TITLE I: NAME
Article 1: NAME OF THE ORGANISATION
Erasmus+ Organization for Cooperation, Exchange, and Networking: Student & Alumni Network of International Exchange Programmes is abbreviated as OCEANS Network, OCEANS and E+ OCEANS, and is hereinafter referred to as OCEANS.
TITLE II: VISION, MISSION AND CORE VALUES
Article 2: VISION
OCEANS envision being the leading organisation for international cooperation, exchange and networking among International Credit Mobility students and alumni of the Erasmus+ programme.
Article 3: MISSION
OCEANS’ mission is to provide a platform for personal and professional development and to promote exchange through networking, communication and collaboration.
Article 4: CORE VALUES
SECTION 1: OCEANS is grounded on the core values of equality, mutual understanding, tolerance, and progressiveness.
1.1 Excellence
OCEANS members value and commit to achieving excellence through our work. With volunteerism as the bedrock of our organisation, we offer our expertise, knowledge and skills to provide to our members and partners with inclusive, quality services. We seek to have a positive impact at local, national and international level.
1.2 Respect
As members of an international community, we value respect in interactions. We come from diverse backgrounds and respect each and every one’s singularities. As we work towards building strong international cooperation, OCEANS member are expected to showcase understanding and acceptance as well as embrace the individual differences that exist within and outside the organisation.
1.3 Accountability
As volunteers, we are accountable for every action and decision we take on behalf of OCEANS. Embracing and integrating accountability into everything we do, individually and collectively, honour our commitments and upholds the reputation of the organisation. We take ownership of our work and strive to deliver excellence, always focusing on finding sustainable solutions. As reliable members of the organisation, we take responsibility to timely accomplish our work with the highest quality possible.
1.4 Progressiveness
As global citizens, we continue to aspire for OCEANS and our communities to progress and develop, adapting to the changes of the times. We give value to internationalisation, sustainable development, and celebrating diversity. As students and alumni of international exchanges, we utilise our knowledge, talents and skills in pursuing innovation and creativity that will serve the interests of every OCEANS member and our respective communities.
SECTION 2: The organisation adheres to the principles enshrined within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All members have the right to not be discriminated against based on any ground such as gender, race, religion, ethnicity or social origin. All members must adhere to these principles, which are essential in building an inclusive organisation.
TITLE III: STRUCTURE
Article 5: ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
SECTION 1: OCEANS shall have the following governing bodies (as defined in Title V & VII):
- a. Annual General Meeting (AGM)
- b. Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)
- c. The Board
SECTION 2: OCEANS shall further be structured into the following Departments (as defined in Title VIII):
- a. Communications
- b. Community Development
- c. Project Activity
- d. International Affairs
- e. Internal Affairs
Article 6: TIMELINE
For the purpose of these statutes, “one year” is defined as twelve (12) months between two consecutive Handover meetings, which may be shorter or longer than twelve months, but shall not be less than nine (9) months or longer than fifteen (15) months.
TITLE IV: MEMBERSHIP OF THE ORGANISATION
Article 7: GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
Students and alumni of Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility (ICM), and legacy mobilities prior to 2014 and the creation of Erasmus+ are eligible to become regular members of OCEANS.
Article 8: RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF A MEMBER
SECTION 1: A member can:
- a. Apply for a position in the Board;
- b. Vote in elections;
- c. Attend the AGM;
- d. Convene an extraordinary meeting as provided in Article 11.
SECTION 2: Every member shall:
- a. Respect the Statutes, Rules of Procedure, code of conduct, and all official documents;
- b. Provide truthful information, to keep their online membership profile updated;
- c. Help to promote and attain the goals of the organisation.
Article 9: TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1: Any member may cancel their membership at any time by sending a written notice by email to the Board. The membership is immediately cancelled following the sending of the notice.
SECTION 2: OCEANS may cancel a membership at any time by an unanimous decision of the Board, provided indisputable evidence is presented that the individual has grossly violated in speech, or action, the core values of the organisation (as defined in Title II) or has severely damaged the reputation or interests of the organisation. The member in question has to be informed about the vote on the membership cancellation at least three (3) days before the decision is taken.
TITLE V: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) AND EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING (EGM)
Article 10: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
SECTION 1: The AGM is the highest policy-making body of the organisation. It shall determine the policies and direction of the organisation. The AGM and the EGM shall have the sole power to vote the OCEANS statutes amendments.
SECTION 2: The AGM is composed of all regular members of the organisation who attend the AGM in person or online.
SECTION 3: The AGM shall be convened each year no later than the end of August. It shall be presided over by the President.
SECTION 4: The principle of one member-one vote shall be followed in all deliberations of the AGM.
