Reference number: CDI/20/2023. RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE COMMITTEE FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS’ SOCIAL AFFAIRS Adopted by resolution No. DSZB/2023/1 Budapest, 1 December 2023 ————— 2 | 12 Rules of procedure of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs Table of Contents Preamble .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Scope of the Rules of Procedure ....................................................................................................................... 3 Competence and composition of the Committee ............................................................................................. 3 The Chairperson ............................................................................................................................................... 4 The Secretary ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Rights and obligations of members and rules on conflicts of interest ............................................................... 5 Invitees to the committee and their rights and obligations .............................................................................. 6 Absence from Committee sessions ................................................................................................................... 6 Procedure and exercise of powers by the Committee ...................................................................................... 7 Decision-making by holding a session .............................................................................................................. 8 Preparation and convening of sessions ............................................................................................................ 8 Conduct of the session and quorum ................................................................................................................. 8 Adoption of resolutions ................................................................................................................................... 9 Decision-making in writing ............................................................................................................................. 10 Decisions taken within the scope of competence of the Chairperson ............................................................. 10 Document management................................................................................................................................. 10 Final provisions .............................................................................................................................................. 11 ————— 3 | 12 Rules of procedure of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs Preamble 1. § (1) Corvinus University of Budapest (hereinafter: University) hereby establishes the rules of operation (hereinafter: Rules of Procedure) of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs established on the basis of paragraph b) of Subsection (2) of Section 5 of Part 4 “Regulations on Student Fees and Benefits” (hereinafter: RSFB) of Volume III “Student Requirements” of the Rules for Organisation and Operation (hereinafter: ROO), as follows. Scope of the Rules of Procedure 2. § (1) The personal scope of the Rules of Procedure shall apply to all members of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs (hereinafter: Committee) and to all persons invited to sessions of the Committee. (2) The material scope of the Rules of Procedure covers procedures on any matter falling within the scope of competence of the Committee. (3) All matters relating to the operation of the Committee which are not covered by these Rules of Procedure shall be governed, mutatis mutandis, by the relevant provisions of Part 2 “Procedure for the Assessment of First Instance Applications and Legal Remedy Requests in Relation to Student Status” (SSP), Part 3 “Study and Examination Regulations” (SER) and Part 8 “Doctoral (PhD) Regulation” of Volume III “Student Requirements” (SR) of the Rules of Organisation and Operation (ROO) as well as those of the RSFB. (4) These Rules of Procedure shall remain in force until the adoption of the next valid Rules of Procedure. Competence and composition of the Committee 3. § (1) The competence, number of members and composition of the Committee shall be determined by the RSFB. (2) As a general rule, the Committee exercises its competence in accordance with the rules of decision-making laid down in these Rules of Procedure. (3) If, however, the case is simple and does not allow any discretion, the Chairperson of the Committee (hereinafter: Chairperson) may assume decision-making powers for a specific case group. This requires the consent of the other members of the Committee. In such a ————— 4 | 12 Rules of procedure of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs case, the Chairperson shall decide on his/her own authority, by delegation of the powers of the Committee, on the matter falling within the scope of competence of the Committee. Such case categories may include, but are not limited to, decisions on questio ns of competence, refusals on formal grounds, and refusals to accept applications submitted out of time where it is not possible to correct deficiencies. (4) The members of the Committee are appointed in writing. Those appointed shall sign a written declaration of acceptance of the appointment and of confidentiality. The document on the appointment and its acceptance, as well as the confidentiality, shall be pu t on file by the University Doctoral Office. The