This takes place at NSO’s national meeting

Tools against negligent self-plagiarism, student support and Palestine. Student politics may feel distant to many, but this is among the topics to be discussed at NSO’s national meeting on 5 April.

In total, the national meeting represents 34 member teams with a total of 270,000 students across Norway.

At the meeting, it will be decided what they will fight for in the coming year – and who will fight for it. But does NSO really affect the daily life of the students?

– Yes, says Oline Sæther.

She is a leader in NSO, which implies the somewhat more informal title “Norway’s most powerful student”.

The students’ voice

– We work very systematically, especially towards the state budget, which is the most important pool of money we have in this country, says Sæther

NSO adopts an action plan for the coming academic year at each national meeting.

They believe the most important point in the plan is to work to increase the student grant to 1.5 G. That means one and a half times the basic amount in the national insurance, a total of NOK 177,930 a year.

Today, the student grant from Lånekassa is 151,690 for one academic year.

How much money students get is determined in the government’s state budget. Despite the passage of a 10 per cent increase up to 1.28 G in the state budget for 2024, Sæther believes that the students’ cause is not finished.

– It is the biggest increase we have had. Then it must be said that yes, there is an increase, but it is still far from the target.

And it may seem like there is light at the end of the tunnel for students.

– This year the prime minister is coming to the national assembly, so it shows that the students are an important voter group for today’s government, says Sæther, and adds:

– That is why the national meeting is a relevant arena – where policy is formulated and things happen.

Other priorities in the action plan include equal opportunity for education, better conditions for student accommodation and welfare services. This means making it easier for foreigners to study in Norway, building more student accommodation and strengthening students’ physical and mental health services.

Fraudulent period

Sæther’s period as NSO leader can be described as characterized by change. During her term of office, she has experienced three different ministers for research and higher education.

The latest departure was the Center Party’s Sandra Borch after it became known that her master’s thesis contained a large number of text similarities.

In other words: cheating. This week the decision came from the University of Tromsø, which has reassessed the thesis. Borch’s master’s thesis was cancelled.

At the same time, the government has tightened the regulations for cheating, so that students now risk far more severe penalties, with up to two years’ exclusion from the place of study.

NSO’s Sæther will have none of that.

– Cheating and the student’s legal security have become a very hot topic during the past year, and it is something we developed a new policy on for the first time during the national meeting last year, which we have really used this year.

One of the measures to prevent cheating, proposed by several members of NSO, is that students get access to tools to be able to see for themselves whether they are plagiarizing. This is how you can check for negligent self-plagiarism.

– Just as an author owns the book he has written, the students own their exam, says Sæther and goes on to say that it is important that students’ rights are safeguarded.

Other proposals that have been submitted to the national assembly include making it easier for students to buy their own home, working to recognize Palestine as a state and better exam conditions, to name a few.

Democratic reinforcement

If the national meeting adopts a policy, until now it has been the central board, NSO’s highest body, which has worked until next year’s meeting to realize it.

– This year we will also have a larger discussion about how NSO should be organised, says Sæther.

A proposal that has been recommended by the working group is to replace the central board with a national board as NSO’s highest authority.

In that case, it would mean that instead of electing a central board at the national meeting, a national board would be established. It will consist of a representative from each member of NSO (the educational institutions).

With that, all members will be directly represented in the organization in the time between national meetings. This will mean a representative from BI, one from Oslomet, one from UiO and so on. The number of votes the representatives vote with will be based on the number of students they represent.

The aim is to have an executive body that represents the students directly to a greater extent than today.

The working group and the central board of NSO are positive about the change. But if it is adopted, it is ultimately up to the national assembly to decide.

Passing the baton on

At the national meeting, a new leader for the organization will also be elected. This year, there are three candidates going to the leadership battle, and Oline Sæther is not among them.

– Do you have any tips for those running for the head of NSO?

– Mostly say yes, and know when to say no. The more you say yes to, the more opportunities arise, but sometimes you have to draw a distinction between what is important and what is not important, says Sæther, and adds the following about the leadership role:

– Becoming an NSO leader is a bit like getting a top management position that you are in no way qualified to get. It’s a bit like slaloming downhill at far too high a speed, where you have to take the turns you can take.

– Do you feel that you have coped well with the top management job?

– I have mostly managed to stand on my feet and take the most important turns. There are some I have done less well than the others, but mostly I have been where I should have been.

Oline Sæther expresses confidence that the national assembly will find a good successor for her. She is looking forward to the rush until she passes on the baton on July 1.