These Rules and Regulations are based on the statutes of the FEJS international v.z.w based in Belgium.

A non-profit association is hereby incorporated under the laws of Belgium. Its name is ‘Forum for European Journalism Students international v.z.w.’ abbreviated as ‘FEJS international v.z.w.’hereinafter referred to as the ‘Association’. Both the full and the abbreviated names may be used indistinguishably.

The FEJS international v.z.w. is the umbrella organisation of all local FEJS Satellites.

The Forum for European Journalism Students was founded informally in 1985 by Danish and Dutch journalism students.

All acts, invoices, announcements, publicity, letters, orders and other documents issued by the Association, shall indicate the full name or the abbreviated name of the Association preceded or followed by the words ‘Vereniging Zonder Winstoogmerk’ or ‘Association Sans But Lucratif’ or the abbreviation ‘VZW’ or ‘ASBL’, as well as the indication of the registered office of the Association. The official logo, as voted upon by the General Assembly, has to be on any official communication.

1. The Goals

- The FEJS international v.z.w. aims to create an international understanding among students of journalism, media and/or communication and young professionals interested in journalism. It does so by:

- To promote cooperation between education institutions in journalism, media and/or communication on a national and international level

- To foster exchange projects and work experience possibilities for journalism, media and/or communication students

- To arrange seminars and meetings on relevant topics

- To promote networking and cooperation between its members

- To foster and support the Satellites of the Association and the Bodies of the Association by means of advice and funding

- To asume the function of a network for journalism, media and/or communication students and young journalists

- To be an information centre for European journalism, media and communication students

2. The Status

The Association is an independent forum and is not linked or attached to any governmental, political, religious nor commercial organisation. It is strictly a non-profit-making organisation.

3. The Bodies

The Association consists of the following bodies:

- The General Assembly, hereinafter referred to as the GA

- The Executive Board, hereinafter referred to as the EB

- The Secretariat, hereinafter referred to as the SEC

3.1. The General Assembly

The General Assembly (GA) is the legislative body of the Association. The GA consists of representatives of the following Association bodies: the EB, the SEC, the Association’s Satellites and the National Coordinators and Individual members of the Association. They assemble at least once a year. The GA meeting takes place in autumn and is organised by the Executive Board. The GA is chaired by the Secretary-General. The GA decides upon any changes to the Association’s Statutes and the Association’s Rules and Regulations and elects the Executive Board and Secretariat. The GA also decides upon the arrangement of the Annual Congress and is the legislative power within the Association in accordance with the Statutes and Rules and Regulations.

It is the responsibility of the EB to find an Organising Committee, hereinafter referred to as the OC, for the GA, which will be in charge of the logistical realisation of the GA. The EB should find the OC at the latest one month after the Annual Congress. The GA must be arranged in a country that is represented in the EB, unless the EB and the SEC agree on a temporary exception that can only apply to the current GA. If needed, an emergency GA can be called at any time by the EB directly or after a common request of a minimum of five countries represented in the previous GA.

3.1.1. The General Assembly Participants

- at least one member from each satellite should attend the GA meeting

- if there is no satellite, the national coordinator will be the representative;
if the country has no national coordinator or he or she is not attending the GA meeting, the EB can accept an applicant as long as they become a member of the Association

The members of the Association that have attended several events are especially advised to take part in the GA

The EB can choose to accept extra participants, who will also be considered a part of the country’s delegation. The members of the EB and of the Secretariat must attend the GA meeting but are not considered as representatives from their country. In cases of Force Majeure a member of the EB or the SEC may be exempted from their duty.

