What is The Welfare Council?

The Welfare Council (Velferdstinget, abbreviated VT) is a student council founded in 2004 which consists of student representatives from the different institutions of higher education that are members of the Foundation for Student Life in Oslo and Akershus (SiO). Our mandate is to communicate the students’ wishes and demands towards SiO and the services they supply. VT is also the electorate for students in the various boards of SiO.

SiO provides services to approximately 60.000 students at the following institutions of higher education:
The Norwegian Police University College
Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences
MF Norwegian School of Theology
The University of Oslo
The Oslo School of Architecture and Design
The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science
Norwegian Academy of Music
BI Norwegian School of Management
Oslo National Academy of The Arts
Lovisenberg Diaconal University College
The Norwegian School of Information Technology
Diakonova University College
University College of Acupuncture
Norwegian Institute of Gestalt Therapy
Rudolf Steiner University College
The Norwegian College of Dance
The Barratt Due Institute of Music
University College of Leadership and Theology
The University College of Eurythmichs in Norway
Evangelical Lutheran University College
Oslo School of Management
Folkeuniversitetene

Students attending these educational institutions automatically benefit from SiO’s student services after paying the semester fee.

The General Board
Out of its ten members, five student representatives are elected by VT to The General Board, the governing body of SiO. Two representatives are elected by and among SiO’s employees and two representatives are elected staff representatives from the educational institutions. The chairperson must be a student, which means that students have the majority of votes. This way the students themselves govern SiO. The student representatives’ main task is to secure that the Welfare Council’s policies and resolutions are followed by the General Board.

This year’s student representatives in The General Board
Student and president: Marianne Høva Rustberggard
Vice-president: (not elected as of 7.feb 2012)
Student: Hanne Marie Iaursulëiel Pedersen-Eriksen
Student: Torkil Vederhus
Student: Are Folkeberg Arnesen
Student: Magnus Nystrand

Responsibilities
The Welfare Council’s main responsibility is contact with SiO. We secure that SiO is aware of what students in Oslo and Akershus want and need in terms of welfare services. Our work is done through both formal and informal contact, and by electing student representatives to different committees and boards. In addition to our work towards SiO, we also engage in various other issues concerning student welfare in Oslo and Akershus by having contact with the government and Oslo City Council. In addition to this we have continous contact with local student democraties at SiOs institutions of higher education.

Structure
VT consists of approximately 40 student representatives, depending on the number of students at every institution each year. They are all elected for a term of one calendar year.

VT elects an Executive Committee of six members, all of which are students at institutions connected to SiO. They do not have a vote in VT, but handle the day-to-day administration of the Welfare Council for the durations of their period, which is one calendar year. The President, Vice-President and Chief of Communication work on a full time basis, whilst the three additional members are compensated 35%.

This year’s Executive committee
President: Birgit Lovise Røkkum Skarstein
Vice-President: Signy Grape
Chief of Communication: Stian Lågstad
Officer of Profile and Marketing: Nicolai Solheim
Officer of Internal Relations: Tone Vesterhus
Officer of External Relations: Kristin Antonsen Brenna

Meetings in the Welfare Council
Our meetings are open and all students have the right to attend. If a student attending a meeting has a special interest in a given case, he or she may be granted a right to speak and make suggestions. All meetings adjourn at 5 pm, and the location will be announced online in advance.

The Office
VT has its offices on the first floor of Villa Eika, a large, brown, wooden Swiss villa on Blindern Campus. You will usually find the full time officials here during normal business hours, approximately 9 am till 3 pm.

We are unfortunately unable to supply those students who do not speak Norwegian with a complete English version of our website. However, we are more than happy to answer any related enquiries you may have. You can find our contact information under «kontakt oss» on the front page, or you can drop by Villa Eika.