicly available. If a student representative has a compelling case as to why they should not have their name displayed publicly, Durham SU will display alternative contact details.
3. The voting records of members shall be made public in the minutes of each Assembly meeting, unless a vote was held by a secret ballot, or where a vote was carried or rejected unanimously.

Membership

1. The membership of Assembly shall aim to best reflect both the pre-existing student representative structures across Durham University and the need for wider involvement from students in different communities to be able to directly participate in policy making.
2. Where an Assembly position is held by a student elected by a defined constituency with a democratic mandate, that constituency can decide who takes the place. For example, the committee of an Association may decide that their space will be taken by their Chair, or by another member of their elected committee. These Assembly positions are referred to as 'representative'.
3. Where a student is a member of a specific community or categorisation within Durham University but does not have a recognised democratic mandate, they may stand for positions on Assembly that relate to those memberships. For example, any postgraduate student in the Faculty of Sciences may stand for election to the Faculty of Science Postgraduate Places. These Assembly positions are referred to as 'places'.
4. The membership of Assembly shall be as follows:
   1. The Sabbatical Officers
   2. SU Education Committee Representative (x1)
   3. SU Community Committee Representative (x1)
   4. Undergraduate Place (x2) and Postgraduate Place (x2) from each of Durham University's faculties.
   5. Associations Representatives (x1 from each recognised Association)
   6. College Place (x1 from each of Durham University's Colleges)
   7. JCR Presidents' Committee Representative (x1)
   8. MCR Presidents' Committee Representative (x1)
   9. Open Place (x7)
   10. Student Groups Place (x8)
   11. Student Group Committee Representative (x1)
   12. DUCK (Durham University Charities Kommittee) Committee Representative (x1)
5. Any member of Assembly may resign from their position by giving written notice to the Chair of Assembly
6. 37. Where positions remain unelected after the initial election period, or where a resignation results in a vacancy, Assembly may approve the co-option of interested students to fill the vacancy.
   1. Where more than one student expresses an interest in a vacant position, an election will be held during the next Assembly meeting.

Secretary to Assembly

1. The Board of Trustees has designated the Durham SU Chief Executive as Secretary to Assembly and its Committees. The Secretary will be responsible for the management of processes relating to Assembly on their behalf in partnership with the Chair.

Disciplinary Processes

1. Assembly may, with good reason, approve by simple majority a motion of commendation or censure of any Sabbatical Officer, Part-Time Officer, Assembly, or Committee member elected by the structures of the Durham SU.
2. Students may submit a motion of no confidence in any member of Assembly or its committees and sub-committees (with the exception of those members who sit on Assembly bodies ex officio by virtue of holding another office) to remove that person from their duties by writing to the Chair no more than 5 days before the meeting.
   1. Any such motion must pass by a two-thirds majority or, if a motion of censure has previously been passed against that person, by a simple majority.
3. Disciplinary procedures and processes for motions of no confidence in the Sabbatical Officers shall be laid out in the Disciplinary Procedures Policy and within Durham SU's Articles of Association.

The Officers Committee

1. There will be an Officers Committee.
   Membership
2. The full-time Officers
   1. The Durham SU President
   2. The Education Officer
   3. The Community Officer
3. The part-time Officers
   1. One Faculty President, for each Faculty of Durham University.
   2. The International Students Officer.
   3. The Postgraduate Research Students Officer
   4. The Postgraduate Taught Students Officer
   5. The Societies Officer.
   6. The Welfare Officer.
   7. The Liberation Officer.
   8. The Common Rooms Officer
4. The Secretary to the Officers Committee is the Durham SU Chief Executive, who will ensure that the Officers Committee receives the support and advice necessary to undertake its responsibilities, and that Durham SU responds appropriately to discussions and decisions of the Officers Committee.

Responsibilities

5. The Officer Committee will collectively:
   1. Promote and defend the rights of Durham students.
   2. Represent the general interests of all Durham students to Durham University, and others.
   3. Agree and publish an annual priority plan against the Durham SU strategy.
   4. Report on progress against annual priorities to students, to Assembly, and to the Board of Trustees.
   5. Uphold high standards of behaviour, in line with the Durham SU Code of Conduct.
   6. Work with the Durham SU Chief Executive to ensure that service delivery responds to student interest.

The Officer Committee will have two Committees:

6. The Education Committee, which will be chaired by the Education Officer.
7. The Community Committee, which will be chaired by the Community Officer.

