Danish business: Students are spoilt rotten

Danish students hold the Scandinavian record in financial hardship among students, the Danish Student Council says in a press release, with reference to the Eurostudent survey, a comparison of student social and economic conditions. This is surprising, considering that Danish students are generally perceived to be pampered with large student grants.

However, only 44 per cent of Danish students find their funding to be sufficient to cover their expenses. In contrast, half of students from Norway, Finland and Sweden reckon they have sufficient funds.

Students are poor

Only money for cheap champagne

»Not bad. Sippin’ champagne while working!«

Our photographer is visibly pleased to be covering the centennial of The Students’ Union at the University of Copenhagen. However, he is also slightly wrong. The sparkling wine that we are washing down canapés, grissini sticks and cream-cheese-filled tomatoes with, is as a matter of fact not champagne. Mont Michel demi sec is a EUR 11-a-bottle cava – the French original’s cheaper Spanish cousin.

Jobless students, a new 'cognitariat'

»Philosophically, we need a new perspective. We need to work our way towards a state of balance and accept that we cannot have more.«

The Italian scholar Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi’s statement resonates oddly in a time where the dominating political discourse is prescribing economic growth as the cure for the current crisis.

This Wednesday, Erasmus programme is 25 yrs old

25 years ago, the European exchange programme for students, Erasmus, was inaugurated. Since then millions of students have been able to study abroad on its funding.

33 European countries take part in the Erasmus-programme, which has an annual budget of EUR 459 million.

Prominent Danish politician dies in bike race

Jan Trøjborg was only 56 years old. According to officials at the scene, Mr Trøjborg had a heart attack and fell off his bike approximately halfway through the race. He overturned into a ditch, and immediate resuscitation took place. He was then taken by helicopter to Aarhus University Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival, reports Seven59.dk and other media Sunday.

European students: We can’t afford to live

A large number of European students have been hit so hard by the financial crisis that they don’t have the money to pay their bills.

The economic hardship makes them deeply dissatisfied with their economic situation. This can be seen in a survey by the Eurostudent project which is funded by the German government and the European Commission.

Politicians critical of University cash stash

Danish politicians don't like the idea that universities are accumulating large capital reserves. This is after universities, including the University of Copenhagen, reported large profits on their annual accounts in this and other media.

Crisis in Europe is not EU’s fault

The European crisis is not really the European Union’s fault.

This is according to president of the European Commission, Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso and the Danish Prime Minister, Ms Helle Thorning-Schmidt at the Ceremonial Hall of the University of Copenhagen. They had met up to debate ‘The future of EU – Moving forward together?’ as a part of the EU 2012Series hosted during the Danish presidency of European Union.

University made even more money in 2011

The University of Copenhagen can close off the 2011 accounting year with a large DKK 335 million profit – almost DKK 300m more than projected, and DKK 60m more than estimates quoted in December.

This can be seen in the agenda with links to the preliminary annual report released as an appendix to the University Board meeting today Thursday. The accounts will be approved at this meeting.

Health staff anger as four new managers are hired

The Faculty of Health Sciences is already hiring new managers after merging with other faculties and departments and dismissing staff in January 2012.

Three new director jobs have been advertised, while a job as head of the administration department is to be re-filled now, even though the present head does not leave until March next year.

Staff are angered by the prospect of four more bosses, according to Ingrid Kryhlmand, vice chairman of the co-operation committee at the Faculty of Health Sciences, and representative of admin staff at the University of Copenhagen.