What does the representatives council do?
Have you ever wondered what on earth the Representatives Council is, who the representatives actually are, and what does the council do in the first place?
The representatives council refers to a group of students that advocates for the interests of Jamk students and exercises the highest decision-making authority of JAMKO. This means that the representatives council makes decisions regarding the student union and sets its policies, including the amount of the JAMKO membership fee. The representatives council also elects the Student Union Board, which changes annually and manages the day-to-day operations of JAMKO. The representative council acts as the board’s supervisor, meaning it oversees the board’s activities.
The representatives council, also referred as the RepCo, consists of 18 actual members and 21 vice members. They are elected through the representatives council elections held every autumn. In the council elections, all JAMKO members have the right to vote, and any JAMKO member who is a candidate in the elections is eligible to be voted for. The term of the representatives council lasts for one calendar year. The council is led by the Chair of the Representatives Council, who is elected at the first meeting of the newly elected council. Since the official language of the student union is Finnish, this means that official documents are in Finnish. However, council meetings are held in either Finnish, English, or both languages, depending on the language skills of those present, and the minutes include English translations so that everyone can participate equally.
The purpose of the representatives council is to represent the entire pool of JAMKO members and make decisions regarding the future of the student union. The council’s work is important to students, as its meetings address matters concerning students and the student union’s activities, such as policy papers and cooperation with the school. The representatives council also elects student representatives to Jamk’s working groups, such as the Academic Affairs Committee, the Ethics Committee, the Restaurant committee, and others. Additionally, the representatives council also elects student representatives to external groups such as the KOAS Board and to the bodies of the Finnish Student Health Service (YTHS).
The RepCo meets approximately once a month, excluding the summer months. All JAMKO members are welcome to attend the meetings, and the times and locations can be found in the JAMKO event calendar. Council meetings are organized so that participants can attend either in person or online via Zoom.
Meeting agendas are published on this page prior to the meeting, and signed meeting minutes are always posted on the website after the meeting.