House Rules

These statutes and the official registration of the Study Association GLiTCH with the chamber of commerce as a non-profit foundation with a core goal of representing common professional interests for students of CMD Groningen [Belastingdienst: “Collectieve Belangenbehartiging”] took place in academic year 2017/2018 by the then sitting (and founding) board consisting of Kjell Neumann, Vasil Kichev, Michelle Brachwitz, Soshanna Botter, Lisa Sijnstra and Aram Bos.

In 2014, Study Association GLiTCH was started as a student initiative by Kjell Neumann, Ewout Bos, Mark Huizenga & Thomas van Halteren as an accompanying entity for the at the time newly instated Game Design & Development major. At a later date, this initiative joined as a Study-Section under Study Association KIC, reporting directly to their sitting board. Later, the decision was made to diverge and start a new Study Association aimed at the entirety of CMD, but with a focus on Game Design students.

As already mentioned, Study Association GLiTCH is a study association which has the legal possibility of reaching out to the entirety of CMGT and the entirety of CMD.

However, there is an obvious outlier with this latter bachelor – the major Game Design. Students within this major are noticeably different with their approach towards social interaction and career development.
The Game Design students have expressed numerous times that the existing study associations do not fit their needs and need to be approached differently. Study Association GLiTCH strives to be a fitting facilitator for this group and its particular needs.

Study Association GLiTCH finds itself in the responsible situation of being a socially leading structure and creating a community for an incredibly international target audience. Ensuring everyone gets along and feels welcome is no simple task. We provide a list of core values here in the hopes of guiding others on this path, and providing a guideline for those situations when the procedures in this document fall short of solving a problem or answering a question. Going against the association’s core values and ideals is grounds for termination of membership. 

Transparency

Study Association GLiTCH and all of its members commit to conducting all association related activities in a transparent manner. 

Openness

We are committed to having as few restrictions to being a part of Study Association GLiTCH as possible within the framework of the standard study association model. 

Inclusivity

Study Association GLiTCH is committed to giving a chance and space to any and all different types of people. Anybody is welcome as long as they believe in the common vision, values, and ideals of the association.

Respect to internal and external entities

Anybody associated with Study Association GLiTCH must be respectful towards other study associations, partners, members, and any other entities. Remain civil and do not insult. 

Facilitation

Study Association GLiTCH strives to provide all it can for its members. In a social, entrepreneurial and educational manner, it aims to provide opportunities and solutions for all its members.

Study-Oriented

Study Association GLiTCH aims to keep close relations to its roots in the gaming major, providing content tailored to its audience, with the close cooperation of the study and university as a whole. This study association finds it important to provide additional educational value on top of the curriculum already on offer within  the major in order to make our members know their talents have a place within the industry and to prepare them better for the future.

Regular memberships are granted by the sitting board. Membership can be requested by a student of Communication & Multimedia Design or Creative Media and Game Technologies at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences through the online request forms.

Memberships are granted by the sitting board , although any member may object to individual memberships during a GMA. Memberships are granted by the board if the applicant in question has fulfilled the requirement of yearly contribution. The sitting board may vote to not grant somebody a membership by majority vote if sufficient reason can be found.

Any regular member can chose choose to become ‘active’ in the study association by participating in committees or the board. Any type of volunteer work in this domain designates a member as ‘active’.

While this legally does not entitle them to additional rights or benefits, it is a designation internally used to describe enthusiastic members and a board may choose to provide this group with preferential treatment in the selection of future committees.

Alumni members are those who are prepared to support the association financially with a minimum contribution of a regular member fee per year. Additionally, alumni members have the same rights to that of a regular member, with one exception: alumni members do not have the right to vote at general members assembly.

The association’s sitting board may at any time and upon anyone’s request consider granting an individual honorary membership by acceptance through a majority vote by the General Members Assembly vote for past services rendered to the good of the Study Association as a whole.

An honorary membership negates the restrictions of a traditional membership and allows, in essence, anyone to become a member (regardless of student status). Honorary members are exempt from contribution requirements and retain their membership until the sitting board revokes this through General Members Assembly vote on grounds of violation of statutes or general conduct agreements.

  • The student applies for membership through a sign-up form approved by the Secretary.

  • The student receives a confirmation of application and a payment request. The Student pays the membership contribution within the requested time period.

  • In the weekly board meeting, the secretary lists new applications and payments, and the board is given a chance to object to a membership.

  • The student is now entitled to membership benefits, which includes access to events and GMA’s.

  • The student is notified by the Secretary of their acceptance and their proof of membership will be available for pick up at the office.

If membership is objected to by a vote, the rejected person is stripped from their privileges as a member and have their money refunded by the treasurer within two weeks.

Any member is eligible to cancel their membership. To do so, they must inform the secretary of their decision. The secretary must then remove the member in question from the member list and all mailing or marketing lists. The membership fee is non-refundable if the request for cancellation is received more than a month after confirmation of membership.

When mentioning the ‘sitting board’, we refer to the group of members chosen by the nomination committee to lead the study association as its board of leadership from September of the next academic year until August of the same period. A board will be referred to as the ‘sitting board’ from the moment that the previous board hands over day-to-day activities related to the association, regardless of the nomination by GMA having taken place or not.

The board holds a final responsibility to its members to act in the best interests of the association and the pursuit of its goals. It also holds the responsibility to the supervisory board to communicate and execute the long-term goals of Study Association GLiTCH as laid down by previous boards to the best of their abilities.