The Education Committee

8. Membership:
   1. The membership of the Education Committee is the Education Officer, the four Faculty Officers, the International Students Officer, the Postgraduate Taught Students Officer and the Postgraduate Research Students Officer.

Responsibilities

9. The Education Committee will collectively:
   1. Lead Durham SU’s policy and campaigns in respect of the academic student experience.
   2. Coordinate Durham SU’s response in urgent or unexpected matters which impact the academic student experience, for report to Assembly and the Board of Trustees.
   3. Champion the support, development and success of academic student representatives.
   4. Nominate student representatives to academic committees and working groups.

The Community Committee

10. Membership:
    1. The membership of the Community Committee is the Community Officer, the Societies Officer, the Welfare Officer, the Liberation Officer, and the Common Rooms Officer.

Responsibilities

11. The Community Committee will collectively:
    1. Lead Durham SU’s policy and campaigns in respect of the wider student experience.
    2. Coordinate Durham SU’s response in urgent or unexpected matters which impact the wider student experience, for report to Assembly and the Board of Trustees.
    3. Champion the support, development and success of student representatives in the wider student experience.
    4. Nominate student representatives to academic committees and working groups.

Particular responsibilities of Durham SU Officers

The Full-time Officers

12. The Durham SU President will:
    1. Chair Officer Committee.
    2. Be chief spokesperson for the Officer team, representing Durham students to the media.
    3. Be lead student representative to Durham University, regional and national organisations.
    4. Lead the student interest in the effective governance and management of Durham SU, working closely with the Durham SU Chief Executive.
13. The Education Officer will:
    1. Chair Education Committee
    2. Be lead student representative to Durham University on the academic student experience.
    3. Coordinate and champion the work of academic student experience volunteers across Durham.
14. The Community Officer will:
    1. Chair Community Committee
    2. Be lead student representative to Durham University on the wider student experience.
    3. Coordinate and champion the work of wider student experience volunteers across Durham.
15. Wider student experience is defined for the purposes of this document as encompassing Student Enrichment, Student Support, DEIJ, and any other non-academic matter.

The Part-time Officers

16. The Faculty Officers will:
    1. Be lead student representative within their Faculty and be Durham SU nominees to be members of the Durham University Senate.
    2. Coordinate and champion the student representatives within their Faculty.
    3. Coordinate and champion student academic interests across Faculties, as members of the Durham SU Education Committee.
17. The International Students Officer will:
    1. Be lead student representative for international students and be Durham SU nominee to be a member of Durham University committees and working groups for international students.
    2. Coordinate and champion international student representatives across Durham.
    3. Coordinate and champion international student interests across Durham, as a member of the Durham SU Education Committee and Community Committee.
18. The Postgraduate Research Students Officer will:
    1. Be lead student representative for postgraduate research students and be Durham SU nominee to be a member of Durham University committees and working groups for postgraduate research students.
    2. Coordinate and champion the postgraduate student representatives across Durham.
    3. Coordinate and champion postgraduate student academic interests across Durham, as a member of the Durham SU Education Committee.
19. The Postgraduate Taught Students Officer will:
    1. Be lead student representative for postgraduate taught students and be Durham SU nominee to be a member of Durham University committees and working groups for postgraduate taught students.
    2. Coordinate and champion the postgraduate taught student representatives across Durham.
    3. Coordinate and champion postgraduate taught student academic interests across Durham, as a member of the Durham SU Education Committee.
20. The Societies Officer will:
    1. Be lead student representative for the interests of student social, cultural and developmental services and experiences.
    2. Coordinate and champion the work of student groups across Durham, representing their interests to Durham SU, Durham University and others, as a member of the Durham SU Community Committee.
    3. Chair the Societies Committee of Assembly.
21. The Welfare Officer will:
    1. Be lead student representative for the interests of student welfare and support services and experiences.
    2. Coordinate and champion the work of student welfare groups and volunteers across Durham, representing their interests to Durham SU, Durham University and others, as a member of the Durham SU Community Committee.
    3. Chair the Welfare Committee of Assembly.
22. The Liberation Officer will:
    1. Be lead student representative for the interests of student equity, inclusion, diversity, and liberation services and experiences.
    2. Coordinate and champion the work of student equity, inclusion, diversity, and liberation groups and volunteers across Durham, representing their interests to Durham SU, as a member of the Durham SU Community Committee.
    3. Chair the Liberation Committee of Assembly.
23. The Common Rooms Officer will:
    1. Be lead representative for the interests of students’ residential and collegiate experience to Durham SU, and through Durham SU to Durham University.
    2. Coordinate and champion the shared interests of Common Rooms and Durham SU.
    3. Coordinate and champion the work of groups and volunteers in Common Rooms within Durham SU.

