Approved by the Council of Representatives on October 25, 2018.

 

CHAPTER 1

The Student Union and its members

 

Section 1 – Student Union

The name of the Student Union shall be Jyväskylän yliopiston ylioppilaskunta (JYY) and it is based in the city of Jyväskylä. The Student Union shall be a corporation subject to public law, which shall have self-government in accordance with the Universities Act (558/2009).

 

Section 2 – Members

All students of the University of Jyväskylä are members of the Student Union, as determined in the Universities Act.

A student pursuing a postgraduate degree at the University of Jyväskylä may join the Student Union.

 

Section 3 – Honorary members

An honorary member is a person the Student Union wishes to honour. Honorary members shall be nominated by the Council of Representatives. The decision to nominate honorary members shall be decided in the Council meeting with a nine-tenths (9/10) majority of the votes of those Council members who are present.

The Student Union must keep a list of its honorary members.

 

CHAPTER 2

Decision-making power and disqualification

 

Section 4 – Decision-making power

The highest decision-making body of the Student Union is the Council of Representatives elected by the members of the Student Union in a relative and secret ballot. The Council elects the Board for the preparation and implementation of matters, which shall exercise, in the manner determined by the Universities Act, the administrative and executive powers of the Student Union in matters determined by this statute.

 

All members of the Student Union registered for attendance to the University of Jyväskylä have equal voting rights in the Council elections and membership vote.

 

Section 5 – Disqualification and eligibility within institutions

Employees who are in a permanent employment with the Student Union or have a temporary job of at least six (6) months are not eligible for election to the Council of Representatives and the Board of Executives nor to the Tenant’s Committee.

 

Board members cannot serve as members of the Council.

 

 

CHAPTER 3

Chair of the Council and Vice Chair of the Council

 

Section 6 – Chair of the Council and Vice Chair of the Council

The Council of Representatives elects the Chair of the Council and the Vice Chair of the Council for a term of one year from among the adult members of the Student Union who have been candidates for Council elections. The election of the Chair and Vice Chair shall be held separately. If the Chair or the Vice Chair of the Council is not a member of the Council, they shall, in their capacity as the Chair of the meeting, have the right to vote when the votes are equally divided.

 

The election of the Chair of the Council shall be by majority vote in accordance with the rules of procedure of the Council of Representatives, unless consensus is reached on the choice.

 

Section 7 – Term of office

The term of office of the Chair of the Council and the Vice Chair of the Council is a calendar year. If the Chair or the Vice Chair resigns or loses eligibility during the term of office, the Council shall meet to elect a new Chair or Vice Chair for the remainder of the term.

 

The Chair and Vice Chair are dependent on the confidence of the Council. The Council may, by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the members present at the Council meeting make a motion of no confidence against the Chair or the Vice Chair. After the motion, the Chair or the Vice Chair can be regarded as resigned from the duties and the Council immediately elects a new Chair and/or Vice Chair.

 

Section 8 – Duties of the Chair of the Council and Vice Chair of the Council

Duties of the Chair of the Council shall be:

 

  1. to convene a meeting of the Council and chair the meetings;
  2. to make a proposal to the Council on the Central Election Committee;
  3. unless otherwise provided in the rules, to convene the bodies designated by the Council for which the Council has not specifically designated a chairperson;
  4. to supervise that the operations of the Student Union shall comply with valid decrees and regulations.

 

If the Chair is unable to perform one’s duties, the Vice Chair shall replace the Chair.

 

 

CHAPTER 4

Council of Representatives

 

Section 9 – Council members and the term of office

The Council of Representatives consists of forty-one (41) eligible members of the Student Union. A maximum of two deputy Council members can be elected for each member of the Council. Election of Council members and deputies follows the election order approved by the Council.

 

The term of office of the Council shall begin on December 1 and last for two (2) years. However, the term of office shall continue until a new Council is elected and assembled. The assembly meeting of the Council is held annually.