When dealing with any parties external to Study Association GLiTCH (other associations, the Hanze, partners, etc.), any two board members are allowed to act on behalf of the association, unless a member or group of members is specifically granted this power by the board for a case previously discussed in a complete board meeting.

The sitting board shall be composed solely of active students of Communication & Multimedia Design at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences . Any year of the study may participate.

Study Association GLiTCH was started by- and for game design students but welcomes students from all CMD majors to join as members. A membership thus also ensures that these students are eligible to be nominated upon application for board membership.

The chairperson manages day-to-day operations of our association. The right candidate must be ready to build, facilitate and maintain the association’s mission, values and culture, provide inspired leadership to the sitting board, establish a great relationship with the member base and maintain the course for the association’s strategy.

This individual leads general assemblies. Due to the chairperson’s ultimate responsibility, their opinion carries more weight in undecided votes and, with the agreement of the supervisory board, possess the power to overturn decisions they deem hurtful for the association and to restructure problem areas. The chair is the person who any single committee member, associate, or regular member may approach with concerns of any kind relating to the association. 

Chair Responsibilities:
  • Provide inspired leadership company wide.
  • Provide final rulings about policy and strategy.
  • Report to the supervisory board and keep them informed.
  • Acts as the primary spokesperson for the study association
  • Develop the association’s culture and overall vision.
  • Help with recruiting new board members when necessary.
  • Create an environment that promotes great performance and positive morale.
  • Work with the sitting board to determine values and mission, and plan for short and long term goals.
  • Identify and address problems and opportunities for the association.
  • Oversee day-to-day operation of the association.
  • To pursue and maintain collaboration with external/other organizations
  • To represent the study association at relevant external events
  • Managing the image of the association to external partners and the general public.
Chair Requirements:
  • Ability to track multiple things at once.
  • Cares deeply about the association’s mission, goals and vision. 
  • Ability to build consensus and relationships among members, partners, and the committees.
  • Experience with governance and entrepreneurship.
  • Negotiation and conflict management skills.
  • Ability to understand new issues quickly and make well-argued decisions.
  • Ability to inspire confidence and create trust.
  • Ability to work under pressure, plan personal workload effectively and delegate.
  • Ability to represent the association

The treasurer leads the company from a financial perspective. They work alongside other board members and take ownership of all company fiscal and regulatory matters. They personally manage the association’s bank accounts, manage membership payments and allocate budgets for activities. They are also in charge of managing external funds and communications therein, like the HG fund.

The treasurer maintains documentation and records proficiently to ensure correctness and promptness of deliverables. They handle and resolve inquiries regarding billing problems and disputes, and keep spreadsheets for reconciliation purposes.

Duties will include managing accounting records, evaluating and managing risk, ensuring compliance with regulations, publishing financial statements, overseeing accounting operations, analyzing financial data, monitoring expenditure, forecasting revenue, coordinating auditing processes, and ensuring accuracy of financial information.

Treasurer Responsibilities:
  • Preparing financial reports.
  • Analyzing financial data.
  • Overseeing and preparing income statements.
  • Participating in budgeting processes.
  • Managing financial transactions.
  • Streamlining accounting functions and operations.
  • Developing plans for financial growth.
  • Evaluating and managing risk.
  • Oversee the association’s fiscal activity, including budgeting, reporting, and auditing.
  • Assure legal and regulatory documents are filed and monitor compliance with laws and regulations.
  • Identify and address financial risks and opportunities for the association.
  • Supervise financial reporting and budgeting team.
  • Ensure responsible and sustainable spending. 
  • Work well with the rest of the board to develop the strategic plan.
  • Ensuring accurate billing of members.
  • Handling billing problems and disputes.
  • Reporting activities related to pertinent processes.
  • Maintaining records and documentation.
  • Maintaining confidentiality of information.
Treasurer Requirements:
  • An understanding of profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow management and general finance and budgeting.
  • Experience with budget management, some accounting, and cash flow.
  • Ability to understand new issues quickly and make wise decisions.
  • Ability to inspire confidence and create trust.
  • Ability to work under pressure, plan personal workload effectively and delegate.
  • Analytical skills
  • Knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite

To ensure success, the secretary should be organized, have strong research skills and must be exceptional communicators with a keen interest in providing reliable and accurate support to the rest of the board while working with confidential information. Top candidates will possess strong problem solving and office coordination skills, and exhibit excellent time management.

Secretary Responsibilities:
  • Coordinate arrangements, meetings and/or conferences as assigned.
  • Take dictation and write correspondence.
  • Compile, proofread and revise drafts of documents and reports.
  • Daily record keeping and filing of documents.
  • Prepare reports, presentations and correspondence accurately and swiftly.
  • Create and organize information, and generate reference tools for easy use.
  • Answer and screen telephone calls, and respond to emails, messages and other correspondence.
  • Managing the board’s calendar, meeting coordination and travel arrangements.
  • Ensure efficient and effective administrative information and assistance.
Secretary Requirements:
  • Methodical thinker with detailed research proficiencies.
  • Thorough understanding of clerical and secretarial principles.
  • Strong knowledge of databases and tracking systems.
  • Fantastic organizational skills and detail oriented.
  • Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
  • Brilliant written and verbal communication skills both in Dutch and in English.
  • Experience with Google Docs, Google Suite, Discord, and other organizational software.

