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Terms of Reference (Vice-Chancellor approved) - Student Services and Amenities Fees (SSAF) Committee

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Establishment

(1) The Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer establishes the Student Services and Amenities Fees (SSAF) Committee to provide reports and/ or advice to the Executive Team and to the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer.

Functions

(2) The Committee’s functions and responsibilities are to:

  1. monitor, evaluate and recommend the distribution of SSAF funds to the Executive Team and Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer in accordance with the Higher Education Support (Student Services, Amenities, Representation and Advocacy) Guidelines 2022;
  2. monitor progress and report to the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer on matters relating to the Committee’s activities and recommendations; and 
  3. develop and maintain SSAF priorities, objectives and projects with a communication plan, against which to measure and improve ongoing performance.

Membership

(3) The Committee shall comprise:

  1. Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) Chair 
  2. Chief Financial Officer (or delegate);
  3. Chief Operating Officer (or delegate);
  4. Executive Principal Education Futures (or delegate);
  5. Executive Principal Student Journey
  6. Director, Education Quality (or delegate);
  7. Student Representative nominated by the Student Consultative Committee;
  8. Student Representative nominated by the Student Academic Reference Group.

(4) In attendance:

  1. Senior Corporate Accountant, Finance Strategy and Business Intelligence;
  2. Student Services and Amenities Fees Advisor Education Quality – Committee Secretary;
  3. Staff member of UNE Life Pty Ltd, nominated by the COO.

Co-opted members:

(5) Such additional members to the Committee to provide input into particular matters.

(6) All members shall serve on the Committee for the continuation of the role. Where persons are co-opted for a specific purpose, membership to the Committee will cease when the specific purpose is complete.

(7) Gender representation on the Committee’s membership will be compliant with the University’s Gender Representation on Decision Making and Advisory Committees Policy.

Chair

(8) The Chair will be the Deputy Vice-Chancellor. If the Chair is unable to attend a scheduled meeting, they will nominate an Alternate Chair.

Right of audience

(9) The Committee may extend rights of audience and debate on a standing or ad hoc basis. Staff, students and external stakeholders may request the opportunity to address the Committee. The Chair will consider and determine these requests.

Secretary

(10) Secretarial support will be provided to the Committee by the Student Services and Amenities Fees Advisor Education Quality.

Quorum

(11) The quorum for a committee meeting shall be 50% of the membership, plus one. The quorum at all times must include a student member.

(12) Where a loss of quorum is identified, the meeting may be adjourned until a time the Chair determines. Any matters for decision considered when the meeting is inquorate must subsequently be ratified by the Executive Team or at the next Student Services and Amenities Fees (SSAF) Committee meeting before those decisions can be actioned.

Conflicts of interest

(13) Committee members are required to declare to the Chair any real, perceived or potential conflicts of interest they may have with any item on the Committee’s agenda.

(14) If the Chair of Committee deems a member to have a conflict of interest in a matter before the Committee, the member will be excused from Committee discussions and deliberations on that matter. The Chair may, with the agreement of the Committee, allow a member to contribute to discussion where they have particular expertise. The member will not be permitted to vote on any matter in which a conflict is deemed.

(15) Operational oversight or responsibility for a service or area of the University will not normally be considered as a conflict of interest.

(16) Further details on identifying and dealing with a conflict of interest are provided in the Conflict of Interest Policy and Procedures.

Meetings

(17) The Committee will determine its meeting schedule annually in advance and meeting as scheduled. The schedule of meetings will ensure that the SSAF allocation is approved by August for the following year.

(18) Committee meetings may be held face-to-face, by telephone, videoconference, or other electronic means.

(19) Committee decisions may be made at a duly called and constituted meeting, or by a resolution in writing to all members and physically or electronically signed by at least a quorum of members.

(20) Committee members are required to fully prepare for each meeting, read documentation in advance, and make every reasonable effort to attend each meeting.

Access to resources

(21) Committee members will be provided with access to any resources they reasonably require to fulfil their duties as a Committee member.

Observers

(22) Observers are welcome with the Chair’s prior permission and provided they advise the Secretary in advance.

(23) Observers are entitled to see and hear the proceedings of the meeting but have no voting rights and not right to speak at meetings, unless invited to do so by the Chair. Observers must leave the meeting when requested by the Chair, or if any matters are to be considered in closed session.

Agenda and minutes

(24) Agendas and associated documentation will be distributed five working days before the meeting. Members will be notified by email of the location and availability of material.

(25) All papers must be submitted to the Secretary by the specified submission date. Late and tabled papers will only be accepted with the permission of the Chair.

(26) Committee records are subject to the State Records Act 1998 (NSW) and must be retained by the Secretary in accordance with the University’s Records Management Rule and Procedures.

(27) Minutes are to be prepared from each meeting. The Chair will review the draft minutes and action sheet of each meeting, after which the Secretary will circulate the documents to all Committee members and include them in the agenda papers for the next meeting.

Evaluation and review

(28) To ensure the Committee is fulfilling its duties, it will undertake an annual self-assessment of its performance against these terms of reference and provide that information to the Senior Executive, along with any information the Senior Executive requests to facilitate its review of the Committee’s performance and membership.