Every year, hundreds of student posts are appointed at Lund University. What many people are unaware of is that a few of these posts include high compensation – and oftentimes, the same person is elected for more than one post.
At Lund University, the students have a right to appoint representatives into all decision-making and drafting committees (with only a few exceptions). A greater part of these posts are appointed in connection with the election sessions of Lund University Student Unions Association (Lus).
A number of other posts, for example within Lus itself, are also appointed in the sessions.
Compensation vary
These posts are advertised as functionary, and what many do not know is that they grant compensation. Also, there is a considerable difference in the size of compensations, depending on which post is concerned.
For example, the representatives in the University Board receive 28,000 SEK annually, whereas representatives in Lund Communal Student Union receive a compensation closer to 3,500 SEK annually.
No information about these compensations can be found on Lus’s webpage, and among those active within the Unions, not many know about the great monetary differences. Not even the chairperson of Lus, Cecilia Skoug, has a clear idea of which of the posts that grant compensations or how big these are.
“We are not responsible for the compensation”
In her opinion, it is not up to Lus to inform people about possible compensations, since these are not paid by Lus.
“Our organisation is not responsible for the compensations, and we do not wish that students apply for the posts on the grounds of economic reimbursement, but instead to be able to influence. First and foremost, they should have a will to be the voice of the students, and not focus on receiving payment,” Cecilia Skoug says.
There are several reasons as to why some posts grant larger compensations than others. When it comes to the University Board, these compensations are regulated by a decree from the government. According to Cecilia Skoug, who has been a member of the Board, the sum itself is not relevant.
“What I find important is that if the rest of the Board are compensated, then so should the student representatives. This is important because the power is balanced equally between the members of the Board. But it is also fine to demand certain things of these representatives,” Cecilia Skoug says.
Who is appointed?
Although all students have the opportunity to apply for the posts, the number of applicants is oftentimes low, resulting in many seats remaining vacant – oftentimes those seats that do not grant any compensations.
“Technically speaking, a person can be elected to as many posts as possible. The election committee usually try to spread the posts out, though, but if the number of applicants is low, the same person can end up being appointed into several posts,” Cecilia Skoug says.
According to sources within Lus, there is also an informal demand that those appointed for posts in the University Board, among others, should have been active members of their Union, and usually should have been appointed to influential posts previously.
“Of course, some assignments demand more than others, and the Unions also expect more from those people who hold more influential posts,” Cecilia Skoug says.
Holds several posts
After examining who has been elected for what posts recently, it becomes clear that the same person frequently is appointed for more than one post. In the latest election session, one of those who has succeeded in being appointed for three of the more influential posts is the former chairperson of Lus, Oskar Styf.
At present, Oskar Styf holds the posts as student representative in the University Board and as the operation accountant of Lus. Furthermore, he is the only student holding a post in the reference group of the committee LU350, planning the 350th anniversary of Lund University.
In connection with the latter, he has also been appointed the chairperson of the group working with issues relating to Lund’s student life.
65,000 SEK per year
Apart from the posts that Oskar Styf has been elected to through Lus, he is a member of the Academic Appointments Board of the Student Union within the Faculties of Humanities and Theology.
Were he to attend all meetings and also receive full compensation for his assignment within the group working with student life, he would receive around 65,000 SEK in one year of being active within student organisations of the University.
“I see no problem in the same person holding several posts. On the other hand, it is important that these people are engaged in and understand the questions they are working with. The reason why I applied for the post in the Academic Appointments Board was because I am passionate about the University having competent professors,” Oskar Styf says.
The compensation immaterial
According to Oskar Styf, he was unaware of the compensation he was to receive in the Academic Appointments Board when applying for the post. However, he was aware of what compensation he was entitled to when being part of the University Board, but says that this was not any of the reasons for his applying to the post.
“I applied not to receive payment, but instead to be able to provide a student’s perspective in the highest authority of the University,” he says.
Even though he is aware that many people do not know about the fees being granted for the different posts, Oskar Styf sees no trouble in the fact that Lus do not inform applicants about what compensations a post grants.
“Of course, one can become more open about the fact that you receive payment when holding certain posts, but the idea is that students should apply because they want to influence. There is a risk that people will apply solely to those posts for which compensations are granted, if Lus provides information about which of the posts this concerns,” Oskar Styf says.
Poor engagement the real problem
At the same time, both Cecilia Skoug and Oskar Styf are of the opinion that it is problematic that too few students wish to become engaged with student politics, and that that, in turn, results in problems in connection with applications to the different posts being too few.
“In my view, there is rather a problem when it comes to the amount of students getting engaged in student politics, which results in that competition for different posts is virtually non-existent for many of the posts,” Oskar Styf says.
The problem is thus twofold. On the one hand, Lus see a problem in the fact that they do not receive enough applicants for the posts that have to be filled each year, and voices are raised from many directions demanding more visible advertisement of the posts.
On the other hand, getting applicants for the more prestigious posts is never an issue, and those are often the posts granting greater economic compensation.
Insufficient marketing
Today, it is the task of Lus to market the different posts within the organisation, and according to both Cecilia Skoug and Oskar Styf, this has been done insufficiently.
According to Cecilia Skoug, Lus have therefore assigned the board to review the election process.
“It would be favourable if there were more applicants for the posts, since this would rectify the issue of having the same person holding several posts. Hopefully, the appointment process would become more democratic as a result,” Cecilia Skoug says.
The application process
- Every year, around 200 posts are due to be appointed in the election sessions of Lus. This year, 80 of these are vacant.
- All students have an opportunity to apply for any post. If you are found suitable for a position, and if the number of applicants does not exceed the number of posts, you are suggested for appointment of the election committee. For those posts where competition is fierce, applicants are first asked to come to an interview with the election committee.
- Then, all representatives are elected in the election sessions of Lus. The sessions is a representative democracy, and the Unions are allotted mandates based on their size. Usually, those applicants that have been suggested by the election committee are appointed for posts, but there is also the possibility of appointing rival candidates during the sessions.
- A simple rule is that compensations are granted when holding a post in any of the central boards and committees of the University. The complete list of which posts are appointed by the election sessions of Lus can be found at their webpage.
Translation: Richard Helander
