UNITA Student Assembly
The UNITA Student Assembly is a body of the alliance composed of students from the 12 universities who meet in a plenary meeting once a month.
The Student Assembly acts as a point of contact between the governance of the alliance and the student population, which comprises around 250,000 students, providing the members of the alliance with feedback on the activities, including the exchange projects.
The Student Assembly deals with issues concerning the student component within the alliance, from the involvement of students in UNITA's decision-making process to the proposal of new projects to be implemented and made available to the partner universities.
The members of the Student Assembly also take part in the task team working groups composing the work packages, together with the teaching and technical administrative staff, which are the beating heart of the alliance where ideas are translated into activities and implemented.
The elections for the representatives of the Student Assembly of UNITA will take place alongside the student elections of the University of Turin, using an e-voting procedure, on the following dates:
- 24th March 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- 25th March 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- 26th March 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
This step will allow each of the UNITA’s students to stand as candidates and choose their own representatives, who will make the decisions necessary to transform universities and intervene in many aspects of academic life for the next 2 years.
It is a chance and a right to participate in the decisions our Universities are making: participation is fundamental to build a better, more efficient, more inclusive university for all the students and the whole community.
UNITA takes decisions with a participative governance led by the Governance Board, the strategic decisional body in charge of the overall steering of the project, strategic decision-making and budget decisions. Its resolutions are based on the reports and recommendations of the Student Assembly, the Advisory Council, the Quality and Evaluation Board, and the Management Committee.
The Student Assembly, composed of 8 student representatives per each of the 12 Universities of the Alliance UNITA, is self-ruled by its members and gives proposals and recommendations on each single aspect of the Alliance. It also directly participates in decision-making processes, knowledge sharing, implementation of teaching activities as well as research and innovation: it is an inspiring environment for the personal and professional development of all actors, aiming to transform the academic experience of each student, PhD and alumni of the university.
The Student Assembly elects:
- 2 members for the Governance Board
- 2 members for the Quality and Evaluation Board
- members in the Management Committee and in every Task Team of the Alliance, involved in each phase of the decisional processes
After getting organized in lists and being elected, the student representatives, 8 students per university, are ready to report your opinions and needs in front of the governance of UNITA.
They are the voice of the students at the decisional tables of the Alliance, as they sit alongside the rectors and the administrative staff to speak up for the students.
Internally, the Student Assembly discusses ideas and projects to create new opportunities for their peers.
The Student Assembly is a vital part of the Alliance dedicated to addressing the needs, proposals, and concerns of all students in the Alliance. It serves as a voice for the student body, ensuring that every issue, idea, and feedback is heard and acted upon. By fostering open communication and active participation, the Assembly plays a key role in creating a supportive and responsive educational environment.
Additionally, it works collaboratively with each university and administration to implement solutions and improvements, enhancing the overall student experience.
The student assembly plays a pivotal role in addressing any necessity, proposal or concern to each student of the Alliance. It has a key role in enhancing the campus life, ensuring voices are heard by the university's administrations.
By candidating, expressing thoughts and voting, students are shaping the future, advocating for a better environment in and out of the university premises.
Each of these roles underscores the importance of students’ participation in this democratic process. Students in fact:
- are stakeholders in universities: individuals might not seem impactful on their own but their involvement and input are crucial in shaping policies and decisions that impact our academic journey and overall campus life
- benefit fromthe educational services provided by the universities. it is therefore necessary to advocate for high standards of universities and to prioritise quality education and adequate resources
- use services linked to campus utilities such as health care, counseling, academic services, and recreational facilities
- are part of the educational process. The with faculties, administrations, and fellow students is a partnership aimed at achieving mutual goals.
- are democratic participants. Voting is a fundamental aspect of our democratic engagement, allowing us to hold our representatives accountable and ensuring that our voices are heard. This democratic participation is crucial in promoting transparency, inclusivity, and responsiveness within the student assembly.
- are ambassadors for their own university and for UNITA.
Each vote contributes to a more accessible and inclusive university environment, where diverse needs and perspectives are acknowledged and addressed.
All students enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate degree program, a PhD program or any other course in one of the 12 universities in the academic year 2024-2025 can candidate for the elections.
Candidates are required to assemble their campaign materials into organized lists. Each list should include:
- list name: a unique and identifiable name that represents the candidate or their campaign
- a distinctive logo that visually represents the list and helps in building recognition among voters
- program statement: a comprehensive document outlining the candidate’s intentions, policies, and the key issues they aim to address. This program should clearly convey the candidate’s vision, objectives, and the strategies they plan to implement to achieve their goals
- key priorities: a focused summary of the top priorities and key initiatives that the candidate plans to address first if elected. This should highlight the most pressing issues and the candidate’s immediate action plan.
