AU students debating international politics

A group of students meet twice a month to debate issues in international politics such as oil extraction in the Arctic or the spread of chemical weapons in Syria – which is what they were talking about when Omnibus dropped in. The association calls itself AUIMUN (Aarhus University International Model United Nations), and is open to all AU students who are interested in international affairs. Many of the members are international students, so the meetings take place in English. The members use these meetings to practise their skills in giving a speech, presenting their arguments and negotiating. AUIMUN is part of a wide network of similar associations, and a couple of times a year some of the members take part in international IMUN conferences around the world. The next one is to be held in London in February, and a delegation from AU will be taking part. At the conferences the debates take place on an even higher level, with officials from international organisations often taking part as well. Fatoumata Conde, a member of AUIMUN, says that the association is a good place for any budding diplomat to start their career. (mga)

For more information visit AUIMUN on Facebook

Whistleblowers in the public sector

The government has set up a committee to find out whether the right to freedom of speech among public-sector employees needs to be strengthened. Among other things, the committee is to decide whether there is a need for a whistleblower scheme in the public administration. The Danish Ministry of Justice will appoint the members of the committee, which will include two representatives from the universities and one representative recommended by the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The committee is expected to conclude its work in the autumn of 2014. (mga)

Have you got a great idea?
Try crowdfunding it via your library

Crowdfunding is a form of fundraising in which you use your network to raise money for a project. But now you can also crowdfund human resources using a new website which has been launched by the public libraries in Denmark: folkevent.nu.

So far there are four libraries (Aarhus, Herning, Aalborg and Hjørring) involved in the scheme, which is being supported by the Danish Agency for Culture. (lobi) 

folkevent.nu

New student loans for students studying abroad

Students who want to study abroad can apply for a scholarship covering the costs incurred in this connection – corresponding to the costs of their Danish degree programme. But sometimes the fees charged abroad are higher than the Danish fees. So the Danish Ministry of Education has now launched a new student loan to bridge the gap. This loan is a supplement to the scholarship for study abroad, enabling students to borrow up to DKK 100,000 to cover the difference between the costs of the Danish and international degree programmes. Applications for the loan can be made with retrospective effect back to 1 July 2013, and must be repaid according to the same rules as ordinary Danish student loans. (mga)

For more information about the new student loan, please see su.dk

 Translated by Nicholas Wrigley