The position comes with great responsibility, as the online coordinator you are responsible for all online related activities that the association is involved with. This involves developing marketing and communication strategies, understanding the importance of timing and setting, responding to crises and setbacks, ensuring the association’s visual representation is appropriately maintained, and ensuring that information released is consistent with the strategy at large.

Ideal candidates for this role should be creative and innovative, multimedia savvy, well-organized, and must be excellent writers and communicators. 

Main Responsibilities:
  • To maintain clear communication between the Online Committee and the Board
  • Manage the online perception of the association
  • To manage and grow the online presence of the association
  • Have a handle on all online activities of the association
  • To manage the online community of GLiTCH (marketing, design, discord and GLiTCH TV)
Online Coordinator Requirements:
  • Great English language fluency.
  • Proficient verbal and written communications skills
  • Self-motivated and ambitions, able to work independently with minimal supervision and take initiative
  • Ability to prioritize, manage and complete multiple projects
  • Ability to exercise good judgement and diplomacy
  • Awareness of and proficiency with communications technologies
  • Experience in community engagement
  • Clear and concise communication with committee members and the sitting board
  • Strong and confident leadership
  • Knowledge of Adobe Suite and Microsoft Office)
  • Proficient in Google Suite, content management systems, and social media platforms
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Proven experience creating targeted content is advantageous
  • Confident in making tough and assertive decisions regarding conflict resolution
  • Knowledge in creating a brand identity

This person handles the creation and management of the committees involved in offline events, communicates with their members, and ensures a smooth cooperation of the offline committees within the association and must approve the actions they take. They are the direct link between the offline committees and the board. 

This role involves developing content and creating experiences for our members, understanding the importance of good communication, responding to crises and setbacks,  overseeing all committees that are involved in organizing events, and maintaining the quality and quantity of these events. Keeping a clear overview of all events is vital.

Ideal candidates for this role should be creative, innovative, communicative, well-organized, and must be an excellent multitasker. 

Main Responsibilities:
  • Recruiting committee members. 
  • Approving the actions of committees. 
  • Solving problems with the functioning of committees. 
  • Transfering important information between committees. 
  • Aiding committees in creating their strategy. 
  • Giving committees access to Study Association GLiTCH’s resource pool. 
  • Communicates the recruitment of committees to the member base. 
  • Schedules and conducts interviews with committee members. 
  • Keeps the board informed with the activities of the committees. 
  • To manage the offline community of GLiTCH (Social Events, Education, Intro). 
Offline Coordinator  Requirements:
  • Likes to work with people. 
  • Strong problem solving attitude. 
  • Experience in micromanagement.
  • Flexible schedule. 
  • Strong and confident leadership.
  • Able to keep track of many simultaneous happenings. 
  • Strong ability to enforce the rules of the association.
  • Confident in making tough and assertive decisions regarding conflict resolution.

As customary in associations with a yearly changing board composition, an entity is tasked with providing an overview and an overarching vision to any sitting board. This group consists of people experienced with the association to help maintain the long-term vision of Study Association GLiTCH.

The primary responsibility for this group is to provide involved guidance to the sitting board. The sitting board and the supervisory board stand side-by-side, but do not directly govern one another. 

The supervisory board has the power to call a meeting within two weeks and has the authority to suspend any activities until this meeting takes place. This meeting has to take place within two weeks from the request with at least half the members of each board participating in person or remotely. This meeting can be called if the supervisory board agrees in a majority vote. If an agreement can’t be reached in the said meeting by the present representatives, the matter is put up for a vote at the next General Members Assembly.

The supervisory board may request to view the association’s finances at any point they wish to do so.

Supervisory Board Composition & Nomination

The supervisory board consists of former students including honorary members, active “Communication & Multimedia Design” or “Creative Media and Game Technologies” teachers and/or regular students under regular memberships forming a group equal in number to the sitting board. The supervisory board should strive to always have at least one teacher in its ranks.

Once per year, the supervisory board is required to assess the validity of each member’s participation in the board. If any member is deemed to not be able to or willing to sufficiently participate or contribute to the yearly requirements, they must give up their position to a suitable replacement.

The new supervisory board members will be chosen through recommendations from the previous supervisory board and sitting board. After this there will be an interview between the candidate, one non-reapplying sitting board member and a supervisory board member. The candidate will be voted in by a majority vote from the members of the sitting board and supervisory board. Any reapplying sitting board member is not allowed to make a recommendation. Previous sitting board members are highly encouraged to apply for the supervisory board at the end of their board year.

End of year retrospective procedure
  • In the last week of July, the sitting board will compile a report on all its activities, events and decisions over the past year, making sure to provide at least:
     
    • An Introduction
    • A retrospective on personal experiences for each member
    • A retrospective on the structural achievements and failures of Study Association GLiTCH over the year
    • A description and assessment of each organized event (type)
    • A final budgetary report (by the treasurer) with all income and expenses accounted for
    • All information pertaining to the transferal of the three major roles to the next board
    • A closing statement with advice for the next board

  • The supervisory boardoversight committee will assess this report and provide an independent fact-check of all contents with a focus on the budgetary report and the retrospectives (art. 15-4). To this report, they will append their assessment regarding its objectivity and factual correctness.
  • The supervisory boardcommittee passes the document on to the supervisory and sitting boards  for review and archival.

