Implementation directive House Rules
Promotion during Participation Council’s elections at Tilburg
University.
PREAMBLE
Every employee and student at the university is entitled to participation. At Tilburg
University, this is arranged both on the university level (through the University Council) as
well as on the level of the faculties and services (through the faculty councils and the
service councils).
Half the members of the University Council and faculty councils are students; the other
half consists of employees. Only staff members sit on service councils. All members of
the councils are elected. During the elections there will be an adapted promotional
scheme in place governing the way promotional activities are conducted. This directive
both supplements and replaces directives from the House Rules for promotion activities.
In consequence of art. 1 of the Huisregels (House Rules), the Executive Board (CvB)
may give binding instructions to anyone present on the university grounds, inside
university buildings and/or using university facilities. The CvB has established these
instructions as implementation directive to the House Rules in its meeting on February
28th 2008. This directive will be implemented as of the 1st of March 2008.
1. Reach
This directive is applicable to all on-campus promotional activities connected to election
campaigns for the participation councils at Tilburg University. All university buildings and
all university grounds are understood to be part of the campus.
All instructions given by university security staff must be obeyed at all time.
2. Posters
General
a. Apart from the already assigned regular vertical lanes, which are reserved for the
parties, posters may also be hung on other locations, noted under b up to and
including i, during the election campaign.
b. All regular notice boards, not intended for students’ societies or study associations,
which usually have posters hanging, may be used to put up one poster per party.
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c. It is not allowed to hang a poster over other posters. It should be firmly understood
that this also applies to posters promoting other activities than the elections on the
regular notice boards
d. The team leader of the Security Department is authorized to remove promotional
material that does not fit the requirements, or can otherwise be considered a security
risk. Whenever possible, the party will first be instructed to remove the material within
1 hour after the breach of regulations has been detected. The Security Department
will first contact the electoral committee’s secretary who will immediately relay the
report to the party involved.
e. In the event of disagreement between student parties, the chairman of the (Centraal
Overleg van en voor Studenten) COS is asked for advice. If the disagreement
persists the electoral committee’s secretary will decide.
f.
Two-sided posters may be hung on the inner side of windows. This means that two
posters are pasted back to back, so the information can be seen from the inside as
well as from the outside.
g. Warande building
Paragraph 1
In the foyer of the Warande building 3 windows may be shared by the campaigning
parties for the University Council. Every party is allowed to use a total of one of these
windows to display no more than one vertical lane of posters. If there is disagreement
amongst the parties the electoral committee’s secretary will decide, in consultation
with the chairman of the University Council.
Paragraph 2
The three windows next to the windows mentioned in paragraph 1, may be used by
candidates for the faculty councils. Every party is allowed to use a total of one of
these windows to display no more than one vertical lane of posters. If there is
disagreement amongst the parties the electoral committee’s secretary will decide, in
consultation with the chairman of the University Council.
h. Dante building
Paragraph 1
In the foyer of the Dante building 3 windows, near the entrance, may be shared by
the campaigning parties for the University Council. Every party is allowed to use a
total of one of these windows to display no more than one vertical lane of posters. If
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there is disagreement amongst the parties the electoral committee’s secretary will
decide, in consultation with the chairman of the University Council.
Paragraph 2
The three windows next to the windows mentioned in paragraph 1, may be used by
candidates for the faculty councils. Every party is allowed to use a total of one of
these windows to display no more than one vertical lane of posters. If there is
disagreement amongst the parties the electoral committee’s secretary will decide, in
consultation with the chairman of the University Council.
i.
Montesquieu building
In the Montesquieu building the first 4 windows from the main entrance may be
shared by the campaigning parties for the University Council and faculty councils.
Every party is allowed to use a total of one of these windows to display no more than
one vertical lane of posters. If there is disagreement amongst the parties the electoral
committee’s secretary will decide, in consultation with the chairman of the University
Council.
