UNIVERSITY

OF THE PHILIPPINES DILIMAN UNIVERSITY STUDENT COUNCIL PROPOSED HOUSE RULES 2012-2013 RULE I MEMBERS
1. The members of the council are the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, the University Councilors and the College Representatives

RULE II COMMITTEES
1. Types of Committees, defined: a. Standing Committees are those specifically provided for in Article VII of the USC Constitution: i. Secretariat Committee [Art. VII, Sec 3 (e)] ii. Finance Committee [Art. VII, Sec 4 (f)] iii. Ways and Means Committee [Art. VII, Sec 5 (c)] iv. Mass Media Committee [Art. VII, Sec 6 (d)] b. Special Standing Committees are those referred to by Art. VIII Sec 1 (c), which may be created by the Chairperson or the Council to perform functions during the entire course of the Councils term. Special Standing Committees shall be created through the submission of Committee proposals, following rules specified by the Council Chairperson or the Council, and upon the approval by the Council. c. Ad Hoc Committees are those created by the Council Chairperson, either moto propio or upon the recommendation of the council, at any time during the course of the councils term, to perform specific functions for a specific, limited period of time. 2. Chairpersons of Committee shall be known and identified in all communications and references as Committee Heads (Committee Assistant Head, Sub- Committee Head, etc.) to avoid confusion with third persons with whom the council communicates or transacts 3. Heads of different Committees shall be chosen as follows: a. The Council shall choose heads of Standing and Special Standing Committees through elections. He/She shall be elected by the members of the council by a simple majority vote or 50% plus 1 of the members of the council b. Only University Councilors are eligible to become officers of the University Student Council. c. The Council Chairperson shall appoint heads of Ad Hoc Committees. 4. The Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson of the Council shall sit as ex-officio members of all the committees. They are not required to attend all the meetings of all the committees. The committee heads must inform the Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson of the progress of their committees workings. 5. No member of the council shall be the Head of more than one Standing or Special Standing Committee. All council members must be a member of at least one Standing Committee and two Special Standing Committees 6. Committees shall have the power to create sub-committees and delegate to the latter such functions as may be necessary. A sub-committee report or recommendation, enjoying the unanimous support of the sub-committee, which is submitted to the committee, shall be adopted by the latter. However, the committee may still vote against the adoption of such report or recommendation.

RULE III SESSIONS

1. Unless the council orders, otherwise in its first official General Assembly, the regular General Assembly shall be held at the University Student Council Office, Vinzons Hall 2nd floor, at 5pm every other Wednesday of the month. 2. A simple majority (50% + 1) of the council members as a whole shall constitute a quorum. Only when a quorum has been reached can a formal session commence and proceed. 3. The sessions of the council shall be in public, except when otherwise provided in these rules. 4. Non-members of the council cannot participate in council deliberations, except when endorsed by a council member and given approval by the council by a vote of simple majority, and only when the point to be raised is in the context of the meeting. 5. The council reserves the right to hold closed-door sessions, upon a motion to close the doors, and upon showing that the subject under discussion will be better resolved in such manner; provided that there shall be at least 2/3 majority vote of those present in favor of such motion. 6. Only council members shall be admitted to such closed doors sessions. 7. Sessions may be suspended by a majority vote of the council in session. 8. The exact time of opening and adjourning the session shall be entered in the minutes 9. The council shall use parliamentary procedures in its dealings during sessions. 10. The council shall adopt in Roberts Rules for cases not covered by these House Rules.

RULE IV ORDER OF BUSINESS

1. The daily Order of Business shall be as follows: a. Roll Call b. Reading and approval of the minutes of the previous session c. Report of the Chairperson d. Report of the Vice-Chairperson e. Reports of the College Representatives f. Financial Report g. Committee Reports h. Unfinished business i. Business of the day j. Approval of Agenda 2. The reports shall be made or submitted in the manner agreed upon and approved by the Council. 3. The minutes of the proceedings of the sessions of the Council shall be presented to the Chairperson for examination and approval before they are submitted to the Council for final approval. Only after this process has been completed can the Secretariat Committee be authorized to disseminate and post the minutes. 4. Upon notice and approval by the Council, the reading of the minutes shall be dispensed with. 5. The Council Chairperson must include in his report to the General Assembly of the council, performance reports on each Committee Head. 6. The Secretary General must report on the standing of each council member, particularly on delinquencies related to absences and tardiness, at least once a month. 7. Committee Heads must include in their reports, performance reports on each committee member.

