Defection weakens the student voice

The joint committee of the students´ unions is, yet again, in crisis.

Two unions are leaving the organization and now the students’ voice towards the university risks being weakened.

Lund University’s student unions (Lus) centrally push the students´ voice towards the university. Prior, the student union at the faculty of engineering stands outside the joint committee and nu the students´ voice risks being even more shattered.

Namely, both LundaEkonomerna, from the faculty of economics, and Juridiska föreningen (JF), from the faculty of law, have decided that their unions will request secession from Lus.

– We are standing and stomping at the same place and because there is not enough cooperation it takes some form of innovation, says Emelie Svensäter, chairwoman of Juridiska föreningen.

“Different needs”

According to her the decision is founded upon the fact that overmuch time has been spent discussing inner frictions within the committee and that the own union’s views too seldom are emphasized by Lus.

– We also have different needs since we are a program union, she says.

In many ways both JF and Lundaekonomerna traditionally have the same opinion about the joint committee.

– We have come to the conclusion that the best choice for Lundaekonomerna and its members is to leave Lus. Today the cooperation cost considerably more than it benefits our students, writes Gina Aspelin, chairwoman of Lundaekonomerna, in a press release.

Been thinking since this summer

The biggest matter of dispute within Lus regards the organization. LundaEkonomerna and Juridiska föreningen want an asset-light organization that only pursues consensus issues, while other unions, like Samhällsvetarkåren, from the faculty of social sciences, and Humanistkåren, from the faculty of humanities, want to have more employees and the possibility to pursue issues were the unions are at variance.

Both JF and LundaEkonomerna have been investigating their membership since this spring when the last session for main hearing occurred. On this session the affair of the heart for both unions, protection of minorities got voted down with a wide margin.

– We have been open with the fact that we are going to take a stand to the question of secession at the end of the year, says Johannes Igelström, co-chairman at Lundaekonomerna.

A cooperation group within Lus was this summer appointed to discuss how the organization will look. But at the session for main hearing at the end of November it was clear that the group’s give-and-take-suggestion did not get any support. According to Emelie Svensäter, it was a disappointment.

– We feel that cooperation is very good, but it has, unfortunately, not gotten like that in this situation. Right now it feels like this is the best thing that can happen for both us and Lus, she says.

”Feels like a failure”

Despite the fact that the polarities were known, several unions were chocked and disappointed when they heard about the secession.

– It is extremely regrettable and it feels like a failure for Lus´ council. We have not been able to do what we set out to do this spring: to have an open debate and listen to each others arguments, says Katrin Skatt Gåvertsson, chairwoman of the union for Lund’s school of social studies. Annie Assarsson, chairwoman of the union for nursing science, agrees.

– Personally I think it is a real pity. As the situation is today we need all the unions. The confidence for Lus from the university flank will not be the same, she says.

Nobody wants to take the blame

But no union wants take the blame for letting it go this far.

– From our side, at least, we have done what we could. We have been in the joint committee and proposed motions on how to change the current organization to something that more unions could feel comfortable with. But other than that I do not think there is more that we can do, at least not as it looks now, says Annie Assarsson.

And the progressions are the same at LundaEkonomerna.

– I could not have done more during my six months. I think I have spent an impudently amount of hours trying to come up with new organization solutions and trying to think in new ranges to get a more vital and better organization, says Johannes Igelström.

The fee could get more expensive

If these secessions come true the students that belong to the unions that stay in Lus can probably expect a raise from today’s fee of eleven kronor per semester. It will also get harder for Lus to claim that they deliver the students´ united voice against the University. This makes Katrin Skatt Gåvertsson react:

– I want to point out that I think it is strange to leave an organization that is supposed to affect the University of Lund. It is a bit irresponsible actually. Because education supervision on a central level is something that the unions have to do, she says.