New Approaches to Student Wellbeing

ESIB the National Unions of Students in Europe was founded in 1982 to promote the
educational, economic, cultural, social and political interests of students in Europe.
ESIB, through its 50 members from 37 countries, currently represents more than 11
million students in Europe.

Introduction

Student wellbeing is dealing with the issue of reaching optimal studying conditions
for all students. Student wellbeing here refers to meting the necessary conditions in
order to assure the highest possible student contribution to society as well as the
highest possible amount of individual freedom, responsibility and contentment.

Student wellbeing therefore is an issue of mutual interest for students and society.
Student wellbeing is concerned with all aspects of student life: social and academic
conditions as well as cultural aspects.

Students form all but a homogeneous group. There is a great variety of needs,
interests and personal backgrounds within the student community that is growing
with the intensifying role of HEI´s in life long learning. Mobile students, students
with children and students with disabilities are openly discernable groups. Groups
forming the student community can also be defined e.g. by social, geographical or
cultural background. In order to achieve genuine student wellbeing, the interests and
specific needs of all different groups have to be taken into account.

Student wellbeing is an issue student unions as well as other relevant actors in the
field of higher education have always been dealing with implicitly. The policies and
work of student unions are generally concerned with different aspects of reaching
optimal studying conditions and the best possible surroundings for successful
studies. In this respect, student wellbeing reflects one of the basic elements of the
work of student unions, although the interests of students in many issues go beyond
the issue of wellbeing which need to be addressed as well. This is in particular the
case in the highly relevant issue of equal access to higher education. The student
wellbeing approach nevertheless may be used as a method to reach coherency of
policies and interaction. Furthermore, it can function as a basis for cooperation of all
actors in higher education and society as a whole.

ESIB sees this policy paper a chance to contribute to the discussion on the role and
situation of students and student unions taking place in the context of the Bologna
Process as well as in many regions across Europe.

Elementary prerequisites for Student Wellbeing

There are some elementary prerequisites for student wellbeing that need to be met
in all areas affecting student life. These aspects form part of the academic core
values as well as core elements of citizenship as such.

Students are grown-up members of society and as such cannot be regarded or
treated as children. Students need to have control over their own life, having
independence and the freedom to make choices in all areas regarding their academic
and private development. Both physical and social security have to be guaranteed in
order to ensure freedom and independence. In order to act responsibly, students
need to have access to all relevant information and be given responsibility both on a
personal and collective level. Relevant participation has to be ensured in all areas
that are not at the individual disposal but are directly affecting student life.

The Role of Communities for Student Wellbeing

Different communities that students are a part of, influence and form the role and
situation of students. The term “community” here refers to the student community,
higher education community, local community and society as such as well as parts of
these entities playing a relevant role for student everyday-life. All of these
communities can positively or negatively affect the wellbeing of students and must
take into account the needs and interests of the different groups of students.
Society as such is first and foremost obliged to offer means and facilities for studying
to all willing to study, to guarantee both individual and collective freedom of
expression and participation in all areas students concern. Students can contribute to
society not only as future academic work force. Due to the specific, tolerant
relationship to science and research originating from youth and intellectual mobility,
students can be a key force to contribute to the democratic and social development
of society.To offer freedom and possibilities of participation is paramount for student
wellbeing and wellbeing of the members of society in general.

Students form a relevant part of local communities. Cultural and social integration in
local communities with due respect to individual and collective differences are both
necessary for the wellbeing of students and the cultural and social enrichment of
local communities.

Students are the largest group in the higher education community. It is in the very
interest of students to contribute to scientific progress and development that are in
many ways taking place throughout Europe. To be regarded and respected as full
members of higher education community with all academic rights and duties and
adequate facilities is an important prerequisite to student wellbeing and student
contributions. Non-discrimination and individual support by the members of the
higher education community are necessary in order to secure general wellbeing.

Studying is nevertheless not a one-way road. Students treated like consumers can
neither contribute to scientific progress nor be able to conscientiously act as
academic work force in their later life. The consumer-approach does considerable
harm to student wellbeing.

The student community as a diverse body is often the main peer group of students.
A tolerant, inclusive and integrative student community is the most central factor
contributing to student wellbeing. All individuals must be given the means and
freedom to socially and culturally participate in student life, be free to take individual
decisions and take part in collective decision-making.

Social, Academic and Cultural Aspects of Student Wellbeing

Social, academic and cultural aspects of studying must be seen as closely interlinked.
Social and cultural conditions directly influence the capacity and willingness to study
as well as relevant factors for students´ contribution to scientific progress.

