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RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE
OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS, MASARYK UNIVERSITY
(As amended with effect from 27th
March 2020)
Part One
Introductory Provisions
Section 1
Basic Provisions
(1) The Rules of Procedure of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk
University (hereinafter referred to as the “Rules”) are internal regulations of the
Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University (hereinafter referred to as the “FF MU”)
pursuant to Section 33(2)(c) of Act No. 111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education and
on Amendments and Supplements to Other Acts (Higher Education Act), as
amended (hereinafter referred to as the “Act”). It is also an internal regulation of
the FF MU Academic Senate (hereinafter referred to as the “FF MU AS"), which is
an autonomous representative University body of the FF MU in accordance with
the Act and the FF MU Statutes and which is governed by Sections 26 and 27 of
the Act and the internal regulations of the FF MU, i.e. the FF MU Statutes, the FF
MU AS Election Regulations, and these Rules.
(2) These Rules regulate, in accordance with the Act and the FF MU internal
regulations, the:
a) performance of the membership and provision of FF MU AS activities,
b) organisation of the FF MU AS,
c) FF MU AS meetings, and
d) documentation of FF MU AS activities and the associated provision of
information.
Part Two
Performance of Membership and the Provision of FF MU AS
Activities
Section 2
Rights and Obligations of Members
(1) Membership in the FF MU AS and the performance of the office of a member of the
FF MU AS cannot be deputised and are incompatible with the office of the Rector,
Vice-Rector, Dean, and Vice-Dean.
(2) A member of the FF MU AS has the right and obligation to attend meetings of the
FF MU AS and its bodies, and actively participate in their activities. In the event of
non-attendance at a meeting, it is obligatory to submit a written apology to the
Chair of the FF MU AS in advance.
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(3) A member of the FF MU AS has the right to submit proposals, motions, and
comments during an FF MU AS meeting, and to request their solution and decide
on them.
(4) The FF MU is obliged to take reasonable measures to ensure this right.
Section 3
Providing for FF MU AS Activities
(1) The necessary administration related to the activities of the FF MU AS is provided
by authorised employees of the FF MU Dean’s Office.
(2) The costs of FF MU AS activities are covered by the FF MU budget.
Part Three
Organisation of the FF MU AS
Section 4
Chambers
(1) The FF MU AS is internally divided into the Academic Staff Chamber and the
Student Chamber.
(2) The chambers of the FF MU AS independently appoint their representatives and
can meet independently and take decisions.
Section 5
Chair and Vice-Chairs
(1) The FF MU AS is headed by the Chair, elected from among the academic staff
members.
(2) The first Vice-Chair of the FF MU AS is the Chair of the Student Chamber. The
Chair of the Academic Staff Chamber is the second Vice-Chair.
(3) The Chair manages the activities and meetings of the FF MU AS, represents the
FF MU AS externally, and performs other duties under these Rules; in particular,
they compile and make available to FF MU AS members the agenda, documents
for meetings, and minutes and other documentation of meetings. In the absence
of the Chair, the Vice-Chairs shall deputise for them in the order set out in
Paragraph 2.
Section 6
Committees
(1) The FF MU AS establishes standing or temporary committees as its consultative
bodies. The committees are established on the date of their establishment and
terminate no later than the date of the constituent meeting of a new FF MU AS.
(2) The standing committees of the FF MU AS are:
a) the Electoral and Mandate Committee,
b) the Legislative Committee,
c) the Finance Committee, and
d) the Conciliation Committee.
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(3) The FF MU AS establishes committees by resolution as necessary, and at the
same time, defines their composition, tasks, and terms of office.
(4) The chairs of committees are selected by the FF MU AS from among the relevant
committee members.
(5) Members of committees may be members of the FF MU academic community, or
other experts on the relevant issue.
(6) A committee constitutes a quorum if at least half of its members are present, and
a resolution is adopted with the consent of the majority of the members present.
The FF MU AS may change the above rule and may establish other rules.