 

The assembly meeting is convened by the Chair of the Council in office and, during election years, an invitation to the meeting must be sent within 30 days of the announcement of the election results.

 

Section 10 – Resignation of a Council member and invitation of a deputy member

When a Council member loses one’s eligibility or otherwise resigns mid-term, the Council shall invite a deputy member in accordance with the election regulations.

 

When a Council member is not capable to attend the Council meeting, the Chair of the Council shall invite a deputy member to act for the Council member as has been laid down in the rules of procedure of the Council of Representatives.

 

Section 11 – Duties of the Council

The duties of the Council shall be:

 

  1. to elect the Chair and vice Chair of the Council;
  2. to elect the Board of Executives and its Chair, to which the Council, acting in accordance with the budget, may decide to delegate decision-making, administrative and executive power;
  3. to appoint the Board of Business, the Jylkkäri Board and the Editorial Council of the publication series, to which the Council, acting in accordance with the budget, may decide to delegate decision-making, administrative and executive power;
  4. to appoint the Central Election Committee on the proposal of the Chair of the Board and appoint its chairperson;
  5. to appoint representatives to the governing bodies of organisations and foundations in which the Student Union has a direct right to nominate representatives;
  6. to appoint representatives to the shareholders’ meetings of companies in which the Student Union has a majority of the voting rights or shares;
  7. to elect student representatives to the University Collegium, the University Board and, at the beginning of their term, to the Faculty Councils and to the Boards of Independent Institutes;
  8. to elect the auditors of the Student Union and, if necessary, their personal deputies;
  9. to elect the Student Union’s Executive Director, the CEO and the Editor-in-Chief of the Student Union’s newspaper.
  10. to approve the Student Union’s strategy and business strategy on the proposal of the Board;
  11. to approve the Student Union’s action plan on the proposal of the Board;
  12. approve the Student Union’s annual budget and supplementary budgets on the proposal of the Board;
  13. to decide on the renumeration of the Board members when approving the annual budget;
  14. to determine the amount of the membership fee;
  15. to decide on the approval of the financial report;
  16. to decide on the discharge of liability to the Board and others responsible;
  17. to process the Board’s reports on the Student Union’s operations;
  18. to decide on joining and leaving communities;
  19. to decide, on the proposal of the Board, on the purchase, sale, exchange, mortgaging and pledging of real estate or real estate shares, on new construction and on the principles of leasing;
  20. to decide on taking up debt that will be due later than during the financial year;
  21. to decide on the principles of corporate governance and risk management;
  22. to approve the Student Union’s constitution;
  23. to approve the Student Union’s election order and other standing orders and rules of procedure;
  24. to invite honorary members on the Board’s proposal;
  25. to decide on other matters which the Council of Representatives has reserved the right to decide in individual cases or which the Board considers necessary to be resolved by the Council.

 

The Council may, for special reasons, decide to delegate the decision-making power in the matters defined in items (5), (6), (7), (19) and (20) for a maximum of four months. The delegation of powers shall require a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the members present. In such cases, the Board shall report to the Council at its next meeting on the decisions taken in respect of the delegation of powers.

 

Section 12 – Council meeting

The Council holds an annual assembly meeting between 15 November and 10 December to decide on the matters referred to in Section 11 (1), (2) and (3).

 

The Council meets annually to decide on the matters referred to in Section 11 (11), (12), (13) and (14) at the latest at the assembly meeting.

 

The Council meets at the latest at the assembly meeting.

 

The Council meets annually by 30 April to decide on the matters referred to in Section 11 (15), (16) and (17).

 

The Council shall also meet at the invitation of the Chair of the Council when the Chair deems it necessary or when at least ten (10) Council members in writing request a meeting from the Chair of the Council in order to address a specific matter, or when the Council has determined so in its rules of procedure. The meeting shall be held within 21 days. Issues to be dealt with by the Council must be covered in the agenda.

 

The Council is quorate when at least twenty-one (21) members are present.

