Part time students
The Quality Reform implies that you will be a full-time
student. Still, half of the students at the University of
Bergen (UiB) work as well.
– We had not been able to get by without working, students
Maria Børli Sivertsen and Veronika Sele claims. They are not
alone. Despite better funding, students continue working.
58 percent of UiB’s students currently work, and 32 percent
of these work more than 16 hours a week. Sivertsen’s hectic
schedule affects her academic performance.
– I am exhausted, she says. Students’ union NSU expresses
concern that the government has not allowed enough money for
students to keep up with inflation and salary levels. UiB’s
vice principal Leiv Sydnes says students can’t expect the
same standard of living as the general population. He reckons
a hard-working student will be able to hold a part-time job
and do well at university at the same time.
Cleanup after election
Sosialdemokratisk liste (SDL) was the big winner of the
students’ council election.
– We have to clean up after Boligaksjonen, says Gunnveig Grødeland.
SDL won the election with 44.7 percent of the votes. The «labour
party youths» will have seven out of seventeen representatives.
However, the Social Democrats don’t want to be sole rulers.
– We don’t want to exclude other wings like Boligaksjonen
did, says Grødeland. She is critical to Boligaksjonen’s work.
In specific she doesn’t like their exclusive focusing on housing
matters, leaving important issues like the quality reform
and conditions for poor students alone.
Get involved and die
Synne Brekke is a threat to society. She’s an active member
of Amnesty International. That’s why she was dragged out from
a computer lab by three «paramilitary» actionists as a demonstration
from The Norwegian Students and Academics International Assistance
Fund (SAIH). SAIH wants to show how students are harassed
in countries like Zimbabwe and Colombia. To make students
curious, «death lists» were posted in advance. Columbian Adolfo
Lucumi, who lives in Bergen, confirms:
- The fear of torture and executions is always there. It is
important for Columbian students that students in other countries
are aware of their situation.
ALEXANDER KEMP
10.11.03
|