3.1.2. The General Assembly’s Duties and Powers

- to propose, discuss and vote on proposals for changes to the Rules and Regulations and statutes of the Association

- to define the long term strategy for the Association

- to vote on the financial plan for the upcoming year for the Association

- to elect an Organising Committee for the Annual Congress of the second upcoming year and to vote on the topic of that AC

- to elect a new Executive Board annually and a Secretariat every second year

3.1.3. The General Assembly Voting

- each country represented at the GA meeting has one vote and is hence a delegation

- each delegation should before the voting session choose a person who will represent the country during the vote, this person must vote in accordance with the decision of the delegation of that country

- proposals must be presented to the SEC at least two hours before the voting session and the delegations must obtain the list of proposals that will be voted on at least one hour before voting

- the voting is done by secret ballot in the case of EB, SEC, R&R and Statutes. For other voting sessions there can be a free vote.

- the results of the voting session can be obtained from the SEC after the decision in order to ensure that the representative has voted according to the decision of the country, if the delegation so wishes

- in case of foul play: the delegation may call for a new vote within five hours of the vote. The EB and the SEC may refuse the decision of the vote within ten hours of the vote if half of the countries represented at the GA agree

- all voting sessions are valid only if one third of the countries within the Association are present

- changes to the Rules and Regulations and the Statues of the Association is valid if 2/3 of the represented countries support the proposal –

- a country is defined by a nation that has at least one active member in the Association, if there are several regional Satellites in a country, or a Satellite and a National Coordinator, they must form a common delegation and thus have one vote.

- One vote per country. Each country decides upon what to vote and chooses one person to representative to express this vote/secret ballot.

3.2. The Executive Board

The Executive Board of the Association consists of a president, a secretary, a treasurer, and two directors. The five members cannot be from the same satellite nor the same nationality. All members of the EB have a mandate of one year. They are elected during the General Assembly and start their mandate in January the following year. An individual member of the Association cannot be a member of the EB for more than three full terms.

3.2.1 The members of the EB have to fulfill three conditions:

- Have already attended one AC and one GA before they run

- Be second year journalism students (or higher), post-graduate journalism, media and/or communication students, graduated journalism students or work with either journalism or communication

- During their mandate they cannot have any other official position within the Association

3.2.2 The Executive Board’s (EB) main duties are:

- To monitor the finances and activities of the FEJS International v.z.w Secretariat, Satellites and other members that act in the name of the Association

- The EB is obliged to assist the local Satellites and organizing committees with events organized in the name of the Association, required that the events have been approved by the EB and the SEC

- The EB should be represented at all events organized by the Association

- The EB has the mandate to act in the name of the Association, to open bank accounts, apply for funding and collect post in the name of the Association

- To act as a complaint board in case of disputes between the bodies within the Association or the Association and third parties

- To work on the promotion of the Association in countries not represented in cooperation with the SEC

- To organise the General Assembly meeting

- To register the discussions, proposals and the results of the voting sessions at the General Assembly of the Association

- To write a comprehensive report from the Association General Assembly that must include all proposals, votes and discussions. The reports must be sent to the Secretariat within one month after the GA. The EB shall publish these reports on the Associations website. The EB is responsible for the content of the report and all members of the EB must be able to oversee and change the content of the report. If a member of the EB disagrees on the report the SEC is obliged to act as a mediator between the members of the EB. If at least half of the countries represented at the GA agree that the report contains faults or is incorrect they may contact the SEC and ask for an emergency GA.

- The minutes must be sent out to all the members that attended the GA within a fortnight

- Whenever a member of the EB cannot attend a meeting, the next in line at the vote may replace him or her if the EB sees so fit

- The president oversees the work of the EB, but is not in any way more liable than the other members of the EB

- The secretary is obliged to attend all meetings, if he or she cannot attend one of the directors shall perform his or her duties

- The secretary must document all official meetings accordingly and present them to the EB

- In case that there are several documentations during a meeting the Secretary of the EB is obliged to take them into account in the official report

- the treasurer supervises the SEC and monitors it’s activities concerning the budget of the Association and the use of finances, but is not responsible of managing the daily financial duties

- the treasurer has the right to intervene in the SECs actions if he is supported by the EB

- the treasurer is obliged to report to the rest of the EB about the Associations finances monthly

The EB can also perform the duties that are allocated to the Secretariat if needed.

