Council Regulations 13 of 2002

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.

3. If a member of Council serving under the provisions of section 4 of Statute VI, or co-opted under the provisions of section 6, has attended fewer meetings than nine 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, unless the General Purposes Committee of Council agrees otherwise for good reason.

4. Student members shall be represented at meetings of Council by two of the sabbatical officers of the Oxford University Student Union.

5. If a representative of the Oxford University Student Union is or becomes during their period of office a member of the University in a category other than that of student member, they shall nevertheless be regarded as a student member for the purposes of these regulations.

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

7. (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 Chair of Council.

(3) In any case of doubt, the Chair 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.

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

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

10. While these regulations remain in force, the provisions of section 4 of Statute XIII, concerning access by student members on a joint committee to the parent body, shall not apply to the Student Life Subcommittee.

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