Leaving SiO Board in protest

The Foundation for Student Life in Oslo (SiO) headhunted Per Anders Langerød and offered him the job of Communication Advisor. Langerød, who lead the National Union of Students in Norway (NSU) until this summer, was hired in August, and the position was not advertised. Neither the General Board of SiO nor the Welfare Council (VT) were informed about this, and among the student politicians only Langerød’s personal friend, Leader of the General Board of SiO Egil Heinert, were formally notified of the employment. Heinert’s deputy, Benjamin E. Larsen, is resigning from his duties, and gives these reasons for his criticism:

• Langerød’s area of work collides with that of the Welfare Council.
• Langerød’s role is unclear, and he can be connected to his position as Leader of NSU, a position that he had until recently.
• The closed hiring process gives room for speculation, as Langerød and Leader of the General Board of SiO Egil Heinert are personal friends.

– Inspires little confidence

Larsen believes that Langerød’s work may overlap with that of the Welfare Council, as Langerød has a solid network of contacts from his time as Leader of NSU, and will therefore, according to Larsen, probably be used as a political lobbyist.

– On account of this, the board is saying implicitly that they do not trust the people who have elected them, namely VT, Larsen thinks.

VT has now asked for an account of what Langerød’s main tasks will be, according to Leader of VT, Frederik Refnes, who also happens to live with Langerød.

Leader of the General Board Egil Heinert was formally informed while the hiring was taking place, even though it is the administration, and not the board, that hires coworkers. The rest of the board was not informed of the matter, something which does not inspire much confidence, according to Larsen.

– Even though the employment follows regulations, it is much too easy for outsiders to speculate, Larsen stresses, and points to the personal friendship between Heinert and Langerød.

Heinert denies strongly that this has had an effect on the hiring process.

– Means very little

– The board is not involved in the hiring process. The fact that I know him, therefore means very little, Egil Heinert says.

– In this case, why were you the only one given insight into this case?

– As Leader of the Board, I am informed of what happens in SiO, Heinert reasons.

Administrative Director of SiO, Lisbeth Dyrberg, says that she was aware of the friendship.

– I have no comment beyond the fact that I am aware of the fact that Heinert and Langerød know each other, but I have no knowledge about the level of their friendship, the administrative director states.

Per Anders Langerød does not wish to comment on whether the friendship had an effect on the hiring process, or whether he had second thoughts about taking the position without a «period of quarantine» between his position as student politician and the job as communication advisor.

– But it was very nice to be offered a job at SiO! he says.

– How big a problem is it that you’ll be connected to your former position as Leader of NSU?

– On a general basis? I don’t know, Langerød says.