Councils are freely elected bodies representing the voice of the students and providing leadership in assisting and organizing activities for all university students. There are opportunities for any student to serve as a member of the Council. Both graduate and undergraduate students of all programs who interested in being considered for membership on the Student Council should apply to the Deanship of Student Affairs (DSA), expressing their desire to run and their visions and programs for students. USTF organize election of two single-gender student councils, one for male students and the other for female students, every academic year. Each student council consists of 15 full-time student members, who are all chosen through campus-wide elections. The Student Council mission is to represent the students and give them the opportunity to communicate their views, suggestions, concerns, and complaints to the Higher Management. The Student Council also contributes to the provision of resources for the various student organizations and clubs, offering guidance and support to build a generation that is established on the notions of teamwork, dedication, and responsibility.
Council Election
Article 1:
All the Student Council members are chosen through campus-wide elections by means of a secret ballot on the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS).
Article 2:
The candidate running for Student Council (SC) membership shall satisfy the following conditions:
Be a regular student of USTF.
Be not younger than 18 years of age.
Be of good conduct and sound reputation.
Must not have been convicted of any felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude or dishonesty.
Article 3:
The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (VCAA) shall form the Student Councils Election Committee, including members of the Deanship of Student Affairs (DSA), in addition to a legal consultant from the College of Law. The Committee shall carry out the following responsibilities:
Organizing and supervising the election process.
Setting a timeframe for submitting candidatures.
Receiving candidatures from interested students.
Reviewing candidatures to ensure that all conditions stated in (2) above are satisfied.
Considering and adjudicating appeals filed by or against any of the candidates.
Publicizing the list of candidates and posting it on the university webpage.(www.ustf.ac.ae Page 41 ) University Catalogv
Establishing rules and procedures for constituting the electorate.
Fixing the election date and announcing the method of voting.
Article 4:
The Student Councils campaigns and elections are held electronically. The voter needs to visit the e-vote link on the day following the election to select the members of her/his choice. The results shall be announced by the DSA on the day following the election day. After that, two Councils are formed, male and female, of 15 members each.
Article 5
All university male students shall be invited to participate in election of the 15 members on the male student council. And all university female student be invited to participate in election of the 15 members of the female student council.
Article 6:
Candidates shall have the right to conduct pre-election campaigns in accordance with such regulations as are promulgated by the Student Councils Election Committee.
Article 7:
The rules and procedures of Student Councils election shall be as follows:
Voting shall start at 8:00 am on the day of election and end at 6:00 pm on the same day.
Voters shall use their usernames and passwords to sign into e-vote where they can cast one vote only.
Article 8:
Supplementary elections shall be held on the day following the election day in case of parity of votes between two or more candidates. The supplementary elections shall be held among the last of those tied in the election.
Article 9:
In all cases, if the supplementary elections result in another tied vote, the Student Councils Election Committee shall resort to a drawing of a public lots among the tied candidates to fill in the required seats.
Article 10:
The Committee shall receive election appeals within 48 hours of the announcement of the results. The Committee shall consider and adjudicate such appeals within a period that shall not exceed 48 hours from the date of receipt of each appeal, and the Committee's decision on this matter shall be final.
Article 11:
The first Student Council meeting shall be held within a week at most from the announcement of the election results, headed by the oldest council member at the University, in the presence of representatives from the Student Councils Election Committee. During the first Council meeting, the Council Chair and Vice Chair shall be elected among citizens of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by the absolute majority of the council members.
Article 12:
www.ustf.ac.ae Page 42 University Catalog The Student Councils shall meet periodically at least once a month to discuss the agenda. Minutes of the meetings should be prepared and signed by all council members, and their recommendations will be submitted to the DSA. A representative from the DSA shall participate in the Council meetings but has no right to vote. (Student Council Policy, Policies and Procedures Manual, Version Oct. 2023)