(7) A committee may adopt decisions by postal voting (per rollam) if its chair so
proposes. In such a case, the approval of the majority of all members is required
for the adoption of a resolution.
Part Four
The FF MU AS Meetings
Section 7
FF MU AS Communication Inside and Outside of Meetings
(1) The FF MU AS should inform members of the academic community about its
agenda through the FF MU institutional website.
(2) The bulk e-mail address akademicky.senat@phil.muni.cz is established and
operated for FF MU AS communications.
Section 8
Quorum
(1) The FF MU AS constitutes a quorum in the presence of an absolute majority of all
members. In matters on which the individual chambers of the FF MU AS act and
vote separately (e.g., the election of Vice-Chairs pursuant to Section 19(8)), these
chambers will constitute a quorum in the presence of at least one half of all their
members.
Section 9
Constituent Meeting
(1) The Chair of the FF MU AS elected in the previous electoral term, and in their
absence the relevant Vice-Chair, will convene, and until the election of the new
Chair, preside over the constituent meeting of the FF MU AS. They should convene
the meeting so that it is held no later than two months after the beginning of the
FF MU AS electoral term. The agenda of the constituent meeting should specifically
include a summary report on the results of the elections, the election of the Chair
and Vice-Chairs of the FF MU AS, and the preparations for the establishment of the
standing committees.
Section 10
Regular Meetings
(1) Regular meetings of the FF MU AS should be held at least twice per semester.
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(2) The schedule of regular meetings is approved by the FF MU AS on the proposal of
the Chair, usually a semester in advance. The schedule of meetings is publicly
available.
Section 11
Extraordinary Meetings
(1) An extraordinary meeting of the FF MU AS is convened by the Chair, and in their
absence by the Vice-Chair, at their discretion or upon request of:
a) at least one quarter of all FF MU AS members,
b) the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, or
c) the Rector of MU.
(2) The request for convening an extraordinary meeting of the FF MU AS is submitted
in writing and includes proposed items for discussion. The date of the meeting
should be set by the Chair so that the meeting is held no earlier than three days
after the announcement of the date of the meeting, and no later than fourteen
calendar days after the submission of the request.
Section 12
Submission of a Proposal
(1) Proposals for consideration pursuant to Section 27(1) of the Act (except for letter
(g) – proposal for the appointment or removal of the Dean) should be submitted
by the Dean or a member of the FF MU AS. Submission means the submission of
the proposal, including supporting materials, to the Chair of the FF MU AS, or a
person authorised by them, who is then obliged to immediately forward the
proposal to all FF MU AS members.
(2) Proposals referred to in Paragraph 1 should be submitted no later than 14
calendar days before the relevant meeting. The Chair of the FF MU AS is obliged
to make these proposals available to members of the FF MU academic community
in a manner allowing remote access at least seven calendar days before their
discussion.
(3) Other proposals should be submitted no later than ten calendar days before the
relevant meeting.
(4) The FF MU AS may also discuss proposals submitted after the deadline under
Paragraphs 2 and 3, including proposals submitted directly at the meeting. The
inclusion of proposals submitted after the deadline will be decided by a vote at the
beginning of the FF MU AS meeting when approving the agenda.
(5) If a tabled proposal was not discussed, then it is placed on the agenda of the
earliest following meeting.
Section 13
Agenda of the Meeting
(1) The agenda of the FF MU AS meeting should be prepared and the necessary
documents made available to the FF MU AS members by the Chair no later than
seven calendar days before the meeting.
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(2) Proposals for changes to the agenda are discussed at the beginning of the FF MU
AS meeting. Individual amendments and the overall agenda will be decided by a
vote.
Section 14
Public Meetings
(1) The FF MU AS meetings are public.
Section 15
Guests
(1) The following persons have the right to speak at an FF MU AS meeting whenever
they request it:
a) the Dean or, on their behalf, the Vice-Dean,
b) the Rector or, on their behalf, the Vice-Rector,
c) the Chair of the Masaryk University Academic Senate (hereinafter referred
to as the “MU AS”) or a member of the MU AS authorised by the Chair on
their behalf.
