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Candidate to the University Board - Group B

Runa Falck

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Thank you for your confidence and support over the past year!
I am running for re-election to the university board because I want to continue the job I have started. My main areas of focus are still the climate and environment, as well as proper working conditions for the temporary scientific staff (Group B). In addition, I care about gender equality and diversity among employees and about university democracy. Vote for me if these issues are important to you and if you want a representative who works for an active dialogue between Group B members.

The job I have done on the university board
During my time as a representative on the university board, the issue of contract extensions for PhDs and postdocs has been particularly central. Due to Covid restrictions, most of us have experienced delays in our research projects. UiB quickly announced that everyone would get one month’s extension, but this was later delegated to the faculties and, in many cases, reduced to a confusing application process. I have worked to ensure that everyone who applies is granted at least one month’s extension, regardless of which faculty one is employed at.

Some examples of other proposals I have made during the past year are:

  • To increase the number of appraisal interviews conducted
  • To ensure that the increased use of home office does not come at the expense of office facilities
  • To strengthen the equality committee’s role in recruitment processes
  • To consider the possibility of reducing meat consumption at UiB as a climate measure
  • To facilitate environmentally-friendly transportation for business travel

Communication with Group B
When I was elected to the university board one year ago, I established an email list for Group B representatives on faculty boards and department councils, as well as others who represent the interests of Group B at UiB. The purpose of this list has been to get input in advance of the meetings and to convey the discussion from the board meetings afterwards. We are a diverse group, where the challenges vary between the different disciplines and positions. As a university board representative, it is therefore important to listen to the perspectives of different voices in Group B. If I am re-elected, I will continue to work this way.

Continuity
While most of the university board representatives are elected for four years, the representative from Group B is elected for only one year at a time. Fewer replacements allow for greater continuity. I will use my experiences from the past year to give Group B a stronger voice on the university board.

About me
I have been a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Foreign Languages since 2019 and hold a master’s degree in Comparative Politics from 2017. In between, I have worked as a Research Assistant. In my PhD project, I examine the population’s attitudes towards changing their way of life to reduce climate change. I have previously been the chair of Stip-HF, the interest committee for Ph.D. candidates at the Faculty of Humanities, concerned with academic politics and social matters. In the period 2020-2021, I have been the university board representative for Group B, and I now hope for renewed confidence.