SECTION 5: Decisions of the AGM shall be made by an absolute majority (50%+1) of all votes casted.
SECTION 6: The Board announces the AGM to all OCEANS members at least four (4) months prior to the meeting.
SECTION 7: The Board is responsible for the selection of those members that will be invited to attend the AGM in person.
SECTION 8: In person participants are required to participate in the entire AGM.
SECTION 9: The AGM shall take place in a location within the European Union.
SECTION 10: Minutes shall be drawn up at each AGM. These shall be approved by the Board and kept in OCEANS’ archives. The minutes shall be published on the official website and other relevant platforms of the organisation within four (4) weeks of the conclusion of the AGM.
Article 11: EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING
SECTION 1: An EGM shall be organised if the Board decides to do so or if at least ten (10) OCEANS members request it.
SECTION 2: The EGM shall be organised within 4 weeks from the moment the Board has taken the decision or the request by at least ten (10) members has been submitted to the Board.
SECTION 3: An EGM is fully equivalent to an AGM. All provisions in these statutes related to the AGM shall therefore also apply to the EGM.
TITLE VI: THE BOARD ELECTIONS
Article 12: PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENT ELECTIONS
SECTION 1: The Commission on Presidential Elections is responsible for conducting the President and Vice-President elections. The Commission shall be composed of a Director and a Deputy Director appointed by the Board.
SECTION 2: The President and Vice-President elections shall be conducted in a timeframe within one year.
SECTION 3: The candidates for the President and Vice-President positions should present them-selves to the members of the organisation in an online Town Hall Meeting arranged by the Commission on Presidential Elections at least two (2) weeks prior to the start of casting votes.
SECTION 4: The candidates for the President and Vice-President positions receiving an absolute majority of all casted votes (50%+1) shall be proclaimed elected. In case the position remains vacant after a first round, a second round (run-off) shall be organised between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.
SECTION 5: The President and Vice-President shall have a term of one (1) year which shall begin on the occasion of the Handover meeting.
SECTION 6: The President and Vice-President can only hold one position in the organisation.
Article 13: HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS ELECTIONS
SECTION 1: The President and Vice-President shall be responsible for conducting the Heads of Departments elections.
SECTION 2: The Heads of Departments elections shall be conducted after the President and Vice-President elections and in a timeframe within one year.
SECTION 3: The candidate for the respective Head of Department position receiving a simple majority of all casted votes shall be proclaimed elected.
SECTION 4: The Head of Department shall have a term of one (1) year which shall begin on the occasion of the Handover meeting.
SECTION 5: The Head of Department shall hold only one position in the organisation.
Article 14: GENERAL RULES ON ELECTIONS AND PROCEDURES
SECTION 1: All members are entitled to one (1) vote per position being elected.
SECTION 2: Voting shall be made by secret ballot in the Online Community Portal.
SECTION 3: Voting on the President and Vice-President elections is open to all members. And voting on the Heads of Departments elections is open to the members of the respective Departments for which the positions are being elected.
SECTION 4: The completion of the Board elections shall be followed by organizing a Handover meeting in which the outgoing Board hands over to the incoming Board.
SECTION 5: The total number of terms a member can serve on the Board is two (2).
SECTION 6: Additional elections’ procedures are defined in the Rules of Procedure.
Article 15: VACANCIES
SECTION 1: A vacancy arises due to absence (over two months without formal communication and justification), death or resignation.
SECTION 2: In case of a vacancy in the position of the President, the Vice President shall automatically serve as President for the duration of the unexpired term.
SECTION 3: In case of a vacancy in the position of the Vice-President, the President shall cover the role of the Vice-President for the duration of the unexpired term.
SECTION 4: In case of a vacancy in the position of the Head of Department, an election within a month from the moment the position becomes vacant shall be conducted by the Board to fill the respective positon for the remainder of the term.
TITLE VII: THE BOARD
Article 16: COMPOSITION AND RESPONSIBILITIES
SECTION 1: The Board shall comprise the President, Vice-President, and the Heads of the Departments.
SECTION 2: OCEANS has an objective to ensure gender and geographical balance within the representatives of the organization, especially the Board.
SECTION 3: The Board shall be responsible for overseeing the functioning of OCEANS and shall be responsible for the daily management, administration, and representation of the organisation.
SECTION 4: The Board shall ensure compliance with all the statutory obligations and safeguard all corporate, legal documents and records of the organisation.
Article 17: PRESIDENT
SECTION 1: The President is the primary representative of the organisation in all its affairs, in particular regarding the cooperation with the European Commission's Directorate General for Education and Culture (EACEA) and the Erasmus+ Student and Alumni Alliance (ESAA) Service Provider (SP).
