This year, the University of Iceland Student Council celebrates its centennial. The Student Council advocates for students, a large group whose interests are often ignored. The Student Council gives students a voice in social discourse, and the Council’s chair is the group's spokesperson and public face. The long list of former chairs includes well-known people like Reykjavík Mayor Dagur B. Eggertsson and City Council member Hildur Björnsdóttir. A journalist from the Student Paper contacted some of the people on the list and inquired about what they did back in the day and what they’re up to now.

Lack of maintenance and low student loans

Ólafur (furthest to the left) ambassador in Copenhagen greets guests.

One of the oldest living chairs is Ólafur Egilsson, who held the position during the school year 1958-1959. He worked in the foreign service for 40 years and was an ambassador all over the world, everywhere from England and Denmark in the west, to Russia and China in the east. Since retiring, Ólafur has taken part in various social activities, like the Chinese-Icelandic Cultural Society. “I find that great ignorance of the history, culture, and life of these nations unnecessarily spoils normal relations with them,” says Ólafur, referring to Russia and China.

When asked about major issues during his time as chair, he mentions poor maintenance of the student residence halls Gamli Garður and Nýi Garður. “This situation stifled talk of building Hjónagarður, which was very much needed. It was clear that there was no money available for construction. We took the first step so that students themselves could take over operation of the summer hotel for tourists, for which the student housing had been rented during the summertime.” Ólafur says he was chair during an eventful time in history: “Students kept up with global issues during those years. When the government of the Soviet Union forbade the distinguished writer Boris Pasternak from accepting the Nobel Prize, the Student Council sent a sharply worded resolution to other student unions around the world.”

During Ólafur’s term in office, the Student Council went up against the Ministry of Education over whether students could hold a New Year’s celebration in the lobby of the university, which the Ministry prevented. In addition, the Student Paper was published more than usual, with five issues printed that year. The last one mentioned that for the first time, the Student Council organized an eight-week course on Icelandic language and literature for Nordic students that year.

Student loan issues were also a major topic of discussion. “Students now would be surprised at the amounts. I remember they were about one or two months' pay, and not everyone got it. Partiers and jokers in the group remarked that the loan was just about enough for one good weekend!” Ólafur comments, however, that only 8000 students studied at the university in those days, compared to 15,000 today.

Björk Vilhelmsdóttir / Contributed photo

The eternal student loan conflict

Like at the end of the 50s, student loans were among the Council’s biggest issues in the late 80s. Björk Vilhelmsdóttir was on the Student Council from 1985 to 1987. “Back then, just like today, student loans were foundational to people being able to study, regardless of their financial situation. Educational equality was the guiding principle, and everything revolved around it,” say Björk. Björk took over as chair when the majority of the Student Council (SHÍ) split at the beginning of 1986 over disagreements about the Icelandic Student Loan Fund (then known as LÍN). “SHÍ and other student unions spent several months defending student loans and trying to prevent planned changes,” Björk remarks. Thousands of students attended a meeting that the unions held on the issue at Háskólabíó. “The Minister of Education was there and sensed students’ tremendous solidarity regarding student loan terms. The government proposals did not receive any support. I think it was because of that solidarity that the government did not change student loans until laws were changed in 1992.”

After university, Björk worked in social services. From 1998-2002, she was chair of the Icelandic Confederation of University Graduates and then spent 13 years on the Reykjavík City Council. After her time in politics, she decided to pursue an additional postgraduate degree in social work, and she now works as a social worker in interdisciplinary work rehabilitation for the Vocational Rehabilitation Fund (VIRK).

Fun facts:

Forty Student Council chairs have been members of Vaka (founded in 1935), while 17 (including the current chair) have identified with Röskva (founded in 1988). Röskva also had 11 chairs in a row (1991-2002), the longest continuous period for any organization.
So far, Hörður Sigurgestsson is the only person to serve as chair for two school years (1960 - 1962).
Amlín Ólafsdóttir was the first female chair of SHÍ (1974 - 1975). Now, four women in a row have served as chair - a record! Isabel Alejandra Diaz is the 16th female chair and the 101st chair overall.

Students collecting empty cans

Some people may recognize Guðmundur Steingrímsson from his column writing and his time in Parliament. He founded the Bright Future party (Björt framtíð). Fewer people know that he was SHÍ chair from 1995-1996, and student loans were, as so often before, a bone of contention between the Council and the government. “We advocated for abolishing the post payment student loans and more improvements to the student loan system, and we wanted the state budget to contribute more to the university,” says Guðmundur, adding that the Student Council established a teaching assistant system, structured so that teachers could get help from students with teaching or research. Back then, students also pushed for longer opening hours at the University Library: “[We] drew attention to the issue by collecting empty beverage cans for the library. We put up a big container on Hringbraut where we collected cans for the government. It was filled mostly with trash, but the message came across.”

After his time at the university, Guðmundur went abroad to study philosophy and was involved in media and music. Today he is a writer and editor of an outdoor life magazine, along with pursuing a postgraduate degree in Environment and Natural Resources. “So I’m getting back into university politics,” says Guðmundur in closing.

Good atmosphere and new buildings

“On the whole, I think there was a good atmosphere, just like in society in general at the time,” says Dagný Aradóttir Pind, chair from 2007-2008, about student life at the height of the years of prosperity before the crash. Despite all of that, students still had to fight for their rights, and classic issues were in the foreground: “Waiting lists for student housing were very long at the time, and we were pushing to acquire building sites, e.g. by Gamli Garður, so it’s great that they are building there now,” says Dagný.

Apart from the merger of the Iceland College of Education and the University of Iceland, the opening of the University Centre (Háskólatorg) was the biggest change that year, in Dagný’s opinion. “Háskólatorg was, I think, the biggest change to university life in decades. Right away there were gigs and events there, and of course a lot changed also having Háma (the cafeteria) and the university bookstore under one roof. It livened things up, in a way. I think students today don’t realize how life at UI was before Háskólatorg. It’s the heart of the university community, just as the late Páll Skúlason envisioned,” says Dagný.

Alongside her law studies, Dagný worked in the Marketing and Public Relations department at the university. “That was a lot of fun and the experience from student politics was a great benefit. Soon after I finished my law studies, I started working with the labour movement,” Dagný says, but today she works for BSRB (The Federation of State and Municipal Employees). Shortening the work week is her main project these days, which she says is very exciting.

Fall finals in June?

Student Council chairs have probably never been more prominent than in recent years, and the internet and social media have made it easier to encourage discussion of student interest issues. Aron Ólafsson was chair five years ago, and under his leadership, the Council instituted several changes that students today might think of as givens. “One of our main issues was to change the timing of retakes for fall finals in the Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences. They used to be held at the end of spring semester, but we got them moved up to before spring semester. It’s outrageous that a student who falls sick during fall finals and has the right to a retake would have to do it six months later,” says Aron, pointing out that the Student Council also set up Tengslatorg and secured the building site for Vísindagarðar: “The building site was a major issue for us, because the site is valuable, and for a time it seemed like the university was reluctant to give it to us. But after a good discussion with the city government and the university, the project went through, and now students live there. It’s amazing how much SHÍ has influenced student life!”

Today, Aron is executive director of SAFT Iceland. “Very few things are more fun than working on something that you love,” says Aron, adding, “now we are supporting municipalities, cultural institutions, youth centres, and sports organizations that want to offer organized activities in virtual sports with education and training for future virtual sport trainers.”

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It can truly be said that without the Student Council and the chairs, students lives’ would be more difficult. Congratulations on the centennial, and may the next century of student rights advocacy be even more successful!

Former Student Council Chairs: A Peek into the Past