(2) Anyone submitting of a proposal will have the right to speak while the
corresponding proposal is being discussed.
(3) Other persons may speak with the consent of the FF MU AS.
(4) Other persons may be invited to actively participate in the meeting of the FF MU
AS, specifically for the purpose of providing information or interpretation on an
item under discussion, by:
a) the Chair, at their discretion or on the initiative of a member of the FF MU
AS,
b) the person submitting the proposal under discussion, with the agreement of
the Chair.
Section 16
Resolutions
(1) The FF MU AS will decide on each proposal by a vote. Proposals should be voted
on in the order set out in the agenda. If amendments are submitted, then they
should be voted on first, in reverse order.
(2) A resolution shall be adopted if the majority of the members present are in favour
of it, unless otherwise provided by the Act or these Rules.
(3) A resolution on internal regulations of the FF MU AS, and a resolution on a matter
for which the FF MU AS decides it should be the case, is adopted if an absolute
majority of all members have voted in favour of it, unless otherwise provided by
the Act.
(4) Rules for the election of the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the FF MU AS are regulated
in Section 19.
(5) The rules for the election of the Dean of the FF MU are regulated in Section 20.
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Section 17
Public Voting
(1) Public voting in the FF MU AS will be conducted by a show of hands or through the
use of a voting machine.
(2) When voting on a procedure, the count may be waived, and the decision taken by
acclamation.
Section 18
Secret Ballot and Roll Call Voting
(1) The FF MU AS votes by secret ballot in matters specified by the Act, the FF MU
Statutes, or these Rules.
(2) A secret ballot should always be taken in the following cases:
a) in the election or removal of the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the FF MU AS ,
b) when considering a proposal for the appointment or removal of the Dean of
the FF MU, and
c) when commenting on the Dean’s intention to appoint or remove the FF MU
Vice-Deans.
(3) A secret ballot or a roll call vote is taken on the proposal of a member of the FF
MU AS, if at least one third of those present agree.
(4) Voting should be done by secret ballot or through the use of a voting machine. A
roll call vote shall be recorded in the minutes.
Section 19
Election of the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the FF MU AS
(1) The election of the Chair and the two Vice-Chairs will be conducted by secret
ballot in accordance with Section 18.
(2) The election will be conducted by an electoral committee set up for that purpose,
which should be composed of at least three members, one of whom must be a
representative of the Student Chamber, and which should elect a Chair from
among its members.
(3) Any member of the FF MU AS can submit proposals for the Chair. Based on these
submissions, the electoral committee will draw up a list of candidates and the
candidates will then be presented to the FF MU AS.
(4) The candidate for the Chair who receives an absolute majority of the votes of all
FF MU AS members is elected as the Chair. If there is only one candidate for the
position of the Chair, then it is sufficient for them to receive an absolute majority
of votes of FF MU AS members who are present.
(5) If no-one is elected in the first round, then the election should be repeated, with
the proviso that it is sufficient for being elected in the second round if the
candidate receives an absolute majority of votes of FF MU AS members who are
present. If there is more than one candidate, the two candidates with the highest
number of votes (even if they are the only candidates) shall advance to the
second round; in the event of a tie for first or second place, all candidates soranked
may advance to the next round.
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(6) If no one is elected in the second round, then the two candidates may proceed to
the third round in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph.
(7) If no one is elected in the third round, then the election should be repeated at the
next/alternate date.
(8) For the election of Vice-Chairs, the same provisions apply as for the election of
the Chair, whereas the Vice-Chairs are elected by each chamber independently
and require an absolute majority of all members of the respective chamber to be
elected. If there is only one candidate for the position of Vice-Chair, then it is
sufficient for their election that they receive an absolute majority of votes of the
members of the respective FF MU AS chamber who are present.
(9) Removing the Chair requires at least a three-fifths majority of all FF MU AS
members.
