Studenterrådets historie

English follows below

Studenterrådets historie starter, ligesom RUCs historie, for 40 år siden ved RUCs oprettelse i 1972. Alting var nyt, og ingen var rigtigt enige om, hvad der skulle ske med det hele.

Der var 665 studerende i tre bygninger med hver deres basisstudie på en mark, og så skulle resten ellers opfindes undervejs. En proces som både studerende og undervisere fra starten engagerede sig i. Nedenstående er et kort oprids af Studenterrådets historie, og RUC’s historie set fra et studenterperspektiv.

Danske Studerendes Fællesråd (landsorganisationen for studerende) havde ved RUCs oprettelse fået gennemført, at RUC skulle have et studenterråd, der var uafhængigt af universitet, ligesom landets øvrige universiteter havde.

Det første år bestod rådet af tidligere studerende fra Københavns Universitet, der nu var ansat som undervisere på RUC. Der gik dog ikke lang tid, før de RUC-studerende kunne selv.

Fra 1973 har Studenterrådet således været det, vi er i dag: de studerendes talerør og interesseorganisation, uafhængigt af partipolitiske interesser.

Det har altid været en stor diskussion, hvad for et universitet RUC egentlig skulle være. Denne definitionskamp har også været Studenterrådets, og igennem årene har vi studerende sat rigtig mange aftryk på RUC.

Det har vi gjort, fordi vi har formået at stå sammen og gennem en stærk organisering i Studenterrådet insisteret på at repræsentere de studerendes interesser over for resten af RUC – både over for ledelsen og de ansatte. Studenterrådet har dermed været med til at gøre RUC til det universitet, det er i dag.

70‘erne 

Igennem 1970’erne kæmpede RUC en hård kamp for universitets fortsatte eksistens, hvor talrige demonstrationer og happenings med støtte fra den øvrige studenterbevægelse var med til at sikre, at RUC fortsat består i dag. 35.000 studerende demonstrerede for RUC’s bevarelse over hele landet.

Studenterrådet diskuterede både internt og eksternt RUCs struktur og uddannelsernes indhold. I 1976 trak Studenterrådets sig fra universitets bestyrelse, da RUC blev sat under administration af ministeriet.

I årtiets slutning indførte RUC pensum og eksaminer (noget der ikke eksisterede i de første år). Det lykkedes bl.a. Studenterrådet at få trykt en opfordring til boykot af eksamen på bagsiden af eksamensbrevene, som ellers havde været forsvarligt låst inde. Det resulterede desværre i at 203 studerende blev midlertidigt bortvist for at følge opfordringen.

Og så var Studenterrådet utroligt nok med til at forårsage at kantinen, som Studenterrådet selv drev, gik konkurs, da man i sympati med de studerende på landets øvrige universiteter boy-cuttede kantinedriften. Sådan kan man åbenbart også føre studenterpolitik.

80‘erne

I 80’erne opstod kombinationsuddannelserne. Det var en måde at få budgettet til at gå op på, og at få de mange forskellige strømninger på RUC til at finde sammen om en fælles uddannelsesstruktur.

RUC havde dengang – ligesom i dag – rigtig mange fag på trods af, at vi er et lille universitet. Man oprettede mange professionsrettede uddannelser som Forvaltning og Erhvervsøkonomi, men havde samtidig de mere traditionelle fag som Matematik og Historie i én struktur. I begyndelsen var kombinationsfriheden ganske begrænset, men efterhånden blev det, ikke mindst takket være Studenterrådets indsats, muligt at kombinere frit, som vi også kender det i dag.

80’erne var også årtiet hvor Bertel Haarder blev uddannelsesminister, og Studenterrådets aktive brugte en stor del af deres universitetstid på Christiansborgs Slotsplads for at sikre RUC’s overlevelse.

I 1988 blev Trekroner Station indviet efter studerende i årevis havde trukket i togenes nødbremse for at komme af tæt på universitet. Det var også året, hvor Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening og Politiken udnævnte RUC til Danmarks bedste universitet.

90‘erne

I 90’erne kom der flere studerende til RUC, og universitet blev i 1994 igen kåret som landets bedste – denne gang af Jyllands-Posten. Internt diskuteredes det, hvordan man kunne bibeholde de studenterstyrede uddannelser med den større studentermasse. Kampen handlede om de studerendes medbestemmelse og deres formelle indflydelse på universitets institutter.

Resultatet blev, at den direkte indflydelse på kurserne blev mindre. Det lykkedes dog Studenterrådet at få igennem, at der skulle være studenterrepræsentation i institutbestyrelserne.

Samtidig var Studenterrådet i perioden med til en række aktioner, der alle havde konkrete hverdagsforbedringer for øje. Som et eksempel kan nævnes at studerende trampede en sti gennem markerne fra Trekroner Station til RUC – den samme sti der nu er asfalteret og flisebelagt.