 

The Council may take an issue not included in the agenda into consideration with a five-sixth (5/6) majority.

 

Section 13 – Decision-making

Unless otherwise determined in this constitution, the Council of Representatives makes its decisions in accordance with its rules of procedure.

 

If the votes are equal, the Chair’s vote will decide.

 

Section 14 – Decision-making in elections and supplementing the Board

When there is one (1) person to be appointed, the election shall be by majority vote unless consensus can be reached. In the event of a tie, the decision shall be made by drawing lots. When there is more than one person to be appointed, proportional election method shall be used. Elections shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of procedure of the Council.

 

If no consensus is reached, the election of Board members shall be by majority vote. Election shall be arranged by using lists of candidates which shall indicate the names of the Board members proposed and the chairperson proposed. The lists of candidates must always be presented in entirety. If a list receives more than half of the votes cast, the candidates on that list shall be elected. If there are more than two lists in the first round and none of them receives more than half of the votes cast, the top two recipients of votes advance to the second round of voting. If there is a tie vote in the final round of voting, the tie shall be resolved by a draw.

 

If a Board member loses one’s eligibility or otherwise has to resign from the Board in the middle of the term, the Council shall elect a new member after hearing the Chair of the Board. An individual Board member shall be deemed to have resigned at the end of the Council meeting at which the Council has granted the resignation and decided on the election of a new member. The Council may also decide that the resignation of a Board member takes effect on a specified date.

 

Secret ballot voting shall always be implemented in elections.

 

Section 15 – The presence of other persons

Council meetings shall be open to all. Each member of the Student Union and those working for the Student Union shall have the right to participate in the discussion, unless their right to speak is restricted by the meeting or its Chair.

 

The Council shall have the right to decide that a particular matter is to be addressed completely or partly in a closed session.

 

 

CHAPTER 5

Board of executives

 

Section 16 – Board of executives

The Board of Executives, appointed by the Council of Representatives, shall be responsible for having the decision-making, administrative and executive power in matters of the Student Union. The Board shall consist of a minimum of seven (7) and a maximum of ten (10) members of the Student Union. The Board shall elect the vice chairperson from among the Board and decide on the internal division of duties in the Board.

 

The Board shall be quorate when more than half of the Board members and the Chair or the Vice Chair of the Board are present.

 

Section 17 – Term of office

At its first meeting, the Council shall elect the Board for a term of one year at a time.

 

The term of office of the Board shall begin on the first day of January following the Council’s assembly meeting and shall end at the end of the calendar year. The Board, however, shall continue on duty until a new Board is elected.

 

The Chair of the Board shall convene the Board’s first meeting within 10 days of the beginning of the Board’s term of office. However, the Board may hold its first meeting before the beginning of its term. In this case, only matters related to the internal organisation of the Board can be decided.

 

The Board and individual Board members must enjoy the support of a majority in the Council. If the Board or the Chair of the Board requests resignation or receives a motion of no confidence, the Board shall be deemed to have resigned at the end of the Council meeting in which the Council has elected a new Board. The new Board shall be elected for the remainder of the term.

 

Section 18 – Duties of the Board

The duties of the Board shall be:

  1. to exercise the decision-making, administrative and executive powers of the Student Union;
  2. to exercise the Student Union’s power of speech;
  3. to take responsibility and respond on behalf of the Student Union in court and sign contracts and take other legal actions on behalf of the Student Union;
  4. to make proposals to the Council on matters which the Council must resolve in accordance with the Universities Act or these rules, unless the making of the proposal falls within the remit of another body designated by the Council;
  5. to implement the decisions of the Council;
  6. to oversee and direct the administration and finances of the JYY Group;
  7. to decide on the implementation of corporate governance in accordance with the governing documents approved by the Council, to apply corporate governance principles in individual cases, and to decide on actions in accordance with risk management principles;
  8. to decide to take out a loan that falls due completely during the financial year and to provide security on the loan;
  9. to declare open the Student Union posts;
  10. to appoint the Student Union, unless it is the duty of the Council under these regulations;
  11. to establish committees and working groups, and appoint the chairpersons and secretaries to implement the Student Union strategy;
  12. to decide on honours, greetings, remembrances, and expressions of joy and sorrow as provided in more detail in the tradition statutes;
  13. to appoint members to those non-Student Union bodies which are not appointed by the Council or are supplemented during their term of office, with the exception of the University Collegium and the University Board, to which the Council always appoints members;
  14. to appoint one of its members to the Jylkkäri Board of the student newspaper and to the Editorial Council of the publication series;
  15. to attend to other duties ordered to the Board by the Council.