8. Any member may deliver a privilege speech before the body, but he shall be limited to only 10 minutes, subject to one extension of ten minutes by a majority vote of council members present and voting. Any members desiring to deliver a privilege speech must inform the Chairperson and the Secretary at least two days before the scheduled meeting when he is to deliver his speech. 9. The consideration of the unfinished business in which the council will be engaged at the time of adjournment shall be referred to committees, and so on each succeeding meeting until such business is disposed of. 10. After all the pending business is disposed of, the Chairperson shall commence the business for the day. 11. After the commencement of the business for the day, the Chairperson shall proceed to the unassigned business. He shall first request council members wishing to discuss a particular business to manifest it before proceeding to discuss each matter. The Secretary shall make notice of the order of each manifestation.

RULE V AGENDA
1. Any member who desires any matter to be included in the agenda must inform the Chairperson and the Secretary at least three days before the scheduled meeting, either personally or by written communication, unless there are meritorious circumstances deemed by the Chairperson, in which case, the member shall inform the Chairperson and the Secretary at least three hours before the scheduled meeting. If either the Secretary General or the Chairperson desires to have any matter included in the agenda, they shall also inform each other in the method described above. If these rules are violated, the matter shall not be taken up except by a majority vote of the members present. Even then, it shall take the least priority. 2. The agenda shall be posted and distributed among the council members by the Secretary not less than two days preceding the session, unless there are meritorious circumstances under Sec. 1.

RULE VI USE OF THE USC NAME

1. All incoming, outgoing, internal and external communications, transactions, official businesses and functions, projects and the like must be approved by the Chairperson and a copy thereof filed with the Secretary-General. As such, those that are not duly noted and approved shall be considered invalid and the council member causing such invalid communication or transaction will be sanctioned. 2. Official USC Statements shall be of two kinds: urgent and non-urgent. Official USC Statements shall be made as follows: a. For non-urgent issues, the committee concerned and the Mass Media Committee shall form a drafting committee. The drafting committee shall set a meeting wherein members of the council will have an input on the said statement. The draft statement formed by the drafting committee shall be presented to the General Assembly for approval, along with a summary of the minutes of the meeting, which transpired, for the drafting of the statement. b. For urgent issues, any member of the USC may signify his intent to the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary, such intent being subject to the approval of the Chairperson. The Chairperson may also

recommend other council members to join the proponent in drafting the statement. Upon approval of the Chairperson, the Secretary shall inform the council members that such a statement will be drafted. After the draft has been made, a hard copy of such shall be left in the USC office and a soft copy shall be posted in the e-groups by the proponent. The draft must be accompanied by a general call and general principles. Comments, recommendations and objections may be given by any council member within 24 hours. No objection shall be entertained unless it is accompanied by a concrete alternative or recommendations. Silence of a council member shall be taken as his approval. The USC shall approve a general call and general principles regarding the issue within 24 hours. If after 24 hours, the draft has been approved by at least 2/3 of the council members, it may be published, upon informing the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary of the fact. The secretary shall inform the council members that the statement has been approved and will be published. If after 24 hours, the approval of 2/3 of the council members has not been reached, but at least of the council members approved, the proponent shall meet with the dissenting parties in order to reconcile their positions. This shall be done in less than 24 hours. Once their positions have been reconciled, the statement may be published, upon informing the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary of the fact. The secretary shall inform the USC that the statement has been approved and will be published. If after 24 hours, less than 1/2 of the council members approved, the proponent may draft another statement, in light of accommodating the objections, in accordance to the previously aforementioned rules. If after 24 hours, still only 1/2 of the council members approved, the discussion of the said statement shall be set as the first agendum of the next General Assembly. 3. All USC projects must be approved by a majority of all the USC members present. Projects not approved will not be recognized by the USC.

RULE VII QUESTIONS OF PRIVILEGE

1. Questions of privilege are: a. Thos affecting the rights of the council collectively, it safety, dignity and the integrity of its proceedings; b. Those affecting the rights, reputation and conduct of the members, individually, in their representative capacity. 2. Questions of privilege shall have precedence over all other questions, except a motion to adjourn.

RULE VIII THE SUSPENSION OF HOUSE RULES

1. Kinds of meetings, defined: a. Regular meetings are those provided fro in Rule III, Sec. 1 of these rules. b. Special meetings are those meetings, other than the regular meetings, which shall be agreed upon and set by the Council.