3. Campaign facilities
The responsibility for the acquisition and use of campaign facilities rests in principle with
the students themselves. In addition to this a number of facilities will be offered to the
parties, through the secretary of the electoral committee. The costs of these facilities will
be deducted from the general campaign budget.
a. Stands
Paragraph 1
A number of stands will be reserved by the secretary of the electoral committee. The
secretary will ask the participating parties if they desire to use a stand. The stand is
available during the whole election period, with exception of the weekend.
Paragraph 2
Parties participating in the University Council‘s elections are entitled to a stand of
their own.
Paragraph 3
Per faculty one stand can be reserved which the parties participating in the faculty
council’s elections can rent by mutual agreement.
Paragraph 4
Parties may decorate their own stand any way they see fit, as long as the result is
safe, the stand is not damaged and no balloons are used that contain anything other
than air.
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Paragraph 5
The two regular stands (on the Esplanade), the tables in the cafeteria’s (e.g.
Cobbenhagen building, and the Prisma building) and the Food Plaza will be available
for regular (other) promotion activities. These facilities are not available for campaign
purposes.
b. Banners
The maximum amount of banners allowed on the university grounds will be increased
from 2 to 6, during the election period. There can be only one banner per
organisation. Parties that whish to display a banner are themselves responsible for
creating the banner, reserving a spot, and getting permission to display the banner
from the DFB service desk. The available locations will not be reserved exclusively
for the elections. Banners can only be hung between the threes on the lawn in front
of the Koopmans building.
4. Campaigning
Paragraph 1
During the elections the possibilities for campaigning have been widened. It is now
allowed to campaign on the whole of the University Grounds, with exception of the
following locations and campaign activities:
-
It is not allowed to hand out promotion materials in (class)rooms or lecture
rooms/halls/theatres unless this location has been reserved for this purpose
by the party itself.
-
Under no circumstances will it be allowed to campaign in the library. This
includes the staircase and footbridge.
Paragraph 2
A party requires permission from the electoral committee’s secretary, in consultation
with the chairman of the University Council, prior to any activity that will take place in
any of these locations:
-
Koopmans building
-
All restaurants on the Campus
-
The entrance to the Esplanade
-
Cobbenhagen building
-
Goossens building
-
Montesquieu Learning Centre, MLC
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Paragraph 3
A number of restrictions (stipulated in the house rules for promotion activities) on
what may or may not be distributed as promotional material, have been lifted for
those participating in the elections during the election period:
-
Handing out newspapers or magazines is allowed.
-
Candidates who whish to hand out materials while using the stand, are no longer
obligated to indicate, beforehand, what they will hand out.
-
It is allowed to hand out food and beverages. However all activities must comply
with health and safety requirements.
Under no circumstance will it be allowed to hand out:
-
Strong stimulants or narcotics (tobacco, alcohol, drugs)
-
Chewing gum
-
Commercial leaflets/flyers
-
Balloons filled with anything other than air.
5. Cleaning and sanctions
Paragraph 1
Candidates are themselves responsible for the removal of campaign materials. For
stands and banners the regular instructions remain in force.
Paragraph 2
Posters and flyers that have been placed in racks must be removed by 11 pm on the
first working day after the announcement of the unofficial results.
Paragraph 3
Flyers, leaflets and the like that lay scattered over the university grounds, outside of
the intended areas, need to be removed every day before 11 pm.
Paragraph 4
In the event that any of these items will have to be removed by DFB staff, after this
period, the costs will be charged to the electoral committee. The committee, in turn,
will charge these costs, via the elections budget, to the party which is demonstrably
responsible for the extra costs. If identifying the party responsible for the extra costs
proofs to be impossible the costs will be charged to the common elections budged,
spreading the burden evenly over all competing parties.
6. SPAM
It is not allowed to use regular mailing lists for students and/or staff for promotional
activities. There will be no exception to this rule concerning the elections. Sending
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campaign material to university e-mail addresses, already available to the party, is
allowed.
7. No provisions
There where this directive does not provide any provisions the decision is made by the
secretary of the electoral committee.
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