TITLE I: NAME
Article 1: NAME
- §1 The name of the Organisation is Erasmus+ Organisation for Cooperation, Exchange and Networking: Student & Alumni network of international exchange programmes, abbreviated as E+ OCEANS.
TITLE II: VISION AND MISSION
Article 2: VISION
- §1 E+ OCEANS unites people with diverse academic backgrounds between the EU countries and countries outside of Europe. E+ OCEANS does not only benefit from the community, but is also willing to shape it.
- §2 The core values of E+ OCEANS incorporate: equality, mutual understanding, tolerance and progressiveness. The aim of E+ OCEANS is to bring people together in the context of these values.
Article 3: MISSION
- §1 The mission of E+ OCEANS is to serve the interests of its members by providing a forum for networking, communication and collaboration and by promoting intercontinental exchange.
TITLE III: DEFINITIONS
Article 4: List of Definitions
| Name | Abbreviation | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Annual General Meeting | AGM | The annual meeting of E+ OCEANS. The core network group and other team members of the network can participate. The AGM can be designed as part of an ESAA annual meeting. |
| Board | The Board represents the executive power of the Network. It is comprised of the President, the Vice-President(s), and the Heads of Teams. | |
| Core Network Group | The core network group is comprised of the Board and active team members. Each team can set its own rules to determine who is an active member. Each team maintains a list of active team members. | |
| Country Representatives | E+ OCEANS selected representative who provide members located in their country of representation and potential members with information about the network from the perspective of an experienced student or alumnus and who coordinates national initiatives and activities. | |
| Credit Mobility Strand | CMS | Erasmus+ Student and Alumni Association is divided in two strands (degree mobility and credit mobility). The Credit Mobility Strand includes three student and alumni organizations: Erasmus Student Network (ESN), E+ OCEANS and garagErasmus. |
| Credit Mobility Strand Board | CMBSB | The Board represents the executive power of the Credit Mobility Strand in Erasmus+ Student and Alumni Association |
| Deputy-Head of Team | Member of a Team with the responsibility of assisting the Head of Team and substitute him or her in case of absence. | |
| Erasmus+ | E+ | EU programme 2014-2020 for Education, Training, Youth and Sport. |
| Erasmus+ Students and Alumni Association | ESAA | The Erasmus+ Student and Alumni Association integrates four higher education student and alumni associations: Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA), Erasmus Students Network (ESN), E+ OCEANS and garagErasmus (gE). ESAA aims to promote cooperation and mutual understanding among students, who participated in EU funded higher education programs in different countries. |
| Head of Team | The Team leader. Team Heads are members of the Board and act as the nexus between the Board and the different Teams. They are elected internally by each Team. | |
| Horizontal Board | HB | The Horizontal Board represents the executive power of both Credit Mobility and Degree Mobility Strand |
| President | The elected representative of E+ OCEANS responsible for all relations with third parties and the leader of the Board. | |
| Service Provider | The Service Provider is contracted by the European Commission. It is responsible for providing support to ESAA and consequently to E+ OCEANS. | |
| Team | A group of E+ OCEANS members, focused on a pre-assigned activity, which undergo voluntary work on issues of relevance for the Network. | |
| Team Members | E+ OCEANS members who undergo voluntary work on issues of relevance for the Network. | |
| Vice-president/s | VP | Member/s of the Board with the responsibility of assisting in a variety of Presidential tasks, and who has/have both the privilege and obligation to temporarily replace the President in the case of her or his absence. |
TITLE IV: MEMBERSHIP
Article 5: GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
- §1 All members of the former E+ OCEANS Network are automatically members of E+ OCEANS and ESAA.
- §2 Students and alumni of Erasmus+ exchange programmes between EU member countries and countries outside of the EU are eligible to become members of E+ OCEANS and ESAA, upon request.
- §3 E+ OCEANS holds the right to grant Honorary Membership to individuals who have rendered outstanding service to the organisation regardless participation in an exchange. Honorary Membership is granted by the Board unanimously. Honorary Membership implies similar rights and responsibilities as regular membership, withholding the voting right during the Annual General Meeting and any internal representative elections, or run themselves for such positions.
- §4 The Board may grant membership, under exceptional circumstances, to ineligible applicants, including prospective exchange students.
- §5 E+ OCEANS reserves the right to cancel a membership at any time by a unanimous decision of the Board, provided indisputable evidence is presented that the individual has grossly violated in speech, or action, the spirit of the Organisation (as defined in Article 2 and 3) or has severely damaged the reputation or interests of the Organisation. The member in question has to be informed about this before the decision.