The nomination committee is a group of experienced active members tasked with the selection and assessment of potential nominees for future boards.

Nomination Committee Composition

The nomination committee can be comprised of any collection of three members, including at least the currently serving chairman(woman) or a selected board member and one supervisory board member. The other member of this committee is selected by the other two. 

Nomination Committee Appointment Procedure

The nomination committee is the only exception to the regular method of recruitment for committees as its participating members are selected not just by the sitting board, but also the supervisory board.

  • The chairman(woman) picks a member from the sitting board. Either themselves or someone else. 
  • The supervisory board picks one of its members for this committee.
  • The two picked persons choose a third person to aid them with the function of the nomination committee. This third person can be from the supervisory board, the sitting board or any active GLiTCH member.

All members from any year may express their interest for any committee, regardless of experience or background. In fact: no position in committees may be filled at the start of a semester without it having been advertised to the member base beforehand. However, the sitting board reviews all these applications and decides which are accepted.

The forming of all committees (but the nomination committee) adheres to the following procedure:

  • A general committee recruitment message is presented to the member base at least two weeks in advance of the start of any semester. This message will advertise all available spots for members to become ‘active’ in, even if direct applicants are already available to fill those, in order to give all members an equal opportunity of applying.
  • The secretary collects applications from different media channels. Before the start of the semester, this collection is presented by the secretary to the board as a whole.
  • The head of internal relations schedules interviews with all applicants that are deemed suitable to be a part of a committee. 
  • The board agrees on the chairs and the head of internal relations notifies them of their positions and schedules a meeting with them to share the picks for committee members and see if the chairs have any objections. 
  • The head of internal relations informs the board of the decisions made, the board approves it and the secretary notifies all applicants of either acceptance, alternate offers or rejection to a committee. Applicants are asked if they agree.
  • Once all applicants of a committee have agreed, the committee is instated and its entire composition has a short informal meeting with the entirety of the GLiTCH board. This meeting will be an initiation and the members will be informed of their place and role within the study association. 
  • The secretary adds all of the committee members to their appropriate Discord channels. 
  • This is documented in the committee document. 

If an applicant refuses their acceptance into a committee on the grounds of changed expectations or whichever other reason, the next viable applicant is offered the position. Similarly, if a committee member decides to give up their position during a semester, a replacement is picked from the applicants at the start of that period if existent.

A board member, as a rule, can not take part in committees. They are welcome to step in and assist when needed but will take no primary responsibilities in the initial assignment of responsibility within them. Active engagement in the low-level operations of a committee by a board member indicates that the board member is either too involved or the committee is dysfunctional on its own and is subject to revaluation and restructuring by the head of internal relations and the chairman. 

The head of internal relations and the chairperson retain their right to restructure committees when necessary after discussion in a board meeting.

The General Members Assembly (GMA) is a gathering of students held with the primary purpose of ratifying changes and proposals in a structured and unambiguous manner. Members attend this event at their own behest, casting votes on the matters at hand and voicing their opinions. This is a meeting with the intent of communicating activities and choices made by the board and her committees to the member base of GLiTCH, and to offer an environment for students to raise questions and concerns. GMA’s are best held in a professional working environment.  

  • The GMA is planned to take place at least once per semester by the sitting board in the preparation phase of the upcoming year. Alternatively, a GMA may be called by a written request from at least 10% of the member base.
  • At least a month before the assembly, the secretary will inform the general member base of the occurrence of the assembly through all of Study Association GLiTCH’s communication platforms. 
  • At least two weeks before the assembly, the secretary will have assembled and distributed all documents and information relevant to the assembly to the general member base, either in state of being up for review, or informing an ancillary decision/vote of the assembly.
  • The present members are counted. If at least 10% of the member base is present the meeting is opened by the chair or a specifically agreed replacement from the Sitting Board. If there are not enough members present to represent the association, the meeting will be canceled and must be rescheduled at a later date.
  •  
  • The agenda is briefly run through by the Chair, touching on each point in a short summary of the day’s planned votes and discussions. The Secretary meanwhile documents the assembly.
  •  
  • The Chair asks the assembled members if any of the documentation was unclear or if there are any questions pertaining to their specific contents.
  •  
  • All matters to be voted on are listed as follows:
    • The vote is announced by the Chair and briefly explained
    • The present members raise their hands for agreement
    • The present members raise their hands for disagreement
    • The totals are tallied by the Secretary (or an agreed replacement)
    • The matter is confirmed as accepted or rejected by the Chair
    •  
  • Matters open for discussion are dealt with as follows
    • The Chair announces the issue and the reason for discussion
    • The members are given a chance to voice their opinions on proposals or open questions by either the Board or other members.
    • The Chair keeps the discussion short and thanks members for their input
    •  
  • The Chair asks if any member would like to add any final thoughts
  •  
  • The Chair closes the meeting officially and the Secretary ends the report.
  •  

The Secretary writes up and distributes the outcomes of the GMA to all members.

A General Members Assembly should always be introduced some time in advance to the general member base accompanied by the GMA Agenda and supporting documentation. This document outlines the agenda on a point-to-point basis for the upcoming GMA, categorized into the following structure:

  • Items to vote on by the general member base;
  • Decisions and Activities to be confirmed by a majority vote;
  • Topics up for public debate;

This is accompanied by appendixes where needed to elaborate on each of these points or subjects, enlightening members on the background information of each topic needed to come to an informed conclusion or opinion. This can include historical records, meeting notes or personal essays from the board amongst others. The Secretary is responsible for this document’s compilation and distribution.

