Your HUM candidate: “A new perspective on student life”.

Hi! My name is Faisal Ahmed, and I am in the 5th semester of the Bachelor’s programme in International Studies. I am the Student Council’s SAM candidate for the Academic Council, and I am running to make sure students’ voices are heard in the decisions that shape our university.

Here are two of the issues I will fight for in the Academic Council:

Let students shape the new SAM buildings!

Students at SAMBach have been given fine new buildings in connection with the renovation of buildings 4 & 6. Unfortunately, the rules on how students may shape and furnish their own study areas are so strict that, for example, you may not put up posters for events. If we want a lively and engaging study environment, students must be able to put their own stamp on the buildings. University buildings are for the students, not for nice receptions for the administration! I will work to give SAMBach students real influence over their physical study environment.

Keep the broad SAMBach programme!

For some time, the university management has been working on a bachelor reform that will, among other things, bring programmes such as Political Science and Sociology to RUC. It is important that these new programmes do not become the first step towards hollowing out or phasing out the broad social science bachelor’s programme. The broad SAMBach is one of the things that make RUC unique. It allows students to work across disciplines and develop a broad social science perspective. That is why I will fight to keep and strengthen this programme.

At the same time, I will work for greater student involvement in developing the new programmes. If the programmes exist for the students, the students should of course have a real say in how they are shaped in practice.

My name is Laura, and I’m running for the Academic Council to represent natural science students. We are an important part of this university, a fact that must not be forgotten. The bachelor reform is just around the corner, and it is important that we are heard in this process, to ensure our educations stay relevant and appealing.

I am in the 5th semester of the bachelors, and as such I have an insight into the working of the natural science bachelors, and what challenges we as students face. I am here to represent my fellow natural science students, and would love to talk to you about your opinions, experiences and wishes for the university and your education – because you and I matter.

RUC is a university in transition. With the coming bachelor reform, it is more important than ever that students are heard and included. As a candidate for the Academic Council, I will do my best to represent students when the big decisions are made.

As our bachelor programmes are rethought, we must not forget what makes Roskilde University special. We must keep our strong focus on problem-oriented project work and interdisciplinarity, as well as the basic year (basisåret), which lets students make an informed choice of their subject modules.

In recent weeks, academic freedom has been a major focus of public debate – at RUC and at universities in general. I believe academic freedom is essential to keeping Roskilde University a free institution of education and research. We should never fear that our statements or our part in public debate can be used against us.

RUC can be more than a university for Zealand.

As an exchange student at Lund University, I experienced what it means to be a strong internationally recognized university in Scandinavia – Roskilde University has huge potential, if we start strengthening our collaborations, at home and internationally, and work with it far more strategically. Picture a university known beyond the borders of Denmark for what we do best: learning by doing. Where teaching takes place not only in the yellow brick buildings on campus, but also with your group at a student-friendly café in the area. Where every project happens in close collaboration with the labour market, so we genuinely work with real-world problems.
I have served as vice chair of two study boards, and I am currently vice chair of the Academic Council and vice chairperson of the Student Council. Before university, I was politically active, and I have been campaign manager in two Danish general elections and one European Parliament election. All in all, I believe that makes me a strong candidate to represent you on the University Board – if you agree, I hope you will give me your personal vote in the university election.

The transition to a sustainable society is becoming more and more relevant, as climate change and overconsumption are constantly changing the conditions under which we will act in the future. Having knowledge of, as well as practical experience with, systematic sustainable change is essential if we as a society are to succeed with this transition.

We should be able to contribute to a better future already while we are students, if we wish to do so. This is what I will work for, both in the Student Council and as your representative in the Academic Council.

Students first on the agenda. That is my slogan, because RUC is in the middle of big changes: the bachelor reform is coming, outside pressure is growing, and there is disagreement about what RUC should be in the future. Right now we need a student on the board who knows the university from the inside and knows what is at stake.

My name is Samuel. I study Work-Life Studies on the Bachelor’s Programme in Humanities, and I am running for the Student Council (Studenterrådet). In my three years at RUC I have done it all: I have founded party committees, fought political battles in Humrådet and the Student Council, sat for several years on a study board and spent a year on the Academic Council. I know RUC from the parties to the meeting table where decisions are made.

What I will fight for:

A bachelor reform on students’ terms. The reform will be put into practice at RUC over the coming years, and students’ views must be heard at the table when that happens, not just afterwards.

Keep the RUC model. Project work and the problem-oriented approach are what make RUC, RUC. They must not be cut or reformed away.

The board makes the decisions that shape your everyday life at RUC. Vote for me if you want an experienced student at the helm and students first on the agenda.

My name is Tracy Akpobasaa and I am a graduated SIB student and current first-year masters student in Global & Development Studies. I am running for the Academic Council to ensure a truly international Roskilde University. I seek to emphasise the voices of international students that are often overlooked.

A truly international Roskilde University means an institution that value the international students body and fosters the right framework for international students to thrive in the social and academic study environment. The idea of a university that welcomes international students, must not simply exists as an symbolic concept. Rather, our university must ensure that international students are represented and included in the DNA of RUC. This is applicable from study start until graduation. It encompasses an introperiod and reintroduction of an RUStrip catered to the needs of international students, it entails an strong effort to ensure that relevant information is available in English within RUC’s system and a promise that the future of international students are considered in the adaptation of new masters programmes, as well as in the upcoming bachelor’s reform, which may impact our Global Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences students. International students must never be an afterthought in crucial decision. Therefore, a truly international Roskilde University is one that values the crucial contributions that an international students body provides our institution from the lecture halls and project groups to our students political boards and councils. International students are a unique part of RUC’s DNA, so we must amplify the voices of international students and appreciate the voices of international students.

University Board – A RUC Interconnected by Inclusion

My name is Tracy Akpobasaa and I am a graduated SIB student and current first-year masters student in Global & Development Studies. I am running for the University Board to ensure a interconnected Roskilde University shaped by inclusion.

A Roskilde University Interconnected by Inclusion means ensuring an institution shaped by the inclusion of all students. RUC 2030: Interconnected, is more than a strategy for the future of our university. Interconnected is a promise for more, an aspiration for a connected RUC build by a mutually beneficial knowledge sharing across cohorts, years, institutions and backgrounds. We must ensure that our differences in perspectives are included important processes and pledge that no decisions are made without the inclusion of student voices. This starts at the very foundation of our university and how we envision our shared educational future. We acknowledge the intricacies of our university. Therefore, we must strive to connect and learn from one another. Whether that be across cohorts and institutions, study boards and institute councils, administration and students, international and Danish students, there should be a framework in place build on the basis of inclusion. Especially, with an upcoming bachelor’s reform, it is critical that we are interconnected by inclusion based on a shared vision, as well as remember what brings our students value. Regardless of external ideas, RUC must stay interconnected in what means the most for our students.