SECTION 2: The President is, with the assistance of the Board, responsible for ensuring the overall performance and regular operation of the organisation. The detailed duties of the President are described in the Rules of Procedure.
Article 18: VICE-PRESIDENT
SECTION 1: The Vice-President supports the work of the President.
SECTION 2: The Vice-President represents OCEANS in the ESAA Liaison Group.
SECTION 3: The Vice-President is responsible for reviewing the annual plans and making a follow up during the respective implementation periods.
SECTION 4: In case of the President's absence, the Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President. The detailed duties of the Vice-President are described in the Rules of Procedure.
Article 19: HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS
SECTION 1: Each Department is headed by a Head.
SECTION 2: The Heads shall appoint Deputy-Heads to assist them
SECTION 3: In case of the Head’s absence, the Deputy-Head shall temporarily replaces them and assume their duties.
SECTION 4: The Heads are responsible for ensuring the overall performance of the Departments and act as a nexus between the Board and each Department. The detailed duties of the Heads of Departments are described in the Rules of Procedure.
TITLE VIII: DEPARTMENTS AND OTHER UNITS
Article 20: NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS
There are five (5) Departments serve for the well-functioning of the organisation, namely: Communications, Community Development, Project Activity, International Affairs, and Internal Affairs.
Article 21: MEMBERSHIP IN DEPARTMENTS
SECTION 1: Membership in Departments is subject to an application process in the Online Community Portal.
SECTION 2: Membership applications shall be reviewed and approved by the Heads of the concerned Departments to which such applications are submitted.
SECTION 3: The Heads have the right to regularly revise membership in their Departments for the sake of an effective functioning of them.
Article 22: NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
SECTION 1: There shall be National Representatives to represent OCEANS in their countries.
SECTION 2: The National Representatives belong to the International Affairs Department.
SECTION 3: The National Representatives’ selection shall be conducted by the Head of the International Affairs Department.
SECTION 4: The selection criteria shall be defined in a separate document.
Article 23: ADVISORY COMMITTEE
SECTION 1: An Advisory Committee shall support the Board on a consultative basis related to the strategic decisions and operational processes of the organisation.
SECTION 2: The Advisory Committee shall be composed of OCEANS members who have held a position in the Board as President or Vice-President.
SECTION 3: Members who are interested to serve in the Advisory Committee shall confirm their roles by writing an email to the Board.
SECTION 4: The Advisory Committee may participate in the Board meetings.
SECTION 5: The Advisory Committee does not have voting rights.
TITLE IX: OCEANS IN ESAA
Article 24: REPRESENTATION
SECTION 1: OCEANS shall be represented to ESAA.
SECTION 2: OCEANS representation to ESAA shall be through the ESAA Liaison Group.
TITLE X: THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Article 25: RELATIONSHIP
SECTION 1: OCEANS recognises the role and support provided by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), in particular the services provided via the ESAA SP.
SECTION 2: The European Commission (EC) shall, when relevant, be invited to attend and speak at the organisation’s meetings and receive meeting minutes and other documentation.
SECTION 3: The EC may mandate an SP to attend and speak at OCEANS’ meetings on the EC’s behalf. Neither the EC nor the SP has voting rights when attending such meetings.
TITLE XI: FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 26: STATUTE AMENDMENTS AND ADOPTION
SECTION 1: Any member that has the support of two other members has the right to propose amendment(s) to the statutes by formulating a concrete and specific proposal and sending it by email to the Board. The proposal shall include the reason(s) for the proposed amendment(s) as well as the names and contacts of the members proposing them.
SECTION 2: After the Board receives an amendment proposal, it shall submit it to a vote at either the following AGM (for non-urgent matters) or calling an EGM (for urgent matters).
SECTION 3: An amendment proposal voted upon at an AGM or EGM have to be made available to all OCEANS members at least two (2) weeks before the respective meeting. On an exceptional basis, proposals may also be submitted at a later time, including during an AGM or EGM, if they have the support of at least 5 members.
SECTION 4: To be approved, an amendment proposal shall receive a positive vote of two-thirds majority (2⁄3) of all casted votes.
SECTION 5: Amendments to the statutes are counted from the time of their approval and enter into immediate effect thereby.
SECTION 6: As long as the EC remains the main sponsor of the organisation, ratification to an amendment proposal needs to be consulted with the EC prior to voting. The EC shall respond to all relevant correspondences on this purpose at the appropriate time.
Article 27: RULES OF PROCEDURE
The Rules of Procedure define supplemental practicalities related to the work of the organisation. Amendments to the Rules of Procedure are done following the same procedures as those for amending the statutes.
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.