AFTER the GMA, the Secretary or Chair summarizes outcomes and clearly lists decisions and outcomes of public debates in a point-by-point manner. This document will be shared with the member base within a week of the GMA taking place.

In both instances these documents should be compiled in the most objective manner possible, so as not to colour or influence decisions or reporting thereof by the member base. Examples: Budgets, this document, agenda for the meeting (structure of the meeting, points of discussion, voting matters, questions to the audience), notes from previous GMAs, final report from last year for the first GMA, documents detailing new strategies to be implemented, archive of relevant documents, supporting documents to relevant agenda topics.

After the last week of the last block of the academic year, the sitting board hands in their report of the preceding year, including a personal report on personal progress and achievements in organising events and activities, and a collaborative report on all the study-association’s activities, finances and events. This report is compiled by the sitting board with the following structure:

  1. A personal reflection from each board member on their time as board (~200 words)
  2. A group report on each event organized by the SA, including at least:
    • Number of signups/attendees
    • Preparations for the event (marketing, organisation, location, expenses)
    • Description of the event (mood, turnout, activities, pros and cons)
  3. A financial report by the Treasurer on the full financial year (equal to board year), with:
    • Expenses report with proof of purchases and transactions
      • Receipts and invoices are preferred, bank records as a last resort
    • Income report from memberships and sponsorship with details on exact sponsorship agreements with contributions in financial or material form and the SA’s response
  4. An internal report by the Offline/Online Coordinator on the operations on each committee, with:
    • A description of the committee
    • The committee’s members and background
    • The expectations of the board for the committee and their performance (~200 words)
  5. A final personal note by the chair on the timeline of the year, the sitting board’s performance, -mood and personal achievements over the year. (~500 words)

This report is compiled with the collaboration of all the sitting board’s members, who (upon agreement) share it with the head of the supervisory committee to share with the rest of the supervisory board. The supervisory committee will take circa two weeks to review this document and will convene at the end of these two weeks to discuss the contents of this report, making sure to assess the following:

  • The conformation of the delivered report with the board’s personal observations over the year.
  • The report’s completeness and clarity, keeping in mind that the document will serve for as an archive for future years and be readable as such.
  • The performance of the board over the year as compared to expectations and previous boards.
  • The appropriate noting of problem areas and the measures taken to fix them. 

The supervisory board plans a review session with the current sitting board around that time to personally debrief the board about their experiences and learn any potential last informal thoughts of the participating members about their activities.

At the end of this ‘review period’ the supervisory board submits a short report on the performance of the board and the state of the study association. Significant attention should be paid in this report to how well the SA is conforming to long term goals as set by previous boards, including a set of recommendations for the following board on how to best improve this in their year of leadership.

In the second round of committee participation advertising, openings for the following year’s board positions are also included in the communication towards the member base. This is the very start of the nomination procedure, where the nomination committee comes into play, fulfilling its role as semi-impartial assessing entity.

The nomination committee will receive all applications for board membership received in response to this communication. They will also approach potential personal selections. All applicants must be interviewed by the entirety of the nomination committee. Assessment is based on each person’s ability to follow procedures, suitability for each board role, enthusiasm for the Study Association and all other factors deemed relevant and agreed upon by the nomination committee. 

Assessment is done as quickly as possible with applications closing at the beginning of May. The nomination committee announces their picks before the end of the school year at a Study Association  GLiTCH organized social event.

The nominated board officially becomes the sitting board after approval by the first GMA of the following educational year between the months of September until October, despite being unofficially designated as such from the last introductory session of the preceding year onwards. However, the transitional period does not end until either all members of the previous sitting board have agreed that it has or until the end of the fourth week of the educational year. The period starts once the nomination committee delivers its picks for a new board, and these are approved by the supervisory board, sitting board and finally: the GMA. The approval by the various boards must take place no later than 4 weeks before the end of the educational year. 

The transitional period consists of two parts: the pre-handover phase and the post-handover phase. During the pre-handover phase the elected board gets the chance to attend the final 4 meetings of the currently active board to get a sense of daily operations. Additionally, weekly introductory meetings will be held where the sitting board runs through documentation and regulation with the elected board and helps them get acquainted with their upcoming roles. This means 4 of such sessions will be held, suggested to be structured as follows:

Meeting 1: Introductory meeting to get the new board comfortable with one another and having them meet or be acquainted with the supervisory board. Attendance by at least one of its members is requested.

Meeting 2: Review session of this document. The new board is introduced to the rules and regulations that will help them explore their upcoming role and the expectations of the SA towards them.

Meeting 3: Organising a trial event in the form of an end-of year drinks event. The elected board together organises the traditional end of year drinks night as a simple introductory event to get them acquainted with the core activity of the SA: organising events and adding value.

Meeting 4 (final week): Official handover of the former board to the new one. Each member of the old board shares their interpretation and experiences of their personal roles with their successor.

The previous board members have the right to attend the weekly meetings of the new board during the second part of the transitional period to help explain the procedures detailed in this document and to put the new board in the correct frame of mind for their respective roles. Additionally, they can help with problem solving and still function within their roles on big and crucial issues which the new board does not feel comfortable with for the time being. This, however, needs to be coordinated with all the relevant members from the sitting and the nominated board.

