The weekend of May 5-7, it was finally time for the SFS General Council 2023! The General Council is the highest decision-making authority in SFS, and this year approximately 200 representatives from SFS member bodies gathered to discuss the student movement's most important issues ahead of the 2023/24 academic year.
This year the trip went to Eskilstuna, where Mälardalen University and Mälardalen Student Union, which became a member of SFS during last year's FUM, were hosted.
In this post, we summarize what happened at SFSFUM 2023, what decisions were made and what policies SFS will pursue in the next fiscal year.
What happened at SFSFUM 2023?
- The General Council decided to welcome four new member unions to SFS! The Student Union at Johannelund Theological College, the Military and Defense University Cadet Union, Marie Cederschiöld's Student Union, and the Technology Union at Luleå University of Technology. A warm welcome!
- A new business plan was adopted. The business plan regulates SFS's work for the coming year and members vote on which issues are most prioritized. The following priority issues were decided: Students' financial situation, An appropriate and legally secure individual study plan (ISP), Distance education, Artificial Intelligence in higher education, and Recovery.
- SFS now has a consolidated opinion program! This is a combination of the previous positions and the principle program. There have also been some new additions, for example:
- that student unions should be given the opportunity to participate in the preparation and decision-making of the agreements that the higher education institution concludes with clients of commissioned education
- that the state and its authorities should ensure that higher education institutions investigate, evaluate and keep statistics on students' health situation and the causes of students' mental ill health.
- that higher education institutions should be given the opportunity to own and manage their own premises.
- that the rent for student housing should not exceed 30 percent of the tuition fee. Previously, SFS was of the opinion that the rent should not exceed 35 percent of the tuition fee.
- On Saturday, the council elected a new presidium. Jacob Färnert from the Uppsala student union, who is also the outgoing vice-chairman of SFS, was elected chairman. The new vice-chairman is Klara Dryselius from the Kristianstad 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 elected as replacements.
- The SFS statutes are amended so that the board will now consist of 9 members, including the chairman and vice chairman. The board currently has 13 members.
SFS's three-year focus question "Conditions for high educational quality" is also ongoing during the 2023/24 financial year, and SFS will thus continue to work based on the ambitions of stopping the underfunding of higher education and improving the conditions for higher education teaching activities.
Read more about the weekend: