The student welfare environment is important in order for SLU's students to be happy and healthy during their study period. Examples of student welfare issues include student health, work environment and study environment, campus environment, equal treatment, diversity and insurance.
The Student Welfare Council (Strå) is a general SLU body that works with student welfare issues. Strå's activities focus on students on courses and study programmes at Bachelor's and Master's level. At each study venue, there is a student welfare group or equivalent, which works on student welfare issues at local level.
Composition of Strå
Strå is composed of the deputy vice-chancellor (chair), a teacher from each faculty and two student representatives. The teachers are appointed by the vice-chancellor on the recommendation of the deans. The teacher representatives have personal deputies who are summoned if the ordinary representative is prevented from attending. The student representatives are appointed by Sluss (Joint Committee of Student Unions at SLU).
The Division of Educational Affairs provides secretarial support to Strå. Local student welfare group conveners are invited to Strå.
Activities
Strå meets twice a semester. Examples of issues include submitting proposals for measures under SLU's equal opportunities plan, monitoring the student welcome ceremonies of the students' unions, helping to formulate student welfare surveys and crisis management from a student perspective. Strå finances student welcome education for the students' unions and training for student health and safety representatives. Strå's formal tasks are listed here.
The student welfare groups
These groups work on student welfare issues at each study location. This may include monitoring student welcome ceremonies or visiting statistics for the local Student Health Centre, as well as the work of the faculties on measures arising from student welfare surveys. Sometimes the student welfare groups also arrange stress management courses for students and seminars on equal treatment, for example.
The student welfare groups are composed of teachers, student representatives and study advisers. They often also include representatives of the local Student Health Centre and the University Chaplaincy/student chaplains.
Cooperation between Strå and the student welfare groups
The groups report to Strå on current local issues at the various study locations. They can also propose issues of general interest to be discussed at Strå meetings. Strå obtains views on the equal opportunities plan and student welfare surveys, for example, from the groups.