It is possible to raise a question with the Principal, either in person or by email. Procedures for Questions to the Principal at Half-Yearly Meetings Introduction The opportunity for General Council (GC) members to raise questions regarding any aspect of the University and its activities is a very important part of the work of the GC. It is certainly highly appreciated. The introduction of emailed questions, either immediately prior to or during the Meeting, has been well received and encourages participation from members wherever they are located. However it has increased the volume ofquestions significantly and many of the email questions are highly detailed with requests for complex information. In order to make the process more manageable and to clarify what can reasonably be expected the following procedures will be introduced and publicised. Questions from attendees at the Meeting Questions to the Principal raised by members present in person at the Meeting will normally be answered on the day. Should there be the need for significant research to answer any question or to provide details such further information will be made available after the meeting. Email Questions Email Questions to the Principal will be encouraged by publicising this possibility in Billet and in various electronic communications, as is done currently. It will be recommended that questions are as concise as possible. All email questions which are received in the General Council offices by 17.00 on the Wednesday immediately prior the Half Yearly Meeting will normally receive an answer at the Meeting (subject to sufficient time being available at this). This answer will be as complete as possible, although depending on the nature of the query exact details or supplementary information may have to be added subsequently. All reasonable and valid email questions received after this cut-off point may receive an answer at the meeting if time is available and if the question can be answered without extensive research or fact finding being required. Questions on very similar topics or themes will usually be grouped together to form a single question. Guarantee of an answer All reasonable and valid questions from members will be guaranteed to receive an answer. The time required to send out such answers will be variable, depending on the nature of the question and the resources available. They will be provided as soon as is practicable. Note: Only questions coming from identifiable General Council members will be accepted thus all questioners must provide their name, first degree from Edinburgh and year of graduation. Questions must meet general standards of acceptability and relevance to the University's activities.June 2013 This article was published on 2024-07-08
