Björn Sanders and Jack Senften. Those are the names of the coming charipersons of Lund University Student Unions.
On Wednesday 16 March, electoral sessions were held by Lund University Student Unions, Lus, concerning the coming chairmanship, and the evening had no surprises in store.
An overwhelming majority of the 31 voters followed the suggestion made by the election committee and appointed Björn Sanders and Jack Senften as the new chairpersons of Lus for the coming year.
Represent 40,000 students
At present, Björn Sanders is the chairperson of the Student Union at LTH and will take on the chairmanship of Lus as well. Jack Senften will have the post of vice chairperson – the same position he holds for the Social Sciences Student Union.
Lus celebrated 20 years this past autumn – it was formed after the Lund Student Union was dissolved. From that organisation, unions were formed, one for each faculty, and all unions are part of Lus, which works as an umbrella organisation. All in all, the chairpersons of Lus will represent more than 40,000 students.
Apart from ceremonial tasks, Björn Sanders’s and Jack Senften’s main political task is to bring questions that the unions wish to put light on up for discussion – discussing with the University, the Region, the nation, and the media.
“Open mind-set is key”
In the sessions, both candidates stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between unions, and really utilising the competence that is latent in the organisation.
“Having an open mind-set is key. You should not fight each other; you should fight together,” Björn Sanders said during the sessions.
Jack Senften is hoping to utilise his four years’ experience within union politics to make a difference.
“I know that I am essentially as qualified and have as much insight into the organisation as I can have to be able to emphasise and lead the work,” he said in the sessions, and emphasised the question concerning students’ and full-time workers’ health.
“It is extremely important to shed light on the wellbeing of students. The psycho-social environment for those working full-time in the unions should also be a big focus,” he said.
Björn Sanders and Jack Senften will succeed the present chairpersons, Cecilia Skoug and Linnea Jacobsson. They will enter their new roles on 1 July.
Translation: Richard Helander
