GET INVOLVED
There are many different ways to get involved in JF.
In short, the forms of engagement can be divided into three levels:
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Union officer, elected by the council.
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Committee member, elected by the committee officers
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Active member, elected by the committee officers
Below is a description of how the process for various engagements works.
UNION OFFICER
Being a union officer means that you are an elected student who is involved in driving JF and our activities forward. You do not need any previous experience and can apply regardless of which semester you are studying. Your exact duties depend on which committee you choose to get involved in. You can read about what each committee does on their respective tab on the website. It can involve everything from hosting grand parties, monitoring education or handing out coffee with representatives from working life! As a union officer, there are great opportunities to collaborate with other committees and space to realize new initiatives.
Being a union officer is not only a fantastic achievement, it is also incredibly fun and you get to know the entire union officer corps and active students from all semesters!
Elections to the board and presidium are held in the same way as elections to union officers.
How does the election process work?
1. Application
When the positions have been announced, a link to the application form is published through JF’s channels. There, you simply fill in your name, contact details, which semester you are in, and which position you are applying for. You may apply for more than one position.
2. Interview with the Nominating Committee
After submitting your application, you will be invited to a short interview with the Nominating Committee, which prepares the elections for the General Assembly by interviewing candidates and proposing who should be elected to each position. The Nominating Committee is appointed by the General Assembly and consists of five members, who have often previously been active in different parts of student life in Lund.
Before the interview, it can be helpful to reflect on the position you have applied for, why you are applying, whether you have any particular ideas or ambitions for the role, and how you view the tasks and challenges you may face. If you have applied for multiple positions, the interview will mainly focus on your first-choice position.
After the interviews, the Nominating Committee deliberates and presents its nominations. Regardless of the decision, you will be contacted either by email or phone before the nominations are made public. The nominations are then published on JF’s social media channels. If you are not nominated, you can still run for the position and stand in the election!
Here you can read more about the Nominating Committee.
3. General Assembly Election
The election itself takes place during a General Assembly meeting. At the meeting, all candidates—both nominated and non-nominated—are given the opportunity to deliver a short speech.
If you are nominated, the Nominating Committee will begin by explaining why they chose to nominate you, after which you will give your speech. If you are not nominated, you will present yourself directly. Members of the General Assembly will usually also ask candidates a few questions.
In your speech, you are expected to give a short and concise presentation of yourself. It is good to include a brief introduction about who you are, any relevant experience, your perspective on the role and your ideas, potential challenges you may face, and what you can contribute to the committee and JF as a whole.
Here you can read more about the General Assembly.
4. Decision
Once all candidates for a position have given their speeches, the General Assembly will discuss and then make a decision. These discussions take place behind closed doors in accordance with 5:23 in JF’s statutes. This means that members of the General Assembly are bound by confidentiality regarding both the candidates’ speeches and the subsequent discussions. As a candidate, you can therefore feel assured that what you say remains within the Assembly. The new officers are then elected through voting. If there are multiple candidates, the vote is conducted by secret ballot.
If no one has applied for a position, it remains vacant and may be filled through a by-election. A position may also remain vacant if the General Assembly considers that none of the candidates are suitable, although this is very rare.
What happens if I am not elected?
Not being elected can of course feel disappointing, but there are many other ways to get involved in JF! One option is to apply again. Most positions are announced in the spring and begin after the summer, but some are announced in the autumn and begin at the turn of the year—so there are several opportunities to apply.
You can also get involved in JF in other ways besides holding an official position. There are many committees you can join, such as the different sections of Dolu§pexet, the Sports Committee’s recreational teams, the International Committee’s groups, the JiA Committee, and much more. Several committees also need staff to carry out their activities—for example, working at events organized by the Social Committee, helping the Kitchen Committee prepare food, or serving as a host during the JiA Days.
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Some committees, such as JiA and the International Committee, have committees appointed by the committee's officers. No previous experience is required to apply and you can apply regardless of which semester you are studying!
As a committee member in JiA, you are involved in arranging the unions's labor market week, “JiA Days.” The International Committee has two committees. One that organizes “International Week” and one that organizes “International Trip.”
Keep an eye on the committees' social media to make sure you don't miss any information about when committee positions are announced!
How does the election process work?
Unlike union officer elections, committee elections do not take place before the General Assembly, but are handled directly by the union officers who lead the committees. This is how it usually goes:
1. Application
Applications for the JiA committee open at the beginning of the spring semester, and applications for the International Committee committees open at the beginning of the fall semester. Links to application forms and information about the committee are published on the respective committee's social media. You apply by filling out the form that the committee publishes.
2. Interview with officials
After you submit your application, you will be called for an interview with the committee officers.
3. Decision
Once all interviews are complete, the union officers sit down and put together their new committee. They will then contact you to let you know whether or not you have been offered a place.
ACTIVE MEMBER
There are lots of ways to get involved in the association. If you don't want to be a union officer or a committee member, you can, for example:
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Sing in our choir, the culpa choir
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Play in our house band, casuskapellet
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Play in one of the sports committee's teams
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Get involved in our spex, Dolu§pexet
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Participate in the Cultural Committee's book club
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Be a mentor/sponsor in ISC's novice period
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Be a mentor in the Education Committee's study mentorship program
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Get involved as a worker for one of our other committees .
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And lots more!
For all of these engagement opportunities, information will be posted on the respective committee's Instagram, so keep an eye out there!