Every year QS World University Ranking ranks the world’s best 700 places of learning. This year Lund University lands on place 73. This makes it the number one university in Sweden but still ranks three places lower than last year.
QS’s ranking is made up of six indicator groups: academic reputation, image of the employer, faculty-student proportion, citations, the amount of international personnel and international students.
The ranking system has received criticism because it gives a one-sided representation of a university and punishes the smaller universities, but at the same time it is also a popular material for marketing when attracting potential students and researchers. At the top of this year’s list we find the three American universities Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Harvard University.
Facts:
QS stands for Quacquarelli Symonds, which is a British education company that specialises in foreign studies. 2004-2010 they worked together with Times Higher Education ranking, who now work on their own ranking-list.
According to Swedish National Union of Students (SFS) seven out of ten new students in Lund will be without permanent housing this fall. “We are really not satisfied with the work of the municipality,” says Björn Sanders, president of Lund University Student unions (Lus).
Katie Cavendish came to Lund in August from Great Britain to study a master’s programme in management. She had done quite a lot of research beforehand and was prepared that it would be difficult to get housing.
“But I didn’t think it would be this difficult”, she says.
Katie has tried checking AF Bostäder, BoPoolen and Blocket to find somewhere to live, but without any success so far. She managed to get temporary housing through BoPoolen at Arrival day but she can only stay there for another two weeks.
Katie feels that the university has done a good job giving out information about how to acquire accommodation, but she is starting to feel a bit stressed.
“My studies have begun and I feel a need to be able to relax and not worry about finding housing,” she says.
Approximately 2000 new international students will enroll at the university this fall. LU Accommodation and BoPoolen both agree that fewer students seem to be looking for accommodation this fall compared to last year. This could be explained by the fact that the university has accepted fewer international students.
According to LU Accommodation, 2700 students applied for housing this summer. However only 60 persons are now listed on the the new waiting list that was set up on Arrival day in August. Ylva Sörhede, accommodation coordinator at LU Accommodation, explains that this might be the result of many students finding housing on their own.
However, the Swedish National Union of Students (SFS) recently estimated that at least seven out of ten new students starting in Lund this fall will be without permanent housing.
Students looking for a place to live are encouraged to, apart from LU Accomodation and BoPoolen, approach AF Bostäder and student nations. Every international student can apply at LU Accommodation and BoPoolen. How long time it takes to get housing through LU Accomodation depends though on when students currently occupying apartments drop their contracts, or in the case of BoPoolen, on how fast you can connect with a landlord.
To queue at AF Bostäder you need to be a member of Akademiska Föreningen (AF) and if you do not get novisch (new student) housing, the expected waiting time for a corridor room is one year, and two years for an apartment. The student nations offer housing to those members active in their nation, and as such you need to work two or three semesters before you can expect to get an apartment.
Neither of above-mentioned organisations are municipal and Björn Sanders, president of Lund University Student unions (Lus), is not happy that this is the case.
“We are really not satisfied with the work of the municipality. It shouldn’t be AF Bostäder that shoulders the responsibility to build more apartments, but Lund municipality.”
But Lund municipality claims that they are doing all that they can.
“We provide land and detailed planning to build student housing. We work to increase the amount of housing built, and we mediate contact between operaters”, says Björn Abelson, chair of the local housing comitee.
Jose De la Riva has just started studying a masters programme at Lund University. Having no other home than a couch distracts him from his studies. Photo: Fanny Beckman
As Jose de la Riva arrived in Lund he felt a strike of panic. He came here from Mexico to study a master programme in European Studies but on arrival realised that he would have no
permanent place to live.
“I imagined myself with all my baggage in the street”, he says.
He tried to contact landlords but it turned out to be a real challenge getting any answers. By going to BoPoolen and asking for advice Jose managed to find a couch to sleep on, but he is still searching for permanent accommodation.
“Sleeping on a couch suffices at least for now. But instead of only feeling excitement at studying I also feel anguished because I haven’t sorted out my accommodation,” he says.
Tips from BoPoolen for students looking for housing:
Do not be to picky.
Do not restrict your search to Lund, there is plenty of housing outside the city.
Enter in all available queues for housing, the nations, AFB etc.
Make sure your surroundings know that you are searching.
Lack of resources results in Lund students having less and less in-class teaching. At the same time, the University and the government plan to spend huge sums on research. How does it all add up?
“In the first semester, we worked in groups of 15 students each. That did not work at all. The teachers said something like, ‘well, we know this is not a good solution, but due to budget strains, we have no other choice’”.
On a balcony in the west of Lund is Gottfrid Jansson. It is summer and the sun is shining. He is peering into his coffee cup.