All decisions by the EB must be agreed by four out of five members to be valid. The member who does not agree is exempted from liability in that specific matter

3.3. The Secretariat

The Secretariat consists of at least two active members from the same school or university. It is elected by the General Assembly for an official term of two years, starting its mandate in January the following year. Therefore, each new Secretariat has an experience period from the GA until January, when the official term starts. During this period, the newly elected Secretariat will work together with the ruling Secretariat. The predecessing SEC is obliged to assist the new SEC until the first AC or TFM has been organised, if the new SEC or EB finds this necessary. The Secretary General chooses a substitute who is called the Vice-Secretary General (VSG). The VSG works in cooperation with the SG and acts as a substitute in case the SG is temporarily unable to fulfill his/her duties.

3.3.1 The Sec’s main duties are

- To provide the continuity of the Association and so assuring the long term policy making

- To follow and accept all the activities and projects organised by the Association

- To work on the Association’s promotion in countries not represented

- To coordinate all the Association’s international fundraising

- To coordinating the Association’s PR/image strategy in cooperation with the EB

- To supply the Association’s corporate identity guidelines and to monitor adoption of these guidelines by all the Satellites and other Association Bodies

- To supervise that the name, visual look and image of the Association is not used without approval of the SEC and the EB

- To provide the Association’s monthly Newsletter

- To maintain and update the Association’s official website

- To provide information about journalism-related issues to journalism students and young journalists

- To maintain, update and expand the databases and all the information archives of the Association To set up new databases and archives related to the field of journalism

- To maintain and archive all reports, documents, members, finances and receipts from all matters concerning the Association. These must be open for any member of the Association upon request.

- To keep database of Alumni up to date

- To do the participants application procedure for the Annual Congress

- To supervise the Solidarity Fund and grant funding from it in cooperation with the EB

- the secretariat is responsible for the finances of the association, supervised by the treasurer (talk about at GA)

- the sec may open bank accounts if the EB approves with majority

- the sec may transfer and receive money from third parts according to the rules & regulations, under the supervision of the EB

- all finances and documents that the Sec deals with are open to the EB

- To collect project reports from both the Association and the Satellites’ annual reports and keep them in an organised database, which must be of easy access. The Sec must publish these reports on the website within two months after the event. (we should get the SEC the access-program)

- To present the finances and transactions of the Solidarity Fund at the GA (under no condition should there be reference to the names or countries of the recipients)

- To be represented at the GA, AC and the Task Force Meeting(s)

- To be in continuous contact with the Executive Board concerning actions and decisions
All official correspondence from the SEC to members must be approved by the EB beforehand, at least three members of the EB must respond and authorize the correspondence within five days

- To inform the Executive Board on a monthly basis of the financial situation of the Association;
a monthly report of the associations finances must be handed over by the SEC to the treasurer on the first of every month

- To submit the current year activities report and budget to the GA

- To submit to the GA the Association’s plan of activities and budget for the upcoming year.

- The Secretariat can nominate working groups to delegate specific tasks and projects that are their direct responsibility

- the EB may veto the actions of the SEC with four out of five

3.4. The FEJS International v.z.w. Satellites

The Association’s Satellites are local FEJS International v.z.w. structures that form the working basis of the FEJS International v.z.w. at a national level. National level is usually defined by national borders. There can be an exception to this rule in order to combine two or more FEJS International v.z.w. Satellites. This can be approved by the EB when two thirds of members of all groups involved support the combining. The second exception is splitting a national group into several Satellites within a nation. In this case two thirds of the possible new group needs the approval of the EB.

In case of national level problems which cannot be solved within the Satellite, the national group has to ask for the advice to EB who decides on the grounds of the individual problem and the possible solution. If a long-term problem (such as cultural, social etc.) occurs, EB is advised to approve the combining or splitting of the national group. If a short-term problem occurs within a national group (such as personal differences etc.), EB is advised not to approve the splitting or combining. Regional groups can be for a region, which does not have to correspond with geographical or political borders, a city or even a school. Decisions are made by the National Group.

