Student assembly

Check the turnout data and the provisional results of the vote count. 

The electronic vote counting took place starting at 4:15 p.m. on March 26th, 2025.

Appeals to the Electoral Commission

Any appeals to the Electoral Commission must be addressed to the President of the Electoral Commission and submitted via Certified Email (PEC). The appeal must be sent from the appellant’s PEC address to [email protected], with the subject line: "UNITA Elections - Appeal to the Electoral Commission", no later than 9:00 a.m. on April 3rd, 2025.

The decision-making process of UNITA operates in a participatory manner under the guidance of the Governance Board, the strategic decision-making body responsible for the overall direction of the project, strategic decision-making, and budgetary decisions. Its resolutions are based on reports and recommendations from the Student Assembly, the Advisory Council, the Quality and Evaluation Board, and the Management Committee.

The Student Assembly, composed of 8 student representatives from each of the 12 universities of the UNITA Alliance, is self-managed by its members and provides proposals and recommendations on every aspect of the Alliance.

It also directly participates in decision-making processes, knowledge sharing, the implementation of educational activities, as well as research and innovation. It's a stimulating environment for the personal and professional development of all involved, with the aim of transforming the academic experience for every student, doctoral candidate, and alumnus.

The Student Assembly elects:

• 2 members for the Governance Board
• 2 members for the Quality and Evaluation Board
• Members of the Management Committee and each Task Team of the Alliance, involved in every stage of the decision-making processes.

The representatives of the Student Assembly, organized into lists and elected from the entire student population of UNITA, are 8 for each university of the Alliance and are responsible for bringing the opinions and needs to the governance of UNITA. They are the voice of the students at the decision-making tables of the Alliance, where they participate alongside rectors and administrative staff.

Internally, the Student Assembly discusses ideas and projects to create new opportunities for students.

The Student Assembly is a vital part of UNITA, dedicated to addressing the needs, proposals, and concerns of all students within the Alliance. It serves to give a voice to the student body, ensuring that every issue, idea, and feedback are heard and taken into consideration.

By promoting open communication and active participation, the Assembly plays a key role in creating a supportive and responsive educational environment.

Additionally, it works in collaboration with each university and administration to implement new solutions, improving the overall experience of every student.

The Student Assembly plays a key role in addressing any needs, proposals, or concerns of every student within the Alliance. It helps improve campus life by ensuring that the voices of students are heard by university administrations.

By running for election, expressing opinions, and voting, students shape the future, supporting a better environment both inside and outside university campuses.

Each of these functions highlights the importance of student participation in this democratic process. Students, in fact:

• Are stakeholders within universities: their involvement and contribution are essential in shaping policies and decisions that impact their academic path and campus life.
• Benefit from the educational services provided by universities: it is therefore necessary to defend the educational standards of universities and prioritize quality education and adequate resources.
• Make use of services linked to various campus facilities, such as healthcare, counseling, academic services, and recreational facilities.
• Are part of the educational process. The relationship between faculty, administration, and other students is a partnership aimed at achieving mutual goals.
• Participate democratically. Voting is a fundamental aspect of democratic engagement within universities, allowing student representatives to be held accountable and ensuring their voices are heard. Democratic participation is crucial for promoting transparency, inclusivity, and responsiveness within the Student Assembly.
• Are ambassadors of their own university and of UNITA.

Students enrolled in a bachelor's degree, master's degree, PhD program, or any other course at one of the 12 UNITA universities during the 2024-2025 academic year are eligible to run for representative.

It is necessary to organize campaign materials into lists.

Each list must include:

1. The list's name, unique and identifiable, representing the candidate or their campaign.
2. A distinctive logo that visually represents the list and helps voters recognize it.
3. A programmatic statement: a comprehensive document outlining the candidate's intentions, policies, and key issues they plan to address. The program must clearly communicate the vision, goals, and strategies they intend to implement to achieve their objectives.
4. Key priorities: a targeted summary of the main priorities and key initiatives the candidate plans to address if elected. The document should highlight the most urgent issues and the immediate action plan.

For each university, 7 people will be elected through the electoral process established in the electoral regulations, and 1 will be appointed by the Student Council of each university to ensure continuity between the decisions made at the Alliance level and those made within each university.

Members must be enrolled as students and must resign from their position as soon as they cease to be students.

Details on the candidacy submission process will be announced soon.

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.

ELECTORAL LISTS

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 19th 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.

PRESENTATION OF THE LISTS AND OF THE CANDIDATES

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 candidatureres.

DEADLINE TO PRESENT THE LIST 

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.

CAMPAIGN GUIDE LINES

• 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.

DUTIES AND RESPONSABILITIES

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: 19th 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.

Being a student representative allows you to be an active part of the decision-making processes within the Alliance, helping to improve and increase the opportunities offered to students.

The main reasons to run for election are:

• Direct impact on academic life
• Being the voice of the student community
• Networking opportunities
• Promoting positive change
• Experience in democracy
• Strengthening the sense of belonging
• Gaining support and training
• Personal and professional development

The electoral commission met on March 10h, 2025.

Consult the electoral manifesto.

Appeals against decisions regarding the eligibility and candidacy of candidates may be submitted to the Electoral Commission, following the procedures outlined in Article 5 of the Call for Elections Decree, by March 13th, 2025.

Approved Lists (in order of submission).

Who can vote:

• students of all levels who, on the date of the voting, are regularly enrolled, either in their current course or as out-of-course students, for the current academic year, including extraordinary students
• PhD students
• students enrolled in Schools of specialisation 

Fill out the form to verify if you are part of the active and passive electorate.

Voters are required to check the lists and, if they are not included, must report it by sending an email to [email protected] not later than 12:00 PM 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 lists will be considered final on Monday, March 10, 2025.

The elections take place online through a dedicated platform that can be accessed with the university login credentials.

The voting window will be open for 3 days, and anyone can modify their vote until the voting window closes. Each student can cast their vote for 1 candidate from their university.

The platform guarantees:

• Confidentiality: votes can only be seen by the person voting.
• Fairness: no one can view partial results before the scheduled time.
• Integrity: no one can alter the electoral data.
• Anonymity: it is not possible to link a vote to a specific voter.
• Eligibility: only a predefined list of voters can cast a valid vote.
• End-to-End Verifiability: votes are cast as intended, recorded as cast, and counted as recorded.

Instructions on how to vote are available in this video guide and in PDF format.

Polling stations

Voters without mobile devices can vote at a polling station located at the International Mobility and Promotion Office, located at via San Faustino 74/b. The station will be accessible during office hours (approximately 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM).