Student Council Bylaws
Preamble
Welcome to the Student Council Bylaws. This document details how our organisation is structured and which rules we, as members, have to operate under. We aim to make sure that our bylaws are minimally invasive to the daily work in the organisation, while still being descriptive, transparent and useful. They should be treated as a reflection of how the current members want to work, which means the document should be flexible and is meant to change with the times.
Therefore, members are encouraged to propose changes to the bylaws often. But when doing so, it's helpful to keep a few things in mind:
Consider the purpose of bylaws. They are mostly set in place to make sure that any wrongdoing between the members, or to the organisation itself, can be avoided or efficiently handled if needed.
Consider the workload you will be adding. Any addition can result in a higher workload for the members who need to follow any new requirements. Sometimes that's completely justified, sometimes it's not. Weigh up if the addition fits best in the bylaws or if it is better to let the elected members decide how to proceed in an unclear situation. It's hard to predict the future, so it is recommended that any addition is tested and deemed feasible, if such a test is possible.
Consider being experimental. Sometimes it's just not possible to test something. Remember that the bylaws can be changed at minimum once per year at the General Assembly, so if something doesn't work, you can simply change it again.
Lastly, remember that bylaws are not the organisation. They're an important tool to ensure transparency and fairness, but it is equally important to elect members whom you trust and who share organisations values.
Inspiration
We strive to follow the advice from the following guides when writing our bylaws:
frivillig.dk: foreningens vedtægter / backup
frivillighed.dk: sådan skriver I foreningens vedtægter / backup
This document was approved during the General Assembly on 28-04-25
Contents
§ 1 - Name and location
§ 2 - Purpose
§ 3 - Membership
§ 4 - Organisational structure
§ 4.1 - The Executive Board
§ 4.2 - The Advisory Board
§ 5 - University Elections
§ 6 - Activity Fund
§ 7 - Boards
§ 7.1 - Constituting the boards
§ 7.2 - Working in the Executive Board
§ 7.3 - Compensation for the Executive Board
§ 8 - General Assembly
§ 8.1 - General Assembly Agenda
§ 8.2 - General Assembly Election Rules
§ 8.3 - Extraordinary General Assembly
§ 9 - Bylaw Amendments
§ 9.1 - Bylaw Amendment Deadlines
§ 10 - Budget
§ 11 - Accounting
§ 12 - Auditing
§ 13 - Validity of Contracts
§ 14 - Dissolution
§ 1 - Name and location
The name of the organisation is the Student Council of ITU, abbreviated Student Council.
We are a non-profit organisation, situated at the IT University of Copenhagen.
§ 2 - Purpose
The Student Council’s purpose is to improve the condition of students enrolled at ITU, by promoting the students’ interests and representing them through a united voice.
§ 3 - Membership
The members of Student Council consist of every student currently enrolled at ITU. As well as the currently elected board members.
§ 4 - Organisational structure
While every student is a member of the Student Council, the work of running the organisation is primarily handled by two key boards: the Executive Board and the Advisory Board. This separation is in place to help organise responsibilities and maintain transparency.
The Executive Board administers the daily work of the Student Council in all organisational, day-to-day financial and administrative matters, while the Advisory Board's role is to ensure oversight and advice on spending and focus areas of the Executive Board.
Both boards act on a mandate granted by the members of the Student Council through elections at the General Assembly.
The boards must hold a joint planning meeting at the start of every semester. Here the Executive Board must present the projects and the approximate plan they would like to work on. The Advisory Board's default position should be to approve the proposals, but they have the right to veto any part of it, if they strongly believe that it does not align with the best interest of the students.
§ 4.1 - The Executive Board
The Executive Board must consist of a President, a Treasurer and two to five additional members.
Executive Board meetings are held on a regular basis throughout each semester.
Additional responsibilities include:
The Chairs Guild
Our Student Representatives
§ 4.2 - The Advisory Board
The Advisory Board must consist of a total of 5 members, with the Chair of Analog and Scrollbar being default members.
The 3 remaining elected members must be:
- 1 Chair, or equivalent role, of a student organisation at ITU.
- 2 Members of the Student Council, who are not part of the Executive Board.
The Advisory Board appoints a Chair who is responsible for coordinating the planning meetings with the President of the Executive Board.
Additional responsibilities include:
The Student Activity Fund
Approval of the budget proposal to ITU
§ 5 - University Elections
It is ITU's legal responsibility to facilitate elections, but since we consider it important that all students are both represented in and informed about the University Elections, we strive to make sure that every spot in the election has at least one candidate.
After the elections we strive to support the representatives in their work, in part by making them visible to the students they represent.
§ 6 - Activity Fund
A part of our budget is allocated to the Activity Fund, where students or student organisations can apply for funding for their events.
The criteria for funding is that the event has social or educational value and is open to every student at ITU.
The approval of applications is determined by the Advisory Board, with input from the President and Treasurer. There should be regular dialogue between the Advisory Board, the Executive Board and the Chairs’ Guild to ensure a fair and balanced distribution of funds.
§ 7 - Boards
§ 7.1 - Constituting the Boards
After being elected at a General Assembly, the new Executive Board and Advisory Board will hold respective constituting meetings.
The Advisory Board will decide on at least their Chair role.
The Executive Board will decide on at least their President and Treasurer roles.
Additional positions may be added at the discretion of the respective teams.
All positions should be publicly announced no later than two weeks following the assembly.
After an election, the previous Executive Board should meet with the newly elected Executive Board regularly to hand over any work and experience that might be relevant.
For guidance about constituting we refer to frivillig.dk - bestyrelsesposter / backup
§ 7.2 - Working in the Executive Board
The Executive Board meets regularly throughout the semester to coordinate work, and it is the President's responsibility to maintain an operational team.
The Executive Board can act within the budget that has been approved according to § 8.1 pt. 3
In case of disagreement within the Executive Board, matters can be settled by a vote, where all members votes are equal. Additionally, the Advisory Board can be conferred with to help settle the disagreement.
It is optional to keep minutes of meetings, and the Executive Board is free to use other tools to make their current work public. The Executive Board must strive to keep all affairs and actions as transparent as possible.
§ 7.3 - Compensation for the Executive Board
Compensation is provided for all Executive Board members, with an hourly pay of 180 kr per registered work hour.
The Executive Board can register at most 50 hours of work per week for the entire team combined. The work amount has to be coordinated regularly to ensure a fair distribution.
The President and Treasurer can register up to 20 hours per week each, and regular team members can register up to 10 hours per week each. The team can agree to suspend the individual registration limit.
§ 8 - General Assembly
An ordinary General Assembly must be held at most 14 months after the previous one and is the highest authority of the Student Council. The Executive Board must announce an assembly with at least two weeks notice using the organisation's commonly used means of communication.
The budget and financial report needs to be public 2 weeks before the assembly. Amendments to the budget and financial report must be received by the Executive Board 1 week before the assembly.
All members at the assembly have the right of speech and their vote counts for one. External participants can be granted a right to speak by the assembly.
Voting is done by show of hands, except for elections, where written voting is applied. Simple majority is used, which is one vote more than half of the valid votes.
§ 8.1 - General Assembly Agenda
The agenda for an ordinary General Assembly must include
Welcome to the Student Council Bylaws. This document details how our organisation is structured and which rules we, as members, have to operate under. We aim to make sure that our bylaws are minimally invasive to the daily work in the organisation, while still being descriptive, transparent and useful. They should be treated as a reflection of how the current members want to work, which means the document should be flexible and is meant to change with the times.
Therefore, members are encouraged to propose changes to the bylaws often. But when doing so, it's helpful to keep a few things in mind:
Consider the purpose of bylaws. They are mostly set in place to make sure that any wrongdoing between the members, or to the organisation itself, can be avoided or efficiently handled if needed.
Consider the workload you will be adding. Any addition can result in a higher workload for the members who need to follow any new requirements. Sometimes that's completely justified, sometimes it's not. Weigh up if the addition fits best in the bylaws or if it is better to let the elected members decide how to proceed in an unclear situation. It's hard to predict the future, so it is recommended that any addition is tested and deemed feasible, if such a test is possible.
Consider being experimental. Sometimes it's just not possible to test something. Remember that the bylaws can be changed at minimum once per year at the General Assembly, so if something doesn't work, you can simply change it again.
Lastly, remember that bylaws are not the organisation. They're an important tool to ensure transparency and fairness, but it is equally important to elect members whom you trust and who share organisations values.
Inspiration
We strive to follow the advice from the following guides when writing our bylaws:
frivillig.dk: foreningens vedtægter / backup
frivillighed.dk: sådan skriver I foreningens vedtægter / backup
This document was approved during the General Assembly on 28-04-25
Contents
§ 1 - Name and location
§ 2 - Purpose
§ 3 - Membership
§ 4 - Organisational structure
§ 4.1 - The Executive Board
§ 4.2 - The Advisory Board
§ 5 - University Elections
§ 6 - Activity Fund
§ 7 - Boards
§ 7.1 - Constituting the boards
§ 7.2 - Working in the Executive Board
§ 7.3 - Compensation for the Executive Board
§ 8 - General Assembly
§ 8.1 - General Assembly Agenda
§ 8.2 - General Assembly Election Rules
§ 8.3 - Extraordinary General Assembly
§ 9 - Bylaw Amendments
§ 9.1 - Bylaw Amendment Deadlines
§ 10 - Budget
§ 11 - Accounting
§ 12 - Auditing
§ 13 - Validity of Contracts
§ 14 - Dissolution
§ 1 - Name and location
The name of the organisation is the Student Council of ITU, abbreviated Student Council.
We are a non-profit organisation, situated at the IT University of Copenhagen.
§ 2 - Purpose
The Student Council’s purpose is to improve the condition of students enrolled at ITU, by promoting the students’ interests and representing them through a united voice.
§ 3 - Membership
The members of Student Council consist of every student currently enrolled at ITU. As well as the currently elected board members.
§ 4 - Organisational structure
While every student is a member of the Student Council, the work of running the organisation is primarily handled by two key boards: the Executive Board and the Advisory Board. This separation is in place to help organise responsibilities and maintain transparency.
The Executive Board administers the daily work of the Student Council in all organisational, day-to-day financial and administrative matters, while the Advisory Board's role is to ensure oversight and advice on spending and focus areas of the Executive Board.
Both boards act on a mandate granted by the members of the Student Council through elections at the General Assembly.
The boards must hold a joint planning meeting at the start of every semester. Here the Executive Board must present the projects and the approximate plan they would like to work on. The Advisory Board's default position should be to approve the proposals, but they have the right to veto any part of it, if they strongly believe that it does not align with the best interest of the students.
§ 4.1 - The Executive Board
The Executive Board must consist of a President, a Treasurer and two to five additional members.
Executive Board meetings are held on a regular basis throughout each semester.
Additional responsibilities include:
The Chairs Guild
Our Student Representatives
§ 4.2 - The Advisory Board
The Advisory Board must consist of a total of 5 members, with the Chair of Analog and Scrollbar being default members.
The 3 remaining elected members must be:
- 1 Chair, or equivalent role, of a student organisation at ITU.
- 2 Members of the Student Council, who are not part of the Executive Board.
The Advisory Board appoints a Chair who is responsible for coordinating the planning meetings with the President of the Executive Board.
Additional responsibilities include:
The Student Activity Fund
Approval of the budget proposal to ITU
§ 5 - University Elections
It is ITU's legal responsibility to facilitate elections, but since we consider it important that all students are both represented in and informed about the University Elections, we strive to make sure that every spot in the election has at least one candidate.
After the elections we strive to support the representatives in their work, in part by making them visible to the students they represent.
§ 6 - Activity Fund
A part of our budget is allocated to the Activity Fund, where students or student organisations can apply for funding for their events.
The criteria for funding is that the event has social or educational value and is open to every student at ITU.
The approval of applications is determined by the Advisory Board, with input from the President and Treasurer. There should be regular dialogue between the Advisory Board, the Executive Board and the Chairs’ Guild to ensure a fair and balanced distribution of funds.
§ 7 - Boards
§ 7.1 - Constituting the Boards
After being elected at a General Assembly, the new Executive Board and Advisory Board will hold respective constituting meetings.
The Advisory Board will decide on at least their Chair role.
The Executive Board will decide on at least their President and Treasurer roles.
Additional positions may be added at the discretion of the respective teams.
All positions should be publicly announced no later than two weeks following the assembly.
After an election, the previous Executive Board should meet with the newly elected Executive Board regularly to hand over any work and experience that might be relevant.
For guidance about constituting we refer to frivillig.dk - bestyrelsesposter / backup
§ 7.2 - Working in the Executive Board
The Executive Board meets regularly throughout the semester to coordinate work, and it is the President's responsibility to maintain an operational team.
The Executive Board can act within the budget that has been approved according to § 8.1 pt. 3
In case of disagreement within the Executive Board, matters can be settled by a vote, where all members votes are equal. Additionally, the Advisory Board can be conferred with to help settle the disagreement.
It is optional to keep minutes of meetings, and the Executive Board is free to use other tools to make their current work public. The Executive Board must strive to keep all affairs and actions as transparent as possible.
§ 7.3 - Compensation for the Executive Board
Compensation is provided for all Executive Board members, with an hourly pay of 180 kr per registered work hour.
The Executive Board can register at most 50 hours of work per week for the entire team combined. The work amount has to be coordinated regularly to ensure a fair distribution.