Chairperson 4. § (1) The Chairperson of the Committee is regulated by the RSFB. (2) The Committee is chaired by the Chairperson. The Chairperson shall be responsible for the legality and professionalism of the Committee’s decisions, its lawful functioning and compliance with data processing requirements. (3) The Chairperson’s responsibilities and competence shall cover, in particular: a) submitting the Rules of Procedure to the Committee and issues it, b) convening the sessions of the Committee, c) deciding on the persons to be invited and on conflicts of interest, d) deciding on the matters to be discussed and the way decisions are taken (by holding a session or by adopting decisions in writing), e) chairing the sessions of the Committee, f) ordering votes and establishing the result of the votes, g) liaising with the Vice-Rector for Research, the Dean of the Corvinus Doctoral Schools (hereinafter: CDS) and other departments of the University, h) issuing the reports of the Committee, i) and deciding on matters under Subsection (3) of Section 3. (4) The Chairperson may involve student assistants to support the preparatory and administrative processing of applications. Those involved in processing applications are appointed in writing by the Chairperson of the PhD Student Union. Those appointed shall sign a written declaration of acceptance of the appointment and of confidentiality. The document on the appointment and its acceptance, as well as the confidentiality, shall be put on file by the University Doctoral Office. (5) If the Chairperson is prevented from performing his/her duties, he/she shall designate a substitute from among the members in the invitation convening the session. If this is not ————— 5 | 12 Rules of procedure of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs possible, the Chairperson of the PhD Student Union has the power to appoint a substitute. The person so acting in place of the Chairperson shall exercise the powers of the Chairperson. The Secretary 5. § (1) The Secretary is appointed by the Chairperson from among the student members at the first session of the Committee. The Chairperson and the Secretary may not be the same person. (2) The administrative tasks and professional preparation of the Committee shall be performed by the Secretary. The Secretary shall be responsible for the administrative conditions for the functioning of the Committee, as well as for the professional preparation of the cases and ensuring that deadlines are met. (3) Duties and powers of the Secretary: a) preparing the Rules of Procedure, maintaining them and coordinating changes with the Vice-Rector for Research and the Dean of CDS, b) preparing the cases to be discussed and the decision-making, c) performing all the Committee’s administrative tasks, preparing sessions in this context (ensuring the technical arrangements for the sessions), sending out invitations to sessions and the proposals, collecting any written suggestions, opinions or comments from members, preparing reports of the sessions, and performing the tasks related to the document management of sessions (receipt, filing, archiving, etc.) in accordance with the Document Management Regulations. Rights and obligations of members and rules on conflicts of interest 6. § (1) Committee members shall a) attend Committee sessions, b) in case of absence, announce the fact and the reason for the absence in writing to the Secretary, c) prepare for decision-making and contribute constructively to the Committee’s work, d) make proposals, comments and opinions to the best of their ability and do so in a timely manner, e) keep the order of decision-making and voting and vote, f) declare any conflict of interest in writing to the Secretary in advance, ————— 6 | 12 Rules of procedure of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs g) carry out the tasks set by the Chairperson within the specified deadline. (2) Members of the Committee are entitled to a) ask questions, invite persons to attend, request further information, b) ask for the memorandum to be supplemented or corrected. (3) If a member fails to attend a session for three (3) consecutive times, the Chairperson shall report the absence to the immediate direct supervisor of the absent member or, in the case of a student member, to the Chairperson of the PhD Student Union, who sh all revoke the appointment and appoint a new member. (4) Conflict of interest: 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. A member of the Committee may not participate in the commenting, acceptance or rejection of his/her own application. 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 Chairperson of the PhD Student Union shall decide and act on conflicts of interest and disqualifications of the Chairperson. Invitees to the committee and their rights and obligations 7. § (1) The Chairperson may invite other participants to the Committee’s sessions in connection with its activities. The invitation shall be sent out by the Secretary and is accepted or rejected in writing. Invited persons shall participate in the session in a con sultative capacity. (2) Invited persons are entitled to a) discuss cases in which they have been invited to participate, b) appoint a substitute, c) ask questions, make comments, express opinions or make proposals to the Chairperson, Secretary, members or invitees on a given case. Absence from Committee sessions 8. § (1) A member of the Committee 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. A member may not be substituted at the session, but the person invited may be substituted by the person designated