File number: EEB/14/2022. RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE Adopted by Resolution No. EB-3/2022 (1 December) of the Equal Opportunities Committee. Budapest, December 2022 ————— 2 | 12 Rules of Procedure of the Equal Opportunities Committee Table of Contents Preamble .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Scope of the Rules of Procedure ....................................................................................................................... 3 Legal status, duties and powers of the Equal Opportunities Committee .......................................................... 3 Composition of the Equal Opportunities Committee ........................................................................................ 3 Duties, rights and obligations of the participants ............................................................................................. 4 Rules for the deliberations of the Equal Opportunities Committee .................................................................. 5 Exercise of the powers of the Equal Opportunities Committee ........................................................................ 5 Sessions of the Equal Opportunities Committee .............................................................................................. 6 Rules of the ordinary session ........................................................................................................................... 6 Rules for the online session .............................................................................................................................. 7 Conduct of sessions, quorum and adoption of resolutions ............................................................................... 7 Rules of administration .................................................................................................................................... 8 Administration support .................................................................................................................................... 8 Communication with members and invitees .................................................................................................... 9 Invitations, submissions, memoranda and resolutions ................................................................................... 10 Data processing .............................................................................................................................................. 11 Document management................................................................................................................................. 11 Final provisions .............................................................................................................................................. 11 ————— 3 | 12 Rules of Procedure of the Equal Opportunities Committee Preamble 1. § (1) The Equal Opportunities Committee (hereinafter: Committee) of Corvinus University of Budapest (hereinafter: University) hereby establishes its rules of procedure (hereinafter: Rules of Procedure) on the basis of Volume I of the Rules of Organisation and Operation of the University (hereinafter: ROO), the Organisational and Operational Procedures (OOP) and the Equal Opportunities Regulation. Scope of the Rules of Procedure 2. § (1) The personal scope of the Rules of Procedure shall extend to all participants, members and invitees of the Committee. (2) The material scope of these Rules of Procedure shall cover the entire operation of the Committee, its proceedings in any matter falling within its competence, it being understood that in cases where the Committee is investigating individual student or empl oyee complaints relating to equal opportunities, these Rules of Procedure shall be applied in conjunction with the procedural rules contained in the Equal Opportunities Regulation, in order to ensure that the procedural rights and obligations of the initia tor and the persons subject to the procedure are regulated and guaranteed at a high level. (3) In any matter relating to the functioning of the Committee which is not or not sufficiently regulated in these Rules of Procedure, the Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Committee shall decide. Legal status, duties and powers of the Equal Opportunities Committee 3. § (1) The legal status, duties and powers of the Committee are defined in the OOP and the Equal Opportunities Regulation. (2) The Committee may adopt an annual work plan to schedule its duties. (3) The Committee evaluates its own activities annually in a report and − if requested by the Senate or the Chairperson of the Presidential Committee − reports to the Body. Composition of the Equal Opportunities Committee 4. § (1) The members and the Chairperson of the Committee are defined in the OOP and the Equal Opportunities Regulation. (2) The Committee is assisted by a Secretary, who is also the University’s Disability Coordinator. ————— 4 | 12 Rules of Procedure of the Equal Opportunities Committee (3) The Chairperson may invite anyone to attend a meeting of the Committee on an ad hoc basis. (4) The members and the Secretary may propose to the Chairperson the names of ad hoc invitees. (5) Invited persons shall participate in the session in a consultative capacity. Duties, rights and obligations of the participants 5. § (1) The duties of the Chairperson shall be the following: a) submitting the Rules of Procedure to the Committee and issues it, b) deciding on conflicts of interest, deciding on the persons to be invited on an ad hoc basis, deciding on the acceptance of substitutes, c) deciding on the dates and times of the sessions and the business to be discussed, the format of the sessions and the convening of the Committee, d) chairing the sessions of the Committee, conducting