Høyskolens studentparlament

The Student Parliaments role is to represent the interests of the student body through participation in meetings with administration and faculty. The Student Parliament is structured into committees, each with a specific focus. These committees operate with a leader, deputy leader, representatives from NUC administration/staff, and ordinary student members. Meetings are held regularly.

The Student Parliament typically holds three physical meetings per year. (Digital attendance is a possibility) These meetings are typically conducted over the course of two days. During these meetings we discuss matters related to student politics and our institution, meet with staff members and participate in team building activities.

Two meetings are typically held on Campus Kristiansand, and one on Campus Oslo. NUC covers all expenses related to travelling, food and hotels for two of the trips, NSO covers the third one.

The committees within the parliament:

1. The Appeals Committee/nemnd for studentsaker
   The Appeals Committee handles cases related to complaints and academic integrity. They hold regular meetings with representatives and advisors from NUC where they review cases regarding academic misconduct and grade resolution. The committee consists of a legal advisor and representatives from NUC administration alongside two representatives from the Student Parliament.
2. The Education Committee
   The Education Committee focuses on enhancing the quality of the academic programs offered at NUC. They work on matters related to course content, teaching methods, and academic resources. The committee consists of the Rector, representatives from the NUC administration and two representatives from the Student Parliament.
3. The Learning Environment Committee/læringsmiljøutvalg
   The Learning Environment Committee is committed to enhancing the overall learning environment at NUC. Areas of focus include everything from psychosocial and pedagogical conditions to physical conditions and student welfare. The committee works to create a favorable learning environment through discussion between staff and student representatives regarding input provided by both employees and students alike. The committee consists of three student representatives and three NUC employees.

The Student Parliament is divided into the following roles:

• Leader and Deputy Leader of the Student Parliament
• Leader and Deputy Leader of the three committees
• Secretary/press responsible
• Student Representatives and committee members

The parliament leader and deputy leader oversee, plan and host parliament meetings, participate in monthly alignment meetings with the NUC administration and participate in board meetings with NUCs executive leadership. The parliament leaders regularly participate in and host discussions within the parliament itself, with faculty, staff members, and with the student body on matters relevant to the student experience at NUC.

The leader of the student parliament collaborates closely with Norsk Student Organisasjon (NSO) as a delegate for their annual national assembly and as a national board meeting representative.

The leader will be able to bring one deputy with observation rights for the annual national assembly. The leader has the right to speak, propose suggestions and vote.

The committee leaders work closely with the leader and deputy leader of the student parliament. They provide input on what the committees are up to so that the leader and deputy leader of the parliament can relay this information on their monthly alignment meetings with administration.

The nature of what this entails depends on the committee. The Learning Environment Committee and the Appeals committee are mandated by law. As is the notion of a Student Parliament. The learning environment committee hosts and organizes the “Thinking Thursday" events once per month, which is where we invite industry professionals to speak at one of the NUC campuses.

Student representatives are individuals who are elected by their fellow students to advocate for and represent their respective class.

Student Representatives participate in study program committee meetings with course leaders and faculty where they discuss what works well with a course, identify areas of improvement, and suggest possible adjustments. Student Representatives communicate regularly with course leaders relaying the perceived student opinion regarding courses and general student input, ensuring a positive learning environment.

NSO

Noroff University College is a member of NSO. This allows us to partake in influencing student politics on a national level.

NSO organizes a series of student political events throughout the year, most importantly:

The annual national assembly/landsmøte, which is held in Tønsberg in April. This is the highest political body for academia in Norway.

The national council representative meetings:

There are five of these meetings per year. Each meeting is held in separate cities. This is the highest political body in-between the national assembly.

Smaller physical events are typically held throughout the year alongside digital meetings on a variety of topics relevant to academia.

