Your legal helper: The STUDENTOMBUD
Your legal helper: The STUDENTOMBUD
Arne Dag Hestnes knows the nooks and crannies of Norwegian administration and regulations better than most people, after years of being a jurist. Still, a meeting with a Russian asylum seeker would also have a great influence on his motivation in the work as the Studentombud.
Journalist: Artur Devold
Photographer: Pauline Hovland
Illustrator: Anne Trætteberg Reitan
Photo: Pauline Hovland
Illustration: Anne Trættberg Reitan
Hestnes has worked in NHO, Utlendingsnemda and with HR in Politiets fellesforbund. This has taught him a lot about the rules and who you should talk to in the system to get what you want. His experience from Utlendingsnemda is especially important because he saw how hard it could be to understand a new system when you came from another country.
Open door
You are probably wondering what the Studenombud does? Is the Studentombud the same thing as you getting your own lawyer? Even though he has a duty of confidentiality, the answer is no. First of all, his help is free, and secondly, he never represents a side in a case. “I’m supposed to be a general resource”, Arne Dag says. The Studentombud can tell you if your experience can be taken further and what the right authority would be. It could be a case of SiÅs not keeping their part of the contract or that you don’t think your exam was carried out the right way. If you are doubting if something you experienced was right or should be different, then don’t hesitate to reach out to Arne Dag. “I’m an open door”, he stresses.
The exam guru
Another typical problem is the carrying out of exams. Arne Dag points to the problem with requiring two external examiners for exams. “It can ensure that the students get fairly graded, but in small subjects, there might not be a sufficient amount of qualified examinators.” I notice that he seems to have all the knowledge about the rules and requirements of exams. If you feel unjustly treated, you should have a chat with Arne Dag. He has been an examiner himself.
Next stop is…
«The first thing you should learn when you’re new to Norway is “neste stop er” (the next stop is)”, he says and smiles. He goes on, talking about the time he worked at Utlendingsnemda and was meeting a Russian asylum seeker. She was taking the train and was supposed to get off in Oslo, but ended up in Lillestrøm. When she arrived, Arne Dag saw that she was stressed and a bit scared. “She felt she had insulted the government”. A Russian doesn’t take it as lightly as most Norwegians would. It did go well, but Arne Dag was left with a clear example of how hard it could be to get to know a system quite different than the one you are used to.
He takes this experience with him into his job at NMBU. “There are many international students here”, he says. The parallel to the Russian he met is obvious: “Who?” and “How?” are hard questions to answer when you are faced with a new system. “Luckily the intention of the Norwegian system is to help, not to work against, even though it sometimes can feel that way. It’s a nice intention.” It is also Arne Dag’s intention.
The Agrarian metropole
What separates working as a studentombud in Ås compared to say Oslo, Bergen or London?
“It’s a smaller university. At the same time, it’s big compared to the surroundings.”
By that, he means that the university and student life is more defined and closed off in Ås compared to big cities where the university only makes up a small part that blends into other parts of the city. “That makes the student life more important here”, he says referring to all the clubs and everything happening at Samfunnet. For the Studentombud, this results in having more cases relating to the institutions that are existing for the students than there would be with other universities, because these institutions matter more to the NMBU student.
The Studentombud has recently moved into their new office. The door is found in the basement of the Clock building.