by him/her. ————— 7 | 12 Rules of procedure of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs (2) In the absence of the Chairperson, he/she shall be replaced by a substitute appointed by the Chairperson of the PhD Student Union. If both are prevented from attending, the session shall be postponed. (3) In the absence of the Secretary of the Committee, the Chairperson shall decide on the appointment of a substitute. Procedure and exercise of powers by the Committee 9. § (1) The Committee exercises its powers mainly at its sessions. The sessions shall not be public. (2) A session of the Committee may be • ordinary session in person: (meeting requiring physical presence on University premises) – ordinary meeting, • online session, where appropriate: (meeting using Microsoft Teams) – online session, • written: written (email) opinions on documents forwarded by email, adoption of such documents if the nature of the matter is decided in a simple manner and does not require consultation or, in the case of decisions which have been discussed in advance but postponed, by written vote without a session – written decision, • urgent sessions held in person or online – extraordinary sessions. (3) The form of the session is primarily an ordinary session. (4) The Committee shall meet during the assessment period of the scholarship applications for which it is responsible for the evaluation and monitoring, depending on the applications received, and otherwise as and when required. Committee sessions shall be hel d on weekdays during the working hours of the employee member. (5) At the initiative of the Chairperson or of any member, a Committee session shall be held at the decision of the Chairperson. (6) In the event of the termination of the Chairperson’s mandate for any reason, any member of the Committee may call a session. (7) Members may also join an ordinary session online, with the permission of the Chairperson of the Committee, where appropriate. 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. (8) 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. ————— 8 | 12 Rules of procedure of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs (9) If the Committee delegates its powers to its Chairperson under these Rules of Procedure, the procedures of the Chairperson shall be subject to these Rules of Procedure, subject to the provisions of its Section 14. Decision-making by holding a session Preparation and convening of sessions 10. § (1) In preparation for the session, members of the Committee check, comment on and prepare for decision the applications and requests received. (2) The results of the applications received by the Committee shall be checked and aggregated by the Secretary. (3) The session shall be convened by the Secretary, at the Chairperson’s decision, by sending out the invitation and a summary of the cases to be discussed. The invitation shall state the place, date and time, nature (ordinary, extraordinary or online), expect ed 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. (4) The invitation shall be sent in electronic form from the official university email address of the Secretary to the members and invitees to their official university email address. (5) The invitation shall be sent to the official university email address of the members or invitees at least 24 hours before the session. The deadlines may be deviated from with the permission of the Chairperson in extremely justified cases. (6) Invitations can also be sent by calendar entry. In this case, Subsections (4) to (6) 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). Conduct of the session and quorum 11. § (1) The session is opened by the Chairperson. (2) After the opening of the session, the Chairperson shall check the quorum. (3) The existence of a quorum shall be examined before adopting any resolution. (4) With the exception of Subsection (5), a simple majority (50%+1) of the members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum. (5) Two-thirds of the members shall be present to adopt or amend the Rules of Procedure of the Committee. ————— 9 | 12 Rules of procedure of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs (6) If a quorum exists, the Chairperson shall present the business to be discussed, if there is no quorum, he/she shall postpone the session. (7) In the event of a reconvened session due to a lack of quorum, the provisions of Subsections (4)-(5) shall apply to determine whether the Committee has a quorum. (8) A new session of the Committee shall be reconvened not later than 15 days after the date of the session adjourned for lack of quorum. A session so convened shall constitute a quorum according to the general rules. Adoption of resolutions 12. § (1) Every member of the Committee shall have one vote. (2) Except as provided for in Subsection (3), the Committee shall adopt its resolution by a simple majority of votes. In the event of a tie, the Chairperson’s vote shall be decisive. (3) The adoption and amendment of the Rules of Procedure of the Committee requires the unanimous vote of the members present. (4) Resolutions are adopted by oral vote in public, with the Chairperson casting the last vote. (5) A member may vote yes or no. Abstaining is not an option. (6) The Committee, if it meets, shall draw up minutes within 3 (three) days of the date of the session. The minutes shall record the manner, place, starting and closing times of the session, the names of the persons present, and the opinions, proposals and dec isions of the Committee (in the case of scholarships, the professional opinion on the proposals examined and