Financial independence has to be ensured in order to guarantee the freedom to
choose their subject and field of study according to interest and capacity. The latter
is also a means for enabling students focus on their studies. Sufficient grants must
be available to cover living costs, study-related costs and participation in cultural life.

Adequate accommodation serving the needs of the different groups of students
(including students with disabilities and students with children) must be ensured in
order to guarantee a free choice of the place of studies and good learning and living
conditions. Food offered in student cafeterias must be well-balanced, healthy and
must meet the needs of different groups of students (eg vegetarians and other
students with special diets) in order to avoid malnutrition. Health services must be
guaranteed taking in account the general lack of individual work income. Special
needs like psychological, social and academic advice in situations with constant
relevant changes in the personal environment and plans must be met. Security to
get freely choosable, study-related work after completion of studies is a major factor
for motivations and concentration on studies. Problems of sexual harassment and
discrimination in the social, academic and cultural sphere must be determinately
addressed.

Academic aspects must necessarily and obviously be taken into account in order to
ensure student wellbeing. Scientific education and work is the central element of
student life and the reason behind being a student. Thus the organisation and
methods of higher education play a paramount role for student wellbeing.

Wellbeing in the academic area is highly dependent on the quality of education and
the relationship between teachers and students. High quality demands methods and
content to be on an internationally respected and common level. Quality from the
student perspective is closely related with the interdependence and clearly
discernable relationship between theory and praxis. Knowledge and research must
be questionable, transparent and be seen as relevant for the progress of studies.

Quality is also related to academic freedom of students, the development of
autonomous critical and analytical thinking, an atmosphere of open discourse,
interactive teaching and equal treatment. This includes non-discriminatory, inclusive
curricula and teaching methods which take into account the heterogeneity of the
student community in respect to needs and interests. Quality is furthermore related
to the availability, accessibility and sufficient quantity of modern materials, facilities
and further resources. Quality needs to be constantly assured and improved.

Students need to have equal and adequate preparation for higher education in school
in order to feel well-equipped and able to participate in academic learning on an
equal basis. If this is not assured, there have to be mechanisms to provide these
standards in HEI.

The cultural life plays an important role for recreation, development of creativity also
in the academic sphere, social cohesion and integration and is therefore equally
important for student wellbeing. Access to facilities, means and sufficient individual
and collective freedom have to be guaranteed in order to develop wide diversity in
student cultural life and offer supportive space for genuine wellbeing.

Student Unions and Actors concerned with Students and Student Wellbeing

Student unions naturally form the point of reference for student interests and
wellbeing for non-student actors in student-related issues. Student unions must be
prepared to address all issues related to student wellbeing and offer sufficient means
and openness to all students to raise issues of their concern. Student unions play an
important role in securing an atmosphere of tolerance, non-discrimination and
support for all groups of students. Their natural concern is to take care and address
the needs of especially discriminated and disadvantaged groups. Student unions
must be given the means and facilities to work on and address all issues concerned
with student wellbeing and student interests and must be autonomous in their
decision on how to work and which issues to address. Students must be given the
full right and possibility to participate in the work of student representation and selfgovernment
and must not be discriminated against for their activities. It is first and
foremost the task of students to assure that democratic and openly accessible
structures in student unions exist.

Student wellbeing is an issue concerning all actors dealing with students. In order to
reach student wellbeing, a good interaction of these actors as well as an optimal
organisation of the communities related to students have to be reached.
Many student unions offer services to students themselves. Students should be
autonomous in choosing which services they feel suitable to organise and offer
through their collective organs. Independent of their individual role in fulfilling
student interests and needs in social, cultural and academic aspects, student unions
on the local, national and international level should be seen as the point of reference
politically representing students interests in order to guarantee and improve student
wellbeing. Student unions in this sense can be seen as the central actor in a round
table on student wellbeing, forming the connecting element between all other actors
dealing with interests of students. It is therefore necessary that representative,
democratically organised, independent and autonomous student unions be
represented in all bodies concerned with student life and conditions.

Conclusion

The student wellbeing approach in Europe outlines a new form of dealing with
student interests and needs from the very perspective of students. The new element
in this approach is more coherent analysis and representation of different aspects of
student wellbeing than it is their content.

Closer analysis of communities that students are a part of and the concerted
interaction of the relevant actors are necessary in order to guarantee student
wellbeing. In this process, student unions must be treated and respected as the
central representative organisations dealing with wellbeing issues.