- §6 If eligibility cannot be determined by these rules the Board has the right to decide if a person is eligible.
Article 6: CORE NETWORK GROUP MEMBERSHIP
- §1 The core network group consists of the Board and active team members.
- §2 Each team can decide on its own who is considered as an active member. The Head and Deputy-Head of Team are considered Core Network Group members automatically.
- §3 Each team is required to keep an up-to-date list of active members.
- §4 The Board has the right to appoint additional Core Network Group members.
- §5 E+ OCEANS reserves the right to cancel the Core Network Group membership at any time by an unanimous decision of the Board. If this decision was not requested by the Team itself, the Team has to be informed before the decision is taken. The member in question is automatically informed.
- §6 The Core Network Group can be consulted as ‘virtual electoral body’ on decisions for which consulting the whole membership base is not possible for technical reasons.
TITLE V: STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION
Article 7: OVERVIEW OF ORGANIZATIONAL UNITS AND POSITIONS
- §1 The Association shall conduct its affairs by means of the organizational units and associated positions as listed below:
- A. The Annual General Meeting
- B. The Board - composed of:
- a. The President
- b. The Vice-President(s)
- c. Head of Teams
- C. Teams - each composed of:
- a. Head of Team
- b. Deputy-Head of Team
- c. Team members
- D. Core Network Group - composed of:
- a. The Board
- b. Active members
- c. Additional members appointed by the Board
Article 8: TIMELINE DEFINITIONS
- §1 For the purpose of this Statute, “one year” is defined as the time period between two consecutive Annual General Meetings, which may be shorter or longer than twelve months, but shall not be less than six months or longer than eighteen months.
Article 9: OCEANS ELECTIONS
- §1 By participating in the elections, the candidate agrees to work towards fulfilling the tasks, as described in the mandate (see rules of procedure for details).
- §2 Each representative of E+ OCEANS is elected or nominated for a mandate of one year. One person cannot serve on the Board for more than 2 mandates in a row in the same position, and for not more than 3 mandates in total.
- §3 E+ OCEANS elected position holders can hold only one position across the Organisation. This doesn’t concern positions within ESAA and Country Representatives. An exception to this rule may be made if a position cannot be filled otherwise.
- §4 Specifications for mandates and election procedures are defined in a seperate “rules of procedure” document.
Article 10: PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENT ELECTIONS
- §1 President and Vice-President(s) of the Board are elected by the members of the network through direct elections. If the position of President or Vice-President remains vacant after the first round of elections for network elected positions, the Board should launch a second round of elections.
TITLE VI: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Article 11: CONVENING OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
- §1 Once every year an AGM will take place. The AGM can be part of a bigger ESAA event. The Board announces the AGM and communicates specifics to E+ OCEANS members.
Article 12: DELEGATE PRIVILEGES AND OBLIGATIONS
- §1 AGM delegates are required to participate in the entire AGM. The AGM delegates have the power to vote on amendments to the statute during the AGM.
Article 13: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING PARTICIPANTS
- §1 The Board shall cooperate with the Service Provider to select AGM delegates. The selection procedure has to be transparent for applicants. Core network group members and new members shall have an advantage in the selection.
Article 14: VOTING RIGHTS AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
- §1 Every member of the network that participates at the AGM has the right to vote. The Board can decide to invite observing participants, which are not allowed to vote.
TITLE VII: THE BOARD
Article 15: THE BOARD COMPOSITION
- §1 The Board is composed of the President, the Vice-President/s and the Heads of Teams. Within the Board, the responsibility of the Heads is shared with the Deputy-Heads of Teams. The Deputy-Head substitutes the Head of Team when the latter is not available.
Article 16: BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES
- §1 The Board is the executive decision-making body of the E+ OCEANS Network. Details on the decision-making process are included in the Rules of Procedure.
Article 17: THE PRESIDENT
- §1 The President is the primary representative of the Network in external affairs, in particular regarding the cooperation with the European Commission's Directorate General for Education and Culture and the Service Provider.
- §2 The President has the responsibility to ensure the overall performance and regular operation of the Network with the assistance of the Board. Details on tasks and requirements of the President are contained in the Rules of Procedure document.
Article 18: THE VICE-PRESIDENT/S
- §1 The Vice-President/s support/s the work of the President.
- §2 The number of Vice-Presidents positions are based on E+ OCEANS’ needs and workload, as determined by the Board, with a minimum of one E+ OCEANS member holding this position for each year.