Emergency meetings are those meetings, other than regular and special meetings, which shall be called by the Chairperson to consider interim matters which require immediate consideration by the council, such consideration being impracticable if the same were to be done in a regular or special meeting. Emergency meetings, being limited to interim concerns, shall not be conducted for the following purposes: i. Constitutional amendments ii. Review, revision, amendment and repeal of adopted rules, legislation and policies iii. Discussion and adjustment of plans for pre-agreed projects, not less than one month ahead of their implementation iv. Proposition, deliberation and adoption of new projects v. Deliberations on appointments and designation of officers, even if such are for ad hoc functions vi. Fiscal allocations vii. Deliberation and decision on proposals and/or invitations for common endeavors by non-University entities viii. Hearing, trial and judgment on council members discipline cases ix. Any other concern that may be practicably tackled in a regular or special meeting 2. No motion shall be entertained to suspend these Rules except on emergency meetings. 3. These rules or any of its provisions may be amended only by an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the members of the council present and voting, provided that notice of the proposed amendment must be submitted to the Chairperson and the Secretariat Committee at least three days before the meeting in which it is to be considered.

c.

RULE IX DECORUM AND DEBATE

1. The Chairperson shall be the presiding officer. He shall preside over all meetings of the council, provided that in case he desires to take part in the debate, he may name the Vice Chairperson, or, in the absence of the latter, any member of the council to take the chair. 2. When two or more members rise at once, the presiding officer shall name the member who is to speak first and the order of the subsequent speakers. 3. If any member, in any speech or otherwise, shall transgress the Rules of the Council, the presiding officer shall, on his own, initiative, or at the request of any member, call him to order. The council shall, if appealed to, decide on the case. If the councils decision is in favor of the member who is called to order, he shall be at liberty to proceed. 4. Council members may not walk out or across the hall while the presiding officer is addressing the body or is posing a question. 5. Council members walking across the session hall, or using cellular phones or other electronic devices in a manner that may disrupt the session shall be reprimanded. 6. Council members who wish to leave the session room during the session must inform the Secretary, in the least disruptive manner possible, of his request to leave the session and give his reason. The Secretary shall record the time of Council members departure from and return to the session hall and the reason thereof. 7. No Council member may smoke or busy himself with texting or using cellular phones during General Assemblies.

RULE X VOTING
1. Voting may be in the form of silent assent, viva voce, by show of hands, by secret ballot, or by roll call. The default form of voting shall be by show of hands, unless upon a motion to vote in any other form which is approved by the Council by a vote of simple majority. 2. When voting by show of hands, the presiding officer shall put a question in this form, As many are in favor (as the question may be), please raise your right hand. After the affirmative voice is expressed, counted and recorded, As many are opposed, please raise your right hand. If there are any doubts, or another division is called for, the body shall again divide. 3. When deciding on issues or the councils official position on an issue, voting shall be by roll call so that the council and the public may know where each member stands on an issue 4. All votes shall be recorded. Should any member request to explain his vote, he may do so. 5. No motion, except one regarding the presence of a quorum, shall be entertained during voting 6. In case of a tie, the motion shall either be lost or carried depending on the vote cast by the presiding officer. 7. Any decision made by the Chairperson may be overturned by a vote of simple majority by the council members 8. Any member who arrives after a motion has been deliberated and put to a vote may not participate in the voting. 9. Election in absentia is not allowed 10. Voting by proxy is not allowed 11. At all times, the council must strive to build a consensus decision among council members

RULE XI ROLL CALLS AND ABSENCES

1. In calling the roll of the council, the Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson shall be called first. Afterwards the Councilors shall be called alphabetically by their surnames. Finally the name of the College Representatives shall be called alphabetically by the name of the college they represent. After this, the names of those who were not present during the first call shall be called again. 2. Any council member who arrives after the roll call shall be marked late. Any member who leaves before the adjournment shall be marked as having done so and considered in the same way as one who has arrived late. Council members who leave before adjournment, but after the set schedule for the session shall be automatically excused. The council shall decide the time allotment for the session. Once the agenda for the session is approved, there shall be a continuing quorum until all the matters set forth in the former have been tackled and decided upon, unless the council calls for adjournment. The next matters on the table shall then be deemed to be included in the agenda for the next General Assembly. 3. Four unexcused cases of tardiness shall be counted as on unexcused absence. Council members who arrive late must inform the Secretary of their excuse before, during or immediately after the session, for consideration by the same. 4. Three consecutive absences from regular Council sessions without valid excuses shall merit a warning from the Secretary. The secretary should also inform the Chairperson of such. Four consecutive unexcused absences from regular Council sessions shall mean automatic dropping of the council member from the roll of the council. He shall cease to be a member of the council and shall be informed by the Secretary of the fact. Failure to attend at least 60% of the regular sessions

5. 6.