For each university, 7 people will be elected through the electoral process established in the electoral regulation and 1 will be nominated by the Student Council of each University to ensure continuity between the decisions taken at the Alliance level and the ones being taken inside each university.
Members must be enrolled as students. They must resign from their position as soon as they leave their students’ status.
Detailed official information about the election process and rules are available on the "Electoral Regulation" and on the "Announcement of the Elections" that can be found in the section Documents on the UNITA dedicated webpage.
Every student and PhD student enrolled in any of the UNITA universities has the right to candidate and to vote. Students candidating will compete for the 7 seats inside the Student Assembly.
To candidate, students must create groups of candidates called "lists".
Every list has its own name, logo and members candidating. Every List can have a maximum of 14 candidates. Candidature takes place online, on a dedicated platform that will be available from 10th February 2025.
Every list must collect 50 signatures from non-candidating students of the same University. The signatures are only a tool to demonstrate that the list is real and that the students candidating are active participants in the community.
These signatures are collected through the same digital platform used to present the candidatures. Any detail about the student who signed to let the List candidate, will never be made public for any reason, not even to the candidates presenting the list.
The signature is not in any case an expression of one student “intention to vote”, actually they should be seen as a contribute to a democratic environment. Any student recognizing the list and its members as part of the academic community should sign to help the candidates present the List, most of all if it’s not willing to vote for the list.
Due to possible conflict of interests, the presentation of the list (and all the online procedures) must be carried out by a non-candidate student called the "list presenter".
all the candidates running for the list and the single candidates will have to accept their candidacy through the online procedure.
Access the dedicated platform: Presentation lists and candidatures.
The presentation of the list must be completed by 12:00 p.m. CET on 04th March 2025, under penalty of forfeiture. The link to the dedicated platform and the details for submission and signing of the lists will be available in the relevant section of the UNITA - Universitas Montium website by 10th February 2025.
- Spread the word: share your manifesto, ideas and goals via university platforms, social media, and campus events
- Classroom presentations: you can request to present your list during classes (with prior permission from professors)
- Respect the rules: avoid campaign activities on voting days and follow guidelines to ensure a fair election.
Student representatives are expected to actively participate in the activities of the UNITA Student Assembly, represent the interests of their peers, and uphold the principles of the alliance.
In the "Electoral Regulation" there are articles detailing how a candidate should behave to ensure a fair, open, inclusive and respectful electoral process.
Candidates may be disqualified for breaching submission deadlines, violating campaign rules, or providing false information.
- Opening of the process to candidate: 10th february 2025
- Deadline to submit the candidate lists: 4th March 2025
- Publication of candidate lists: 9th March 2025
- Appeals must be filed by 13th March 2025.
- Final decision on appeals and publication of final lists: 4th March 2025.
It is important to be a part of this essential project deeply rooted in European values, to help shape the universities of tomorrow alongside professors, researchers and administrative staff. By being a student representative, you can be an active part of the decisional processes of the Alliance, helping it improve and increasing the opportunities offered to the students.
The main reasons to candidate are:
- direct impact on academic life
- being the voice for the student community
- networking opportunities
- promoting positive change
- experience of democracy
- strengthen the sense of belonging and pride
- gaining support and training
- personal and professional development
Eligible to vote are:
- students of all levels who, at the time of the elections, are regularly enrolled, either as current or out-of-course students, in the current academic year, including those enrolled in first-level study programs from the previous academic year who are awaiting graduation in the extraordinary session
- incoming Erasmus students
- PhD candidates
- students enrolled in specialisation courses.
Check the provisional list of active voters.
Voters are required to check the lists and, if they are regularly registered but their names are not included, they must report it by sending an email to [email protected] no later than 12:00 p.m. on February 28th, 2025. The office will conduct the necessary checks and provide an immediate response.
An appeal against the office's decision can be made to the Electoral Commission by 12:00 p.m. on March 4th, 2025.
The Electoral Commission will make a final decision by Friday, March 7, 2025.
The final lists will be published by Monday, March 10th, 2025.
The elections will be held online using a dedicated platform. The voting window will be open for 3 days and anyone can change their vote until the closing of the voting window. Each student will be able to express their vote for 1 candidate of their own university.
The platform enhances:
- secrecy: votes can only be read by voters
- fairness: no one can read a partial result before the intended time
- integrity: no one can alter the election data undetected
- anonymity: no one can link a plaintext vote to a single voter
- eligibility: only a predefined list of voters can cast a valid vote
- end-to-end verifiability: Votes are cast as intended, registered as cast, and counted as registered.
Watch the UNITA videos to find out more about the Alliance and the Student Assembly's representative activities.