The President and Treasurer can register up to 20 hours per week each, and regular team members can register up to 10 hours per week each. The team can agree to suspend the individual registration limit.
§ 8 - General Assembly
An ordinary General Assembly must be held at most 14 months after the previous one and is the highest authority of the Student Council. The Executive Board must announce an assembly with at least two weeks notice using the organisation's commonly used means of communication.
The budget and financial report needs to be public 2 weeks before the assembly. Amendments to the budget and financial report must be received by the Executive Board 1 week before the assembly.
All members at the assembly have the right of speech and their vote counts for one. External participants can be granted a right to speak by the assembly.
Voting is done by show of hands, except for elections, where written voting is applied. Simple majority is used, which is one vote more than half of the valid votes.
§ 8.1 - General Assembly Agenda
The agenda for an ordinary General Assembly must include
- Election of a moderator and minute taker
- Annual report from the President of the Executive Board
- Presentation and approval of the current finances from the Treasurer
- Debate and vote on proposed bylaw amendments
- Election of
- 4 to 7 members of the Executive Board
- 3 members of the Advisory Board
- Election of 2 auditors
- Any other business
§ 8.2 - General Assembly Election Rules
All positions are up for election at the General Assembly.
Three elections will be held consecutively, where up to:
- 7 members can be elected to the Executive Board
- 1 member can be elected to the Advisory Board as the organisation representative.
- 2 members can be elected to the Advisory Board as the general student representatives.
If there are more candidates than available spots for an election, a written anonymous election will be held. Each member can vote for as many candidates as there are possible spots in that election. A vote can either be for a named candidate or blank. The candidates with the most votes are elected.
In order to be eligible to run, a student must be enrolled at ITU at the time of the assembly.
§ 8.3 - Extraordinary General Assembly
A group of at least 4 members can call for an Extraordinary General Assembly.
The group of members calling for the assembly needs to provide the President with the agenda at the same time as the call. Up to 7 days before the meeting, any member is welcome to submit additional items to the agenda.
The meeting must be held within four weeks after the request has been made, and must be announced with 2 weeks notice.
§ 9 - Bylaw Amendments
Bylaw amendments can only take place at either an ordinary or extraordinary General Assembly. They take effect immediately after they are passed.
As a default, amendments pass with simple majority.
However, amendments to our name and address (§1), purpose (§2), membership (§3), compensation (§7.3), dissolution (§14) and bylaw amendments itself (§9) can only be changed by a 2/3 majority.
§ 9.1 - Bylaw Amendment Deadlines
Amendments must be received by the board at least 7 days before being voted on, and should be published by the Executive Board at least 6 days before.
Amendments to the proposed amendments can also be submitted. These must be received at least 3 days before voting, and published at least 2 days before.
§ 10 - Budget
The vast majority of the Student Council's budget is from ITU donations. The Board officially applies for funding every autumn, which is transferred the following January if approved by ITU. The boards should therefore together, strive to set a budget that allows for freedom for the next Executive Board to operate, while at the same time being reasonable and within the purpose of our organisation.
One month before the budget proposal is sent to ITU, the Executive Board must publish it, so members can propose changes.
The final budget must be made available for the public at the Student Council website after it has been approved by ITU. The previous three years of budgets should always be available.
§ 11 - Accounting
It is the Treasurer's responsibility to keep track of the organisation's financial records. The Advisory Board should have access to review the finances.
The organisation’s fiscal year runs from 1st of January to 31st of December.
The deadline for making the financial report public follows the legally mandated deadline for businesses. Currently, this is six months after the end of the fiscal year, meaning the 1st of June.
We strive to follow the advice presented in DGI: krav og tips til foreningens årsregnskab / backup
§ 12 - Auditing
The accounts are audited by the elected auditors, who must be provided with a full account of transactions two weeks before any financial presentation to the organisation.
Auditors must be members who are not part of the Advisory Board or Executive Board.
§ 13 - Validity of Contracts
The organisation is legally bound by the signatures of the President and at least one Executive Board member. Any contract without these signatures is void.
The signatures of all the Executive Board members are required to make a loan for the union, and/or sell or pawn the organisation’s properties.
§ 14 - Dissolution
Dissolution of the Student Council can only take place with 2/3 majority at two consecutive General Assemblies, at least one month apart. One of the general assemblies must be ordinary.
In the event of dissolution the Student Council's assets should be used in accordance with the organisation’s purpose. It is the responsibility of the disintegrating General Assembly to make sure that it happens, in cooperation with ITU.