About TiU-International

Article 1 – Mission statement

TiU International aims to promote international perspectives in decision-making at Tilburg University, acknowledging the different environments faced by the various Schools, and taking into account the local context. Its actions are inspired by its Core Values. The main channels it employs are TiU’s Participatory Councils (Medezeggenschapsorganen) at the central (Universiteitsraad) and School/Service (Faculteitsraden and Dienstraden) level.

Article 2 – Membership

Membership of TiU International is open to all Tilburg University employees. Members can vote in the Members’ Meeting and be elected to party bodies. Membership can be obtained or canceled anytime by emailing the Board. The Board can decide to propose to the Members’ Meeting to cancel the membership of those who act against the purposes or interests of TiU International.

Article 3 – Members’ Meeting

The Members’ Meeting is the highest authority in TiU International. Members’ Meetings are organized at least twice a year by the Board and are announced at least two weeks in advance via the mailing list.

By default, decisions in the Members’ Meeting are taken by simple majority voting of those present. A qualified majority of two thirds of those present is required to adopt the following decisions:  (i) amendments of the Core Values, (ii) changes to TiU International Regulations. Voting about individuals is always sealed.

Proxy voting can be allowed by the Board, either for specific votes or on an ongoing basis. Electronic voting may be introduced in the future. In case either system is adopted, the majority will be computed on all those having voted in a particular vote, including abstentions.

Article 4 – Core values

The Members’ Meeting decides on TiU International Core Values. These Core Values spell out the standards that TiU International wants to respect and strives to see respected by Tilburg University.

Article 5 – The Board

a. The TiU International Board consists of three or five members, including a chair. The board is elected for two-year periods by the Members’ Meeting. Candidate chairs have the option of running with an entire board, or individually. In the latter case board members will be voted on individually as well. Board members can serve a maximum of three terms in a row. If a Board member leaves during the Board’s term, the chair co-opts a replacement board member, who has to be approved by the next Members’ Meeting; if the Meeting does not approve, then anybody can declare him/herself a candidate and a vote is immediately held. If the chair leaves during his or her term, a new chair will be elected by the Members’ Meeting, where it will be decided whether the rest of the Board will be renewed or not.

b. In order to deliver effective actions: (i) the Board will involve the council representatives in its activities; (ii) the representatives keep the Board informed of the activities in the Councils.

c. The Board’s responsibilities, which may be delegated to committees, are to:

• manage the list of members
• organize and prepare Members’ Meetings
• organize daily activities, including:
  • informal meetings
  • appointment of  committees to deal with specific issues
  • delegation of specific tasks to individual members
• propose lists of candidates for Tilburg University elections to the Members’ Meeting
• coordinate election programs across Tilburg University elections
• check that election programs satisfy the Mission statement
• ensure a steady flow of information between members and representatives in the University’s and Schools’ and Services’ Participatory Councils
• coordinate the campaigning for elections.

Article 6 – Council representatives

Council representatives are those elected into Tilburg University councils under the heading of TiU International. Representatives are expected to strive for accomplishing the TiU International mission. Representatives are expected to support the Board’s task to inform the members about council debates and they are expected to take input of members seriously. However, ultimately they are free in their voting behavior in councils. Representatives can serve a maximum of three terms in a row in a particular council under the heading of TiU International. 

Article 7 – Participating in elections

The Members’ Meeting can decide that TiU International participates in a particular Tilburg University election. If so, the Members’ Meeting decides on the program for participation and on the list of representatives put up for the election.

a. Deciding on the list of representatives

The Board proposes a list of candidates for a particular election to the Members’ Meeting. The Board prepares the list after consulting all elected representatives of the relevant Council and taking their input into account. The proposed list, which ranks the representatives as they will appear on the list, needs to be accepted by the Members’ Meeting through simple majority voting.

If rejected, the Board proposes a new list to the members through e-mail. If this new list is rejected, again by simple majority voting, then a new meeting will be called. At this meeting, a ranking vote among all members who declare themselves candidates is held using a simple Borda count.

b. Program and Campaign

The candidates on a list for a particular election commit to actively contributing to the election campaign. In coordination with the Board, the candidates put forward an election program for a particular election. The Board checks whether the election program satisfies the Mission statement and coordinates the formation of election programs across lists.  

In case the candidates and the Board do not agree on the election program, the Board will propose amendments. Those amendment is decided upon by majority voting among all members present at the Members’ meeting that are entitled to vote in the particular election.