By giving students working part–time assignment contracts rather than employment contracts, the municipality of Oslo saves money – and is depriving students of their statutory rights. These include the right to holiday pay, occupational injury insurance, contractual wage rates and protection against unfair dismissal. Inger Olise Skarvoy, a lawyer at the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority explains that most people on this type of contracts are self–employed, or run their own business. In addition, the municipality employs many students working as “buddies” or personal assistants for people with special needs on this basis.

The Student Welfare Association, SiO, has benefited greatly from the quality reform. Students’ increased use of campus has helped SiO increase its profits from NOK 47.2 million in 2003 to NOK 58.8 million in 2004, and increasing operating income by NOK 42 million. The cafés have increased their turnover with NOK 2.8 million, equaling 3.4% compared to 2003. SiO’s Managing Director Lisbeth Dyrberg says that the organization focuses primarily on student welfare, not financial returns.

Every fifth year the University of Oslo appoints honorary doctors – including 13 honorary doctors from eight countries on three different continents this year. Despite the fact that the University’s rector Arild Underdal advised the faculties to aim for a better gender balance among the nominees, only three of them are women – including the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, and Wanda Deifelt from Brazil, who has attempted to bring feminist tendencies into Lutheran theology. Other honorary doctors include the American linguist JoanL. Bybee, the Swedish author Per Olov Enquist and anthropoloist Ulf Hannerz, and the Zimbabwean Professor of Jurisprudence and opposition politician Welshman Ncube.

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