00‘erne

Det nye årtusinde blev indledt med to – i Studenterrådets øjne – store katastrofer: I 2003 afskaffede en ny universitetslov det meste af de studerendes og ansattes indflydelse på universitet. Året efter blev gruppeeksamenen gjort forbudt.

Med den nye universitetslov fulgte både et bestyrelsesflertal bestående af erhvervsfolk og en enevældig rektor, der gjorde det meget sværere for studerende og ansatte at få indflydelse på universiteternes udvikling. For RUC’s vedkommende betød det en upopulær institutreform, censur af studerende i RUC’s nyhedsbrev og ingen kompromisvilje i samarbejdet med studerende og ansatte. Det førte til oprettelsen af Hippocampus, der (frem til oprettelsen af Rusk) var universitets uafhængige og studenterdrevne universitetsavis.

Utilfredsheden kulminerede i en budgetsag ved vedtagelsen af budgettet for 2008, hvor bestyrelsen blev forelagt et budget, der betød voldsomme nedskæringer og op imod 30 fyringer.

Modsvaret til dette kom prompte fra Studenterrådet. De RUC-studerende gik på barrikaderne, og det lykkedes at skabe så mange protester op til det afgørende bestyrelsesmøde, at beslutningen om fyringer i første omgang blev udskudt og senere helt undgået. Et halvt år senere skiftede rektor sit job på RUC ud med et i Irland. En periode med voldsom tumult på RUC var så småt ved at være overstået.

De seneste år 

I de seneste år har Studenterrådet arbejdet hårdt for at forbedre RUC’s uddannelseskvalitet. Da universitet skulle have ny bachelorreform i 2011, var det Studenterrådet, som foreslog det altafgørende kompromis for en ny stuktur: 1½ års basis og muligheden for valgfrie kurser.

Året efter var Studenterrådet med til at samle 200 studerende til et universitetsbestyrelsesmøde, hvor besparelser på instituttet for Natur, Systemer og Modeller (NSM) truede med at lukke for hele det naturvidenskabelige uddannelsesområde på RUC. Presset fik heldigvis bestyrelsens eksterne flertal på andre tanker.

Efter fem hårde år fik Studenterrådet i 2013 gevinst af lang tids arbejde, da RUC’s Studenterhus åbnede, ligesom der var blevet oprettet en årlig studiemiljøpulje på 200.000 kroner, som studerende kan søge til deres projekter.

Efter de mange sejre har 2013 og 2014 desværre budt på både fremdriftsreform og dimensionering. Studenterrådet stod i 2013 i spidsen da 300 studerende blokerede administrationen for sikre, at RUC ikke indførte ekstra stramme fremdriftstiltag – hvilket lykkedes. Men dimensioneringen vil stadig få store konsekvenser for RUC.

Som et lyspunkt i 2014 var Studenterrådets repræsentanter i universitetsbestyrelsen med til at ansætte Danmark første rektor med fokus på uddannelse (på de andre universiteter har rektor hovedansvaret for forskning), Hanne Leth Andersen.

2014 var et år, som viser, at det stadig er nødvendigt, at vi som studerende kan stå sammen og råbe højt, når det er nødvendigt. Det viser også, at vi kan lægge det hårde arbejde, der skal til, når der skal skabes konstruktive idéer på alle de udfordringer, RUC står over for i dag og i fremtiden.

Vi er stolte over, at Studenterrådet igennem mere end 40 år har været stedet, hvor de RUC-studerende samles om vores fælles interesser. Vi håber, at denne historiske gennemgang har givet dig et indblik i, hvad vi kan udrette, når vi som studerende står sammen og kæmper for vores fælles interesser!

A brief history about the Student Council 

The Student Council’s story begins, like RUCs, 40 years ago at the creation of RUC in 1972. Everything was new and nobody really agreed upon what was to happen. There were 665 students in three buildings each with their basic study on a field, and then the rest had to be invented along the way. A process that both students and lecturers were involved in from the beginning. 

The following is a brief outline of the Student Council’s and RUC’s history from a student perspective. 

At the establishment of RUC, the Danish Students’ Joint Council (the national organisation for students) had implemented a student council at RUC that was independent from the university – just like Denmark’s other universities had.

During the first year, the council consisted of former students from the University of Copenhagen who were now employed as lecturers at RUC. However, it did not take long before the RUC students took over.

From 1973, the Student Council has thus been what it is today: the students’ representatives and interest organisation independent of party political interests.

It has always been a big discussion what kind of university RUC should be. This definition struggle has also been an essential feature of the Student Council, and over the years we, the students, have left a lot of imprints on RUC.

We have done this because we have managed to stand together, and through a strong organisation in the Student Council, insisted on representing the students’ interests to the rest of RUC – both to the management and the employees.The Student Council has thus helped to make RUC the university it is today.

The 1970s

Throughout the 1970s, RUC fought a hard battle for the university’s continued existence where numerous demonstrations and happenings with the support from the rest of the student movement helped to ensure thatRUC continues to exist today. As a matter of fact, 35,000 students demonstrated in favour of RUCs preservation across the country.

