H.S.A.G. Rules & Regulations
Art.1: Name and Location Base
The association has the name “Hellenic Student Association Groningen”, hereinafter to be called HSAG
It has its seat in the city of Groningen, The Netherlands
HSAG is a non-profit1 organization and a non-political2 institution managed by its student members
Art.2: The Purpose
Promotion of the Hellenic culture through events and activities
Helping new students adjust and socialize
Helping its members with questions and problems that may arise during their studies in Groningen
Giving back to the community in Groningen through voluntary activities
Art. 3: The Membership
HSAG is comprised out of a six member Board, several Committees and Teams, hereinafter to be referred to as entities, the Faculty Ambassadors, Non-active members, the Friends of HSAG, General Advisors and the Board of Advisors
To be eligible for a membership a person must be a student at a higher level academic institution in the city of Groningen
A member is admitted after submitting the HSAGs online membership form and after paying the annual membership fee
The Treasurer of the HSAG Board will keep a register of members up-to-date
Membership of HSAG is personal and non-transferable
Art. 4: Becoming an Active Member
A member can become Active after sending an application, followed by an interview, held by one of the Board members of the corresponding committee and at least one Board member, and the Boards’ decision in collaboration with that Chairperson
All Active members are expected to commit to the responsibilities that correspond to their position within HSAG in accordance with Art. 8-13 and the Internal Functioning Guidelines
Art. 5: Cessation of Membership or Active position
Membership will cease:
a. On the volition of the member
b. Automatically at the end of an academic year
c. By expulsion
d. Passing away of the member
Resignation of non-active members can be affected by sending a written notification to the HSAG official email
An intervention is held by the Chairperson with the help of the Internal Affairs Manager of an entity or the Board, with Active members within that entity or the Board, respectively, that fail to fulfill their responsibilities
If the intervention is deemed unsuccessful by the Chairperson of the entity and the Board then the member will be suspended from its position within that entity or the Board and become a non-active member
Nullification of the membership may be decided in cases where a member acts or has acted in conflict with the articles and values of HSAG, or when the member has inflicted damages to HSAG
Nullification, which is decided by the Board, will be notified and explained to the member immediately in person
When a membership starts after the beginning of the academic year or is terminated before the end of the academic year, the full membership fee for that year will be due and has to be paid by the member
If a Board member has to resign their position then they have to:
a. Assign their replacement until the Board finds someone to officially take over their position
b. Submit their resignation at least two weeks prior to starting the process of handing over their responsibilities to the new Board member
c. The resigning Board member is responsible to fully inform the new Board member about the current matters relating to their position and help them coordinate their responsibilities, when deemed necessary during the first weeks of their placement
Art. 6: The Finances
1. The financial resources of HSAG may consist of:
d. Annual membership fees
e. Donations
f. Sponsorships
g. HSAG Events
h. University funding
i. Other sources
2. Every member and Friend of HSAG will pay an annual fee to HSAG as evidence of their membership, which will be confirmed by an official email from HSAG
3. The exact membership fee will be fixed by the Board every year
Art. 7: The Board
1. The Board has the duty of managing HSAG in accordance with Art.8
2. The Board will consist out of six people; the President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Internal Affairs Manager, the External Affairs Manager and the Public Relations Manager
3. To be eligible for a Board position a person must:
a. Be an official member of HSAG
b. Have been part of a Committee or a Team of HSAG for at least one full academic year or have been a part of a Board in another organization beforehand
