On Friday morning, we in the Executive Committee head up to Trysil to prepare for SuperWeekend. The preparations are a bit hectic, and when we're greeted by four electricians installing fiber as we walk in, I get a bit stressed. Luckily, most of the Executive Committee are a bit more balanced, and we work around each other. Considering that we've partly not had internet on previous weekends, this is just great!
Around 2 PM, the participants arrive, the room signs are hung up, and we in the Executive Committee welcome them. The cabin we're at is large, so we have plenty of space, and those who snore a lot either get to sleep alone or live with other snorers. We start off easy on Friday with an introduction of the leaders in the Executive Committee and the Presidium so that everyone gets a bit more familiar with them. We also go through StInn's structure, which can be a bit difficult to understand the first time, but it went well this year too. We sneak in a bit of our history so that the new representatives get a broader look at how the organization has developed over time. The rest of the evening is used to get to know each other better, discuss, and play board games!
Saturday is the day when most things happen, here we start right on with our political platforms. There is adopted politics in different subject areas and it is important that we know our own politics. Here there are exciting discussions and many questions. Mari then teaches us about how we should manage social media and communication, and we have a fun practice task where creativity can flourish. We continue the day with a longer discussion block where we should prepare ourselves for the student seminar which will be right after the weekend, and questions related to this. We have a long lunch so that we get a proper breather before we continue with our flagship issues. These are our political priorities in the period and it is important that we all are aware of what they are about and how we can achieve them.
When we have gotten through Saturday, a slightly longer break awaits, where everyone nods off, before a slightly finer dinner which is carried out in Halloween costumes, before the party gets started. Throughout the evening there is a lot of laughter, quiz, good conversations, acquaintances that become friendships, and Blæstad offers up to swing! I am the last one to bed around half past two and call it a successful party and charge up for the next day!
Sunday has a slightly more relaxed start where we get a good introduction to power techniques and how to avoid using it, as well as good meeting culture. We are at many meetings where there can be heated discussions so this is smart to learn about! We also have a photoshoot on Sunday and this affair always takes longer than what is in the program, but we manage to recover anyway. We get a visit from the Ombud for Students over teams, and she talks about her business and what she can help students with. We also learn a bit about our international collaborations, as we have quite a few of them. So, the day is coming to an end, and those who have to travel home do so, the rest of us are tired and the evening is rounded off with a completely casual, not in the program movie night!
Student Seminar!
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Then Monday comes and the Student Seminar is up next, another type of annual highlight where we get to talk together with all the bosses at the University including the rector! Hanne, the leader of the Executive Committee, presents our flagship issues and what lies behind them, so that we can discuss with management how to proceed with them. The next hour is filled with good discussions, and it's fun to see those who have not participated before warm up a bit and present good ways of how we will achieve what we want. We also talk about how students can contribute and participate more in the development at SINN so that their offer becomes even better for us students. After a small breather, it's a bowling tournament that's up next, and I clearly lose on my lane, but all in all we had the third-best overall score! After the bowling, there is a finer three-course dinner where the conversation flows easily, and we get to know and maybe become a little friends with all the participants from both the university, SINN, and StInn.
On Tuesday, it's the quality work at the university that's on the agenda, how we students contribute and can contribute more to the work going forward. We also get a review of how student participation is at all faculties. We also discuss a lot about how this can be improved and developed, so that we students get the best possible study everyday!
All in all, it's 5 absolutely fantastic days that are educational, exhausting, and terribly fun!
XOXO
VELMA in the Executive Committee
John Magne Gjøn