Before the start of the year, the candidate board must have compiled a budget document estimating all expenses that will occur within the upcoming academic year. This will be lead by the candidate treasurer and be accomplished with the help of the non-candidate sitting board. This must be approved by the supervisory board before the start of the year.

At the start of every semester, the treasurer will produce a budget with specific expenses allowed for each event and other possible expenditures detailing the expenses of the general yearly budget for said semester. Also must be approved by the supervisory board within three weeks of the start of the semester.

Within three weeks after the end of the semester the treasurer must produce a report explaining the financial aftermath of the semester, what exact expenses there were and how closely to the semester events budget has been followed. The first one must be handed in and approved by the supervisory board within three weeks of the semester’s end. The second one must be handed in with the final yearly report.

Weekly Standups should contain the expenses and income of the previous week. Discussions with the rest of the board about the budget should take place every week. Any concerns over budgets should be brought up and discussed with the rest of the board.

Before the start of the year, the candidate board must have compiled a budget document estimating all expenses that will occur within the upcoming academic year. This will be lead by the candidate treasurer and be accomplished with the help of the non-candidate sitting board. This must be approved by the supervisory board before the start of the year.

File Management

As a non-profit organization, Study Association GLiTCH has access to the full Google Suite for free. This includes 30GB in a “Team Drive” on Google Drive. Only relevant board and committee @sa-glitch.nl email addresses are given access to this one. Sitting board members may also have their private emails added, but their access must be revoked when no longer in a board position. 

This drive is integrated with Discord, so all relevant files can be easily and instantly linked to. 

Sitting Board Meetings

The board meets at least once per week with more than half its number, only to be deviated from in case of sickness or other uncontrollable external factors. The meetings follow a structure as set down below to facilitate efficient communication and clarity.

Board Meeting Structure: 

  • Chair opens the meeting
  • Chair runs through the agenda
  • The secretary provides an update on new memberships and the board decides whether to approve them. 
  • The relevant contacts update the board as a whole on the state of committees
  • Retrospective on events that have occurred since the last meeting
  • Update on how the organization of future events is going
  • Planning session for the next week, detailing every action and deadline

The chair retains the right to alter this general structure in order to ensure smooth operation and the proper handling of current issues. 

A detailed log of what has been discussed will be kept by the secretary which will serve to update absent board members and other relevant members of decisions taken. 

Should there be a tie in the vote of the sitting board, the chair has the power to break that in their favor. 

Supervisory board

The supervisory board communicates directly with the sitting chairperson and vice versa. The chairperson provides regular updates on the goings on of the association by ensuring that all documentation and decision making is made available to the supervisory board. The supervisory board does not directly interfere with the sitting board, but has the right to call a meeting within 2 weeks of request with the entire sitting board.

This board is included only in the #supervisory-board on Discord which is the official communication channel. At the start of every month, the chairperson has to compile an email detailing the state of the association and distribute it to all supervisory board members.

While the board must meet regularly and take major decisions during the formal meetings, communication and decision making may still need to happen between those. These channels are maintained by the secretary at the discretion of the chairperson. There are three channels where the board can communicate:

Discord

The official Discord server for active members of Study Association GLiTCH is located here:  https://discord.gg/8rzRA6nfBe

This is the main official channel for communication between the board members, supervisory board members, the committee heads and committee members. The server is segmented into relevant channels for each committee and for the discussion of all possible topics. These channels are gated and access per channel is only allowed to relevant members of the association. 

#general

This is where we discuss and ask anything that does not directly fit the other channels. This channel includes everyone on the server. There is an extra channel for off-topic related matters, which serves as a place for casual conversation, jokes and memes.  Next to that there is a committee-requests channel. This channel functions as the main collaboration point for committees to make announcements for the events. 

#supervisory-board

This board is accessible only to the chairman and the supervisory board. This is their official communication channel. 

Various categories for every committee and event

A category will be created for every functioning committee, which will be their official space for communication. Involved will be only the committee members and the internal coordinatorhead of internal relations. These categories include a normal text channel and a Voice Communication channel. Extra channels can be added by request.

In person

Discussions in-person are healthy and efficient, but will not be considered official until documented with all relevant decisions made pinned on the appropriate Discord channel. 

Email

Every board member, relevant committee member, and relevant active member will receive a custom @sa-glitch.nl address by the secretary. These are to be used strictly for external communication. All received messages and offers will be documented on Discord and, if necessary, forwarded to the relevant person. A general info@sa-glitch.nl  address exists which is managed by the secretary who documents and forwards the messages appropriately. 

Communication outside of Study Association  GLiTCH is important due to the fact that this represents the vision, personality and attitude of the association towards the rest of the world. This association communicates in various methods to reach our audiences optimally. These methods are redefined each  year depending on the audiences’ receptiveness toward the methods defined at the beginning of the board year.

As board members it is expected of these (aforementioned) members to adhere to the code of conduct and code of ethics during association related events, as these members serve as representatives of the association.

Study Association GLiTCH has adopted the following Code of Conduct that all board members agree to adhere to by participating as a board member.

1. Prohibition Against Private Inurement and Procedures for Managing Conflicts of Interest

Members of the board shall conduct their personal affairs in such a manner as to avoid any possible conflict of interest with their duties and responsibilities as members of the Board. Nevertheless, conflicts may arise from time to time.