(10) A majority of at least three-fifths of all members of the relevant chamber is
required to remove the Vice-Chair.
Section 20
Discussion on the Proposal for Appointing the Dean of the Faculty of Arts
(1) The FF MU AS will decide on the proposal for the appointment of the Dean by
secret ballot.
(2) The results of the election should be submitted by the FF MU AS Chair to the MU
Rector no later than one month before the end of the term of office of the current
Dean.
(3) The election should be prepared and managed by the electoral committee. The
electoral committee, after discussion in the FF MU AS, must inform the FF MU
academic community of the rules for submitting nominations for the office of the
Dean no later than three months before the expiry of the term of office of the
current Dean.
(4) The announcement of the election, the acceptance of candidates, and the date of
the FF MU AS meeting for which a decision on the proposal for the appointment of
the Dean should be communicated by the Chair of the FF MU AS to the MU Rector,
who is entitled to attend the meeting.
(5) The candidates will present themselves to the FF MU academic community at a
public meeting of the FF MU AS where they will present their programme and
introduce their prospective Vice-Deans. The public meeting should be held at least
seven calendar days before the election.
(6) The candidate who receives an absolute majority of votes of all FF MU AS
members will be elected.
(7) If no one is elected in the first round, then the election will be repeated. If there
is more than one candidate, then the two candidates with the highest number of
votes may proceed to the second round; in the event of a tie for first or second
place, all candidates so-ranked may proceed to the next round.
(8) If no one is elected in the second round, then the election is repeated at a later
date, usually a week later.
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(9) If no one is elected in the third round, then the electoral committee should
prepare a new election no sooner than one month after the last round of the
previous unsuccessful election.
(10) A motion to remove the Dean requires at least a three-fifths majority of all FF MU
AS members.
Section 21
Disagreement of the Dean with a Resolution
(1) The Dean may choose not to implement a resolution of the FF MU AS with which
they disagree, and this fact should be made known, without undue delay, to the
Chair of the FF MU AS with proper justification. In such a case, the FF MU AS shall
discuss the matter again without undue delay. The consent of at least a three-fifths
majority of all FF MU AS members is required for the resolution on such matter to
be adopted again.
Part Five
Documentation of FF MU AS Activities
Section 22
Minutes of the FF MU AS Meeting
(1) The minutes of meetings should be published in a manner allowing remote access
within fourteen calendar days of the relevant meeting.
(2) The minutes should summarise the proceedings, the opinions expressed in the
debate, and the individual resolutions, including the manner and results of voting.
Documents annexed to the minutes should include the approved rules and any
other relevant documents.
(3) The minutes are taken by a recorder authorised by the Chair of the FF MU AS. The
FF MU AS Chair is responsible for the final form of the minutes.
(4) An electronic version of the minutes should be made available to FF MU AS
members within seven calendar days of the meeting. Each member of the FF MU
AS has the right to comment on the minutes within three calendar days of their
availability. FF MU AS members should be promptly informed of the manner in
which the comments have been dealt with.
(5) The IS MU will be used to keep records of individual documents and files.
Part Six
Transitional and Final Provisions
Section 23
Interpretative Provisions
(1) The majority of all members should be calculated from the number of mandates, as
set out in Section 9(2) of the FF MU Statutes.
Section 24
Final Provisions
(1) The Rules of Procedure of the FF MU AS of 15th
May 2017 are hereby repealed.
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(2) Pursuant to Section 27(1)(b) of the Act, these Rules of Procedure of the FF MU AS
were approved by the FF MU AS on 27th
January 2020.
(3) Pursuant to Section 9(1)(b) of the Act, these Rules of Procedure of the FF MU AS
were approved by the MU AS on 2nd
March 2020.
(4) These Rules of Procedure of the FF MU AS will come into force on the date of
approval by the MU AS.
(5) Pursuant to Section 33(5) of the Act, these Rules of Procedure of the FF MU AS
will come into effect on the date of publication in the public part of the FF MU
website.
Prof. PhDr. Milan Pol, CSc.
Dean