Additional provisions

24. The full-time Officers will be:
    1. Elected in a cross-campus ballot of all members.
    2. Employed under a full-time contract of employment with Durham SU.
    3. Serve for one year in total, with additional paid transition time for training and development.
    4. Major office holders and trustees of Durham SU.
25. The part-time Officers will be:
    1. Elected in ways detailed in the Elections Standing Order.
    2. Employed under a part-time contract of employment with Durham SU.
    3. Serve for one year in total, with additional paid transition time for training and development.
26. Both full-time Officers and part-time Officers are paid Durham SU office holders so, by law, no student member may serve in any combination of any office for more than two years in total.
27. The Officers will be members of Assembly.

1. Durham SU registers Student Groups, further to Articles 9.4 and 9.7, because we want to provide opportunities to advance education through providing infrastructure for students to lead social education for each other, as well as to have fun.
2. ‘Student Groups’ is a term which includes all Societies, Clubs, Associations, Media Student Groups, Fundraising Student Groups, Campaign Student Groups, and any other organised group of students which seeks to register their activity with Durham SU.
3. All registered Student Groups are the same legal entity as Durham SU. Each Student Group is ultimately the responsibility of, and therefore accountable to, the Board of Trustees.

Regulation

4. All Student Groups are registered under the Student Group Agreement, which is an appendix to this Standing Order. The Student Group Agreement will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Student Groups Committee, which will make recommendations on any changes and developments to Assembly and to the Board of Trustees through the Officer Committee. Compliance with the Student Group Agreement is a condition of registration.
5. The Student Groups Committee and the Board of Trustees will agree a model constitution, which all student groups must adopt as a condition of registration. The model constitution has sections which must not be deviated from without the support of the Board of Trustees, but most parts can be freely changed by the membership of the student group, in the way specified in the model constitution.
6. The Board of Trustees will agree a funding framework for Student Groups, in consultation with the Officer Committee, which will be reported to the University Secretary.

Registration

7. Student Groups Committee will formally accept an application for a Student Group to be entered onto the Register, on the condition that:
   1. The aims and objectives of the Student Group are consistent with Durham SU’s aims and objectives.
   2. A Registration Risk Assessment has been accepted by the Secretary to Student Groups Committee.
   3. The Student Group is committed to, and acts in compliance with, the Student Group Agreement.
   4. The Secretary to Student Groups Committee, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, confirms that Durham SU has capacity to support the Student Group effectively.
8. Student Groups Committee will remove a Student Group from the Register if:
   1. The Student Group is not viable.
   2. The Student Group is confirmed by the Secretary to Students Group Committee to be in substantial breach of the Student Group Agreement.
9. The Board of Trustees, acting reasonably, may suspend or terminate registration of any Student Group.

Representation

10. The Community Committee will approve Student Group ‘categories’ which will be collectives of Student Groups with similar aims and objectives or ways of working.

Student Groups Committee

11. The Student Groups Committee reports to the Community Committee. The Societies Officer will chair the Committee, and other members will be the Community Officer, and one Chair of a Student Group from each category.
12. The Chairs of Student Groups in each category will nominate one of their peers to attend meetings of the Student Group Committee.
13. Student Groups Committee has power as defined in this Standing Order and exists to represent student priorities for the development and support of student groups to Durham SU and Durham University.
14. All Student Group Chairs will be invited to come together at least once annually to consider matters of importance to student groups in general.
15. Chairs of Student Groups in categories may come together as and when they consider it necessary, to consider matters of importance to their student groups, with the specific considerations that:
    1. Liberation Student Group category meetings shall also include the Liberation Officer who will chair the meeting.
    2. International Student Group category meetings shall also include the International Students’ Officer who will chair the meeting.

