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Rules and Regulations

The operation and structure of DSU is set out in a number of documents of rules. Each rule was introduced by the decision of the student body through General Meeting or Referendum, or by their elected representatives on Council, and can only be changed by another of those meetings.

Steering Committee is sometimes asked to rule on the applicability of a rule or rules to a particular situation, or on the meaning of one rule with respect to another. These rulings may be appealed for a short time after they are made, and then become binding.

For ease of reading, the rules are divided up into several documents.

The Constitution

The Constitution contains the most fundamental rules, and takes the longest to change (it is part of the University Standing Orders and so requires the approval of the University for any changes made). It defines several things, including who is a member of the Union and what the Union exists to do, and provides a basic democratic structure.

The Standing Orders

The Standing Orders are the largest document, and contain rules on, among other things, the running of meetings, the committees and officers of the Union and their responsibilities, and the Union's finances.

Standing Order E

Standing Order E, the election regulations, set out instructions for running an election, and when Union officers should be elected. They also include a description of the voting system used in elections (a variant of Single Transferable Vote) and rules to ensure that election campaigns are fair.

They are part of the Standing Orders, but are published separately as well for the convenience of candidates and other interested parties.

The Advisory Documents

From time to time, Council or General Meeting produces documents giving advice on how rules should be followed. While these documents are not binding, they are the opinion of the Union on what should be considered 'best practice'.

Advisory documents are a legacy from a previous version of Standing Orders, and would now be created as a normal policy or as an appendix to Standing Orders.

Changing the rules

The situation DSU is in changes constantly, and so over time some rules may become out of date or inconsistent. Fortunately, it is a simple matter to change most of the rules, requiring only a two-thirds majority at any Union Meeting. Steering Committee will be happy to give advice on how to change the rules, and how to draft a change unambiguously.

Rules Revision Committee and Steering Committee both (among other responsibilities) are responsible for proposing amendments to the rules when necessary, however, this should not discourage anyone else from proposing changes.

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