c. In the case that the Board does not find a person from this pool of candidates that is suitable for the available position, they are allowed to interview people from a wider selection pool
4. The members of the Board will be chosen by a specific selection procedure which consists of:
a. Applying for a specific position within the Board
b. Being interviewed by the previous Board
c. The decision of the board together with the majority of Votes of Trust from the entity Boards
5. Responsible for the creation of the Annual HSAG Report in accordance to the Internal Functioning Guidelines
Art. 8: Representation
The Board will administer the main affairs of HSAG
Each Board member has specific responsibilities:
a. President:
i. Presiding over the Board meetings and in their absence one of the other Board members may serve as Chairperson
ii. Leading and coordinating the board to carry out its functions
iii. Assuring ongoing recruitment, development, and contributions of Board members
iv. Ensures the smooth flow of the board meetings
v. Available to Board and all other members of HSAG when needed
vi. Has a holistic understanding of each of the roles and responsibilities
vii. Contact with legal persons and in charge of paperwork for HSAG
viii. Open to communication and encourages continuous improvement and development of the members
ix. Communicates the vision and goals of HSAG
x. In case of a tie in votes during the Board’s decision making process they hold two votes
b. Secretary:
i. Send weekly Board meeting updates to the entities on the designated channel
ii. Ensure the proper organization of the HSAG e-mail and Google Drive while regulating who has access to them
iii. Writing and sending the monthly Newsletter
iv. Writing the Annual HSAG Report in collaboration with the other Board members when needed
v. Minuting what is discussed during the Board meetings, and these minutes will be presented as agenda items of the following meetings
vi. Replying to and sending emails from the HSAG email account
vii. Organize committee members interviews
viii. Organize the meetings of the Board with the Board of Advisors
c. Treasurer:
i. Management of the finances of the association
ii. In charge of the financial planning
iii. Division of the budget according to needs and priorities of HSAG
iv. Management of the bank account
v. Contact with the bank whenever necessary
vi. Preside the Treasurers of the Entity Boards
vii. Ensuring constant communication with the External Affairs Manager about the financial aspects of their responsibilities
viii. The Treasurer of the HSAG Board will keep a register of members up-to-date
d. Internal Affairs Manager:
i. Ensuring and monitoring the sound and effective function of the HSAG entities and their Boards
ii. Developing and maintaining good communication within and between the entities and the Board
iii. Organizing the team building and bonding activities within the Active member community
iv. Assessing the performance of the entities
v. Setting priorities and creating agendas for Board meetings
vi. Writing and amending the Rules and Regulations of HSAG and Internal Functioning Guidelines
vii. Acting as the “Safe Person” in the case of conflict or misconduct of an active or non-active member within HSAG with the goal of effective problem resolution
e. External Affairs Manager:
i. Ensuring effective external communications about the organization and its goals, activities, programs and priorities
ii. Creating and maintaining good relationships with sponsors
iii. Contacting establishments for the closure of deals and offers
iv. Ensuring good and stable relationships with other associations and organizations in cooperation with the Public Relations Manager
f. Public Relations Manager:
i. In charge of all Official HSAG social media accounts
ii. Management of all media content
iii. Ensuring correct and effective event advertising and sponsor promotions
iv. Ensuring good and stable relationships with other associations and organizations in cooperation with the External Affairs Manager
Art. 9: Board Decision Making
Each member has one vote with the exception of the President, which has two votes in case of a tie
Each member has the right to a veto with the exception of the nullification of a Board position
Nullification of the Board position may be decided in cases where a member acts or has acted in conflict with the articles and values of HSAG, or when the member has inflicted damages to HSAG or their passing away.
