At this point, it is probably pretty clear to all those who follow Helga on any social media platform that we have ELECTION FALL underway again.
Thus, as a university student, it sometimes feels like there is nothing but an election after another, because as soon as the previous election, whether it was a municipal or parliamentary election, the next decision is already made about the highest decision-making body in our student union. The highest decision-making organ of the student union is the Representative Council. The Representative council elects the board that carries out operational activities, decides what this board should do by deciding on the action plan and how much money can be spent on doing so, i.e., also deciding on the budget.
So, who will decide on the members of the Representative Council? Well Helga members, of course. All members who have renewed their membership latest on 18.10. are entitled to vote in elections. Voting time is 27.10.-3.11.2021. The result is published on 3.11.2021
So what’s the point in all this? Deciding on budgets and action plans may not sound very interesting, but I can promise that being a part of the so-called Reps Council is much more than just making decisions that seem unnecessarily rigid. I myself got involved a few years ago because I felt that I would not otherwise get enough out of my study time. In my Fresher year, I didn’t feel terribly strong belonging to Haaga-Helia, and honestly I didn’t even know much about Helga. I wanted to make an impact. I wanted to influence how Haaga-Helia works and supports its students.
I then came across an ad by chance or was it a Jodel post, that was something within the words “Don’t complain if you’re not ready to make something ‘bout it.” For some reason that made an impact on me. I decided to find out how to run as a candidate and eventually got involved when enough of my acquaintances used their voting power to vote for me.
In the end, I enjoyed the activities so much that I ended up running as a candidate a couple of times more, luckily succeeding.
In my opinion, the most important thing in running for the Reps Council is not how much you know, really anything, but you do need to have a genuine desire to make an impact and enough sitting muscles as well as patience.
If you are wondering what you should be influencing, then think about your own studies. Whether you can find something in your studies, degree program, campus or really just about anything related to the daily lives of students that you would like to influence, the Representative Council is the right place for you. The Reps Council does not directly act on these matters but directs the elected government to take action.
Read more about the Representative Council election from Helga’s election announcement here.
