Andrea Ósk Sigurbjörnsdóttir is president of the Equality Committee. Photo/Helga Lind Mar — **Andrea Ósk Sigurbjörnsdóttir is president of the Equality Committee.** Photo/Helga Lind Mar

Translation: Julie Summers

The Student Council’s Equality Committee works to promote equality at the University of Iceland and identify opportunities for improvement. The committee ensures that all students are treated equally regardless of origin, background, or other factors. Andrea Ósk Sigurbjörnsdóttir is president of the Equality Committee, serving alongside four other student members. The Student Paper spoke to her about the committee’s primary responsibilities and projects this school year.

Important to continually protect equality

Andrea says the committee has tackled a variety of important issues this year. “We focused on issues related to queer students, students with disabilities, mental health, and the student loan system, just to name a few. We also added to the Student Council’s equality policies, most importantly adding a clause about environmental feminism. We felt it was important, as climate change is taking place and marginalized members of society are the most affected by climate change. So it’s important to recognize the connection between environmental issues and equality issues.”

Equality Days were held in February with the goal of sparking a conversation around equality and making equality issues more visible both on campus and in the wider society. Andrea says attendance was rather low at Equality Week events. “We were pretty disappointed by that. We see clear evidence of regression in the battle for equality all over the world these days. There’s a growing wave of hatred, and we have to make sure that it doesn’t get the opportunity to spread further. That’s why it’s so important for people to show their support, for example by showing up at events (like Equality Days) and continuing to spread the message about equality.” Andrea says there were a lot of great events during Equality Week, specifically mentioning one titled “The Sex Education You Never Got,” which featured lectures from queer individuals and people with disabilities. “I got all kinds of good ideas and information from that event as well as others during Equality Days.”

Took a stand against dental age assessment

As many people know, the University of Iceland has decided not to renew its contract with the Directorate of Immigration. This contract allowed the university’s dental department to perform dental age assessment of individuals seeking international protection in Iceland, when their age was called into question. Andrea says the decision is great news. “I didn’t dare believe it would happen, but I’m very happy about it. I was ready to send out all kinds of information before the University Council voted on dental age assessment, but I didn’t have to use it, thankfully. It’s good to see that they’ve realized that informed consent and equality are more important than money. It’s a great decision.”

Andrea believes it was lucky that the protest against dental age assessment, led by the Student Council and No Borders, was held during Equality Days. “Equality Days helped keep the discussion going. For example, a poster from No Borders was part of the Equality Days art exhibition. It was a really radical poster with photos of all the University Council members’ teeth and it said, ‘Subject the University Council to Dental Age Assessment.’ I think that poster got a lot of people thinking.” Andrea adds that the University Council’s Equality Committee didn’t play a very large role in the battle. “It was mainly No Borders, some strong individual activists, and the Student Council that dared to take a stand in such a way that they got results. They’re the ones who can be really proud.”

Importance of respect

Andrea emphasizes the importance of respect among students and staff. “There are a lot of students at the university, and the classroom should be a safe space for all students. That means, for instance, that a person’s chosen pronouns should always be respected.” The Student Council’s Equality Committee recently met with the registrar’s office regarding the university’s application process. Andrea points out that the application for international students only allows them to choose between two genders. “That just perpetuates this unnecessary gender binary. We proposed that students should be able to list their chosen pronouns in Ugla so that both students and instructors can make sure they’re addressing people correctly.”

Andrea also thinks it’s important to ensure that students have equal access to their chosen study programs. It’s unacceptable to expect that all students with developmental disabilities who want to attend university should enroll in the same program, she says: “At this point, there’s only one option available, a diploma program for students with developmental disabilities. People have such varied interests, and the program options should reflect that.”

Excited for more radical measures

“We can always do better,” says Andrea when asked what needs to be improved on campus in the near future. “When it comes to instruction, there’s a significant lack of appropriate models. The student body is so diverse, and the curriculum should reflect that diversity better, both in terms of the material itself, i.e. the books and authors selected, but also in terms of what is being taught. The staff should also be diverse. I often say that if you don’t see yourself in the course material and mediums that you use, you must be insignificant in some way.”

Andrea also points out that we must do much better when it comes to physical access issues: “A student should not be forced to quit their studies or switch to a different program because of a lack of access. That’s shameful.” Access doesn’t just mean physical access to campus buildings, it also means access to services and counselling, interpreters, assistants, and suitable course material for everyone, says Andrea. “The University of Iceland isn’t doing well enough in this regard.”

In closing, Andrea says the fight for equality is never over: “New issues will always come to our attention. But we’ve seen that if marginalized groups stick together and help each other in the fight, society will be more open to diversity.” She says she started working on several issues this school year and needed a strong will and a lot of patience to make certain changes happen. “I’ll keep talking about these issues, and I won’t stop fighting for equality, even though I won’t be on the Student Council’s Equality Committee anymore. I’m very excited to see more radical measures, increased collaboration, and more activism in the future.”

Marginalized Groups Must Stick Together