Nullification, which is decided only by a majority vote of the Board, will be notified to the member immediately in person
Art. 10: Structure and Responsibilities of HSAG Entities
Each Entity consists out of:
A three member Board which includes a Chairperson, a Secretary and a Treasurer
A maximum of 10 and a minimum of 5 active members, including their Board with exceptions being made only when both the Board and the Entity Board agree that more or less members are needed in order for the entity to function effectively
Chairperson’s responsibilities consist out of:
Presiding over the Entity Meetings and in their absence one of the other Board members may serve as Chairperson
Leading and coordinating the entity to carry out its functions
Collaborating with the entity Secretary in the development of the meeting Agendas
Ensures the smooth flow of the meetings
Available to the entities’ members when needed
Open to communication and encourages continuous improvement, contribution and development of the members
Ensures constant and effective communication with the Internal Affairs Manager and the rest of the Board when needed
Ensures effective communication with other Chairpeople of HSAG whenever deemed necessary
Holding an intervention with committee members that fail to fulfill their responsibilities in cooperation with the Board
If the intervention is deemed unsuccessful, by the Board and the Chairperson, then the Chairperson ensures the suspension of the member from its position within the entity
3. The Secretaries’ responsibilities consist out of:
Creating the Agendas for the meetings in collaboration with the Chairperson to ensure the smooth low and structure of the meetings
Minuting what is discussed during the meetings, and these minutes will be presented as agenda items of the following meetings
Send the Entities’ meeting updates on the designated channel
Ensure the proper organization of the Entities’ email account and Google Drive Folder and regulate who has access to them
4. The Treasurer’s responsibilities consist out of:
Collaboration with the HSAG Board Treasurer and Internal Affairs Manager
Financial planning
Division of budget according to needs and priorities of the entity
Communication and collaboration with the HSAG Board Treasurer
Art. 11: Communication between the Board and the HSAG entities
All Secretaries will share the main updates of their corresponding meetings in the designated Channel based on the Internal Functioning Guidelines
The Internal Affairs Manager will be in constant communication with the Chairpeople, Secretaries and Treasurers of all the entities through specifically designated channels
The Board has access to all Google Drive Folders of the entities to be able to ensure and monitor their sound and effective function
When a member has information and insight that is useful for one of the other entities, they should send it directly to the Internal Affairs Manager, which will ensure the transfer of the information
If a member of any of the entities believes that there has been some kind of misconduct they can contact directly the Chairperson of the entity they belong to or the Internal Affairs Officer, which also acts as the Safe Person of HSAG
The Board members are encouraged to join any entities meeting when communicated with the entity in advance
Art. 12: Faculty Ambassadors
Should be characterized by their active social involvement in their corresponding faculties and field of studies
Promotes HSAGs events, activities, social media and goals
Needs to have a well-rounded understanding and incite about the corresponding demands and requirements of their faculty and field of study
Is able to provide information about HSAG to members and non-members
Ensure constant communication and collaboration with the Public Relations and Internal Affairs Managers
Art. 13: General Advisors
1. Comprised of official members of HSAG
2. Collaborate directly with the Board or the Entities themselves
3. Their main role consists of providing advice, guidance and help upon request from the Board or any of the Entities
Art. 14: Board of Advisors
Comprised of members or non-members of HSAG
Provides advice to HSAG on its activities, events, outreach, structure and communication in order to ensure its effective and smooth functioning
Art. 15: Friends of HSAG
Non-members that want to contribute to and be involved with HSAG
A friend is admitted after submitting the HSAG online form and after paying the annual fee or making a donation
The minimum amount for a donation is the Friend annual contribution
Friends of HSAG have the same benefits as the members of HSAG
Communication between the Friends and HSAG will be conducted through the official HSAG email and social media accounts
Art. 16: Amendments of the Rules and Regulations and Internal Functioning Guidelines
Any member of HSAG can propose changes to the HSAG Rules and Regulations
All proposals should be submitted to the Board, which will review them and decide whether or not to implement them
When the Board decided to make any changes in the Rules and Regulations, it has the obligation to inform all of HSAGs members
Glossary:
Non-profit organization: no intended to make profit, but to make money for a social purpose and/or provide a service that people need
Non-political institution: not having and/or expressing an opinion about politics and having no relationship with politics and political parties
Active member: any member that is part of an HSAG entity, the HSAG Board, is a General Advisor of HSAG
Non-active member: any member that does not hold any of the aforementioned positions within HSAG
Board: the official six member board of HSAG
Committee Board: the official three member board of each committee
Vote of Confidence: a single vote that represents the Board of every committee of HSAG, showing the support of committees for the candidate taking over the available Board position