  1. a) When there is a decision to be made or an action to be approved that will result in a conflict between the best interests of Study Association GLiTCH and the Board member’s personal interests, the Board member has a duty to immediately disclose the conflict of interest, so that the rest of the Board’s decision making will be informed about the conflict.
  2. b) Any conflicts of interest, including, but not limited to financial interests, on the part of any Board Member, shall be disclosed to the Board when the matter that reflects a conflict of interest becomes a matter of Board action, and through an annual procedure for all Board members to disclose conflicts of interest.
  3. c)  Any Board Member having a conflict of interest shall not vote or use his or her personal influence to address the matter, and he or she shall not be counted in determining the quorum for the meeting.
  4. d) All conflicts disclosed to the Board will be made a matter of record in the minutes of the meeting in which the disclosure was made, which shall also note that the Board member with a conflict abstained from the vote [and was not present for any discussion, as applicable] and was not included in the count for the quorum for that meeting.
  5. e) Any new Board member will be advised of this policy during board orientation and all Board members will be reminded of the Board Member Code of Conduct and of the procedures for disclosure of conflicts and for managing conflicts on a regular basis, at least once a year. 
  6. f)   This policy shall also apply to any Board member’s immediate family or any person acting on his or her behalf.
 2. Prohibition against harassment and discrimination

Study Association GLiTCH strives to maintain a safe and fair workplace, free from any form of harassment and discrimination. According to the values and ideals, any board member engaging in harassment or discriminatory behavior towards GLiTCH members and associates is subject to removal from their position. Complaints alleging misconduct on the part of Board members will be investigated promptly and as confidentially as possible by the supervisory committee.

3. Confidentiality

Study Association GLiTCH processes the data of all its members in any purpose necessary for the operation of the organization based on the listed mission, values, and ideals. Individual members may request their data to be deleted or managed in a different way described by the General Data Protection Act. The operating members of Study Association GLiTCH must adhere to the strict rules of protecting the personal information of every member, partner, associate or other individual. 

4. Active Participation

Board members are expected to exercise the duties and responsibilities of their positions with integrity, collegiality, and care. This includes:

  • Making attendance at all meetings of the board a high priority unless conflicting with study related events
  • Being prepared to discuss the issues and business on the agenda, and having read all background material relevant to the topics at hand
  • Cooperating with and respecting the opinions of fellow Board members, and leaving personal prejudices out of all board discussions, as well as supporting actions of the Board even when the Board member personally did not support the action taken
  • Putting the interests of the organization above personal interests
  • Representing the organization in a positive and supportive manner at all times and in all places
  • Showing respect and courteous conduct in all board and committee meetings
  • Refraining from intruding on administrative issues that are the responsibility of committees, except to monitor the results and ensure that procedures are consistent with board policy

All types of GLiTCH members must abide by the Core Values and Ideals. 

5. Commitment

As a board member, they recognize the important responsibility that they are undertaking in serving as a board member for Study Association GLiTCH and pledges to carry out in a trustworthy and diligent manner the duties and obligations associated with their role as a board member. They will also understand that failure to abide by this Code of Conduct may result in their removal as a Board Member.

It is the goal of this association to strive for the highest level of ethical conduct from all members of the board and committees. This code of ethics applies to board members and committees of the association.

All board and committee members are required and expected to exercise the highest level of ethical standards of conduct and practice honesty at all times.

In support of this association’s standards, the following applies to all board and committee members.

The board and committee members will not:

  • Deceive, defraud, or mislead Study Association GLiTCH board members, committee members and general members or any other business partners, associates or relationships
  • Misrepresent Study Association GLiTCH in any public relations, including (but not exclusive to): negotiations, dealings, contracts or agreements
  • Divulge or release any information of a proprietary nature relating to Study Association GLiTCH’s plans, mission or operational databases without appropriate approval
  • Withhold their best efforts to perform their duties to acceptable standards
  • Engage in unethical business practices of any type
  • Abuse Study Association GLiTCH’s property, financial resources, or services of its personnel for personal benefit
  • Violate any applicable laws or ordinances
  • Mislead or deny members from relevant information regarding the current status of the association or its events

In the case of a committee member not adhering to these code of ethics, the sitting board should be made aware of the situation and deal with it accordingly.

In the case of a board member not adhering to these code of ethics, the supervisory board should be made aware of the situation and deal with it accordingly.

The study association stores and handles the personal information of members, membership data, possible payment methods and information, and general financial information. This information is kept for a duration dependent on the type of data and its usage. A few main varieties can be differentiated:

  • Critical – Overwhelmingly concerns personal information of members, potentially including financial information, general addresses and contact details. This data is to be kept off general shared cloud storage accounts and under the care and maintenance of the SA’s Secretary. Excerpts and records can be requested from the secretary on sufficiently reasonable grounds. Requested excerpts become the responsibility of the recipient and are to be destroyed when no longer needed.
  • Sensitive – Documentation and materials regarding Study Association GLiTCH finances, procedure and internal operations can be deemed sensitive and unavailable to the general public. It is permissible (even advisable) that this data be always shared and accessible to every member of the sitting and supervisory boards. The other most notable difference is how changes or additions to this knowledge base are always made available in a concerning General Members Assembly. While in practice this information can be shared with outside individuals by recipient Study Association GLiTCH, a measure of individual responsibility can be expected on behalf of these recipients. Critical information as detailed above is, however, NEVER to be included in these publications for this reason.
  • Trivial – Outward publications, designs and non-sensitive information includes any other type of data that will not in any significant way inconvenience or hinder individual members’ interests or the SA’s operations through publication. 

