Oxford
University Gazette, 26 March 2009: University Acts
COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY1 Changes in RegulationsCouncil has made the following changes in regulations, to come into effect on 10 April. Committee to Review Donations1 In Council Regulations 15 of 2002, concerning committees reporting directly to Council or one of its main committees (Supplement (1) to Gazette No. 4634, 16 October 2002, p. 226), delete existing regulations 3.43–3.45 and substitute: 'Committee to Review Donations3.43. The Committee to Review Donations shall consist of (1) a chairman appointed by Council from among members of Council who are (a) not the resident holders of teaching, research, or administrative posts in the University or in any college, society, or Permanent Private Hall; or (b) a Head of House (other than the Chairman of the Conference of Colleges); (2) a person appointed by Council who shall not be the holder of a teaching, research, or administrative post in the University or in any college, society, or Permanent Private Hall, and shall bring relevant expertise of business and, preferably, of corporate social responsibility issues to the working of the committee; (3) the Chairman of the Conference of Colleges; (4)–(6) three members of Congregation appointed by Council who shall bring relevant expertise to the working of the committee (for example, in ethics, public affairs, or the law). 3.44. The committee shall (1) maintain and keep under review guidelines governing the acceptance of gifts by the University; (2) consider and take decisions (a) on whether acceptance of a proposed donation to the University may breach any of the guidelines made under paragraph (1) above in respect of (i) every proposed donation of £100,000 or more; (ii) cumulative gifts equal to or exceeding, in total, £100,000 which shall be treated as one gift and a decision taken at the point when the threshold of £100,000 is crossed; (iii) any proposed donation under £100,000 drawn to the committee's attention on the grounds that its acceptance may breach those guidelines; (b) on cases in which information is received about a donor or a donation after a donation has been made which might or would have made a donation unacceptable under the guidelines made under paragraph (1); (c) on whether to approve the proposed nomination of any donor to the Chancellor's Court of Benefactors or the Vice-Chancellor's Circle, assessing whether, if the donation(s) qualifying the donor for consideration for such admission were then about to be made and were referred to the committee, it or they would be unacceptable by reference to the guidelines made under paragraph (1); (3) advise a college on whether acceptance of a proposed donation to that college may breach any of the guidelines made under paragraph (1) above if referred to the committee by that college. 3.45. The committee (1) may refer to Council for final decision any matter considered under under regulation 3.44 (2); (2) shall refer to the General Purposes Committee of Council any matter which the committee considers raises issues falling outside its terms of reference. 3.46. Subject to the guidelines made under regulation 3.44 (1), a donation shall only be accepted if the identity of the donor is known and acceptable to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Development and External Affairs), except in the case of Donor Advised Funds where the sponsor is a well-known reputable institution who confirms to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Development and External Affairs) in writing that the donor is known to the institution well enough for it, as part of the written confirmation, to confirm that no ethical questions, of the type set out in the guidelines made under regulation 3.44 (1), arise in relation to the donor.' 2 Ibid., renumber existing regulations 3.46–3.134 as 3.47–3.135. 3 In the Financial Regulations (Supplement (2) to Gazette No. 4851, 9 July 2008, as amended on 16 October 2008, Gazette Vol. 139, p. 192), delete paragraph (vi) of regulation 2.3 concerning gifts received and substitute (new text underlined): '(vi) (a) In considering the acceptability or otherwise of any donation, the Development Office must have regard to the guidelines made under Council Regulations 15 of 2002 concerning the Committee to Review Donations. In particular the Development Office must consider the possibility that funds may originate from illegal sources. They should exercise particular caution: —Where, having been offered large donations from persons unknown to them, they do not receive satisfactory replies to the further enquiries they make; —Where donations are conditional on particular individuals or organisations being used to do work for the University; —Where offers of donations in cash are made for a certain period of time, during which the University receives the interest, before the capital sum is returned to the donor at the end of the specified period; —Where offers of donations in foreign currencies are made for a certain period of time, during which the University receives the interest, before the capital sum is returned to the donor in the form of a sterling cheque at the end of the specified period. All such cases must be referred promptly to the Registrar, and advice should be sought from the Legal Services Office. (b) Every proposed donation to the University of £100,000 or more, and cumulative gifts equal to or exceeding, in total, £100,000, must be referred to the Committee to Review Donations for a decision on whether its acceptance may breach the guidelines made under Council Regulations 15 of 2002 governing that committee (cumulative gifts shall be treated as one gift and a decision taken at the point when the threshold of £100,000 is crossed). When it is the judgment of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Development and External Affairs) that acceptance of any donation under £100,000 may breach those guidelines he/she must refer the donation to that body for its consideration and decision.' [These changes, made on the recommendation of a review body appointed by Council under the chairmanship of the Master of Pembroke College, establish a Committee to replace the Donations Acceptance Review Committee to consider ethical issues in respect of proposed donations. This committee replaces the former University Development Programme Scrutiny Committee and the current Donations Acceptance Review Committee. Key revisions include: (i) changes to the membership of the committee, to include members appointed to bring knowledge of corporate social responsibility and ethics to bear on the work of the committee, and remove the Vice-Chancellor and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Development and External Relations) to avoid any potential conflicts of interest (they will continue to be expected to attend meetings); (ii) inclusion of provisions governing the way in which donations will be referred to the committee; (iii) extension of the committee's remit to include offering advice on college donations and admission of new members of the Chancellor's Court of Benefactors and Vice-Chancellor's Circle. A copy of the guidelines governing the acceptance of gifts is available on request from Council Secretariat (telephone: (2)70002, e-mail: council.sec@admin.ox.ac.uk).]
2 Dates of EncaeniaCorrigendaThe dates of Encaenia for 2009 and 2010 published in the Gazette of 12 March, p. 758, are incorrect, and should read as follows: 2009: 24 June 2010: 23 June
CONGREGATION 24 MarchDeclaration of approval of unopposed Resolutions authorising use of space in Radcliffe Observatory Quarter(i) That approximately 7,000 sq.m. be allocated to the Mathematical Institute as the site of a new building for the Institute; (ii) That approximately 10,700 sq.m. be allocated as the site of a new Humanities Faculty centre and library; (iii) That the former Outpatients' building (approximately 2,500 sq.m. of gross internal area) be allocated to the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art; (iv) That the Main Infirmary Building (approximately 2,500 sq.m. of gross internal area) be allocated to the University Administration.
COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITYRegister of CongregationMr Vice-Chancellor reports that the following names have been added to the Register of Congregation: Alsousou, J., Wolfson Dahl, J.L., Wolfson Hall, J.P., Business Services and Projects Hamilton, A.D., Vice-Chancellor-elect Hancock, E.E., Personnel Services Harkiolaki, M., Structural Biology Jeffrey, C.R., Jenner Institute Lakelin, S., Business Services and Projects Milicic, A., St Catherine's Sabzalieva, E., Graduate Admissions and Funding
DIVISIONAL BOARDS AND BOARDS OF FACULTIESFor changes in regulations for examinations, to come into effect on 10 April, see Supplement (1) to Gazette No. 4876.
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