Lund University Student Unions Association, Lus, have expressed their position in local politics and hope to engage the Municipal Executive Board in an active discussion. The Chairperson of the Board, Anders Almgren, is happy about the students showing interest in the matter and wants to put greater focus on what they want.
Is Lund municipality not interested in its students, or are the students not interested in local politics? The dialogue between Lund’s local government and the students of Lund has previously not been a top priority – from either side.
Photo: Jonas Jacobson.
In response to this, Lund University Student Unions Associations’ Council approved a document last week expressing their local political standpoints. Among other things, Lus are concerned about the housing problem and argue that the local government have a responsibility to make sure that no student have to decline studying at Lund University because they do not find a place to live. Additionally, Lus also discuss work experience in the municipality and socio-political questions, like the presence of women’s refuges.
Want to start a discussion
The document has been put together with the expressed hope of serving as a foundation for an active dialogue between the student representatives and the local government. Sebastian Persson, Vice President of Lus, considers this to be a necessary first step.
“Earlier, we haven’t had extensive standpoints on these political questions, and that have been missing from our side. I hope that this document will create a base for a more comprehensive discussion about the local government and their politics. We want to bring the discussion up on the board and this is a good start,” Sebastian Persson says.
What challenges does Lund municipality face in the future according to Lus?
“The lack of housing is a constant issue, and we must find a long-term solution to this problem. But of course there are other important questions as well. We need to find a way to make the students an integrated part of the municipality. Previously, the local government didn’t want to carry on a discussion with the student representatives,” Sebastian Persson says.
However, since the change of administration last autumn, other voices have been raised, and the newly elected red-green-pink coalition has showed a greater interest in the students’ concerns.
“The new local government have ever since they were appointed been very anxious to meet us,” says Sebastian Persson, Vice President of Lus.
Almgren seeks a closer collaboration
Anders Almgren is the Chairperson of Lund’s Municipal Executive Board. He has, as of yet, not read Lus’ standpoints, but he thinks highly of the initiative and wants to run a local government that focus on the students.
“Representatives of Lund University Student Unions and of the University were among the first people we met after last autumn’s election. The University and its students are the linchpin of Lund – they are a top priority for us,” Anders Almgren says.
“This initiative is great – the local government want the students to present strong opinions concerning our work.”
Make the most of the University’s potential
Historically, the students’ situation has been easy to ignore. They rarely stay long in Lund and therefore are usually not that interested in local politics.
“The students used to be taken for granted by the local government. They remained in Lund regardless of what their relationship with the local government looked like. However, in the long run that never works, and we need to look at the development potential in the University,” Anders Almgren says.
Where will the local government go from here?
“We will go through the list and see what can be done. The service and welfare in Lund have to be compatible with the needs of its students – but different students have different needs. As Lund is an important university town, we need to stand by our students and our University. We will strife to make this a more prominent part of our protocol,” Anders Almgren says.
Text: Casper Danielsson
Translation: Sofia Nordstrand