All documents stored on Google drive or Physically must be protected by a password or placed in the office safe so that it can only be accessed by those who are allowed to. 

Data Handling

Critical information is stored by the Secretary on a Study Association GLiTCH owned device designated specifically for this purpose (currently, but not limited to, the PC made available by the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the GLiTCH office), as well as in physical form, both to be kept inside a secure storage box in the GLiTCH office, access to which is restricted to the sitting board. Codes or key access to be changed at hand-over to a following board. Copies and records of sensitive or critical Study Association GLiTCH data are to be destroyed or discarded by the keeper upon losing its immediate usefulness.

Data is made available for review by the Supervisory board, where sensitive information is made available by default, while critical information is to be shared upon specific request by the supervisory board Chair. This sensitive data, as well as trivial data, is to be kept in a cloud storage location accessible only to the sitting and supervisory boards, as well as the preceding sitting board (this group, for a period of time up to 6 months in length).

Physical Documentation

It is inevitable that the association will have to deal with a substantial amount of physical paperwork. While we live in a digital age and all of the internal work is done digitally, various external and internal parties would sometimes prefer to deal with paper. The following procedures and rules must be followed to ensure the smooth operation of the study association. 

Discouragement

When receiving a physical document, a digital copy should be requested whenever possible. Even if that is not policy or the usual way of dealing with said entity, the secretary and all other involved members must still try and get a valid electronic copy. This is especially relevant with external entities. Anyone internal(sitting board and committees) is forbidden from creating any official documents physically. (Unless a digital copy is also made of the official document). This means they must create them digitally and upload them to the relevant place to the Google Drive for that work to be valid. 

Archival 

All received physical documents relevant to the operation of the study association must be archived in the office in a securely locked compartment. This includes paperwork from banks, partners, sponsors and all other relevant entities. This is the responsibility of the secretary.  

Digitalization 

In addition to physical archival, the conversion to digital is essential to Study Association GLiTCH’s functioning. As a completely digital association, we work exclusively this way. To maintain smooth operations, all physical documents relevant to the functioning of the association must be converted to digital representations faithful to their originals. This way members can easily reference them from Google Drive and Discord. Again, this is the responsibility of the secretary. 

Photography

Members of Study Association GLiTCH give consent to have their image/likeness (Photos, videos, etc) used for promotional materials of Study Association GLiTCH.  These images could be used in print and digital media formats including print publications, websites, e-marketing, posters banners, advertising, film, social media, teaching and research purposes.

Members understand that images on websites can be viewed throughout the world and not just in the Netherlands.

Members of Study Association GLiTCH understand that some images or recordings may be kept permanently as an archive. 

Members of Study Association GLiTCH have the right to request to see a copy of the information Study Association GLiTCH holds on them and have the ability to request corrections or deletions of the information that is no longer required.  Members can ask Study Association GLiTCH to stop using their images at any time, in which case it will not be used in future publications but may continue to appear in publications already in circulation.

  • Andrei Varzaru – Chairman
  • Kimberly Terburg – Secretary
  • Sean Groeneweg – Treasurer
  • Max Susnea – Online Coordinator
  • Amber Pomper – Offline Coordinator
  • Andreea Voicu – Chairman Chairwoman
  • Kris Galama – Secretary
  • Sean Groeneweg – Treasurer
  • Hugo Weichert – External Coordinator
  • Kimberly Terburg – Internal Coordinator
  • Marcel Schokker – Chairman 
  • Andreea Voicu – Secretary
  • Caleb Helligar – Treasurer
  • Edwin Yanarico – External Coordinator
  • Kris Galama – Internal Coordinator
  • Vasil Kichev – Chairman 
  • Soshanna Botter – Secretary / Treasurer 
  • Edwin Yanarico – Head of External Relations 
  • Roy Meijering – Head of Internal Relations
  • Soshanna Botter – Chairwoman
  • Vasil Kichev – External Relations
  • Kjell Neumann – Secretary / Treasurer
  • Michelle Brachwitz – Educational Events (Resigned)
  • Lisa Sijnstra – Social Offline
  • Aram Bos – Social Online
September 2016 to August 2017 – Study-Section GLiTCH, under KIC
  • Hrisiana Tachkova – Chairwoman, Educational Pillar
  • Evalien Wiersma – Entrepreneurship Pillar
  • Bas Altenburg – Communications Pillar
  • Milan Tent – Online Social Pillar
  • Nicolas Paul – Offline Social Pillar 
September 2015 to August 2016 – Study-Section GLiTCH, under KIC
  • Jessica Waaijer
  • Kjell Neumann
  • Nico van Pelt
  • Ewout Bos
  • Mark Huizenga
September 2014 to August 2016 – Founding Initiative
  • Kjell Neumann
  • Ewout Bos
  • Mark Huizenga
  • Thomas van Halteren

Study Association GLiTCH strives to find valuable partners with which to organize more events and achieve more benefit for its intended member base. In the interest of transparency, a short list of agreements of cooperation can be found here.

Shirt a la Minute

Groningen based printing company, emphasizing custom clothing. Agreement with Study Association GLiTCH to provide 20% discounts to the association and its members upon display of a student card marked with the identifying GLiTCH sticker.