Standing Student Groups

16. A Student Group may apply and be designated at point of registration as a Standing Student Group, subject to approval by the Student Groups Committee. A Standing Student Group:
    1. Is exempt from conditions of registration relating to minimum membership numbers.
    2. May specify criteria for membership, subject to approval by the Student Groups Committee following advice from the Secretary to Student Groups Committee.
    3. May only be removed from the register by Assembly, on a recommendation from the Student Groups Committee, or by the Board of Trustees, acting reasonably.
17. A Standing Student Group may be general in nature, but categories of Standing Student Groups include: Liberation Student Groups
    17. Liberation Student Groups are a particular category of Standing Student Group, which provide representation, social opportunities and activities, and appropriate support, for students who self-identify as a member of the community represented by those Associations. A Student Group may apply, and be designated at point of registration, as a Liberation Student Group.
    18. Any student who self-defines as a member of the community represented by the Liberation Student Group is a full member, entitled to all the benefits of membership. A Liberation Student Group may restrict its membership on this basis, subject to approval by the Board of Trustees. Liberation campaigning at Durham SU supports and fights for the rights of students who self-identify as Trans, LGBT+, Working-Class, People of Colour, Women or Disabled.
    19. Liberation campaigning at Durham SU supports and fights for the rights of students who self-identify as Trans, LGBT+, Working-Class, People of Colour, Women or Disabled.
    20. Liberation Student Groups each have one seat on Assembly. The list of student groups with seats is set out in the Standing Order D: Assembly.
    21. Student Group Committee will report any proposal to grant a seat on Assembly to a Liberation Student Group to Assembly for ratification and shall not have power to change the Composition of Assembly.
        Fundraising Groups
    22. Fundraising Student Groups are a particular category of Standing Student Group, which exist further to Durham SU’s objective to raise funds for charitable purposes under Article 9.7. A Student Group may apply, and be designated at point of registration, as a Fundraising Student Group.
    23. A Fundraising Student Group is required to comply with specific external regulations which maintain public confidence in charitable fundraising, and must therefore undertake annual training, development, and reporting as required by the Board of Trustees.
        Media Groups
    24. Media Student Groups are a particular category of Standing Student Group. A Student Group may apply, and be designated at point of registration, as a Fundraising Student Group.
    25. A designated Media Student Group is required to comply with specific regulations which maintain public confidence in the media, and must therefore undertake annual training, development, and reporting as required by the Board of Trustees.

1. There shall be representatives at Course, School/Department and Faculty level who shall be responsible for representing students’ views on academic matters.
2. All academic representative roles shall be recruited in line with the academic representative recruitment framework.

Course Representatives

1. Each Course Constituency shall elect a number of Course Representatives.
2. The number of Course Representatives shall be approved annually by Assembly after consultation with the University.
3. Course Representatives shall be elected by and from a Course Constituency of which they are a member.
4. The duties of a Course Representative shall include:
   1. Fulfilling such duties as are outlined in the academic representative role descriptions;
   2. Actively participating in training events;
   3. Proactively communicating with and seeking feedback from peers on their academic experiences and reporting back on decisions or other actions;
   4. Representing students’ view from their course at meetings;
   5. Participating in academic campaigns organised by the Union.

School/Department Representatives

1. There shall be one School/Department Representative in each school/department.
2. The School/Department Representatives shall be elected by and from the Course Representatives in each respective school/department.
3. The duties of a School/Department Representative shall include:
   1. Fulfilling their duties as outlined in the academic representative role description;
   2. Representing students’ views from across the school/department at meetings;
   3. Actively participating in training events;
   4. Proactively communicating with, seek feedback from and leading Course Representatives from their respective school/department and reporting back on decisions or other actions;
   5. Participating in academic campaigns organised by the Union.

Faculty Representatives

1. There shall be eighteen Faculty Representatives who shall be appointed by the Union from the following constituencies:
   1. Arts and Humanities (undergraduate) x2
   2. Arts and Humanities (postgraduate – taught) x2
   3. Arts and Humanities (postgraduate – research) x2
   4. Science Faculty (undergraduate) x2
   5. Science Faculty (postgraduate – taught) x2
   6. Science Faculty (postgraduate – research) x2
   7. Social Science and Health (undergraduate) x2
   8. Social Science and Health (postgraduate – taught) x2
   9. Social Science and Health (postgraduate – research) x2
2. The duties of a Faculty Representative shall include:
   1. Fulfilling those duties outlined in the academic representative role description;
   2. Representing students’ views from across the faculty at meetings;
   3. Actively participating in training events;
   4. Proactively seeking feedback from course and departmental representatives in their respective faculty;
   5. Participating in academic campaigns organised by the Union.
   6. A Faculty Representative may not simultaneously act as a Course or School/Department Representative.

Term of Office

1. The term of office of all academic representatives shall be one academic year.
2. Course or School/Department Representatives may be removed from their positions by a majority vote of the members of the constituency from which they were elected.
3. Faculty Representatives may be removed from their positions by a majority vote of the School/Department Representatives in the respective Faculty.