Here you will also find support, for example a checklist on student representation and other documents relating to student influence, such as the University’s Regulations for student influence, a list of contact persons and lists of bodies and groups with student representation.
This web page is aimed at staff at the University. For students, including doctoral students, the corresponding page on student influence can be found here.
• Students as active co-creators
• Contact persons for student influence
• Agreement and lists of student representation
• Introduction of new student representatives
• Training for student representatives
• Routines for compensation to student representatives
• Course evaluations and complaints regarding education
• Student councils, PhD student councils and student union elections
• The right of the student councils to a course space in Athena
• Contact
Students as active co-creators
At Stockholm University, the students shall be seen as active co-creators with an important role to play in affecting and developing their education and study situation. The University shall therefore encourage, support and facilitate student involvement in work concerning student influence.
In this film, President Astrid Söderbergh Widding talks about the University’s view of student influence. The film is part of the University’s Training for student representatives.
Student influence is also an important part of the University’s quality work. For example, student influence is assessed through the University's systematic reviews of all study programmes and courses at undergraduate, advanced and postgraduate levels.
Contact persons for student influence
All levels at the University shall have contact persons for student influence. For example, the Head of Department or equivalent shall ensure that there is one or more persons at the department or equivalent acting as contact person for the student council, the PhD student council and the student union in matters concerning student influence.
You will find the names of the contact persons in the file below. Their e-mail addresses can be found on www.su.se. The file is updated in the autumn of each year.
Contact persons for student influence at Stockholm University (15 Kb)
(document in Swedish)
Read more in Regulations for student influence.
Agreement and lists of student representation
The University shall give the student unions the possibility to appoint student representatives to permanent and temporary decision-making and preparatory bodies and groups with activities that have a bearing on the courses or programmes or the students’ situation.
In order to facilitate the appointment of student representatives, a three-year agreement on student representation has been reached between the University and Stockholm University Student Union (SUS).
Read more in
Överenskommelse om studentrepresentation (113 Kb)
(document in Swedish)
Attached to the agreement are five lists of the permanent (> 1 year) bodies or groups at the University where the students are to be represented, and the number of student representatives in these bodies (“student seats”). The lists are updated every autumn by contact persons for student influence at the Office of the President and the science area offices. This is done in close consultation with, among others, the departments and SUS.
2022 års förteckning studentrepresentation institutionsnivå Humanistiska fakulteten (28 Kb)
(document in Swedish)
2022 års förteckning studentrepresentation institutionsnivå Samhällsvetenskapliga fakulteten (29 Kb)
(document in Swedish)
2022 års förteckning studentrepresentation Juridiska institutionen (19 Kb)
(document in Swedish)
2022 års förteckning studentrepresentation institutionsnivå Naturvetenskapliga fakulteten (30 Kb)
(document in Swedish)
2022 års förteckning studentrepresentation central nivå samt områdes- och fakultetsnivå (22 Kb)
(document in Swedish)
An item count at the bottom of each list shows the total number of bodies or groups as well as the number of student seats in them. There is a total of some 830 student seats on some 380 permanent bodies and groups at the University. In other words, it is a big organisation.
Note that the lists do not include temporary (<1 year) bodies and groups at different levels. Nor do they include occasions when a single individual, e.g. Head of Department, Director of Studies or Dean, makes or prepares a decision. These bodies, groups and occasions shall also include student representation, if they handle questions that have bearing on the University's courses or programmes or the students’ situation.
Read more in Regulations for student influence.
Checklist on student representation
The process for appointing student representatives to bodies and groups is described in the Regulations for student influence. This process is mainly controlled by the Student Union, but the regulations also describe the responsibility of the University, such as where to send a request for a student representative to a new body or a new group. A brief description in a checklist on student representation provides support for this process.
Checklista om studenrepresentation (138 Kb)
(document in Swedish)
The checklist also provides tips on how to facilitate participation for student representatives, e.g. before and during meetings.
Introduction of new student representatives
In accordance with the University’s Regulations for student influence, it is the duty of the chairperson or equivalent of each decision-making and preparatory body or group, alternatively individual decision-makers, to ensure that each new student representative is given an introduction to the function and way of working of that body or group.
In this film Ulf Jansson, former Head of Department at the Department of Human Geography, shares tips on how they introduce new student representatives. The film is part of the University’s Training for student representatives.
Training for student repreentatives
To provide support to the student representatives, Stockholm University offers a web-based training programme. It has been created in 2021 in close cooperation with SUS. The aim of the training is to support the student representatives in their assignment and their legal right to exert influence on their studies. It is aimed at student representatives at the departmental level, but it is also relevant for representatives at other levels as well as for staff. The training provides a complement to (but does not replace) other kinds of introduction that shall be given to new student representatives (see above).
See Training for student representatives.
Routines for compensation to student representatives
Every student representative shall be compensated for their assignment. Here follows a description of the routines for paying out compensation, to simplify the job for those who are responsible for ensuring that the student representatives are compensated.
The compensation to a student representative is based on attendence at meetings. The rules for compensation, including levels of such compensation, are presented in section 7.5 of the Regulations for student influence. The rules for compensation to PhD student representatives, with or without employment at the University, can be found in the Regulations for education and summative assessment at third-cycle level.
Compensations to student representatives are paid using the form “Löne- och tidrapport, tillfälligt anställd” (in Swedish). The form is filled in by the student representative in consultation with the chairperson, the administrative support/equivalent in the body or group in question, and, if necessary, with the personnel administrator at the department.
For the compensation to be paid into the bank account of the student representative, they must also register their account with the Danske Banks Lönetjänst/Kontohantering (web page in Swedish). The registration number of Stockholm University is 79200.
The compensation is charged to the respective activity where the body or group is active. Thus, it is the relevant department, office, administrative unit or equivalent that shall ensure that the representative is compensated, e.g. every term or at the end of the assignment.
Course evaluations and complaints regarding education
Another important way for students to exert influence over their studies is through course evaluations.
Read more about course evaluations in section 1.5 in Regulations for education and examination at first-cycle and second-cycle level.
Also read about the University’s “Kursvärderingstjänst” (web page in Swedish), a tool for handling course evaluations and course reports.
Yet another way to influence is to submit complaints regarding education directly to the Director of Studies or the Head of Department.
Read more in Procedure for handling complaints from students regarding education.
Student councils, PhD student councils and student union elections
By joining a student council or PhD student council at the department, the student or Phd student can exert influence over their studies. The councils belong to the student union but they decide what to focus on and how they want to work. The students can also vote in the student union election. This process is controlled by the student union.
Read more about student councils, PhD student councils and the student union elections here.
If there is no student council or PhD student council at the department, the contact person, in collaboration with the student union, shall actively work to form such a council.
The right of the student councils to a course space in Athena
Student councils, PhD student councils and “ombud” at SUS also have the right to a course space in Athena. This enables them to communicate on matters relating to student influence to students and PhD students. Through Athena, they can also send out meeting invitations to students and different councils at different levels. Each department provides the technical support for the establishment and maintenance of the course location with the support of the IT department.
Read more in
Student- och doktorandråds rätt till Athena - beslut av rektor 2020-06-18 (66 Kb)
(document in Swedish).
Read more in
SUS ombud med fleras rätt till Athena - beslut av IT-chefen 2020-11-16 (189 Kb)
(document in Swedish).
Contact
Anna-Karin Björling, anna-karin.bjorling@su.se, at the Office of President.