How the Student Corporation works

Student representatives in the Academic Senate (one per Faculty) make up the Student Council, which is the “government” of the Corporation.

They have two main tasks:

• to represent the interests of students in the relevant USI boards;
• to decide in the first instance how to use the budget of the Corporation for the promotion of university life.
  To this end the student representatives:
  - evaluate the proposals coming from student associations and decide whether to support them;
  - propose their own projects.
  The aim, in both cases, is to improve university life.

Budget allocation criteria
Concerning the use of resources for the promotion of university life, the Student Council is required to ensure as far as possible a fair distribution between:

• the different locations of the University;
• the different types of projects to support;
• the different levels of study (Bachelor, Master) of potential beneficiaries.

The Council is also required to observe the following priority order:

• projects promoted in collaboration between several student associations;
• projects of individual student associations;
• own projects.

Decision making process
Three "decision packages" are approved by the Student Council at three defined moments in each semester
– see Corporation calendar.

Where do I find the decisions of the Council?
Decisions taken by the Student Council are published in the List of Decisions
– click here to read the List of Decisions

Student Initiatives and Student Referendums
Every single student enrolled in a Bachelor or Master programme at USI is automatically a member of the Corporation and therefore can trigger "direct democracy", i.e. the process that can lead to a vote on a specific topic by the entire student body.
The above can be done in two ways:

• by launching a Student Initiative, or a formal proposal for action, which, if accepted in a vote, binds the Student Council to work to implement it. Initiatives can be launched within specific deadlines - see the Corporation calendar;
• by launching a Student Referendum, i.e. by formally dispute a decision taken by the Student Council; the Referendum must be launched within 15 days from the date of publication of the Council's decision on the matter.

If at least 230 signatures are collected within the deadline – 40 days for the Initiative, 20 days for the Referendum – all USI Bachelor's and Master's students will be asked to take a vote.

• Find out how you can launch or support a Student Initiative
• Find out how you can launch or support a Student Referendum

Free ideas and monitoring
Every single student has also:

• the opportunity to freely and informally pitch ideas to the Student Council. All ideas submitted in an informal way are not binding on the Council
  – find out how to submit your idea;
• the right to appeal to the monitoring exercised by the University on the Corporation, i.e. to apply to the Rectorate of the University if they believe that the Corporation has behaved or is behaving inappropriately
  – find out how to appeal to the monitoring exercised by the University.

All students regularly enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's programme can express themselves through elections and vote.
This can happen: 

• during the student body representative elections;
• during the vote on Student Initiatives that have collected the required number of signatures within the defined time period;
• during the vote on mandatory Student Referendums;
• during the vote on Student Referendums launched to dispute a decision, that have collected the required number of signatures within the defined time period.

When the student body gets together for an election or to vote, the Student General Assembly is formed. The Student General Assembly is the “sovereign” of the Corporation and exercises "direct democracy", and therefore has the last word on the decisions of the Corporation. 

• Find out how to elect representatives
• Find out how to vote

The University allocates to the Corporation an annual budget for projects and activities in support of university life and monitors the Corporation's work.

Annual budget
The annual budget

• is determined by the number of students enrolled
• is determined in November/December and made available as from the following January

Monitoring
It is the ability to intervene on the Corporation, autonomously or upon request, in case of violation of fundamental principles or regulations.

Acknowledged student associations can submit proposals to the Student Council without having to launch a Student Initiative. The Student Council evaluates them and decides whether and how to support them. Proposals can only be submitted within set deadlines ("call") during each semester.