The formation, structure and operation of the FEJS International v.z.w. Satellites should be implemented in the light of different national realities, and will reflect the spirit and aims of the FEJS International v.z.w. and of these Rules & Regulations. It is the aim of the FEJS International v.z.w. to be geographically represented throughout Europe.

A group of journalism, media and/or communication students that want to form and establish a Satellite has to apply for the status as an official Satellite of the Association to the Secretariat and be approved by the EB. Thus the group can act in the name of the FEJS International v.z.w. until the next upcoming GA where the new Satellite has to present itself and receive the approval of the GA. (talk about at GA)

To be officially established a National Group must:

- Have its own Rules and Regulations (or a similar document) based on the FEJS International v.z.w. international Statutes and R&R. Therefore, it must follow the Statutes concerning Satellites and the articles 1 and 2 from these Rules and Regulations.

- Be an official organisation in their country of origin, or have a similar status

- Be officially recognized by the GA as an “FEJS International v.z.w. Satellite”.

3.4.1 The Satellite’s main aims and duties are

- To promote the FEJS International v.z.w. activities at the local level, and to increase the participation of students and journalism teaching institutions in these activities

- To realize the aims and goals of the FEJS International v.z.w. on a local level

- To organise FEJS International v.z.w. events and projects, local as well as international

- To maintain and promote communication between the Secretariat and educations in journalism, media and communication and among the FEJS International v.z.w. members from that country (and neighboring countries in case there is no Satellite or National Coordinator there)

- To assist the Secretariat in their duties and responsibilities with issues that concern the Satellite and it’s neighbouring regions

- To follow the FEJS International v.z.w. Corporate Identity guidelines as stated in these Rules and Regulations and in the Statutes of the Association

- To write an annual report on their past activities and plans for the future. The annual report should also include the full financial report (all the incomes and outcomes should be specified). The report should be presented to the EB and the Sec at the latest a fortnight before the GA takes place. It is the EB’s responsibility to make the activities report and future plan public in the best effective way, however the Satellite must see to that it’s members can access the report at any time

- To attend the GA and hold a presentation of its activities, plans and finances for the past and the upcoming year

- In case a Satellite does not fulfil its tasks or acts against the Rules & Regulations or the Statutes of the Association, the EB has the right to intervene and take the steps deemed necessary - the EB in cooperation with the SEC may refuse the Satellite the right to act in the name of the FEJS International v.z.w. A full dismissal of the group must be voted on upon at a GA

- If a Satellite wishes to organise an event, a competition, a fund-raising or any other similar event in the name of the Association and its Bodies the Satellite must inform the SEC and the EB of its plans before the application procedure for the event is opened, or well before the event takes place

- The SEC or the EB has the right to refuse the use of the Associations name in context with events, competitions and fund-raisings if it sees that it is in conflict with the Statutes or the R&R

- A Satellite is obliged to send a monthly report of its actions, if there has been any, to the SEC

3.4.1. National Coordinators

In any country that has no official Satellite the EB or the Secretariat in agreement with the EB can choose to nominate a National Coordinator, hereinafter referred to as an NC, who will represent the FEJS International v.z.w. in that country. As opposed to the FEJS International v.z.w. Satellites which can be formed under any regional criteria of their choosing, a NC will always represent a certain country, or those parts of a country where no FEJS International v.z.w. Satellites are established. When a Satellite is formed on a nationwide basis, the position of NC will automatically disappear. A Satellite can candidate to fulfill the function of the NC of a certain country, if this Satellite is established in only part of that country and wishes to expand its field of communication, but not its field of activities. This must be agreed upon at a GA. In this case Satellites can still be founded in those regions where another Satellite only has the function of a NC, required that the Satellites cooperate and have annual meetings.

The National Coordinators’ main duties are:

- To promote the FEJS International v.z.w. activities at the local level, and to increase the participation of students and journalism, media and/or communication teaching institutions in these activities

- To enlarge its own activities in order to achieve the establishment of a National Group in his or her country

- To work in cooperation with the Secretariat for any matter related to his or her country, mainly to maintain and promote communication between the Secretariat and the Universities and members from that country

- The National Coordinator is also urged to promote the Association in neighboring countries if there are no members, a NC or a Satellite in that country

3.5. Resignation of an FEJS International v.z.w. Body or Body Member

When an Association Body or Body Member resigns from its position, it is its or his or her obligation to fulfill its or his or her duties until a replacement is elected by the GA, to ensure the continuity of the FEJS International v.z.w., unless the next in line at the vote at the previous GA can take over the duties. A resignation should be made public at the latest one month before the GA takes place, and within a week after the resignation to the EB and the SEC.

3.6. Dismissing an FEJS International v.z.w. Body or Body Member

3.6.1. Grounds for Dismissal

The GA can dismiss an Association Body or Body Member if it, he or she has harmed the good name of the Association or has harmed the organisation in any other way. This can include:

- abuse of power

- unauthorized use of the name of the Association

- obscure financial transactions

- disrespecting these Rules and Regulations or the Statutes of the Association etc.

3.6.2. Motion for Dismissal

A motion for dismissal can be put forward by a shared request of four EB members, at least half of the members of the SEC, or by a request supported by at least five countries within the Association. The GA has to decide on the motion as soon as possible. (talk about at GA)

3.6.3. Procedures of dismissal

A proposal for dismissal must be presented to the GA one day before voting. An emergency GA may be called upon for a dismissal. Each party involved has to be provided with an equal opportunity to present its case in front of the GA. If the party refuses or is not able to attend the GA, it should be provided with the means to present its case anyways (via email or any other way). The Body or Member must receive notice of the proposal of dismissal within a week before the voting.

The GA will decide by a two thirds majority via secret ballot. The body or body member dismissed continues to fulfill its or his or her duties until a replacement is elected.

3.7 FEJS International v.z.w. Membership

The FEJS International v.z.w. has the following types of members:

- FEJS International v.z.w. Satellites (See paragraph 3.4)

- National Coordinators - a member who is in charge of being in contact with Universities and other educations and organisations within his or her region or nation that are involved in journalism, media and/or communication, in order to spread the knowledge about the Association to possible future members

- Individual Members

- Honorary Members – a member can be promoted to a Honorary member by the GA meeting

- Affiliated Members - persons from other organisations that have prominently aided the Association

3.8 FEJS International v.z.w. Partnerships - Co-operations, Partnerships and Sponsors

The Association should promote cooperation, partnership and contact with Universities, University Colleges, individual professors, teachers, or other Journalism or Communication Educations on both national and international level. Partnerships on a regional level require approval from local Satellites, if these exist. The Association may also initiate cooperation or partnerships with corporations, companies and other organisations as long as they promote the journalistic values of the Association, follow the Statutes and R&R, and are supported at the GA. The OC’s are recommended avoiding sponsors at events that do not support the values of the Association, especially if they intervene with the schedule of the Association’s events.

4. Activities

The aim of all the FEJS International v.z.w. European activities is to create an international understanding among journalism students, people working with journalism or communication and likeminded by doing so to also promote the Association on local and international level.

The Associations activities are organised by the Association bodies or individuals. The organizer of the event is an Organising Committee (OC) consisting of a group of students and volunteers of at least one University or college, or members of the Association. The OC organises the event in cooperation with the Associations Secretariat and the EB if necessary. The OC is elected by the GA one and a half year prior to the event.