- §3 In case of the President's absence, the Vice-President/s have/has the right and obligation to temporarily replace the President. Details on tasks and requirements of the Vice-President are contained in the Rules of Procedure document.
Article 19: HEADS OF TEAMS AND BOARD MEMBERS
- §1 Heads of Teams are the Team leaders who have the responsibility to ensure the overall performance of the Team and act as the nexus between the Board and each Team. Head of Teams are automatically appointed as Board Members. Details on the election process and monitoring procedures of the Heads of Teams are contained in the Rules of Procedure document.
Article 20: DEPUTY-HEADS OF TEAMS
- §1 Deputy-Head are Team members with the responsibility of assisting the Head of the Team. In case of the Head of Team absence, the Deputy Head has the right and obligation to temporarily replace him/her. In case of attending a Board meeting in replacement for Head of Team, voting rights are automatically transferred to the Deputy Head. Details on the election process and monitoring procedures of the Heads of Teams are contained in the Rules of Procedure document.
TITLE VIII: TEAMS
Article 21: NUMBER OF TEAMS
- §1 The number of Teams is established by the Board, as considered necessary for the well functioning of the Organisation.
Article 22: PARTICIPATION IN TEAMS
- §1 All E+ OCEANS Members can request to join E+ OCEANS’ Teams by sending a motivation letter to the relevant Head of Team or Deputy-Head of Team.
- §2 Heads of Teams and Deputy-Heads of Teams reserve the right to place a Team member under probation, with possibility for revocation from the position in case of uniformed absence or poor results.
Article 23: THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM
- §1 All E+ OCEANS Country Representatives are members of the International Development Team.
- §2 The International Development Team shall internally determine the most reasonable form for regional representation through an internal simple majority vote.
TITLE IX: OCEANS IN ESAA
Article 24: REPRESENTATIVES TO ESAA BOARDS
- §1 Representatives to ESAA Boards represent the Network to the Horizontal Board and Credit Mobility Strand Board. Representatives are selected among members of the Core Network Group on the ground of their competence, experience and commitment to the Network. The selection procedure and decision is made by the Board.
- §2 The Board decide the length and detailed scope of Representatives’ mandate prior to Representative engagement and upon his/her consent. The Board, acting as executive decision making body of E+ OCEANS Network, reserves the right to reevaluate Representatives’ mandate during the engagement. In the case of disagreement between the opinion of the Board and the Representatives, Board opinion prevails.
Article 25: REPRESENTATIVES TO HORIZONTAL BOARD WORKING GROUPS
- §1 E+ OCEANS’ Teams are responsible for sending E+ OCEANS’ representatives to Horizontal Board working groups. The representatives are chosen by the active team members by an internal vote. Either the Head or the Deputy Head of the Team is the first representative. A second representative has to be chosen from the remaining active team members. The Board can allow a Team to divert from this distribution.
TITLE X: RELATIONSHIP WITH EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Article 26: RELATIONSHIP WITH EUROPEAN COMMISSION
- §1 E+ OCEANS recognises the role and support played by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture, in particular the facilitation of services provided via a contracted Service Provider.
- §2 The Board reserves the right to invite representatives from the Service Provider to participate in Board meetings and other E+ OCEANS events and meetings whenever it deems necessary.
- §3 While representatives from the Service Provider are welcome to attend any meeting of an organizational unit within E+ OCEANS and to participate in discussions of relevance to the Service Provider, they do not hold any voting rights within E+ OCEANS.
TITLE XI: FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 27: STATUTE MODIFICATIONS AND ADOPTION
- §1 Any member has the right to propose amendments to the present Statute by writing an email to the Board, and by formulating a concrete and specific proposal for amendments. In addition to the proposed change, reasons for the change should be given. The proposal should have the support, beyond the main promoter, of 2 other members (the name and contacts of the supporters should be specified in the email, and they should be in carbon copy in the email). Once the Board receives the proposal, it should submit it to voting of:
- a. The Annual General Meeting, for non-urgent matters (as the Annual General Meeting gathers only once per year). To be approved, it should receive a positive vote of a 2⁄3 majority of present members. Proposals voted upon the Annual General Meeting have to be made available to delegates 2 weeks before the meeting. As an exemption to this rule proposals can be submitted later and even at the Annual General Meeting itself, if they have the support of at least 5 delegates.
