Terms of Reference

Sets out the contents of your Terms of Reference and summarises some key aspects of the document. You will usually find a summary of how to make amendments to your main constitution and appendix, document review schedule, dissolution information, and the role of the College Council. These topics are then explored further in the main body of the document. 

Sets out the conditions of your student body membership and their rights and responsibilities. Here you will find details of who is considered a member of your JCR or CSA (eg. Undergraduates, Postgraduates, Alumni) and a breakdown of their entitlement as a member. 

You will often find the following terms in this section

Ordinary Members - this usually refers to members of your college who can be involved in the governance and policy making activities. They are usually college members currently registered on a programme of study. 

Associate Members - this usually refers to members of your college who are not permitted to take part in the governance and policy making activities. Some examples may include Alumni or Staff.

Finally you may find details of how students can opt-out of College Committee membership.

Describes the purpose of your JCR or CSA as guidance for its members and for committee members. This will usually set out the overall aims of your College with regard to opportunities and representation at College Council, the University, the Students Union and any external bodies.

This section will set out the committee’s structure and functions. 

You may find the following in this section:

Aims of objectives of the committee - this essentially will explain why your committee exists.

The term of office - sets out the dates in which elected officers can remain in office. In all colleges this is one calendar year (Jan 1st - Dec 31st).

Election details - this will usually be a brief overview, referring to a larger part of the constitution.

Exec role descriptions - a description of the Executive Officer roles on the committee and their voting rights. There may also be details of how your exec team interacts with the College Council.

Details of meetings - how often your committee and subcommittees will meet.

Voting rights and passing of motions - how your committee can vote in order to pass motions, the role of officers and members in this process.

Committee members are (in most cases) elected in their roles or appointed by elected members. Because of this, the CSA/JCR has the responsibility to ensure that committee members are fulfilling their role to the best of their ability. 

This section of your constitution will define how members of the JCRC/CSAC are accountable to members of the JCR/CSA. This will usually detail the procedures by which members can hold committee members to account (Vote of No Confidence, Conduct, Attendance, etc.).  

Referenda are a general vote by the electorate on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct decision. In the context of College Committees, this will related to how CSA/JCR members can vote on changes.

This section will determine the function and logistics of referendums within your College Committee. The purpose of a referendum is usually to pass policy within your committee or to amend the constitution of your Terms of Reference. Outlining the process clearly in this section allows for a smooth process for both your committee and your members. 

Your committee may decide to use Open Meetings to involve the wider student body on larger issues. Open meetings allow a CSAC/JCRC to consult their members on things like policy changes, changes to the constitution, or anything else that may require a consultation of the JCR/CSA. 

This section will determine exactly how your committee can call an open meeting and the processes and procedures in place to ensure that the meeting is compliant. There should be an outline of the roles of both ordinary and committee members. 

Each year there will be elections open to all members of your College to determine the officers of the CSAC/JCRC for the next calendar year. 

This section will lay out the logistics of an election and who can take part, explaining the roles of each group. 

Some terms you will come across in this section:

• Returning Officer - Someone within the committee (usually exec), who oversees the elections, ensuring they are run fairly. They will also deal with disputes. 

• External Returning Officer - Someone outside of the committee who assists with overseeing the elections in collaboration with the Returning Officers. 

• Single Transferable Vote (STV) - The voting system used in College Elections - explained in detail here. 

• By-election - A smaller scale election used to fill vacant committee positions not filled through the main election, or which have been vacated during the officer’s term.

• Co-option - The process of adding members to the committee through a process laid out by the constitution.

This section determines the financial responsibilities of the CSAC/JCRC and outlines the relationship between YorlSU and your college with regard to bank account provisions. 

The Appendix of your Terms of Reference will usually sit after the constitution, adding additional information. The main differentiation between information in the constitution and within the terms of reference is the way in which this information can be changed. For example, your constitution may require a referendum to make changes, whereas the appendix may require a vote at a committee meeting. Having these differences allows for changes in the appendix to be made more easily. 

In most cases you will find a list of committee positions, along with a description of their roles and responsibilities. As these positions and responsibilities have to adapt to the changing nature of committees and student politics, they will sit in the appendix so that committees can make changes more efficiently.