Student Council gets new chair ahead of schedule

Christian Hansen was originally set to serve as chair of the Student Council until the next election, but things did not turn out that way. Recently, the council’s executive committee unanimously agreed to appoint Julie Olesen as chair, while Christian Hansen remains a regular member of the executive committee.

"Christian has expressed that he has had too much to do. He does not want to burn out, and as he is still involved in several important projects and plays a key role in the Student Council’s work, we decided to use the option in the by-laws to appoint a new chair,” says the Student Council’s new chair, Julie Olesen.

She has been active in student politics for years and wasted no time getting involved when she first arrived at Aarhus University to study Political Science two years ago. She first got involved in the Political Science Student Council (Statsrådet), and when the opportunity arose, she stood as a candidate for the board. Anastasia Christensen was chosen as the Student Council’s lead candidate alongside Jens Vase. But Julie Olesen's energy was noticed, and she was encouraged to run for the executive committee.

Julie Olesen was elected and was an ordinary member for one year before she became vice-chair last year.

And now she has become chair. At least for the rest of the election period.

Focus on the study environments

“We felt that changing chair was the best solution. We are currently looking at our workflows and the tasks we take on, with the aim of making the Student Council’s work more sustainable in the long run. We need to make sure it’s a positive experience,” says Julie Olesen.

While the Student Council is taking a close look at its own organisation, its efforts to improve students’ conditions and the study environment continue unabated.

“One of the areas we are focusing on most is the study environment and student associations. Many degree programmes, and therefore many study environments, have been relocated, and even more are set to move in the future. We have an important role to play in ensuring that this does not come at the expense of the study environment and student associations,” says Julie Olesen, referring to BSS’s move to the University City, where large parts of the Faculty of Arts are also due to relocate in a few years.

Experienced with student politics

For the new chair, involvement in student politics is nothing new. She was born and raised in Padborg, in the very south of Denmark, and became involved in school council activities as early as primary and lower secondary school. Her father served on the city council, and for Julie Olesen it was entirely natural to follow the news and discuss politics. Particularly education policy and student welfare policy, including student grants and loans (SU), housing, wellbeing, transport and sustainability.

“Although I was on the music programme in upper secondary school, choosing Political Science felt like the natural choice for me. I’m interested in society and politics, and my time in the Danish Upper Secondary Students’ Association, as well as the work I did there as chair of upper secondary school students in Southern Jutland, has had a strong influence on me,” says Julie Olesen, before continuing:

“At upper secondary school, politics became something tangible and something you could actually influence. The upper secondary school years are hugely formative and have a significant impact on the rest of your life, so it is deeply regrettable that resources are being cut.”

Stand for election and vote!

With the university elections just around the corner, the Student Council is naturally already in full swing with preparations for the election.

"We want as many people as possible to stand for election, so we can ensure broad student representation in all the councils and boards that exist. It is important that students are represented where degree programmes are shaped and where work is carried out on issues that have a direct impact on our education, wellbeing and study environments,” says Julie Olesen, who hopes voter turnout will be higher in this election than it was in the most recent one.

“Voter turnout matters because it gives the students who are elected a stronger mandate for the work ahead and signals that their fellow students value both student democracy and the efforts of their elected representatives,” she continues, adding that it is better to vote, even if you are not entirely sure who to vote for, than not to vote at all simply because you do not know the candidates.

“It takes just two minutes to vote, and it makes a huge difference, so come on,” she urges her fellow students across the university.

Re-election? Perhaps

This year, the Student Council is taking a new approach to promoting the university elections. They will bring the university’s camper van out of storage and position it strategically around the University Park, the University City and the Nobel Park as a mobile polling station, reminding everyone to cast their vote. Voting will, however, continue to take place online.

At the local level, the Student Council keeps a close eye on the actions of Aarhus’s elected politicians. The Council has submitted consultation responses and weighed in on issues such as snow clearance around the Exam Hall, bus connections to dorms located on the outskirts of the city, such as Skjoldhøj Kollegiet, and the routes and frequency of night buses. At the national level, the Student Council is currently keeping a close eye on a Finance Act that could affect SU for students living at home and, not least, introduce new eligibility requirements for graduates seeking unemployment benefits.

The Student Council, alongside a number of other student representative organisations, will be outside Christiansborg on Tuesday when the Danish Parliament opens, to express a shared position on that part of the proposed Finance Act.

While there is plenty to do in student politics, Julie Olesen is also considering her own future.

"I don't know yet whether I'll stand for re-election. I've been involved for more than two years, and it's always good to have fresh faces and new ideas. At the same time, it is important to maintain some continuity in the work, so there are arguments both for and against,” says Julie Olesen.

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Mie Skov Jeppesen.