On 15 th May 1990, during their first meeting, the student deputies to the student parliament introduced an act to create SOU of Ljubljana. It replaced the former socialist youth organisation of the university.

The student constitution, which is SOU's fundamental act and was adopted on 23 rd June 1992, determines its activities, and together with the Students' Community Law (passed on 20 th June 1994) provides the legal base for them.

Since then SOU has become a well-organised association and is a good example for student organisations all over Europe.

SOU's activities basically involve two things:

• representing students, that is expressing their viewpoints and making sure they are adopted
• taking part in concrete activities organised for or by students.

In order to achieve its principal goals, SOU also decides on, organises and carries out activities in the domains of culture, education, sports, technical subjects, tourism, international co-operation, media and so on.

The offices of SOU of Ljubljana

There are five different offices and they are run by ministers.

International Office does the following: gives advice on studying and doing the apprenticeship abroad, organises various activities for foreign students in Slovenia, organises professional meetings, takes part in different international projects, represents the interests of Slovene students in international organisations and seeks new connections with organisations and universities all over the world.

Within the office several projects are carried out permanently: SRCe, Reception of foreign students and KOMISP.

Study-Related Affairs Office

Its goal is to ensure quality studying which can be comparable to the one abroad, is interesting and enables students to get a job when they finish it. The office tries to make sure that all parties involved in the process of studying are satisfied, it puts forward suggestions to the government and the University Board, solves study-related problems, and co-operates with student organisations abroad.

Student Organisations of Member Schools Office is responsible for student organisations of member schools - SOMS, which are a 'subsidiary' of SOU at different faculties. Members of the managing committees of SOMS are elected annually at their respective faculties in October.

Every year SOU provides funds to SOMS for organising and carrying out culture, sports, extramural education, international co-operation, tourism, publishing, and information activities.

There are about 30 member schools and faculties.

Extracurricular Activities Office is responsible for extramural education, culture, publishing and sports, and it gives advice on carrying out different projects.

Every year SOU sponsors different students and their projects by means of this office. It also provides money for some extramural education programmes organised for students by various institutions.

Some of the projects are: the month of student culture, extramural education and publishing, the month of student sports, students' literary events, concerts of chamber and student choirs, student theatre, workshops of creative education, international festival of statues 'Metamorfoze', and so on.

Social Security and Health Office protects students' rights, defends their interests and tries to improve the students' social status.

It is responsible for different projects, such as the month of social security and health, it appeals for donating blood, organises activities for the promotion of vegetarianism, informs students on smoking hazards, prepares shools' open days and so on.

The office also co-operates with the Disabled Students' Association, the Student Families Club and the group for gay students called Legebitra.

Political bodies of SOU of Ljubljana

According to its constitution and other laws SOU's political bodies are organised in the following way:

The Student Assembly: the legislative body

It is made up of student deputes elected in direct student elections and is run by a president. Among other things the assembly appoints or replaces the president and the director of SOU and the secretaries of the managing board, agrees on the annual programme and the financial plan of SOU, and passes SOU's laws.

The Supervisory Senate: the supervisory body

It is made up of six representatives from SOMS, who are chosen for two years, and three representatives of the public, who are elected for one year. They control SOU's operating as a whole and the use of its appropriated funds. They also control the elections. The senate is independent within its competence.

The Managing Board: the executive body

It is made up of the president of SOU and student secretaries, who are nominated by the president and appointed by the assembly.

It decides on the policy towards the government, the University Board, and other institutions or individuals that SOU co-operates with. It makes the financial plan and then carries out SOU's annual programme, sets up or stops projects and other activities, adopts viewpoints, fulfils responsibilities towards other organisations founded by SOU and so on.

There are different services which help the managing board carry out its programme, such as a secretarial office, a communication centre, legal help, student counselling and the archives.

The Director of SOU of Ljubljana: the managing body

The director is nominated on the basis of a public invitation and a proposition of the managing board, and then elected by the student assembly for four years. His responsibilities are determined by the laws passed by the student assembly. His assignments are:

• being responsible for the legal part of all SOU's operations,
• being SOU's legal representative,
• managing SOU's operations, organising work in its services and issuing orders on the expenditure of the services,
• being responsible for providing money for the work of the student political bodies,
• regulating the responsibilities of the workers in connection to financial operations.

Besides that, he has responsibilities determined by the laws and regulations from different areas (e.g. labour legislation, financial regulations, and so on).

The services of SOU of Ljubljana

According to the constitution they carry out professional services for a certain sphere of activities of SOU and raise money for funding its operations.

The services work in accordance to the aims of SOU. Their tasks, which are assigned by the student political bodies, are closely connected to the activities of SOU and are determined by laws and programmes. The services are independent only when they prepare a professional base for the programmes which have already been agreed on by the student political bodies.

Financing SOU of Ljubljana

It is funded from various sources:

• concession donations; according to the Students' Community law these donations are paid by associations which provide work (student services). It is a certain amount of money the employers are charged with;
• the Budget, by means of different contracts with various ministries signed for special purposes (such as sponsoring students' coupons for eating in restaurants and some other projects);
• contributions from students which must be paid for different extracurricular activities;
• income from activities organised by SOU (for example, selling tickets for public performances);
• income from its own property (renting out some of its places, interest from deposits and securities from SOU's proper investment);
• donations, gifts and sponsors' money; SOU obtains them for certain projects it organises or for carrying out certain activities;
• other sources (such as interest on arrears, reimbursement and so on).