Taking decisions

Decisions taken by a group of individuals

If a decision is to be made by a group of individuals the students are entitled to representation by at least three members. The number of student representatives in such a group may however be fewer if there are special grounds in view of the total number of members in the group.

Students must be represented on department boards, faculty and disciplinary domain boards and specific decision-making bodies within education and research. Student representatives are full members of such bodies.

Decisions taken by a single individual

When decisions are made or prepared by a single person, special emphasis needs to be placed on taking the student perspective into account.

• At departmental level, single-person decisions are often made by the head of department or director of studies. Consultation is primarily conducted with a student representative representing students affected by the decision. For example, decisions by the head of department can be prepared with a student representative from the department board.
• With regard to decisions by the Vice-Chancellor and the University Director, there are established procedures governing student influence.
• When decisions or preparations are made by a single individual, information should be provided and consultation should be conducted in good time before the decision is taken or the preparations are complete. The person who takes the decision is responsible for guaranteeing student influence.

Decisions taken outside semester time

If a decision is taken outside a semester, student influence should still be maintained. If it is not clear who can contribute a student perspective on the matter, it is a good idea to contact the relevant students’ unions or the Uppsala University Student Unions (UUFS) collaborative body to find a solution together.

When student representatives should not be present

There are preparations and decisions in which it is not appropriate for student representatives to participate. In such cases, it is important that the person in charge can argue why student representatives should not participate.