Study Councils

Ultuna Student Union has seven study councils that organize academic representation for our programs. The study councils work for and represent students in one or more programs. Each council consists of a chairperson, a vice chairperson, and 3–7 members. Half of the council members are elected at the November Union Meeting and the other half at the May Union Meeting, with a one-year term of office. The vice chairperson of the study councils is elected twice a year—at the Union Meetings in November and May. The vice chairperson serves for the following six months and then becomes chairperson for six months. It is the study councils, together with the Union’s Vice Chairperson responsible for education, that carry out most of the academic representation work.

Academic Representation Committee

Approximately every four weeks, Ultuna Student Union’s Academic Representation Committee (StudU) meets. It consists of the chairpersons and vice chairpersons of the study councils and is led by the Union’s Vice President responsible for education. In this forum, the study councils collaborate on ongoing issues and discuss how the union should position itself on current educational policy matters within the university’s various bodies. Since the Union’s Vice President for education represents Ultuna Student Union in many decision-making bodies at SLU, StudU’s meetings are very important to ensure that the Union’s opinions and positions are as well anchored among students as possible.

Faculty and Program Committees

Influence work occurs both in formal bodies and committees at SLU and through daily contact with teachers and other university staff. The most important channel for influencing your program is probably for each individual student to give feedback directly to their teacher, both through conversations and course evaluations, which are conducted after each completed course. Formal influence work is mainly carried out by the Union President and the Vice President responsible for education. Both of these positions are full-time roles at the union for one year, focusing primarily on advocacy and academic representation at the university. Additionally, the chairpersons and vice chairpersons of the study councils play a major role in formal influence work by representing students in the various program committees. Much of the operational work regarding a program takes place in these committees, where many of the program’s current issues are addressed. The Union President and Vice President responsible for education represent the students in the faculties of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science, and Forestry.