The decision can be read here. The withdrawal can be read here.
Background
Why was the decision made so quickly, and why was it withdrawn just as hastily?
The student union leadership chose to support the initial decision due to reports of an increased threat and insecurity on campus, culminating in an incident that was about to escalate. We supported the decision to guarantee the safety of our members. In hindsight, we realize that the handling of the decision was a bit too swift. Therefore, we are pleased that it has been revoked and want to communicate information to you about what is happening now.
Why wasn’t the acute situation handled by the police?
The police were informed that a situation could arise. However, as the police work reactively, they cannot act until something has happened. We wished to prevent any unsafe situation from arising at all and chose to support the decision as a preventive measure.
Why did I find out about this from the media and not from you?
Our priority was to ensure the safety of the students due to the situation arising around the event that was relevant at the time; we assessed the extent of the threat as limited. The media chose an interpretation that painted the situation as different from the intended effect, and therefore, we simply couldn’t keep up because we did not understand the extent of media interest. The aim was to handle the urgent situation and those affected by it first and foremost. Much of the focus was directed at managing the situation, which unfortunately meant that communication to our members could not be done in a timely fashion before the media started spreading the statement.
What Now?
How does the current threat situation look?
We currently see that the immediate threat to our students is over, but we want to continue to stay informed about the events on campus to prevent any future issues arising.
How will it work in the future with manifestations and the like?
The student union and its activities now return to our regular guidelines for booking premises and areas.
To allow both the student union and the university to inform about activities in advance, we want, just as before, to be notified as early as possible. The student union always has the right to deny any booked or unbooked activity because we are responsible for our premises and areas. Our booking rules exist to enable us, as a student union, to have an incredible variety of events and activities among our thousands of members, and these rules make it possible for us to have such a breadth of events and activities in our own premises.
99% of all bookings and events are carried out without issue. But, to be able to take responsibility for our members, we have to be informed about events happening in our spaces and premises.
How do I know which area belongs to the student union or the university?
The campus areas that the student union is responsible for at Johanneberg are our student union building and the nearby areas outside, such as Teknologgården and Geniknölen. At Lindholmen, only the student union building Lindholmen is under the control of the student union. If you have questions about how to book, there is information in our guidelines for bookings and premises.
Other buildings and areas on our campuses are under the control of the university.
I want to organize X, can I/do I go about it?
For events, booking follows the procedures that have always been in place. These are specified in our premise policy with booking instructions that apply to all our areas. If the event can be perceived as sensitive or charged in any way (political or not), you are always welcome to consult the student union via vo@chalmersstudentkar.se on how it can be conducted in a good way.
How does the new decision affect me as a member?
What has happened now is that Chalmers is returning to its normal guidelines. This means that the situation is the same for you as a member as it was before.
How can I influence the opinions of the student union?
To raise questions and opinions through the student union, you can bring up issues to the student union council where we have 35 student-elected representatives who decide on our activities. It is, among other things, the student union council that ultimately decides which rules apply to bookings for events etc.
What’s Next?
How will you avoid this kind of decision until next time?
We are currently working on creating a new communication plan to be able to anchor difficult decisions with the student union council and divisions to get an additional perspective before decisions are made and to ensure that communication is clear. However, it is important to understand that quick decisions sometimes need to be made by leadership when regular anchoring is not possible, but the process of how such crisis decisions should be made is also reviewed in connection with this.
How are you working to make the campus safe and secure?
The student union’s activities are based on long-standing routines and experience in arranging safely. We have employees and volunteers who receive training and other functions and tools to enable us to have as many different types of events as possible where everyone feels welcome and safe, whether it’s a party or advocacy work. If you have questions about any of these routines or training, feel free to reach out!
We work by supporting organizers in how they can hold their events so that students do not feel exposed during these. In our daily activities, we also include identifying and addressing concerns and insecurity on campus, where we, among other things, educate organizers on how to arrange safely, what to do when concerns arise, and support our divisions and societies with conflict management.
How is the student union leadership working after what happened?
We want to systematically continue working on reviewing our policies regarding the student union’s independent position and premises to see if changes have to be made to the guidelines we have for booking the student union’s premises. In parallel, we will also look at whether there is even more we can do to enable spontaneous events and events that are not tied to a specific society or committee, meaning any member who wants to organize something for their fellow students.
What About Me, Who Is Already Involved in the Student Union/Section?
What applies to student union associations with religious/political connections?
Just as before, the student union stands for diversity of cultures and religions on our campus, which means that you are welcome to carry out your activities as before in line with our policy on independent position.
I am active in the student union or a section, do we need to apply for permission for our activities now?
No. The activities can continue as usual, and you book premises with the same procedures as before.
General Questions
How does the student union represent the members’ opinions?
The student union is based on a democratic foundation where the student union council (FuM) is the highest decision-making body. The election of the 35 students who make up FuM occurs every year and is voted on by all members. FuM appoints the student union leadership, which is tasked with operating and representing the members’ opinions. This is done through leading the student union’s activities and participating in various decision-making bodies at the university.
What does it mean that the student union is politically independent?
In the policy on the independent position of the student union, it is stated that the student union’s political work should not be based on a party or block-political ideological foundation. In practice, this means that the student union does not advocate for party-political issues and maintains a neutral position except in specific political issues of student interest.
The issues that the student union advocates for are decided by FuM. These issues are based on the student union’s opinion program.