The Student Court is responsible for ensuring that your society's constitution is in line with the "Student Court Guidelines" (hereinafter referred to as "The Guide "). The Guide sets out the basic provisions every society's constitution needs to have before being approved by the Student Court. These are just the basic provisions and you and your society can add more provisions to suit your needs. Please note, however, that we will not review any constitution that does not prima facie - at first sight - comply with the Guide. Therefore, it is imperative that you consult the Guide before drafting your constitution and while drafting your constitution.
How does the review process work?
When your constitution is finished, please email it to scregistrar@sun.ac.za. Please ensure that it is in MS Word or PDF format. Once your constitution is received, we will acknowledge receipt and give you an approximate date as to when your constitution will be reviewed ( we have a "first come, first served" review policy).
When your constitution is reviewed for the first time, one of two things can happen:
Firstly, your constitution may not be prima facie – at first sight - in line with the Guide. This will be the case when, for example, the constitution is missing a basic section as per the Guide or is not numbered properly. In such an instance, your constitution will be sent back to you, with an explanation of why it has not been approved. The onus is on you to make the necessary amendments and send it back to us.
Secondly, your constitution does prima facie comply with the Guide. Once this has been established, adequate feedback will be provided with regard to procedural manners within your constitution. Please ensure that you take into account the feedback and make the necessary amendments to your constitution before sending it back to us. If we are satisfied that the constitution is in line with the Guide, we will issue an approval certificate – and you will be one step closer to registering your society.
How long will it take?
The Court aims for, but does not guarantee, a turnover period of 15 court days.
Due to unpredictable fluxes in the amount of constitutions submitted to the Court, the Court may at times work much faster, or experience greater backlog which could slow the process. You are welcome, however, to send a follow up email to query the progress of your submitted constitution.
It is important to note that the Court will only conduct constitution reviews during the Court terms. Society constitutions submitted while the Court is in recess will be noted and filed, but will not be processed, nor any pronouncements made, until the commencement of the next Court term.
Court dates for 2024:
Looking for more info on constitutional compliance?
The court's constitutional guidelines for societies have been amended.
The guidelines now provide you with specifications on what would constitute a ground for disapproval and provide elaboration on certain specifications that factor into whether a constitution is approved or not.
Presentations have been created by our legal literacy coordinator to educate and assist in the constitution-making or amending processes. The presentation also provides information on the functions of the court and applications to the court.
This presentation is available on our website.
1._Guide_to_Starting_a_Society.pdf