evaluated and, where relevant, the ranking). The reasons for the opinion or decision may be annexed to the minutes. The minutes, bearing a file num ber, shall be signed by the Chairperson or, in the absence of the Chairperson, by the member acting as Chairperson, and shall be transmitted electronically to the University Doctoral Office. This shall not prevent the minutes from being signed by any membe r or members in addition to the Chairperson. The minutes shall be forwarded to the University Doctoral Office by a member of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs (usually, but not exclusively, the Chairperson or the Secretary). (7) The Committee’s decisions on scholarships and applications are recorded in an electronic resolution generated in Neptun by the designated staff member of the University Doctoral Office. The resolution shall be signed by the decision -maker in accordance with the rules of the RSFB. The content and form of the Resolution shall be as set out in the documentation of the calls and the SSP. (8) If the Chairperson decides by delegation on a matter falling within the scope of competence of the Committee, he/she shall report to the Committee on his/her decisions. ————— 10 | 12 Rules of procedure of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs Decision-making in writing 13. § (1) If the nature of the matter (simple, not requiring discussion) allows, and 50%+1 of the members agree by confirmation email, a vote in writing (decision -making in writing) without holding a session is possible. In this case, a quorum exists because the members are considered present. (2) Decision-making in writing shall be initiated in the same way as the convening of an ordinary session, with the following exceptions: a) The Chairperson shall initiate decision -making in writing instead of a session invitation, for which the invitation shall be sent by the Secretary. b) The order for decision making and the submissions shall be sent to the members at least 12 hours before the close of voting. c) Members have 24 hours from the date of ordering the decision -making to cast their votes. d) Voting is either done via an email sent by the member, where the member shall clearly indicate his/her support or opposition to the student’s request (by marking “yes/no”, “I support/I don’t support”), or using the O365 Forms application. (Incoming emails containing votes do not need to be filed separately, but the minutes/memorandum shall include the date, time and content of the vote.) e) In the case of decision -making in writing, it is not possible to put questions, propose amendments or additions. If the need for consultation arises during the process of decision-making in writing, a session shall be held. f) Decision-making in writing shall be in the form of electronic mail from the members’ official university mailing addresses. Decisions taken within the scope of competence of the Chairperson 14. § (1) If the Chairperson decides by delegation of the powers of the Committee (including the authorisation under the provision on exceptional scholarships based on social needs of the RSFB) on a matter falling within the scope of competence of the Committee, Sections 9-11 shall not apply. Document management 15. § (1) Case documents may be handled as paper or electronic documents. ————— 11 | 12 Rules of procedure of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs (2) Paper-based documents are issued with the signature of the authorised person and the stamp of the University Doctoral Office and dated; electronic documents are issued with a timestamp and the electronic signature of the authorised person or with an electronic stamp. (3) The invitation shall be filed under a main number in the Committee’s filing book (in the Poszeidon Records and Document Management System) and placed there. The memorandum/minutes shall be filed under a sub -number in the Committee’s filing book (in the Poszeidon Records and Document Management System) and placed there. (4) The Committee shall record its other resolutions in the minutes/memorandum and shall not include them in a separate document and, accordingly, shall not file them separately. (5) Paper copies of Committee case documents (if the original document is created as a paper- based document) (rules of procedure, letters of invitation, invitations, minutes/memoranda, any other documents) shall be kept in the Committee’s temporary physical archives, with electronic copies of paper copies and electronic copies of the case documents (if the original document is created as an electronic document) shall be archived on the shared drive of the University Doctoral Office in the folder of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs per session and stored in the Poszeidon Records and Document Management System. (6) Otherwise, the Committee’s case documents shall be handled in accordance with the Document Management Regulations. Final provisions 16. § (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) These Rules of Procedure were adopted by Committee Resolution No. DSZB/2023/1 and will enter into force on 1 December 2023. …………………………. Chairperson ————— 12 | 12 Rules of procedure of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs Legally compliant: Approved by: ………………………2023 ………………………2023 ……………………………………………. ……………….………………… dr. Barbara Bíró Dr. Tamara Keszey Head of Legal Affairs Vice-Rector for Research Made in one original copy (archives of the Committee for Doctoral Students’ Social Affairs), with a copy provided to Legal, Administrative and Regulatory Services (LARS) (LARS regulations drive).