the discussion of the cases and ensuring that the sessions are conducted in order, e) ordering votes and establishing the result of the votes, f) issuing the resolutions of the Committee, g) if the Chairperson of the Committee considers it relevant or if the body concerned initiates it, presenting the Committee’s resolutions and position to the Senate or other relevant fora, or if it has not discussed the matter and the reasons for not doing so, h) reporting on the activities of the Committee to the Senate and the Presidential Committee at the request of the Chairperson of the Senate and the Chairperson of the Presidential Committee, but at least every two years, i) being responsible for preparing the annual report, evaluating the activities of the committee members, and reporting to the Presidential Committee and/or the Senate on its experience as required. (2) Committee members shall a) attend the sessions, b) in case of absence, announce the fact and the reason for the absence in to the Secretary, c) prepare for decision -making and contribute constructively to the Committee’s activities, d) make proposals and comments, representing their professional point of view, and, if possible, send them in writing to the Secretary before the session, e) observe the rules of order for sessions and voting, ————— 5 | 12 Rules of Procedure of the Equal Opportunities Committee f) carry out the tasks set by the Chairperson within the time limits and report to the Chairperson, g) notify any potential conflict of interest in writing to the Secretary in advance, h) have the right to ask questions, make comments, express opinions and make proposals to other members and invitees at sessions, i) have the right to receive all information and to inspect all documents necessary for the performance of their duties as Committee members, j) have the right to initiate the convocation of a session under these Rules of Procedure. (3) If a member fails to attend a meeting three (3) times in succession, the Chairperson shall report the absence to the member’s delegating person/organisation, or, in the case of a student member, to the Chairperson of the Student Union. (4) A Committee member or a person invited to attend a session who is unable to attend shall notify the Secretary of his/her absence without delay after receiving prior notification of the session. The notification shall be made from the absent person’s office email address, which shall be confirmed by the Secretary by keeping the email. In a session, a member may not be substituted, but the person invited may be. (5) In the absence of the Chairperson of the Committee, he/she shall be substituted by a member appointed by the Chairperson. If both are prevented from attending, the session shall be postponed. (6) No person involved in the case or who cannot be expected to give an objective assessment of the case may take part in the decision. The existence of a conflict of interest shall be reported by the member to the Secretary, but may also be taken into account ex officio. The Chairperson shall decide and act on conflicts of interest, and the delegating person/organisation shall decide and act on conflicts of interest and disqualifications of the Chairperson. (7) Invited guests shall a) discuss cases in which they have been invited to participate, b) notify the Secretary of the fact and the reason for their absence, using their official email address, and arrange for a substitute, c) prepare their case and to make their proposals, comments and opinions in an expert capacity and to the best of their knowledge, d) have the right to ask questions, make comments, express opinions or make proposals to the Chairperson, Secretary, members or invitees. (8) Committee members and the persons invited to attend are bound by confidentiality during the activities of the Committee beyond the content of the resolutions adopted. Rules for the deliberations of the Equal Opportunities Committee Exercise of the powers of the Equal Opportunities Committee ————— 6 | 12 Rules of Procedure of the Equal Opportunities Committee 6. § (1) The Committee exercises its powers mainly at its sessions. (2) The sessions shall not be public. (3) Decisions may be made a. by personal appearance at ordinary sessions, b. in ordinary online session with electronic decision-making, c. by personal appearance or online at extraordinary sessions. (4) As a general rule, sessions shall be held in the form of ordinary sessions. (5) Members may also participate in a face-to-face meeting online, with the permission of the Chairperson, where justified. In this case, members who join online have the same rights as members who are present in person, and should be taken into account when establishing the quorum. (6) Extraordinary sessions may be convened on the initiative of the Chairperson or any member in urgent cases where decisions are urgent. The Chairperson of the Committee shall decide on the question of urgency. Sessions of the Equal Opportunities Committee Rules of the ordinary session 7. § (1) The Committee shall meet as necessary. (2) Seven (7) days before the scheduled session, the Secretary shall notify the members and invitees electronically of the date and time of the next session and request proposed agenda items. Deadline for sending the proposed agenda items and submissions: 4 days before the session. (3) Any staff member of the University may propose items for inclusion on the agenda of the Committee, through any member of the Committee, on a subject within the scope of competence of the Committee. Students may submit proposals through the Corvinus Student Union or the Chairperson of the PhD Student Union. (4) Requests received by the Committee in the context of preparing for the meeting shall be checked and summarised by the Secretary. (5) The Secretary shall