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Rebekka Karlsdóttir was elected the new President of the Student Council of the University of Iceland (SHÍ) on April 20th. The election took place at a special election meeting of the council held online. The new Rights Office and the newly elected Student Council will formally take office after the exchange meeting in May.

Rebekka will graduate with a Bachelor degree in law from the University of Iceland in June 2022. Alongside her studies, she has worked as a law student at BBA//Fjeldco and before that as a ranger at Vatnajökull National Park. Rebekka also graduated from Menntaskólinn á Egilsstaðir in 2016.

Last year, Rebekka was the President of the School Council of the School of Social Sciences and a member of the Board of the Student Council and the Board of the School of Social Sciences. Rebekka has also served as a student representative on the University Council’s Academic Affairs Committee, a vice-representative of the Student Council for the School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, as well as being president of Röskva, an organization of socially minded students at the University of Iceland.

I am very excited to take on the role, as there are many opportunities ahead regarding students’ interests, such as the development of the University campus, a new policy of the University of Iceland, a review of the Student Loan Fund and collaboration with a new ministry and Minister of University Affairs. Likewise, there are brighter times ahead for the social life at the University after 2 years that have been characterized more or less by distance learning and staying at home.

At the election meeting, the following representatives were also elected to the Student Rights Office:

Vice President: Gréta Dögg Þórisdóttir

Interest representative: Katrín Björk Kristjánsdóttir

Student Loan Representative: María Sól Antonsdóttir

Dear parents, 

The Student Council submits a survey concerning the welfare and circumstances of parents studying at the University of Iceland, especially due to COVID. It is important to express the views of this group of students in order to protect their interests and be a stronger advocate for them.

Therefore, we ask as many parents as possible to take the survey before 27. April.

You find the survey here.

The Student Council of the University of Iceland (SHÍ) is responsible for this survey, as well as the processing. The questionnaire is anonymous and it will not be possible to trace answers back to its participants. All data collected in this questionnaire will be handled according to Icelandic privacy laws nr. 90/2018.

The Student Council’s sixth survey was sent out on February 7th to all students at the University of Iceland. 843 students had taken the survey when it ended on February 14th. 15,258 students are registered at the University. Questions were asked about personal background, well-being and teaching conditions, both in Icelandic and English, but there were 27 questions.

As with previous surveys, the aim was to examine the effect of the pandemic on the well-being and academic progress of students at the University of Iceland. In this way, it is possible to get a better view of the situation and better outline ways for improvement.

The results show that the effects due to COVID continue to be difficult for students, but this is mainly due to the lack of connection with fellow students, increased online learning and the stress that comes with it. The majority of students prefer to be able to attend the school’s premises and it is clear that limited social life has affected their mental health. The students’ experience has thus changed from feeling insecure due to COVID to worrying about not having good control over their studies and how those circumstances affect mental health.

Important points to be deduced from the results:

• 56% say online learning has worked very well or rather well.
• Of those who are in online learning, 34.74% think that it is very successful to use  telecommunication programs and 42.82% way it has gone rather well.
• Of those in online earning, 18.41% think that teachers’ teaching methods are very good and 44.51% think they are rather good.
• 75.96% of students from the School of Social Sciences strongly agree that resit and makeup exams, due to the final exams in the fall semester, should take place in January.
• 25.39% believe that it has been very difficult to get to know fellow students during the fall semester of 2021.
• 32.03% say that online learning has had a rather large effect on their well-being, on the scale: extremely to not at all.
• 53.85% mark their well-being 5 or higher on a scale of 0-10, the scale ranges from very poorly (0) to extremely well (10)
• 63.58% experience stress and/or strain that they believe has a very large or rather large effect on their studies.
• 61.4% said that online learning has had either a very negative effect or a negative effect on interest and ability to learn. 27.2% said it has had a positive effect.

 

The survey in its entirety can be found here.

Dear students at the University of Iceland,

Elections to the Student Council took place on March 23rd and 24th, and the election results can be found on our website. It should be noted that elections were also held for the University Council.

Following the elections, a new Student Council elects its representatives for the Student Council’s rights office, as well as electing other members within the Council. The election meeting will be held on April 20th, 2022, at 17:00 in L-101. According to paragraph 9 of the Student Council’s laws, the Council’s meetings are open to all students at the University of Iceland. 

At the election meeting it is possible to run for President, Vice-President, Student Interest Representative and Student Loan Fund Representative. Also for the Student Council’s standing committees and other positions on behalf of the Council. Those who are elected at the election meeting take office after the exchange meeting, cf. Article 4 of the Student Council’s law. Eligible for election to the Council’s rights office, committees and other positions are all those who have been registered at the University of Iceland in the last three years before the election meeting.

Office Elected at Student Council Office, in accordance with the Council law:

• The President of the Student Council 
• Vice-President of the Student Council
• Student Loan Fund Representative 
• Student Interest Representative

Committees, in accordance with the Council law:

• Four representatives are elected for the Finance and Economic Affairs Committee, the Equal Rights Committee, the International Affairs Committee, the Transportation and Environmental Affairs Committee, the Family Affairs Committee, the Cultural and Social Events Committee and the Amendments Committee. 
• The Student Council elects two representatives for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Committee at the election meeting.

At the election meeting, only newly elected representatives of the Student Council have voting rights. If candidates are more than the number of positions, a proportional vote is necessary. If more than one person is elected in a specific election, the person who receives the most votes wins the position, then the person who comes next, and so on. 

Nominations for the positions must be submitted to the chair of the meeting, who is also the President of the Student Council, Isabel Alejandra Díaz, before the election meeting at shi@hi.is or at the meeting itself.

Please contact the office of the Student Council at shi@hi.is if you have questions regarding the meeting agenda.

Meeting agenda

1. Meeting begins
2. Election of the President of the Student Council 2022-2023 (voting)
3. Election of Vice President of the Student Council 2022-2023 (voting)
4. Election of the Interest Representative of Student Council 2022-2023 (voting)
5. Election of Student Loan Representative of the Student Council 2022-2023(voting)
6. Nominations for the Student Council’s schools by the organizations 2022-2023 (voting)
7. Nominations for the Student Council’s committees by the organizations 2022-2023 (voting)
8. Election of vice-representatives of the Student Council 2022-2023 (voting)
9. Nominations for the University Assembly by the organizations 2022-2023 (voting)
10. Election of vice-representatives of the Student Council to the Representative Council of LÍS 2022-2023 (voting)
11. Other issues

The meeting takes place in Icelandic.

The Student Council’s next meeting will be held April 13th in L-101 at 17:00.

According to paragraph 9 of the Student Council’s laws, the Council’s meetings are open to all students at the University of Iceland. Students who are not members of the Student Council may therefore attend meetings and listen to discussions within the Council.

Please contact the office of the Student Council at shi@hi.is if you have any questions regarding the meeting or the agenda. Furthermore, all students are welcome to contact the office with inquiries about their rights.

Meeting agenda

1. Meeting begins 17:00
2. Vote/approval on minutes from last meeting 17:00-17:05
3.  Announcements and issues ahead 17:05-17:25
4. The Student Council’s financial plan for 2021-2022 17:25-17:40
5. Legislative amendments to the Student Council’s Law 17:40-18:10
6. Intermission 18:10-18:20
7. Legislative amendments to the Student Council’s Law [Continued] 18:20-18:50
8. Other issues 18:50-19:00
9. Meeting ends 19:00

The meeting takes place in Icelandic.

 

You can now apply for grants in the first allocation of the Student fund here. Deadline is 12:00 am April 19th. We encourage you to follow the instructions in the application form closely. Failure to meet the requirements of the application can result in the application being declined.

Before you apply, it is recommended that you read about the fund on the Student Council‘s website, especially the laws of the fund and the Code of Practice. Diagnostic and maintenance grants will be allocated in this allocation.

Questions shall be directed to María Sól Antonsdóttir, the fund’s chairperson. María can be reached by email at studentasjodur@hi.is.

Allocation rules for the Icelandic Student Loan Fund for the school year 2022-2023 have been approved by the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation.

In the allocation rules for the next school year, the basic subsistence allowance for subsistence loans increases by 5.18% in accordance with the increase in the consumer price index. The increase in the basic subsistence is always a cause for celebration, but the Student Council emphasises the importance of it being reviewed annually, and in this context the council has assumed that the basic subsistence should fit at least the typical consumption criteria of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour. However, it should be kept in mind that the solution to students’ financial burden does not involve tying the basic subsistence allowance to typical consumption criterion. The Student Council places great emphasis on further instructions following the law on the arrangement of maintenance loans, so that the suspicion is reviewed between years. The current law does not make a clear requirement for the Board of the Student Loan Fund to review on a regular basis and therefore there is no requirement for the Board to act when necessary. The Student Council hopes that this will be taken into account when revising the laws on the Icelandic Student Loan Fund.

The income limit also increases and will be ISK 1.483.000. for the school year 2022-2023. The increase is based on a change in the consumer price index between years, making it an ISK 73,000 increase. The Student Council welcomes the fact that it will still be permitted to fivefold increase the income limit of students who have not been on student loans the prior 6 months. This is an important part of ensuring that a student can start borrowing without their subsistence being immediately reduced due to the income limit. However, the Student Council reiterates its position that all borrowers should be given the opportunity to apply for a fivefold increase of the income limit. Grants and loans for children will also be increased and the amount of the grant for each dependent child of the student who completes the minimum academic achievement is ISK 182.250 each semester.

The deadline for applying for student loans in the autumn semester has been changed and will now be October 15, 2022. The Student Council also considers it appropriate that the application deadline for the spring semester be changed in accordance with the change in the fall semester, as January 15 is a burdensome deadline for many prospective borrower. It must be kept in mind that student conditions can change drastically in the middle of the semester, and therefore the Council believes that the application deadlines are still too early in the semester.

Elections to the Student Council and the University Council will take place on Wednesday the 23rd and Thursday the 24th of March. Students from each School will elect representatives to the Student Council for one year and representatives to the University Council for two years. The elections are electronic and take place through the University’s internal website, Uglan.

