Student representation and power relations at Lund University

Abstract: This study aims to illuminate the power relations that are developed between student and nonstudent representatives while performing governance at the context of Lund University. Furthermore, the influence of these incidents on student’s contribution is investigated, highlighting the strengths and the weaknesses of this representation structure. For this purpose, the study utilizes semi-structured interviews with current student representatives, coming from different levels of governance. As a qualitative approach on the issue, a holistic grasp of the students’ perspective is sought. Student representation has been an expression of a more inclusive agenda that has characterized higher education institutions since the commencement of the Bologna process back in 1999. Generally, many universities have included students in their decision-making processes, as they are great sources of information and feedback, enhancing their overall experience in higher education and developing skills and values that will serve them in their political, social, and labor life later. The findings show that students captivate a central role in steering decisions at Lund University, being meaningfully involved in the majority of governing boards and are provided considerable space for communicating their views. However, power relations between the students and non-student members of these boards still exist, affecting both the interaction among the two groups, but also the ways that students pursue their demands and organize themselves. Knowledge and experience have been signaled as key elements in this process, while the essentiality of student unions is prevalent, as a place of inter-level communication and preservation of opinions’ continuity. This study can function as a guide for which aspects of student representation require more careful consideration at this specific context. Last, this research can be the base for similar inquiries in other institutions, enabling comparisons among them and identifying good practices for enhancing students’ input.