examine issues of competence. If a case does not fall within the scope of competence of the Committee, the Chairperson shall, on his or her own initiative, forward the case by resolution to the competent person or body, and shall inform the person or body concerned by electronic means. The Secretary shall then close the case. (6) The Secretary shall check the received submissions to see whether they are suitable for decision-making by the body and, if necessary, he/she shall ask for additions and justifications. ————— 7 | 12 Rules of Procedure of the Equal Opportunities Committee (7) In the course of the preparation, the Secretary shall make proposals for the content of the Committee’s resolution and/or textual proposals in each case and request further information if necessary. (8) The Chairperson may decide to seek the opinion of the head of the department concerned or of a member of his/her staff as an expert. The Committee is not bound by the expert’s opinion. (9) The session shall be convened by the Secretary, at the Chairperson’s decision, by sending out the invitation. The deadline for sending out the invitation and, if necessary, the submissions: 3 working days before the session in the case of an ordinary session, 24 hours before the start of the session in the case of an extraordinary session. (10) The invitation shall state the place, date and time, nature of the session (ordinary or extraordinary), expected duration, summary of the business to be discussed, the names and positions of the persons invited, and the date and place of the invitation. The invitation shall be signed by the Chairperson or the Secretary. (11) Invitations can also be sent by calendar entry. In this case, Subsections (5) to (9) shall apply mutatis mutandis and care shall be taken to ensure that the proper convening of the session can be demonstrated (e.g. by screenshot, note taking). Rules for the online session 8. § (1) In the case of an online session held without personal appearance, the rules for ordinary sessions (deadlines, quorum, invitation, voting and memorandum) shall apply, except that the meeting shall be held using Microsoft Teams application. Conduct of sessions, quorum and adoption of resolutions 9. § (1) The session is opened by the Chairperson. (2) After the opening of the session, the Chairperson shall check the quorum. (3) Except as provided for in Subsection (4), the Committee shall have a quorum if 50%+1 of its members, including the Chairperson, are present. (4) All members shall be present to adopt or amend the Rules of Procedure of the Committee. (5) In the event of a reconvened meeting due to a lack of quorum, the provisions of paragraph (3) shall apply. (6) In the absence of a quorum, the Chairperson shall reconvene the session 8 days later, or one hour later in the case of extreme urgency, with the same agenda, regardless of the number of members present. (7) If a quorum exists, the Chairperson shall present the business to be discussed, if there is no quorum, he/she shall postpone the session. ————— 8 | 12 Rules of Procedure of the Equal Opportunities Committee (8) If nothing prevents the session from being held, the Chairperson or the Secretary shall briefly present the case(s) and the Committee shall discuss it. (9) The Chairperson shall give the floor to speakers at the meeting of the Committee, and the Chairperson shall also have the power to cut off a speaker. (10) After the case is discussed, a decision is taken. The Committee shall always adopt a resolution on the decision (both when it takes a decision and when it only gives an opinion). (11) Only the members and the Secretary may be present when decisions are taken. (12) Every member of the Committee shall have one vote. (13) The Committee shall strive for consensus (unanimous) decision-making. (14) Except as provided for in Subsection (15), the Committee shall adopt its resolutions by a simple majority, i.e. by a decision of 50% + 1 of the members present. (15) The adoption and amendment of the Rules of Procedure of the Committee requires a two- thirds majority of the members present. (16) A member may vote “yes” or “no”. (17) When the majority of votes (fifty per cent and two -thirds of the members) is being examined, the fractional number of votes shall in all cases be rounded upwards. (18) Resolutions are adopted by public vote, with the Chairperson casting the last vote. (19) The Chairperson may order voting by secret ballot, depending on the nature of the case, which may be initiated by the members as well. In the event of voting by secret ballot, the votes shall be counted by the Secretary of the Committee and by a member of the Committee appointed by the Chairperson. (20) A minority member shall be entitled to attach his /her written dissenting opinion to the resolution. Rules of administration Administration support 10. § (1) Paperwork related to the Committee’s activities shall be carried out by the Secretary, who, in this regard, shall a) prepare and maintain the Rules of Procedure and submit them to the Chairperson, b) perform the administrative tasks related to the functioning of the Committee and prepare the invitations to sessions and the order for decision-making in writing, c) ensure the technical conditions necessary for the session, d) be responsible for the professional preparation of sessions, request and prepare submissions, and ensure, in this context, that ————— 9 | 12 Rules of Procedure of the Equal Opportunities Committee − submissions are properly prepared and comply in form and content with the requirements of these Rules of Procedure, − request additions or corrections, if necessary, e) coordinate the dates and times of sessions with the members, f) prepare plans and materials falling within the scope of competence of the Committee for discussion on the merits, prepare