- b. The Core Network Group for urgent matters. The Core Network Group should be notified about the elections at least 2 weeks in advance and should have 1 week where the voting is open. To be approved, it should receive a positive vote of a 2⁄3 majority of votes. To be valid, at least 50%+1 Core Network Group members should take part in the voting.
Article 28: MISCELLANEOUS
- §1 In the case that this statute does not cover an urgent matter that needs to be dealt with, the Board can decide with an executive action with a 2/3 majority but it has the obligation to propose an amendment to the E+ OCEANS statute, as soon as possible, under the rules specified in Article 27.
- §2 The tasks of different roles, the working mechanisms of the Board, voting procedures and similar points are defined in an additional “Rules of Procedure” document. This document can be modified following the same procedures as the statute (see article 27 of title XI for details).
1. Definition
1.1. The Rules of Procedure are a document joint to the Statute of Erasmus+ OCEANS (E+ OCEANS), which includes the specific procedures for several processes at the core of the Network’s activity.
2. Board Responsibilities
2.1. Executive decisions are taken by the Board when the absolute majority of votes is reached.
2.2. Board members should be notified about all voting activities at least 4 calendar days in advance.
2.3. In case of prolonged absence (longer than 4 days) of one or more Board members without prior notice, the decision can be taken by simple majority of voting members.
2.4. In case one or more Board members are unable to vote for a specific period of time, and they notify about their unavailability in advance, or within the 4 days prior to the vote, requesting the voting time to be prolonged, the Board should thoroughly consider the possibility to postpone or prolong the voting time. In case a vote is urgent and it needs to be casted within the regular voting time, the Board has the right to ignore such requests and proceed to vote. The President reserves the right to determine when a vote qualifies as "urgent", and must provide the Board with a justification.
2.5. In case of anonymous elections, the Board needs to ensure the presence of at least one independent observer.
2.6. At the end of each year’s mandate, the Board should write an Annual Report informing E+ OCEANS members about the use of Article 28.1 of the Statute or any other extraordinary measure taken. The Report should also include information on the use of the Statute in the regular activity of the Network, thus providing a basis for future amendments.
3. Board Meeting
3.1. Board meetings may be called by the President, or by a motion supported by a simple majority of Board members.
3.2. The President is responsible of scheduling Board meetings and preparing the agenda.
3.3. In person meetings of the Board may be called by the President at any time as deemed necessary and financially feasible, giving at least 20 business days prior notice.
3.4. Members of the Board shall hold additional meetings via email or teleconference at least once a month.
3.5. For decisions of the Board to be valid, all members must be informed beforehand and at least two-thirds of Board members must participate in the vote.
3.6. Decisions of the Board are made with the simple majority of votes, unless specified otherwise in this Statute. Each member of the Board has one vote. In case of a tied vote, the President’s vote counts double.
3.7. All members of the Network have the privilege of suggesting items for the Board meeting agendas. Such suggestions must be sent in writing to the Head of the Communication Team. Only items received at least five days prior to the meeting can be considered. The Board reserves the right to prioritize individual agenda items.
4. Duties of the President
4.1. Presiding over the meetings of the E+ OCEANS Board.
4.2. Preparing the agenda for the meetings.
4.3. Leading the preparation to establish the annual work plan of E+ OCEANS.
4.4. Coordinating the establishment of the E+ OCEANS Statute and subsequent amendments.
4.5. Shared overseeing responsibilities together with the International Development Coordinator for the overall development of E+ OCEANS in Extra-EU regions and ensuring close collaboration with relevant partners within ESAA.
4.6. Overseeing with the Board and the Representative to the ESAA Board the negotiation efforts with partner organisations.
4.7. Proposing initiatives to be lead by E+ OCEANS and ensuring their timely execution.
4.8. Overseeing the work of Team Heads and Deputy-Heads.
4.9. Leading networking efforts and establish partnerships with other profit and nonprofit organisations organisations for joint projects.
4.10. Taking part in relevant ESAA Working Groups and working jointly with ESN, EMA and gE.
4.11. If needed, taking part in the Horizontal Board and CMSB meetings.
5. Requirements of candidates to the role of President
5.1. Strong motivation and commitment to the Network.
5.2. High awareness of the main challenges faced by the Network.
5.3. Good understanding of the functioning of other ESAA organisations (EMA, ESN, gE) taking part in ESAA.
5.4. A weekly average contribution of 10h/week.
6. Duties of the Vice-President
6.1. Providing the President with active support in leading the network and coordinating its initiatives.
6.2. Providing support in preparing the agendas for Board meetings and chairing the meetings when the President is not available.