Both internally and externally, the Student Council discussed RUCs structure and the content of its programmes. In 1976, the Student Council withdrew from the University Board when RUC was placed under the administration of the Danish Ministry of Education.

By the end of the decade, RUC introduced curriculums and exams (something that did not exist during the first years). Amongst other things, the Student Council was able to print a call for exam boycotts on the back of the exam letters, which had otherwise been locked in securely. Unfortunately, this resulted in 203 student being temporarily expelled for following the advice.

Incredibly, the Student Council also caused the canteen, which was run by the Student Council, to go bankrupt, as the operation of the canteen was boycotted in sympathy with students from the other universities in the countries. In other words: this is also how student politics can be pursued.

The 1980s

During the 1980s, the two-subject programmes emerged as a way of sticking to the budget and combine the many diverse streams at RUC to create one joint educational structure.

RUC had then – just like today – a lot of different subjects despite the fact that it is a small university. Many profession-oriented educations such as Administration and Business Economics were established, but at the same time the more traditional subjects, such as mathematics and history, were placed within the same structure. In the beginning, the freedom of combination was quite limited, but gradually, and not least thanks to the Student Council’s efforts, it became possible to combine subjects freely – as we know today.

The 1980s was also the decade where Bertel Haarder became the Minister of Education, and the Student Council’s members spent a large part of their university time at Christiansborg Slotsplads to ensure RUCs survival.

In 1988, the Trekroner Station was inaugurated after students throughout the years had pulled the emergency brake on the train to get off close to the university. It was also the year where the Danish Employers’ Association and Politiken named RUC Denmark’s best university.

The 1990s

In the 1990s, more students enrolled at RUC and in 1994 the university was, once again, named the best in the country – this time by Jyllands-Posten. Internally, it was discussed how to maintain the student-led educations with a larger student body. The discussion surrounded the students’ participation as co-decision-makers and their formal influence upon the university’s institutes.

As a result, the direct impact on the courses became less. However, the Student Council managed to ensure the positionally of student representation within the department boards.

At the same time, the Student Council took part in number of actions during the period – all of which had concrete everyday improvements in mind. For example, students trampled a path through the fields from Trekroner Station to RUC – the same path that is now paved and tiled.

The 2000s

The new millennium began with two – according to the Student Council – major disasters: In 2003, a new university law abolished most of the student and staff influence at the university. The following year, group exams were banned.

Along with the new University Act came both a board majority made up of business people and an autocratic rector, which made it much more difficult for students and staff to gain influence on the development of the universities. For RUC, this meant an unpopular institute reform, censorship of students in RUCs newsletter and no willingness to compromise in relation to the collaboration with students and staff. This led to the creation of the Hippocampus, which (until the creation of Rusk) was the university’s independent, student-run newspaper.

The dissatisfaction culminated in a budget case with the adoption of the 2008 budget, in which the board was presented with a budget that meant drastic cuts and up to 30 layoffs.

The response came promptly from the Student Council. The RUC students went on the barricades, and managed to create so many protests up to the crucial board meeting that the decision on layoffs was initially postponed and later completely avoided. Six months later, the rector changed his job at RUC to one in Ireland. A period of tumult at RUC seemed to be over.

In recent years

In recent years, the Student Council has worked hard to improve RUCs educational qualities. When the university needed a new bachelor’s reform in 2011, the Student Council proposed the crucial compromise for a new structure: a year and a half with basic courses and the possibility to take optional courses.

The following year, the Student Council helped to gather 200 students for a university board meeting where financial cut-backs at the Department of Nature, Systems and Models (NSM) threatened to close-down the entire science education area at RUC. Fortunately, the pressure got the external majority of the board on other thoughts.

After five hard years, the Student Council benefitted from its long-term work in 2013 when RUCs Student House opened just as an annual study environment pool consisting of 200,000 DKK had been established, which the students can apply for in regards to their projects.

Following the many victories, 2013 and 2014 unfortunately offered both propulsion reforms and dimensioning. The Student Council took the lead in 2013 when 300 students blocked the administration to ensure that RUC did not introduce extra strict progress measures – which succeeded. However, the dimensioning will still have major consequences for RUC.

As a bright spot in 2014, the Student Council’s representatives on the university board helped to appoint Denmark’s first rector focusing on education (at the other universities, the rector holds the main responsibility for scientific research), Hanne Leth Andersen.

2014 was a year that shows that it is still necessary that we, as students, stand together and shout loudly when it is necessary. It also showed that we can put the hard work that goes into creating constructive ideas surrounding all the challenges that RUC faces today and in the future.

We are proud that the Student Council ha been the place where RUC students gather in favour of our common interests for more than 40 years.

We hope that this historical review has given you an insight into what we can accomplish when we, as students, stand together and fight for our common interests!