complaints and applications received on equal opportunities for consideration on the merits and send them to the members for their information, g) prepare (write) the resolutions for the Chairperson based on the Committee’s decision, finalise them with the Chairperson’s approval, then finalise the resolutions formally and technically (file, print, sign if relevant, and send to those concerned (in cas e of individual complaints, to the complainant and, in case of student -related matters, to Student Services, in case of employee-related matters, to HR; in case of plans and other materials, to the decision-making body), h) be responsible for communication with the relevant organisational units and persons (e.g. the Secretary of the Presidential Committee) on matters relating to the Committee’s activities, i) be responsible for meeting the deadlines applicable to the Committee’s proceedings, j) be responsible for all the Committee’s administrative tasks, k) prepare the memorandum of the sessions, l) prepare the annual report, m) be responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Committee’s resolutions and, if necessary, for forwarding them to the Presidential Committee, the Senate or other responsible bodies, n) be responsible for archiving and storing the Committee’s documents, keeping them in the Committee’s archives, and managing and updating them in accordance with the Document Management Regulation, o) manage the Committee’s email account (equality@uni-corvinus.hu), receive and send the documents of the Committee’s sessions, and provide information on the technical conditions of sessions, p) perform such other administrative tasks as the Chairperson may decide. (2) If the Secretary is prevented from performing his/her duties, he/she shall be substituted by an employee designated by the Chairperson. Communication with members and invitees 11. § ————— 10 | 12 Rules of Procedure of the Equal Opportunities Committee (1) All communications relating to the functioning of the Committee shall be made using the Committee’s email address (equality@uni-corvinus.hu). This applies to, in particular a) sending the request for agendas, invitations, submissions and memoranda, b) this is where proposed agenda items, proposed submissions and absence notifications are received. (2) Emails shall be sent with a copy to the Chairperson’s own official email address. (3) Invitations and submissions shall be sent to the official university email address of the members or invitees. Invitations, submissions, memoranda and resolutions 12. § (1) Invitations to the sessions of the Committee shall include the place, date, time, expected duration, agenda, name and position of the submitter, the nature of the session (ordinary or online), the names and titles of the invitees, the date and place of the invitation. It should be clearly indicated in the agenda whether a resolution is to be adopted at the session on the item in question or whether only information/notification is to be provided in the subject. (2) The invitation shall be signed by the Chairperson or the Secretary. (3) Invitations shall be sent to members and invitees by email, but may also be sent by calendar entry. (4) Memoranda shall be drawn up of the sessions of the Committee. (5) The memorandum shall include at least the following: a) the method, place, date and time of the session, the names of the members and invitees present and the names of those absent, b) the agenda items, c) the speakers contributing to the discussion of the agenda item, the key points of their proposal. If they provide concrete wording for the amendment proposal, then the proposal of the speakers or the key points thereof, d) the resolutions adopted, e) the voting rates. (6) The memorandum shall be sent by electronic mail to the members and invitees within five (5) days after the day of the session. (7) The resolutions of the Equal Opportunities Committee shall be recorded in writing with restarting numbers every year. The form of the resolution shall be: EB - …./year (day month) ————— 11 | 12 Rules of Procedure of the Equal Opportunities Committee Data processing 13. § (1) The rules on data processing in relation to the Committee’s activities are explained to data subjects in a data processing notice. Document management 14. § (1) The Committee’s case documents shall be managed in accordance with the Document Management Regulation, it being understood that case documents may be managed as paper-based or electronic documents. (2) Paper-based documents shall be authenticated with the signature of the authorised person and the stamp of the Committee and dated; electronic documents shall be authenticated with a timestamp and the electronic signature of the authorised person or with an electronic stamp. (3) Paper-based documents shall be put in the Committee’s records and electronic documents shall be archived on the shared drive “ Equal Opportunities Committee” for each session and stored in the Poszeidon Document and Document Management System. Final provisions 15. § (1) The names of the members of the Committee and of its Secretary and the rules of procedure of the Committee, for which the Chairperson is responsible, shall be fully visible on the University’s website. (2) The Equal Opportunities Committee adopted these Rules of Procedure with its Resolution No. EB-3/2022 (1 December). (3) These Rules of Procedure shall enter into force on the day of their approval by the Rector. ………………………. Chairperson Legally compliant: …………………………… dr. Barbara Bíró Head of Legal Affairs ————— 12 | 12 Rules of Procedure of the Equal Opportunities Committee Approved by: ……………………………….. Prof. Dr. Előd Takáts Made in one original copy (records of the Equal Opportunities Committee), with a copy provided to Legal, Administrative and Regulatory Services (LARS regulations drive).