Those students who have voting rights are the ones that are registered to study at the University of Iceland for the school year 2021-2022. Guest and exchange students, as well as students who are registered for study programs with individual courses, such as in Símennt, do not have the right to vote.

The opening hours of the election system at Ugla is new this year; elections will be open from 09:00 on March 23rd until 18:00 on March 24th.

Students at the School of Humanities will not be able to elect a representative to the Student Council because only one list of candidates is running for the Student Council, on behalf of the organization Röskva. In accordance with Article 32 of the Student Council Act, Rakel Anna Boulter, Draumey Ósk Ómarsdóttir and Magnús Orri Aðalsteinsson are self-elected as student representatives for the Student Council of the University of Iceland and the School Council of the School of Humanities 2022-2023. Students at the School of Humanities are, however, encouraged to exercise their right to vote and elect student representatives to the University of Iceland’s University Council. Elections to the University Council will take place in parallel with the Student Council elections on the 23rd and 24th of March.

Below is the list of candidates.

 

Röskva’s candidates:

University Council:
1.Brynhildur Kristín Ásgeirsdóttir – Læknisfræði
2. Katrín Björk Krisjánsdóttir – Félagsráðgjöf
3. Rebekka Karlsdóttir – Lögfræði
4. Ingvar Þóroddsson – Hagnýtt stærðfræði

School of Social Sciences:
1.Lilja Hrönn Önnudóttir Hrannarsdóttir – Lögfræði
2.Viktor Ágústsson – Viðskiptafræði
3.Diljá Ingólfsdóttir – Félagsráðgjöf
4.Elías Snær Önnuson Torfason – Stjórnmálafræði
5.Þórkatla Björg Ómarsdóttir – Félagsfræði

School of Health Sciences:
1.Andri Már Tómasson – Læknisfræði
2.Sigríður Helga Ólafsson – Sálfræði
3.Dagný Þóra Óskarsdóttir – Hjúkrunarfræði

School of Humanities:
1.Rakel Anna Boulter – Almenn bókmenntafræði
2.Draumey Ósk Ómarsdóttir – Íslenska
3.Magnús Orri Aðalsteinsson – Enska

School of Education:
1.Auður Eir Sigurðardóttir – Tómstunda- og félagsmálafræði
2.Ísak Kárason – Íþrótta- og heilsufræði
3.Sigurjóna Hauksdóttir – Uppeldis- og menntunarfræði

School of Engineering and Natural Sciences:
1.Brynhildur Þorbjarnardóttir – Eðlisfræði
2.Maggi Snorrason – Rafmagns- og tölvuverkfræði
3.Dagmar Óladóttir – Landfræði

Vaka’s candidates:

University Council:
1.Birta Karen Tryggvadóttir – Hagfræð
2.Magnea Gná Jóhannsdóttir – Lögfræð
3.Jóna Guðbjörg Ágústsdóttir – Lýðheilsuvísindi
4.Ellen Geirsdóttir Håkansson – Stjórnmálafræði

School of Social Sciences:
1.Dagur Kárason – Stjórnmálafræði
2.Axel Jónsson – Félagsráðgjöf
3.Embla Ásgeirsdóttir – Lögfræði
4.Iðunn Hafsteins – Viðskiptafræði
5.Logi Stefánsson – Viðskiptafræði

School of Health Sciences:
1.Telma Rún Magnúsdóttir – Lyfjafræði
2.Jóna Margrét Hlynsdóttir Arndal – Tannlæknisfræði
3.Freyja Ósk Þórisdóttir – Hjúkrunarfræði

School of Humanities:
There are no candidates

School of Education:
1.Ísabella Rún Jósefsdóttir – Uppeldis- og menntunarfræði
2.Bergrún Anna Birkisdóttir – Grunnskólakennarafræði
3.Margrét Rebekka Valgarðsdóttir – Tómstunda- og félagsmálafræði

School of Engineering and Natural Sciences:
1.María Árnadóttir – Vélaverkfræði
2.Margrét Ásta Finnbjörnsdóttir – Iðnaðarverkfræði
3.Friðrik Hreinn Sigurðsson – Tölvunarfræði

The Student Council’s next meeting will be held March 10th in L-201 at 17:00.

According to paragraph 9 of the Student Council’s laws, the Council’s meetings are open to all students at the University of Iceland. Students who are not members of the Student Council may therefore attend meetings and listen to discussions within the Council.

Please contact the office of the Student Council at shi@hi.is if you have any questions regarding the meeting or the agenda. Furthermore, all students are welcome to contact the office with inquiries about their rights.

Meeting agenda

1. Meeting begins 17:00
2. Vote/approval on minutes from last meeting 17:00-17:05
3.  Announcements and issues ahead 17:05-17:25
4. Icelandic student services 17:25-17:45
5. The Student Council’s financial plan for 2021-2022 17:45-18:00
6. Intermission 18:00-18:10
7. The Student Council’s policy 18:10-18:40
8. Other issues 18:40-18:50
9. Meeting ends 18:50

The meeting takes place in Icelandic.