Oxford
University Gazette, 14 January 2010: University
Acts
COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITYChanges in RegulationsCouncil has made the following changes in regulations, to come into effect on 29 January. (a) Convocation electionsExplanatory NoteAn election by Convocation to the Professorship of Poetry was held in Trinity Term 2009, following which the electee stood down before taking up the appointment. The post is therefore currently vacant and Council has agreed that an election should be held in Trinity Term 2010 to fill the vacancy. In taking this decision, Council was mindful of the issues raised in relation to the election in Trinity Term 2009. However, as it is considered desirable to fill the post as quickly as possible, any more far-reaching changes to the substantive post and to the method of appointment may be reflected upon once the vacancy is filled. In the meantime, in accordance with section 3 of Statute III under which the procedure for the holding of elections in Convocation is laid down by Council by regulation, limited changes are proposed to the method of election to facilitate the conduct of the election. In essence, these changes are as follows: (i) in an effort to increase the participation of members of Convocation in the election, the voting is to take place through an online voting facility and by ballot box, both facilities open for a period of weeks but not available on the day of the announcement of the result, rather than in person; (ii) provision is made to enable all candidates to submit a statement for dissemination to the electorate, to replace the current practice of using flysheets published in the Gazette sponsored by members of Congregation; and (iii) the current practice under which candidates appoint 'campaign managers' is formalised, in an effort to avoid ambiguity in case of alternate instructions or dispute, such that a candidate is required to identify the individual, the 'candidate representative', authorised to act on his or her behalf. These proposals require amendment of the existing regulations governing elections by Convocation. These regulations govern elections by Convocation both to the Professorship of Poetry and to the Chancellorship. As there are no proposals to alter the way in which the election to the Chancellorship is conducted, the regulations governing election to the Chancellorship and to the Professorship of Poetry have been decoupled. The regulations governing the election by Convocation to the Chancellorship therefore remain unchanged. The legislative amendments required to give effect to these proposals are: (i) extensions of the existing timeframe for the election from three to seven weeks; and of the number of days before the election by which nominations must be submitted (from seventeen days to forty-two days). These changes in turn allow the minimum notice required between the publication of a vacancy for election and the close of nominations to be increased from two working days to one week; and the existing voting period of one or two days to be replaced with an extended voting period (of twenty-six days) to allow voters to cast votes electronically or by ballot box over a longer period of time. (ii) provision for candidates to submit a statement for publication, without the requirement of prior indemnification by members of Congregation; and (iii) clarification of the candidates' responsibility to advise the University of any members of Convocation authorised to act on their behalf during the election. Text of Regulations1 In Council Regulations 8 of 2002 concerning Convocation elections (Supplement (2) to Gazette No. 4628, 26 June 2002, as amended on 16 October 2003, Gazette, Vol. 134, p. 138), delete regulations 2 and 3 and substitute (new text underlined and deleted text scored through): '2. The election to fill 3. Elections to the Chancellorship shall be subject to the following rules as to the nomination of candidates: (1) No candidate shall have votes reckoned to him or her
at any election unless the candidate has been nominated in
writing, not later than 4 p.m. on the seventeenth day before
that fixed for the election, by (2) All nominations, dated and signed, and accompanied by a statement signed by the person nominated consenting to the nomination, shall be delivered to the Registrar within the time prescribed under paragraph (1) above, and shall be published by the Registrar in the University Gazette as soon as possible. (3) If at the close of the time prescribed for the nomination of candidates only one candidate has been nominated, or remains after other nominated candidates have withdrawn, the candidate so nominated shall be deemed to be duly elected from the date appointed for the election; and the result of the election shall be published in the University Gazette. (4) If at the close of the time prescribed for the nomination of candidates no candidate has been nominated, or having been nominated has withdrawn, Council shall have power to nominate a candidate, and such a candidate shall then be declared to be duly elected; and the result of the election shall be published in the University Gazette. (5) If at the close of the time prescribed for the nomination of candidates there is more than one candidate nominated for each vacancy and not having withdrawn, the procedure of the election shall be as follows: (a) (b) The form of the voting-paper, and the method of casting votes, shall be prescribed by the Vice-Chancellor. (c) The Proctors shall be responsible for the counting of the votes, but the Vice- Chancellor shall decide on the validity of any vote which is, in their opinion, doubtful. (d) In the case of an equality of votes, the Vice-Chancellor shall decide between the candidates. (e) The result of the election shall be published in the University Gazette.' 2 Ibid., delete existing regulation 4 and substitute: '4. (1) An election in Convocation to fill the office of the Professor of Poetry shall be held in Full Term, unless Council shall order otherwise, on a date fixed by Council. The election date is here understood to be the day the poll closes, after which time it is no longer possible to cast a vote: and not the date the results are announced. (2) The Registrar shall give, in the University Gazette, at least forty-nine days' notice of the day of election and shall at the same time give notice of the latest days on which nominations of candidates must be received by him or her. 5. The election to fill a vacancy, other than a casual vacancy, in the office of Professor of Poetry shall take place not later than the term before the vacancy will arise; and in the case of a casual vacancy in the office of the Professor of Poetry, the election shall take place as soon as may be after the occurrence of the vacancy (subject to the provisions of regulation 1 above). 6. Elections to the Professorship of Poetry shall be subject to the following rules as to the nomination of candidates: (1) No candidate shall have votes reckoned to him or her at any election unless the candidate has been nominated in writing, not later than 4 p.m. on the forty-second day before that fixed for the election, by not fewer than twelve members of Convocation. (2) (a) All nominations, dated and signed, and accompanied by a statement signed by the person nominated consenting to the nomination and, if applicable, naming any member(s) of Convocation authorised to act as his or her representative throughout the election, shall be delivered to the Registrar within the time prescribed under paragraph (1) above, and shall be published by the Registrar in the University Gazette as soon as possible. (b) Each candidate for election, or authorised representative, may submit for publication a written statement, of no more than 500 words, setting out the candidate's reasons for standing. These shall be delivered to the Registrar within the time prescribed under paragraph (1) above. In the event of a contested election, these statements shall be published in the University Gazette and on the official University web site. The Registrar shall be responsible for ensuring that the length of such statements does not exceed the stipulated 500 words, and in the event that they do, or of any other questions arising about the content of such statements, shall refer to the Vice-Chancellor and Proctors for a determination of how to proceed. (3) If at the close of the time prescribed for the nomination of candidates only one candidate has been nominated, or remains after other nominated candidates have withdrawn, the candidate so nominated shall be deemed to be duly elected from the date appointed for the election; and the result of the election shall be published in the University Gazette. (4) If at the close of the time prescribed for the nomination of candidates no candidate has been nominated, or having been nominated has withdrawn, Council shall have power to nominate a candidate, and such a candidate shall then be declared to be duly elected; and the result of the election shall be published in the University Gazette. (5) If at the close of the time prescribed for the nomination of candidates there is more than one candidate nominated for each vacancy and not having withdrawn, the procedure of the election shall be as follows: (a) The Vice-Chancellor and Proctors shall attend at the place, and on the day, fixed for the meeting of Convocation to announce the results of the election during such times as the Vice-Chancellor shall determine (these times having been published in the University Gazette when the notice of the meeting was given). (b) The form of the voting-paper, and the method of casting votes, shall be prescribed by the Vice-Chancellor. (c) The Proctors shall be responsible for the counting of the votes, but the Vice- Chancellor shall decide on the validity of any vote which is, in their opinion, doubtful. (d) In the case of an equality of votes, the Vice-Chancellor shall decide between the candidates. (e) The result of the election shall be published in the University Gazette.' (b) Reserved business of CouncilExplanatory NoteThese changes provide further clarification on the definition of reserved business at meetings of Council and clearly identify the Vice-Chancellor as the person with authority to categorise items as reserved or unreserved. Text of Regulations1 In Council Regulations 13 of 2002, concerning Council (Supplement (2) to Gazette No. 4628, 26 June 2002, as amended on 11 June 2009, Gazette, Vol. 139, p. 1244), delete existing regulation 7 (2) and substitute: '(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 Vice-Chancellor.' 2 Ibid., in regulation 7 (3), delete 'chairman' and substitute 'Vice-Chancellor'.
GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE OF COUNCILChanges in RegulationsThe General Purposes Committee of Council has made the following changes in regulations, to come into effect on 29 January. Establishment of Bodleian Curator of Music FundExplanatory NoteThese regulations establish the Bodleian Curator of Music Fund for the support of the Bodleian Library. Text of RegulationsIn Part 2 of Council Regulations 25 of 2002, concerning trusts (Statutes, 2000, p. 598, as redesignated as regulations by Decree (5) of 11 July 2002, Gazette, Vol. 132, p. 1461), in § 33 concerning the Bodleian Library insert the following new Part: 'Bodleian Curator of Music Fund 1. The benefaction from the Dunard Fund which comprises £500,000, together with any further donations for this purpose, shall be known as the Bodleian Curator of Music Fund. 2. The University shall retain all of the Fund as permanent endowment and shall apply the net income of the Fund towards the support of the post of the Curator of Music. 3. The administration of the Fund, and the application of its income, shall be the responsibility of the Curators of the Bodleian Library. 4. Regulation 3 above may be amended by Council.'
COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITYRegister of CongregationMr Vice-Chancellor reports that the following names have been added to the Register of Congregation: Adams, R.D., Brasenose Allan, P.J., Green Templeton Bethel, M.A., Diabetes Trials Unit Bradley, M.D., Mansfield Carpenter, E.P., Structural Genomics Consortium Crawford, V.P., All Souls Dancer, C.E.J., Linacre Doering, A., Wolfson Flohr, M., Wolfson Flyvbjerg, B., St Anne's Gault, B.J.G., Christ Church Givoni, M., Wolfson Goodwin, A.L., St Anne's Haigh, S.J., St Anne's Hautmann, F., Faculty of Physics Kaufmann, H., Faculty of Classics Kothari, S.P., Faculty of Clinical Medicine Lora-Wainwright, A.L., St Cross Lyngsoe, R.B., Faculty of Statistics Marquis, E., Faculty of Materials Nicolosi, V., Brasenose Ord, T.D.G., Balliol Pardo, I.J., Jenner Institute Saxey, D.W., Wolfson Skordyles, K., Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages Starinets, A.O., St John's Suckling, M.C., Somerville Sullivan, M., Sub-department of Astrophysics Tomas, A.N., Lady Margaret Hall Townley, H.E., Wolfson
DIVISIONAL BOARDSFor changes in regulations for examinations, to come into effect on 29 January, see 'Examinations and Boards' below.
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