6.3. Co-Coordinating the network advocacy actions.
6.4. Co-Coordinating the establishment of the annual work plan of E+ OCEANS.
6.5. Helping to establish social networks within E+ OCEANS.
6.6. Participating in Board meetings.
6.7. Overtaking ad hoc tasks depending on the strategic needs of the Network and ESAA.
6.8. Proposing procedures to ensure the most efficient way of involving active E+ OCEANS members in joint activities.
6.9. Taking part in relevant ESAA Working Groups, and working jointly with ESN, EMA and gE.
6.10. If needed, taking part in the Horizontal Board and CMSB meeting.
7. Requirements of Candidates to the Role of Vice-President
7.1. Motivation and commitment to the Network
7.2. A good degree of awareness of the main challenges faced by the Network.
7.3. A minimum degree understanding of the functioning of other ESAA organisations (EMA, ESN, gE).
7.4. A weekly average contribution of 8h/week.
8. Election of President and Vice-President
8.1. The election of the President and the Vice President of E+ OCEANS are held yearly.
8.2. Any eligible E+ OCEANS member can submit an application to become the next President or Vice President. Eligible candidates are those that meet the criteria contained in rules 5 and 7 respectively.
8.3. Candidates cannot run simultaneously for both the President and the Vice-President positions.
8.4. If the outgoing President is not running again, he/she is responsible for creating the voting schedule and its communication. If the President is running again the Board nominates a different member of the Board for this task.
8.5. All E+ OCEANS members are eligible to cast their vote online after identification.
8.6. All candidates run for a first round. If a candidate obtains more than 50% of the votes he/she is elected. In case no candidate obtains more than 50% of the votes, the two candidates with the most votes participate in a second round that determines the winner.
9. Duties of Representatives to the ESAA Horizontal Board
9.1. Leading a Working Group/Committee on the horizontal ESAA level if required.
9.2. Representing E+ OCEANS at the Horizontal Board meetings.
9.3. Leading the organisation of conferences and other joint initiatives.
9.4. Proposing new initiatives to be lead by E+ OCEANS and ensuring their smooth execution.
9.5. Supporting the involvement of Team members in ESAA Committees and joint projects.
9.6. Networking and establishing partnerships for joint projects with external partner organisations in the relevant fields.
9.7. Executing additional tasks as described in the respective ESAA mandate.
9.8. Liaising with E+ OCEANS Board.
10. Duties of Representatives to the Credit Mobility Strand
10.1. Attending the CMS Board meetings.
10.2. Working on joint projects with ESN and gE.
10.3. Leading in the organization of conferences and other events.
10.4. Ensuring a fair representation of extra-European credit mobility students at joint events.
10.5. Negotiating that a fair amount of activities for ESAA members would be carried out outside of the EU.
10.6. Working directly with E+ OCEANS Teams and ESAA and ensuring their active involvement in projects.
10.7. Establishing special project-based Task Forces within E+ OCEANS to execute the joint projects for the Credit Mobility Strand and overviewing the process.
11. Head of Team and Deputy-Head of Team
11.1. Substitution for Inactivity or poor work: In case of uninformed absence or poor results of a Coordinator, 3 members of the Board or 3 members of the respective Team have the right to request initiating internal elections for the position. On such occasion, a written request must be sent to the Board on behalf of the Team members, or vice versa, in case the request is initiated by Board members. The document should also be made publicly accessible to the Core Network Group . The Board should investigate the matter and mediate. If no compromise is reached, a new election can be requested by the Board at the level of the Team. The election is to be made public to the Core Network Group. After a mediation period of two weeks, a new election must be held if the Board does not withdraw their request. The Team may elect the same person again.
11.2. Election process for Head of Team: Heads of Teams are internally elected by respective Team members yearly. To be a candidate for the Head of Team position, it is required to be an active member of the Team for at least 2 months. The election for the Head of Team is an internal process at the level of the Team. If the position of the Head of Team is not filled by a Team elected representative, the Board has the right to appoint a person for the position.
11.3. Election of Deputy-Head: Deputy-Heads of Teams are internally elected by respective Team members yearly. To be a candidate for Head of Team position it is required to be an active member of the Team for at least 2 months. It is the responsibility of the respective Head of Team to ensure that the Deputy-Head is nominated fairly within the Team within 3 weeks from the appointment of the Head of Team. The election of the Deputy-Head of Team is an internal process at the level of the Team. If the position of Deputy-Head of Team is not filled by a Team elected representative, the Board has the right to appoint a person for this position.