Electronic elections are held during the period Monday 13 November at 12.00 until Friday 17 November at 12.00.
Click here to cast your electronic vote (opens Monday 13 November at 12:00)
One representative and two deputies shall be elected from this group.
Torjus Solheim Eckhoff
Torjus Solheim Eckhoff is PhD Fellow at TIK Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture
Self presentation:
Few sectors in Norway have as many temporary staff as universities. The Ministry of Education and Research has asked UiO and others to reduce temporary positions. I want to push the faculty on this issue. The opportunity for a career at UiO with secure conditions is important, both for the individual and for creating a good research environment that can work long term towards the faculty´s strategic targets. It is therefore a goal for me to represent fewer employees at the end of a potential representation period than at the beginning.
Many temporary staff want to apply their knowledge and skills outside of academia. I believe that research communication and outreach is important for preparing us to utilize our research. The faculty needs to do a better job of encouraging temporary academic staff to participate in public debates. We need improved conditions for the many exciting research projects to have effects beyond academic discourses. The focus could particularly be on helping international staff and groups that historically have been less visible in the public discourse.
Training in pedagogy should be strengthened and built upon the good initiatives that already exist. Svein Stølen speaks highly of his goals for UiO. International ambitions for research are all well and good, but it is also important to stay grounded and understand our societal mission. UiO and the Faculty of Social Sciences should be for the many, not the few. I am particularly thinking of the education for our students who will contribute to solve issues in the society. Temporary staff often act as a bridge between students and the more established part of the institution, something the faculty should take advantage of. Teaching can be a lot of fun – when you feel that you do it well. It is therefore important to allocate enough resources and create an environment for teaching that holds high academic quality and is engaging.
UiO faces challenges with its democracy. To ensure that I address the needs of those I represent, it is necessary for me to actively seek input from all temporary academic staff. Furthermore, I am concerned with the bigger picture, which means creating good collaboration across academic staff, both temporary and permanent, and technical-administrative staff. Good science policy and institution building are necessary in order to create better structures for carrying out our job, our societal mission, as well as to create a strong identity and pride in the university and faculty we represent.
Nominated by Thokir Pallev
Alfred Løvgren
Alfred Løvgren is PhD Fellow at Department of Economics
Self presentation:
Representation for temporary academic employees in the faculty board is important to safeguard and advance the needs of the group. First and foremost, we need a candidate who ensures mutual communication and flow of information between the board and temporary employees. We need a candidate in the board who actively works to promote the interests of temporary employees and contributes with a voice on behalf of the entire group. I am running for this role to work for the priorities of temporary employees on the agenda.
My approach is: 1) actively gather feedback from the group (online form or email), 2) advocate for and work to achieve the desired impact, and 3) organize clearer flow of information for board matters relevant to the group (preferably an email list). I believe the best outcome for the group is if the candidate is seen as a voice in the board who systematically conveys and actively advocates.
I have board experience from positions such as deputy head at Fagutvalget ØI and as a board member at Rethinking Economics Blindern. I am employed as a PhD student at the Department of Economics.
In short, I want a systematic and streamlined organization of representation for temporary employees in the board.
Nominated by Alfred Løvgren
Marte Lund Saga
Marte Lund Saga is PhD Fellow at Department of Sociology and Human Geography
Self presentation:
Despite temporary employees constituting a sizeable employee group at the faculty, we only have one representative on the faculty board. Therefore, it's all the more important to have political representation that takes our group's challenges seriously. I aim to work for the rights of temporary employees at the Faculty of Social Sciences in the 2024 term. I believe it's crucial to follow up on the implementation of approved strategies and annual plans, hold the management accountable for their execution, and ensure that temporary employees have a voice in shaping new plans.
Being a temporary employee at a university is a particularly vulnerable position. This group, for instance, is overrepresented in discussions with the occupational health service. Courses and lectures on stress management and mental health have been established, largely individualizing the problem, but structural measures that could improve the mental health of doctoral candidates and postdoctoral fellows seem to be lacking. As a representative for temporary employees, I aim to be a clear voice in faculty board discussions and work for good working conditions, opportunities, and predictability in temporary positions. Workplace participation and good working conditions are important, even in temporary positions.
I have some prior experience as a deputy member in the Sociology Department Board and have served on several boards for sports associations in the past. I aim to bring this experience to the Faculty Board at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Simultaneously, I aim to maintain a strong connection with doctoral candidates and postdoctoral fellows throughout the term so that I can represent this group effectively.
Nominated by Marte Lund Saga