 

Section 19 – Administrative regulation

The duties and operations of the Board and the committees and working groups it may establish shall be provided in more detail in the administrative regulations approved by the Council.

 

 

CHAPTER 6

Advisory general meeting, membership vote and initiatives

 

Section 20 – Advisory general meeting

The Chair of the Board convenes an advisory general meeting to discuss and express views on matters on the agenda, if requested by the Council or if requested in writing by at least 300 Student Union members. The meeting shall be convened within 30 days from the request.

 

Section 21 –Member vote

Member vote shall be conducted if decided by the Council or if requested by 500 Student Union members. The Board shall confirm the member vote principles separately each time.

 

Section 22 – Initiatives

Members and employees of the Student Union, as well as committees, working groups and associations operating within the Student Union’s domain, shall have the right to make initiatives to the Council of Representatives.

 

The initiatives must be made in writing and submitted to the Executive Director of the Student Union.

 

 

CHAPTER 7

Housing administration

 

Section 23 – Kortepohja student village administration

The tenants of residential properties owned and leased by the Student Union shall have the right to administration in the Kortepohja Student Village as determined in the Act on Joint Management of Rental Buildings (649/1990) and as provided in more detail in the housing regulations.

 

Joint administration of the tenants of the Student Village shall be organised by holding the tenants’ meeting every year. The tenants’ meeting shall elect the tenants’ committee, which shall be responsible for the joint management of apartments. These shall be provided in more detail in the housing regulations.

 

 

CHAPTER 8

Business activity

 

Section 24 – Purpose of business activity

The Student Union shall conduct business in order to provide services to its members and to raise funds for its actual activities.

 

Section 25 – Conducting business

Business may be conducted directly by the Student Union or by the established joint-stock companies or other entities wholly or partly owned by the Student Union.

 

Section 26 – Student Union representatives on boards of communities conducting business

The Board shall nominate the Student Union representatives to the boards of communities conducting business on the proposal of the Board of Business.

 

 

CHAPTER 9

Signature

 

Section 27 – Signature

The name of the Student Union shall be signed by the Chair or the Vice Chair of the Board and the Executive Director or the CEO. Delivery books and statements based on the decisions of the Tenants’ Committee shall be signed by the chairperson of the Tenants’ Committee and the CEO or the Executive Director.

 

The Board may give designated persons the right to sign the name of the Student Union only in the matters and for the period determined by the Board.

 

 

CHAPTER 10

Staff

 

Section 28 – Officials

The Student Union shall have officers and other staff members to implement the purpose of the Student Union and attend to administration and finances.

 

The leading officers of the Student Union shall be the Executive Director and the Chief Executive Officer. The duties and responsibilities of the Executive Director and the Chief Executive Officer shall be further specified in the administrative regulations.

 

Unless otherwise provided in these regulations, the employment, salary and general regulations on the employment of officers and other staff members shall be provided in the administrative regulations of the Student Union.

 

 

CHAPTER 11

Finances

 

Section 29 – Finances

The costs incurring from activities geared to implementing the purpose and remit of the Student Union are defrayed from the assets of the Student Union and from the income accruing from the activities of the Student Union and membership fees, which the Student Union is entitled to charge its members. The amount if the membership fee is confirmed by the rector of the University and its payment controlled by the University.