7.

8. 9.

per semester shall automatically subject the concerned council member to deliberations by the body which shall decide upon whether or not to sanction the person, and what sanction shall be imposed, if in case it was decided that a sanction is to be imposed. The sanctions shall be based on the provisions of the University Student Council Constitution. An activity maybe declared as a mandatory USC activity vote of the members present during session. It shall be considered as a regular Council session under the preceding section. The Secretary shall inform the dropped Council member of his status and the reason therefore. The Secretary shall include in the notice, a statement that if the council member wishes to return, he should explain and justify his side on the General Assembly following the receipt of the notice. The dropped council member shall be reinstated if he receives an affirmative vote from 2/3 of the council members. The Chairperson and Secretary shall determine the validity of an excuse, provided that should the Secretary be in question, the Chairperson shall decide. The concerned Council members shall inform the Secretary of their excuse, not later than 3 days after the session, in cases of absences. Excuse letters that are submitted late will not be honored. Valid excuses are: health reasons, important and mandatory family occasions, greater need in case of conflicting schedules with activities in line with council duties and fortuitous events Rule XI, Sec. 1 and 2 shall apply to committee meetings and executive committee meetings

RULE XII OFFICE RULES

1. Smoking shall not be allowed inside the USC office. 2. Use of the office facilities shall be available to all students of the University provided that council members shall have priority in such use. Students who wish to use such facilities must follow the policies set by the Secretariat committee. 3. Each council member shall be required to stay at the office for at least 3 hours a week. 1 hour of not being able to stay at the office by a council member during his designated time shall amount to absences, unless if that Council member has a valid excuse. 4 accumulated absences shall merit a warning, 8 absences shall result to recommendation of suspension of council privileges for 1 month from the secretariat committee. 12 absences shall automatically suspend that council members privileges for 1 month 4. Littering inside the office is strictly prohibited.

RULE XIII USC FUNDS

1. All funds generated by the Ways and Means Committee shall be given immediately to the Finance Committee. a. All funds generated by other committees for their own purposes and use shall be retained by the respective committees, provided, that such committees have a finance officer who shall account for, audit and report the finances in the manner prescribed by the Treasurer. b. A written Monthly Financial Report shall be regularly prepared and submitted by the Finance Committee, the Ways and Means Committee and the other committees referred to in the immediately preceding section, to the Chairperson. A written semestral and annual report shall be made by the same committees to General Assembly.

2. The Chairperson and the Treasurer shall be the signatories fro the USC Bank Account.

RULE XIV OTHER MATTERS

1. The committees, as they dispose of their business, shall have the papers relating thereto, delivered to and kept in the general files of the Council for future reference. Committee heads shall submit to the Secretary their committee report and performance evaluations during the General Assembly. 2. The Secretary of the Council shall, within three days after the adjournment of a meeting take charge of keeping and filing all resolutions, petitions and other papers referred to together with all the evidences and reports gather by such committees during sessions, which have not been reported to the Council. At the adjournment of the last meeting of the Council, all papers still in the possession of Committees shall be delivered to and kept in the general files. All papers of confidential nature, as determined by the Committee concerned or the council members, shall be kept in the confidential files. 3. The Secretary shall submit a synopsis of the council meetings, including records of absences and tardiness, to the Philippine Collegian for publication. 4. The Secretary shall post the minutes of the council meetings, including records of absences and tardiness, on the USC Billboard outside the USC Office, and in other venues as may be decided by the Council. 5. Any member of the council who belongs to an organization, fraternity and/or sorority, and which such organization, fraternity and/or sorority becomes involved in any kind of violent incident shall be automatically put under preventive suspension whether or not the said council member had a direct or indirect involvement in the incident. 6. If after a thorough investigation, it was found out that the council member mentioned in the preceding paragraph had a direct involvement in the said violent incident, that council member will be sanctioned in accordance to the gravity of his violation. 7. Violation of these rules which compromise or amounts to acts sanctioned by the Constitution (Art X) shall constitute a ground for suspension or expulsion from the Council, in accordance with the Constitution