Law 1: Membership Rights by Virtue of the Education Act 1994

1.1 A student wishing not to be a member of the Union shall indicate their wish in writing to the Secretary to the Board of Trustees within four weeks of the annual commencement date of their programme of study. To do so they should complete the designated form copies of which shall be available from the offices of the Union and the Clerk to the Governors of the University. A student who exercises this option will remain a non-member of the Union for the remainder of that academic year.

1.2 For a student wishing to remain a non-member of the Union in subsequent years of their programme of study the procedure shown in 1.1 above should be followed for each year for which the student wishes to remain a non-member.

1.3 For the avoidance of doubt a student is a member of the Union and remains a member of the Union unless and until they complete the procedure shown in 1.1 above.

1.4 A member of the Union who wishes to make a complaint arising from their dealings with the Union shall have access to a formal complaints procedure. This procedure shall also be available to a student who, having exercised their right not to belong to the Union, then wishes to claim that they have been unfairly disadvantaged by so doing.

1.5 Such complaints shall be processed via the following procedure:

(i) the complainant shall make their complaint in writing to the Secretary to the Board of Trustees who will invite the complainant to a meeting at which to establish the grounds for complaint. The complainant shall be advised of the proposed date time and place of the meeting and of their right to be accompanied by another student of the University.

(ii) the secretary to the Board of Trustees shall conduct such meetings as deemed appropriate save that the complainant shall be afforded full opportunity to express their complaint. The meeting shall establish whether the complainant wishes to pursue the complaint further.
(iii) where the complainant indicates that they wish to pursue the complaint further the Secretary to the Board of Trustees shall conduct a formal investigation of the complaint. Following such investigation the Secretary to the Board of Trustees shall take such action as deemed appropriate and advise the complainant accordingly.

(iv) should the complainant remain dissatisfied then the complainant shall advise the Secretary to the Board of Trustees in writing that they wish for their complaint to be referred to the Board of Trustees.

(v) where the complainant does so indicate the Secretary to the Board of Trustees shall table the complaint for consideration at the next scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees. The Secretary to the Board of Trustees shall advise the complainant in writing of the time, date, and place of that meeting, their right to attend the meeting, and to be accompanied by another student of the University.

(vi) when acting as the Complaints Appeals Panel the Board of Trustees may conduct their proceedings as they deem appropriate provided that at such meetings the complainant shall be given full opportunity to express their complaint, and that the Secretary shall play no part in the proceedings other then to provide evidence to the panel.

(vii) following the hearing of the complaint the Complaints Appeals Panel shall meet in private to resolve whether to uphold or vary the decision of the Secretary of the Trustees. The Chairperson of the Complaints Appeals Panel shall then advise the complainant in writing of the decision of the Complaints Appeals Panel.
(viii) should the complainant remain dissatisfied then the complainant shall advise the Clerk to the Governors of the University who will arrange for the complaint to be investigated by an independent person appointed by the Board of Governors.

(ix) The decision of such independent person shall be final.