 

Regulations on the Student Union’s financial management shall be provided in more detail in the administrative regulations approved by the Council.

 

Section 30 – Accounting period

The Student Union’s accounting period shall be a calendar year. The revenue and expenditure of permanent funds shall be excluded from the budget.

 

Section 31 – Audit

For each accounting period, two (2) auditors and personal deputy auditors shall be elected at the Council meeting to inspect documents and administration. At least one of the auditors must be a KHT auditor.

 

Section 32 – Financial statements

The Board shall draft a financial statement for each accounting period. The Board and accountable persons must also submit the previous year’s financial statement and related documents, as well other administrative documents of the Student Union to the auditor by April 30.

 

 

CHAPTER 12

Anniversary, insignia, and badges of honour and merit

 

Section 33 – Anniversary

The Student Union celebrates its anniversary on March 24 in commemoration of the beginning of Finnish education. However, the anniversary may be celebrated on another day during the spring, specified by the Board of Executives.

 

Section 34 – Insignia

The Student Union has a coat of arms, a flag and a membership badge. Each member of the Student Union has the right to purchase the membership badge.

 

The Student Union can award badges of honour and merit.

 

The Student Union symbols and badges are further specified in the tradition statutes of the Student Union.

 

The Student Union has a coat of arms designed and donated to the Student Union by lecturer Toivo Ojala on March 24, 1938. The coat of arms depicts the Student Union’s golden badge placed on a green field. The Student Union has a flag donated by the female members of the Student Union, female teachers of the University and wives of the University’s teachers to the Student Union on March 24, 1939. The Student Union flag is used at public events as determined by the Board of Executives. The original flag has been handed over to the Jyväskylä University Museum for preservation and a handmade replica of the flag was made in 2009.

 

 

CHAPTER 13

Appeal

 

Section 35 – Appeal

Administrative decisions of the Student Union shall be appealed as provided in the Universities Act. An appeal shall be addressed to the Administrative Court as provided in the Administrative Judicial Procedure Act.

 

Everyone shall have the right to appeal against a decision by a Student Union body other than the Council of Representatives if the privacy of the person concerned has been violated. A member of the Student Union shall also have the right to request rectification if the decision has been made in a different order from the law, regulation, rules or other regulations governing the Student Union; if the decision is not within the competence of the body; or it otherwise violates any law, regulation or rule of the Student Union. The rectification shall be requested from the Student Union Board unless otherwise specified.

 

The rectification request must be made within fourteen (14) days of the date on which the information about the decision has been posted for public inspection, or, when the decision concerns an individual, within the same period, as the individual has been notified of the decision. However, a decision which is purely preparatory or executive in nature may not be the subject of a request for rectification.

 

 

CHAPTER 14

Specific provisions

 

Section 36 – Public access to documents

The minutes of the Council as well as the decisions of the Board and the Tenant’s committee, accompanied by a notice of appeal, shall be available at the Student Union central office at a specified time, or be published on the Student Union website, within a maximum of one week after being inspected.

 

The activities pursued by the Student Union shall be governed by the Act on the Openness of Government Activities as determined in the Universities Act.

 

Section 37 – Official bulletin board

The Student Union website shall be the official bulletin board of the Student Union.

 

Section 38 – Amendment of the constitution

The Council shall decide on the amendment of this constitution. The amendment of this constitution shall be decided in two Council meetings held at least one week intervals. Such a decision requires that in both meetings at least three-fourths (3/4) of the present Council members support the decision. The decision shall enter into force after it has been confirmed in the manner determined by the Universities Act.

 

Section 39 – Other provisions

In addition to these rules, the Student Union shall operate in accordance with the rules of procedure of the Council, the administrative regulations, the housing regulations, the student newspaper and the publication series statutes, the tradition statutes, the election rules, and the regulation on student representative in administration, approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Council members present.

 

Section 40 – Entry into force

This constitution shall enter into force immediately after it has been confirmed in the manner determined by the Universities Act.