On the weekend of May 5-7, it was finally time for the SFS general council 2023! The full council is the highest decision-making power in SFS, and this year around 200 representatives from SFS member unions gathered to discuss the student movement's most important issues ahead of the 2023/24 business year.
This year the trip went to Eskilstuna, where Mälardalen University and the Mälardalen Student Union, which during last year's FUM became a member of SFS, hosted.
In this post, we summarize what happened at SFSFUM 2023, which decisions were made and what SFS will push for policy in the next financial year.
What happened at SFSFUM 2023?
- The council decided to welcome four new member unions in SFS! The Student Union at Johannelund University of Theology, the Military and Defense University Cadet Union, the Marie Cederschiöld Student Union, and the Technology Union at Luleå University of Technology. Warm welcome!
- A new business plan was adopted. The business plan regulates SFS's work in the coming year, and the members vote on which issues have the highest priority. The following priority issues were decided: Students' financial situation, An effective and legally secure individual study plan (ISP), Distance education, Artificial intelligence in higher education, and Recovery.
- SFS now has a unified opinion program! This is a compilation of the previous positions and the program of principles. There have also been some new additions, for example:
- that the student unions must be given the opportunity to participate in the preparation and decision of the agreements that the university concludes with clients of commissioned education
- that the state and its authorities must ensure that the universities investigate, evaluate and keep statistics on the students' health situation and the causes of the students' mental illness.
- that the higher education institutions should be given opportunities to own and manage their own premises.
- that the rent for student housing should not exceed 30 percent of the student funding. Previously, SFS was of the opinion that the rent should not exceed 35 percent of the study funds.
- On Saturday, the council elected a new one presidium. Jacob Färnert from the Uppsala student union, who is also the outgoing vice-chairman of SFS, was elected chairman. The new vice president is Klara Dryselius from Kristianstad's student union. Congratulations Jacob and Klara!
- The council also elected a new board: Agnes Karonen, Alfred Carlsson, Emanuel Magnusson, Elsa Berlin, Hugo Diebitsch Antoni, Johanna Kaspersson, Matilda Good, Rasmus Lindstedt, Simon Ågren, Sanela Lulic and Victor Öhlund. Congratulations! Simon Oodolese and Leonardo Rhedin were chosen as replacements.
- The SFS charter is amended so that the board will henceforth consist of 9 members, including the chairman and deputy chairman. Currently, the board has 13 members.
SFS's three-year focus issue "Prerequisites for high quality education" continues during the 2023/24 financial year, and SFS will thus continue to work based on the ambitions to stop the underfunding of higher education and better conditions for higher education pedagogic activities.
Read more about the weekend: