News

You can now apply for grants in the second allocation of the Student Fund.

The application form can be found here and we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the fund, especially its laws and code of practice before applying. The application deadline is until 10:00am on December 19th 2022. Late applications will automatically be turned away.

Diagnostic and maintenance grants will be granted in this allocation.

Any questions can be directed to Dagný Þóra Óskarsdóttir, the fund’s chairperson. She can be reached by email at studentasjodur@hi.is.

Students had 10 representatives, and two representatives from the University Council, at the University Congress that took place on Friday, November 18.

At the meeting, the sustainability priorities of the University of Iceland’s strategy 2021-2026, HÍ26, were discussed and the University of Iceland’s first sustainability report was presented. Planning, construction and transportation on the university campus were also discussed and the area’s development plan was reviewed.

The Student Council is pleased with the matters of the meeting, as they are close to the students’ minds and play an important role in the Student Council’s vision for the campus. The U-pass has been an important issue for the Student Council for years, and therefore the plan for its implementation is truly something to celebrate, as are the plans for the construction of bicycle shelters at the university campus.

The Student Council will continue to push for sustainability and planning issues to be addressed with the goal of a more sustainable university community.

The Student Council’s next meeting will be held on November 16th in classroom H-205 (Stakkahlíð) 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 – 17:30
4. Nominations to the electoral board 17:30 – 17:45
5. SHÍ’s emphasis in relation to the revision of the Act on the Student Education Fund (Vote) 17:45 – 18:05
6. Intermission 18:05 – 18:15
7. Proposal for peer support at the student housing (Vote) 18:15 – 18:25
8. Proposal regarding use of personal pronouns on Canvas (Vote) 18:25 – 18:35
9. Proposal for targeted work to increase voter participation to the Student- and University Council (Vote) 18:35-18:45
10. Finance of the Student Council 18:45-18:55
11. Other issues 18:55-19:05
12. Recorded issues 

The meeting takes place in Icelandic.

Finally! The Student Council’s School of Activities is back after a long break.

The Student Council’s School of Activities – Fall of 2022

The Student Council of The University of the Iceland hosts an activity school for children of HÍ-students born between 2017-2021. The sessions take place in the University’s gym at Sæmundargata (next to HT) next Saturdays, and each session is 40 minutes. The School of Activities starts Saturday, 29th of October with a free trial* and ends 26th of November. Consequently, there will be 5 sessions in total. The children are divided into three groups depending on their age – maximum occupancy is 30 children for each group. The first group (2020, 2021) 8:45 – 9:25, second group (2018, 2019) 9:30 – 10:10, and the third group ( 2017) 10:15 – 10:55. Light refreshments will be offered at the end of each session. *Note that all children must be registered for the free trial session (if the available spaces are filled for the trial session, children signed up for the whole package will be prioritized).

Click here to register a child for SHÍ’s School of Activities 2022

The goal of SHÍ’s Schools of Activities is to give children a platform to improve their exercising abilities, coordination, and well-being. Games and obstacle courses are a big part of the curriculum, and there is an emphasis on teamwork, consideration, and social growth. 

The teacher is Alda Ólafsdóttir, who is working on her Master’s degree in sports science.

Price per child is 3.500ISK, but there is a 500ISK sibling-discount for each sibling registered – price for 2 siblings would, therefore, be 6.000ISK. Customers of Landsbankinn receive a 1.500ISK discount and will, therefore, only pay 2.000ISK per child, if they pay via bank transfer from an account from Landsbankinn. It is not possible to receive both the Landsbanka- and the sibling discount simultaneously.

Parents are active during sessions by assisting their children. With that, they receive an important opportunity to get to know their children even better in unusual situations. Instructions on how to pay will be sent out shortly after the registration is approved.

If there are any questions, do not hesitate to contact us through mail – shi@hi.is – or through a message on Facebook (Stúdentaráð Háskóla Íslands).

The Student Council’s next meeting will be held on October 25th in O-202 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 17:05-17:30
4. Icelandic student services (presentation and discussion) 17:30-18:20
5. Intermission 18:20-18:30
6. SHÍ’s emphasis in relation to the revision of the Act on the Student Education Fund (Vote) 18:30 – 19:10
7. Proposal for the University of Iceland to declare a climate emergency (Vote) 19:10-19:20
8. Proposal  for a subcommittee of the Environment and Transport Committee of the Student Council (Vote) 19:25-19:30
9. Other issues 19:30-19:35
10. Recorded issues 19:30-19:35

The meeting takes place in Icelandic.

The Student Council of the University of Iceland and the electric utility company Orkusalan have once more signed a collaborative contract. This is the 15th consecutive year these two agree to a collaboration. Orkusalan has carbon-neutralized all its operation, and has a focus on clean and renewable energy for its customers. Moreover, Orkusalan offers students the best price for electricity. Therefore, the Student Council is proud of this collaboration as environmental issues and student benefits are two very important subjects of the Student Council.

Below you can see Guðmundur Ásgeir, the Managing Director of SHÍ, and Sigmundína Þorgrímsdóttir, Orkusalan’s Marketing Specialist, sign the contract.

Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland, and Rebekka Karlsdóttir, President of the Student Council, recently signed a contract between the University of Iceland and the Student Council regarding services to students at the University of Iceland.

The Student Council is very grateful for the collaboration, which enables the council to maintain good protection of interests for students at the University of Iceland.The President and the Rector also hold regular meetings to ensure good information flow and to discuss students’ emphases. The Council’s suggestions are well received in the many areas of the university’s operations.

The Student Council continues to hold the University of Iceland on its toes, as the main role of the Council is to be a driving force, and encourages staff and management to cultivate the collaboration with students even further so that together we can make a good university even better.

You can now apply for grants in the first allocation of the Student fund here. Deadline is 14:00 pm October 24th. 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 not be allocated in this allocation.

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

Recently, the University of Iceland’s Department of Social Work opened Social Counselling for University Students, which will provide counselling to university students and their families, regarding family issues, parenting, and communication. The goal is to train students in the professional qualification program in social work to provide professional advice and offer support to university students in difficulties they may be dealing with.

Selma Björk Hauksdóttir, Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Social Work, who is in charge of this new project has been working on the preparation of the project since this summer. Before that, the administrators of the Department of Social Work, the Student Council of the University of Iceland and the School’s Teaching Department had drafted the idea, which led to the grant to two year experimental project.

The service is free of charge and takes place at Aragata 9. Students can book an appointment with the University Student Social Services in Ugla, and you can also send inquiries via the email address felradgjof@hi.is.

The Student Council welcomes the introduction of University Student Social Services and improved resources for students.

The Student Council committees are looking for their fifth member. These are the Amendments Committee, the International Affairs Committee, the Culture and Social Affairs Committee, the Equal Rights Committee, the Family Affairs Committee, the Finance and Career Committee and the Transportation and Environmental Affairs Committee.

The application must include a brief introduction to yourself and previous experience that could be useful in the committee, what you are studying, and why you consider yourself to belong to the committee. Applications must be sent to the e-mail address shi@hi.is. The application deadline is October 1st.

Below you can see an overview of the committees’ activities

The Culture and Social Affairs Committee

The Culture and Social Affairs Committee tasks are diverse since it is responsible for organizing and managing various events within the University of Iceland. The committee puts a lot of effort into making fellow students happy, content, and pushes for good morale and cohesion of UI students.

The application deadline is October 1st. 

 

The Equal Rights Committee

The committee safeguards matters at the Uni. of Iceland that are related to equality and it is unafraid to support students that face prejudice, harassment and discrimination. Together the committee puts pressure on that the Uni. of Iceland’s Equality Action Plan is followed and encourages the university to do better where there it is needed.

The application deadline is October 1st. 

 

The Finance and Career Committee

The Finance and Career Committee‘s main concerns are the employment of students and students‘ financial matters. The committee aims to create a relationship between students and the industry.

The application deadline is October 1st. 

 

The Law Amendments Committee

The Law Amendments Committee revaluates and redrafts bills that student council members have presented to make sure they are in correspondence with the reevaluated laws.

The application deadline is October 1st. 

 

The International Affairs Committee

The International Committee deals with cases concerning the interests of international students at the University of Iceland and the cases of Icelandic students abroad. It also manages a mentor project that gives Icelandic students and exchange students the opportunity to get to know each other. The committee works in collaboration with the International Office at the University of Iceland.

The application deadline is October 1st. 

 

The Family Affairs Committee

The Family Affairs Committee main concerns are to work in the general interest and rights of students with families in the University of Iceland and the committee’s goal is to best support students who have children so that they can take care of both their education and family life. The committee organizes numerous family-friendly events, such as lectures and the Student Council of University of Iceland’s Family Day, to name a few.

The application deadline is October 1st. 

 

Transportation and Environmental Affairs Committee

The Family Affairs Committee main concerns are to work in the general interest and rights of students with families in the University of Iceland and the committee’s goal is to best support students who have children so that they can take care of both their education and family life. The committee organizes numerous family-friendly events, such as lectures and the Student Council of University of Iceland’s Family Day, to name a few.

The application deadline is October 1st.