It is that time of the year. And at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) this means elections.

University elections!

This year students, technical and administrative staff, as well as academic staff, are all on the ballot for the University Board. All candidates and lists were published on the UCPH intranet KUnet on Friday 3 November.

In this overview, we list the leading candidates for the board positions.

In this overview, we have not included supporting lists for the larger joint candidacy lists. You can get a full overview of all the candidates on KUnet.

In addition to the board positions, elections will be held this year to the academic councils, PhD committees, and all boards of studies.

The vote takes place between 20 and 24 November. Follow the University Post’s election coverage.

Students’ leading candidates

You can vote via KUnet here. (Go through the KUnet log in process. Click on ‘Click here and vote in the UCPH elections‘ then ‘Klik for at gå til stemmeseddel‘ – then ‘Fold alle lister ud‘ – then choose and click a name, then confirm with ‘Stem på den angivne liste/kandidat‘.)

Nicola Emily Larsen

Candidate for Conservative Students – a joint centre-right list.

A student of political science.

The key issues on the list are:

1. More contact with the real world. The university’s degree programmes need to prepare students for working life after graduation to a greater extent.
2. The quality of teaching needs to be improved, and it should be possible to get feedback on all your courses.
3. Less bureaucracy, more professionalism. We need to invest more in improvements to education programmes and less on administration.

Signe Berner

Candidate for the Student Council at the University of Copenhagen

A student of natural resources, specialising in environmental science.

The key issues on the list are:

1. A UCPH that is ready for the future! The green agenda needs to take up more space in all parts of the university: In the canteen, in the managers’ meeting room, and on the university’s strategy.
2. A UCPH with space for everyone! We need much better dialogue between students, tutors, volunteers and teaching staff.
3. A UCPH with study programmes for the students, not the system! Bureaucracy, high failure rates, and lack of feedback should not stand in the way of proper degree programmes.

Thomas Holst Padkjær and Nikoline Prehn

Candidate for Free Forum (Frit Forum).

Both leading candidates are students of political science.

The key issues on the list are:

1. Faculty psychologists on UCPH now!
2. Free sanitary pads and tampons for all students at UCPH.
3. More climate on the syllabus.

Christian Ramon

Candidate for the Economics Student Council

Studying economics at UCPH.

The key issues on the list are:

1. Better conditions for students with functional impairments.
2. Record all lectures.
3. Bachelor’s and master’s programmes should end with a ceremony where students will be presented with a physical diploma by the head of studies.

Leading candidates for technical and administrative staff

Charlotte Zoey Søndergaard

Candidate for all technical and administrative staff.

Study administrative coordinator at the Department of Biology.

Charlotte Zoey Søndergaard’s key issues are:

1. A greater understanding of the importance of the work of technical and administrative among staff and students at UCPH.
2. Changes in the field of education coming from the political sphere should not detract from the university’s degree programmes, or destroy the environment and the work done at UCPH.
3. Technical and administrative staff need to be an important part of decisions on proper working conditions, and they should have an equal opportunity to take part in meaningful tasks.

Dorte Brix

Candidate for the TAP list on the UCPH Board.

Laboratory technician at the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.

The key issues on the list are:

1. Better well-being for all — both students and staff.
2. Sustainability.
3. Proper involvement of staff in the forthcoming administrative reform.

Leading candidates for academic staff

Jens Friis Lund

Candidate for the list A Sustainable University.

Professor of political ecology at the Department of Food and Resource Economics, Faculty of Science.

The key issues on the list are:

1. More focus on sustainability in research, education and operations.
2. Focus on increased well-being among staff and students.
3. Safeguarding of academic freedom and researchers’ right to express their opinions.

Jesper Grodal and Pia Quist

Candidates for the list Involve the researchers!

Jesper Grodal is Professor of Mathematics and Pia Quist is Professor of Sociolinguistics.

The key issues on the list are:

1. Fight to ensure that the university stays focused on its core tasks, which are research and education.
2. Fight for academic freedom and good academic management, including good career paths for all employees, including PhDs and postdocs.
3. Fight for an unbureaucratic UCPH with a strong local administration that relieves the pressure on researchers – not the opposite.

Christian Kapel and Louise Kruse Jensen

Candidates for the list Academic Balance.

Christian Kapel is Professor of Zoology, Faculty of Science, and Louise Kruse Jensen is Professor of Pathology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.

The key issues on the list are:

1. Small research areas should not be squeezed out by large foundations.
2. New academic merit criteria should be implemented in a way that temporary staff are included and teaching tasks get more prestige.
3. Cooperation across faculties should be increased and improved.