Academic institutions in Norway receive one vote per 5,000 students. As such, we have one vote per case. The delegates partaking in these events vote on behalf of the interests of the student body. Cases entail anything from increased student loans and grants, perceived challenges in academia to an increased focus on constructing or supplying student housing. The cases that are voted in favor for are presented to the Norwegian Parliament for further inclusion/discussion in regard to the annual state budget. All expenses related to travelling, hotel and food is covered by NSO. Events typically last three days, Friday – Sunday unless otherwise specified.

NSO also offers assistance with anything student politics related. NSO contacts the student parliament leadership at the start of each academic year to facilitate further collaboration and provide information on their organization. NSO also provides courses on set topics a student organization can make use of. This includes workshops on public speaking, how to host debates, how to run a student organization and so on. They provide grants we can apply for as well. Anything from small-scale teambuilding activities to complete overseas trips.

Studentsamskipnaden i Agder (SiA)

Noroff University College is part of Studentsamskipnaden i Agder (SIA), which is the official student welfare organization for students in the Agder region. SiA works to promote student well-being and support services across multiple institutions, including NUC's Kristiansand campus.

What SiA offers:

• Student housing
• Access to mental health services
• Health and dental services
• Student discounts for training and fitness centres
• Student cafeterias
• Kindergartens
• Cultural events and activities
• Legal counseling

Students living outside of the Agder region can apply for membership with the Student Welfare organization relative to their location.

Velferdstinget (VT)

VT is the highest student-run welfare organization in Agder. It consists of representatives from the student democracies associated with SiA, and works to improve student welfare in the region. VT Agder allocates funding for student initiatives, advocates for student interests, and advises SiA’s board on matters related to student life and well-being. NUC has one student representative in VT.

181 delegates from all member student democracies across the country gather to debate and vote on matters of academic relevance.

During the meeting, delegates debate and vote on:

• Policy documents on education, welfare, sustainability and student rights.
• Changes to NSO’s statutes
• Election of NSO leadership and its committees
• Priorities for the coming year

The event typically includes:

• Sessions with speeches, debates, and voting
• Opportunities for networking and collaboration between student leaders from different institutions
• Formal galla dinner and socializing

The board representative meeting happens five times per year and consist of representatives from all student democracies. NUC can send one representative per meeting, and is free to rotate who goes.

The events include:

• Updates from the NSO leadership
• Discussions on current educational and political developments
• Briefings where the representatives share insights, challenges or topics of interest within their institution
• Preparation for major events
• Voting on cases relevant to academia
• Formal dinners and socializing
• Trips to the Norwegian Parliament to learn about how the allocation of the national budget works alongside other topics of political relevance.

The elections for next year’s parliament leadership are typically held in April. A series of informative meetings/ Q&A sessions will be held in advance through Teams.

Students may apply through the provided Forms links. The application links will remain active for at least one week depending on engagement.

During the election, students will vote on the candidates they deem most applicable for the role. The leader and deputy leader applicants for the parliament and the committees will be expected to hold a short speech regarding their motivation for applying. Should an applicant be unable to attend, they will rely on their application text. Voting happens through a show of hands or by using the raise hand feature.

An overlap meeting for the newly elected leadership will be held on Campus Kristiansand after the election. Digital attendance is a possibility for those unable to attend physically. All relevant Student Parliament documentation and how to access it will be provided shortly after the elections have concluded.

Student Representatives

The student representative elections will ideally be held during the first or second week of the semester and will be conducted in a similar manner to the leadership election.

Ideally there will be at least one student representative per class. Larger classes may benefit from having several representatives.

Online and Online+ representatives are merged, campus students have their own representatives where possible.

Participating in student politics, either as a student representative, member or as a leader or deputy leader lets you develop skills that are transferable to a wide range of careers. You will gain insight into how organizations and governance structure works. You will learn to advocate for causes and issues that matter to you, develop skills in public speaking, leadership, and negotiation, and make meaningful connections that can be beneficial both personally and professionally. This involvement can also possibly directly impact the student experience at NUC.

Participating in student politics is a valuable addition to your resume, showcasing initiative and engagement.