4.1.1 The duties and powers of the OC are:

- To organise an event in accordance with the R&R and the Statutes of the Association

- To gather financial means for the implementation of the event

- To prepare the program for the event

- To provide food and lodging for accepted participants during the event

- To report to the Secretariat and the EB on the working progress

- To inform the Secretariat and the EB of their financial situation

- To submit a Project Report to the Secretariat two months after the event

- To be in close contact with the SEC and the EB during the process

- To help participants with practical issues related to an event arranged in the name of the Association

4.1.2 The duties and powers of the SEC during events:

- To help the OC with the applications and selection of participants

- To be in charge of the application procedure in association with the EB and the OC, including sending out the invitation letters, acceptance letters, confirmation letters and rejections

- To be in charge of the finances of the Participation Fee and Solidarity Fund, including collecting the PF and distributing the SF

- To be in charge of the Associations finances during and after the event , but not the finances of the National Group arranging the event

- To support the National Groups financially and legally for events if the EB and the SEC together see it necessary, and under certain circumstances, within the financial limitations of the Association (talk about at GA)

- To advice the OC:s with raising funds if needed

4.1.3 The duties and powers of the EB during events:

- To work closely with the OC during, before and after the event including advice with logistical and other issues

- To advise participants as much as possible with practical issues if needed during and before the event, if the OC cannot be of sufficient help

- To provide the necessary information on possible international funding

- To work with the OC concerning lectures, workshops and events during TFMs, AC:s and Labs. The EB has the right to refuse any activities suggested by the OC at an event arranged in the name of the Association if it is not in accordance with the Statutes or R&R, or if the EB by full majority reject the suggested activity

- To lobby with possible partners etc.

- To hold a presentation of the Association at events (FEJS for Beginners or similar)

- To organize a fund-raising auction in co-operation with the OC at the events

The General Assembly (see Article 4.1.) and the Annual Congress are events of general importance for the FEJS International v.z.w.

4.2. The Annual Congress

The Annual Congress (AC) is held every year in spring, unless the GA votes for a different date. The AC is organised by an Organising Committee (OC). Every General Assembly elects a new OC for the Annual Congress of the 2nd upcoming year. All the candidates for the OC have to prepare and present their candidacy at the GA. The candidacy should include:

- A clear written promise from some of the future project partners, namely the Journalism or Communication Teaching Institution(s) which will host the event and/or other partners

- An organisation and working plan for the project

- A realistic budget

- A clear structure of the OC, its members and its future responsibilities. If the candidate OC cannot provide the above, it has to motivate this

- An OC must consist of at least five members

- A theme for the AC and preferably possible lecturers

4.2.1 The duties of the OC of the Annual Congress are

- To organise the AC in close cooperation with the EB and the Secretariat

- To set a limit for the number of participants in cooperation with the EB

- To report on a monthly basis to the Secretariat and the Executive Board on the working progress. The OC is entitled to take decisions on its internal affairs on its own. (The OC is entitled to take its own decisions in accordance with 4.1.3)

- If conflicts occur within the OC, or with the Associations Bodies, Statutes or Rules and Regulations, the OC must take the issue to the EB that will decide in the matter how to proceed

- To inform the Secretariat and the Executive Board on their financial situation on a weekly basis four months prior to the event or upon demand by the SEC or the EB

- To submit a report on all the preparations done, the program and the budget for the AC to the General Assembly held in the autumn before the AC for the GA to approve

4.2.2. The AC Participants

The participants of the Annual Congress are primarily majors in journalism or students attending courses in journalism, media and/or communication. If interested, also others can participate in the AC. If there are no places available for the entire Sec, at least 3 of its representatives have the right to participate at the AC. A small amount of places should be reserved for guests, observers and participants with special status both for partnership, PR or institutional reasons. Honorary, alumni and affiliated members of the Association and/or professional journalists are also included in this group. This group should not be larger than 10% of the whole all participants.

4.2.2.1 Application procedure

The participants’ application and selection procedures are a responsibility of the Secretariat in accordance with point 4.1.2. In the participants’ selection process, the Secretariat will strive for a maximum diverse and balanced representation of educational facilities, countries and the Associations Satellites. When making the final decisions, the SEC and the EB should consult the heads of the FEJS International v.z.w. Satellites and/or NCs.
The decision by the SEC and the EB concerning participants at events organized by the FEJS International v.z.w. is final and cannot be overruled, except by calling an emergency GA. Applicants must follow all deadlines set by the EB and the SEC for the event. If an applicant is not accepted, he or she has the right to contact the SEC and/or the EB to ask for a report on why he or she was refused. The EB and the SEC are liable to help applicant with Visa-issues and participants that have followed the Statutes and R&R and been present at all activities during the event must receive a certificate of attendance.

4.3. The Lab

The FEJS Lab is an event oriented to professional and advanced level apprentices. The main purpose of a Lab is to provide participants with a practical experience of journalism, and to help improve participants’ technical skills. The Lab is also one of the tools to help develop the Satellites. The FEJS Lab has no time restrictions. The FEJS Lab can be organised with regional, national or international perspective, addressing any journalism related issue.

4.4. Other Activities

Any other FEJS International v.z.w. projects on a local or European level can be launched in accordance with these Rules and Regulations and the Statutes of the Association.

- Task Force Meeting

- Field Trip

4.5. Final Report

After every international FEJS event, the OC must write a final report. The report must include:

- The name and the dates of the event

- The program

- A list of participants

- A list of lecturers

- A summary of the content

- The final outcomes of the project

- A self-evaluation

- A feedback form completed by the participants

- A complete financial report

- The financial status at the time the report is filed

The report should be presented to the EB and the Sec at the latest one month after the event is finished. It is the EB’s responsibility to make it public in the best effective way, except for the financial report and list of participants, which should not be disclosed publicly.

5. The FEJS Solidarity Fund

The FEJS Solidarity Fund (SF) is a fund which supports members with financial issues to attend the events of the Association. It is a way of stimulating participation of members that could otherwise not be represented at these events. The SF is funded by participation fees from events, membership fees, and solidarity auctions organised at events and from other sources. The SF is managed by the Secretariat. The SF is primarily in use for ACs and GAs, but the EB and the Sec may decide to implement it at other events if the finances of the Association support it.

5.1.1. Criteria to get financial support from the SF

All members can apply for SF if financial support is needed to participate in an event. The Secretariat decides if and how much a person should receive supervised by the EB.

The Sec and the EB will decide how much funding applicants will receive based on the applicants’ transportation costs and participation fee and eventually extra costs during the event. The total amount of funding provided to applicants is in relation with the finances of the Association.

The Sec and the EB obtain the right to refuse funding to an applicant, without reason or argumentation. (talk about at GA)

5.1.2. Procedure to Apply for the SF

An application for the SF financial support is valid only if the official request has been written on the Solidarity Fund Application Form.

The request has to contain:

- required information about the applicant

- a description of the applicant’s financial situation and an explanation to why financial means are needed

- a motivation letter and/or a recommendation letter

- a detailed budget of the applicant’s trip and participation to the given event

- a description of the attempts to obtain financial support elsewhere

The SF request form must be attached to the Application Form for the given event – the deadline for applying to the SF for support is the same as for applying for the given FEJS event. Any documents proving that the applicant was also trying to obtain financial support elsewhere must accompany the request. (talk about at GA)

5.1.3. The use of Solidarity Fund money

The funding provided to applicants is limited:

- To a maximum of 70 % of the transportation costs

- People who get money from the SF need to provide receipts of transportation costs to obtain the funding

- People who benefit from the SF are obliged to follow the entire program of the event. If the applicant doesn’t respect this rule, Sec has the right to refuse to pay the SF

- The SF will be handed over at the end of the event the applicant is attending

5.1.4. Interpretation of the articles 5, 5.1.1., 5.1.2 & 5.1.3.

The Associations Secretariat is authorized to interpret these articles and make decisions about individual applicants for the SF means, based on the guidelines listed above. The Executive Board supervises the management of the Solidarity Fund and Sec’s decisions in accordance with these Rules and Regulations and the Statutes of the Association.

6. FEJS Corporate Identity

The official identity of the Association is stated in the Statutes. Recognized Satellites may obtain the logokit on request from the SEC.

Voted and agreed upon by the FEJS General Assembly in Ede, the Netherlands, on the 31 October 2009.