Elections
Two-tier elections at NLA
- National digital Election for all NLA students: Student parliament (SPNLA) in April, with annual constitutiing in May.
- Local Class Representative Election: Student Council (SR) in March/April with annual constituting in April/May.
- Local supplementary Elections: 2nd Class representative elections for 1st year students arriving in August.
The Big picture and our mandate
Both SPNLA and the individual SR are self-constituent and establish themselves after annual elections. Students who are elected as representatives of students at NLA University College in Student Democracy (Class representatives) have the right to attend, speak on any matter and vote as members at a local or national level. The individual student democratic organs are autonomous and interacts based on the Higher Education Act Section 10-11 and internal statutes, through office and representation, as well as the framework provided by the Cooperation Agreement between Student Democracy and NLA University College (no).
Each SR meets and handles matters that concern students locally at their place of study, and raises matters that concern national issues to SPNLA. Matters with a local connection are allocated by SPNLA to the local SR.
Positions and committees are distributed internally in the Student Democracy based on their operattional level. Dialogue, reporting and interaction between SPNLA and the individual SR are handled by 2 students from each campus who sit as members of both SPNLA and SR. This helps to ensure good internal communication in the Student Democracy as a whole and representation from all campuses. SPNLA is led by the Working Committee (AU) and through various committees led by representative AU members, where all elect students from both levels have equal opportunity to participate.
What does it mean to be a Class Representative?
As a class representative you assume responsibility for contributing actively to looking after and promoting the students' interests and needs at your place of study, as well as having the opportunity to influence and participate in various positions and the opportunities the position provides:
- Enroll to ORG101 (5 credits)
- Contact person towards your lecturers
- Voting member of the Student Council
- Participate in NLA and student committees and boards
- Political training and leadership experience
- Contribute to increased student welfare and influence students' everyday life
- Build networks and new relationships
- Improve the CV
What does it mean to become a member of the Student Parliament?
As a member of the Student Parliament, you assume responsibility for contributing actively to looking after and promoting the students' interests and needs at your place of study, as well as having the opportunity to influence and participate in various positions and the opportunities the position provides:
- Enroll to ORG101 (5 credits)
- Participate in NLA and national student committees and boards
- Political training and leadership experience
- Contribute to increased student welfare and influence students' everyday life
- Build networks and new relationships
- Improve the CV
Administration of
Physical Class representative for all class/ studyprogrammes
(For Student Council)
- When you are conducting the (physical) election for your class representative, you will have to coordinate this with the study programme managers. If you are unsure who is responsible for your study programme, contact the organizational adviser.
- All classes in all study programmes must elect one class representative and one vara (substitute), who are elected openly and efficiently in each class.
- Clarify with the lecturer when elections will be held in the class (recommended 10 minutes at the beginning of the lecture).
- Briefly inform about what it means to be a class representative (description above), and the lecturer leaves the room during the actual election.
- Two persons take responsibility for the election and counting of votes.
- Register the candidates (can also be suggested by others).
- Write down the candidates for election, and choose a class representative and vara (show of hands or votes on a piece of paper).
- Announce the elected class representative and vara to the class, and share their contact informations.
- Inform the class representative and the vara that they will receive summons to the Student Council and other relevant information from the student council leader.
- The two persons who took responsibility for the election then send the name and contact information of the newly elected class representative and vara to the organizational adviser who follows up administratively.