When Gottfrid Jansson was enrolled in the basic course in Art History and Visual Studies, he had about ten hours of teacher-led classes a week. Later, in the Bachelor’s course, that amount decreased to around two hours a week. “It felt like many students lost interest and had motivational problems due to the level of individual studies. A good lecture raises questions and sparks your curiosity. If you do not get enough of that, you might give up,” Gottfrid Jansson says.
Among Gottfrid’s things, there is a thick statute book with several colourful marking slips sticking out of it. After writing his Bachelor’s Thesis, Gottfrid Jansson chose to go down a different path. In spring 2016, instead of finishing his Bachelor’s Degree, he enrolled in the Law programme, and it is quite different compared with the courses in History of Arts. “The number of techer-led hours are more numerous in this programme. We have teaching in some form almost every day – which I enjoy. Quite simply, I believe that you learn more, and you get more motivated,” he says.
Dated system for resource allocation The number of teacher-led hours a regular student, like Gottfrid Jansson, can expect all depends on how much money the University can spend on a specific education programme.
The system deciding how much money each seat of learning receives from the state piggy-bank was initiated in the 1990s. The seats of learning are granted a certain sum for each student enlisted there, which is then re-calculated as the number of whole-year students, as well as another sum based on the number of passed courses in a year – a so called annual achievement.
The size of the appropriation can vary; someone studying technology, natural sciences, pharmacology, or healthcare generate almost twice as much money compared with a student enlisted in courses within the humanities and theology, social sciences, or law. Arts and crafts students generate the most. “The size of the appropriation for different areas of education are based on calculations made in the 1990s. They are obsolete and should most definitely be re-estimated. A lot has happened since then,” says Daniel Kraft, vice-chairperson of the Student Union for the Humanities and Theology.
He gives an example taken from his own faculty: “There is a view that humanists only need paper and pen. But actually, many of us make use of laboratories and field studies. The costs for education in these areas have changed,” he says.
When it comes to the Humanities, Social Sciences, Law, and Theology studies, where appropriations are the lowest, students’ schedules can look very sparse. “We have conducted a survey that shows that the average theology or religion studies student only has about three and a half hours of teacher-led lecturing time a week,” says Amanda Bjernestedt, chairperson of the Student Union for the Humanities and Theology.
Amanda Bjernestedt and Daniel Kraft of the Student Union for Humanities and Theology – their faculty is very much affected by the financial deficit. Photo: Jonas Jacobson. Foto: Jonas Jacobsson
Greater revenues for research In spite of the number of teacher-led lectures decreasing, and the size of study-groups increasing, all is not darkness at Swedish seats of learning. Basic courses might be struggling, but it seems to be a bit better for the other main part of Swedish universities: research and postgraduate education.
According to statistics from the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ), the combined revenues of Swedish seats of learning from research and postgraduate education were close to 40 billion SEK last year. The combined revenues coming from education on undergraduate and graduate-level, on the other hand, were a mere 27 billion SEK.
Additionally, the revenues of Swedish seats of learning generated from research and postgraduate education have increased by 31 percent between 2005 and 2015, whilst the corresponding increase for undergraduate programmes is only 8 percent.
The economic muscle of research can certainly be seen in Skåne and Lund. The ESS (European Spallation Source), a European research initative that began in 2014, is calculated to cost 1.8 billion EUR to build, on its own. Thirty-five percent of this cost is to be paid by Sweden. Sweden will also pay for ten percent of the costs for running the facilities, amounting to 140 million EUR annually. Lund University themselves have put in about 600 million SEK in the project.
Research to generate growth However, no one pretends that Swedish research would be suffering from vanity and abundance. According to Mats Benner, professor of research policy at the Department of Business Administration at Lund University, there are still fundamental differences in what is required in education contra research. “Undergraduate education is underfinanced. I would not say the same about research, although that area is not over financed either,” he says.
According to social democrat Lena Hallengren, chairperson of the parliamentary educational committee, the increase in appropriations in the last ten years is a result of the priorities in a research proposition presented by the conservative parties in 2008, among other things. At that time, appropriations were increased with five billion SEK during a five-year period; this was one of the biggest and most expensive reforms of the conservative government. “The initiative was huge, but it did not include all kinds of research, being primarily focussed on high-level research and research in certain areas. The Swedish Social Democratsrather wish to increase the basic appropriations,” says Lena Hallengren.
The present government did suggest an increase in the basic appropriations in their budget proposition for 2016, in which 300 million SEK extra were allocated for basic appropriations for research. New funds were also allocated to higher education, not for raising appropriations but instead for creating even more places in courses.
The planning manager of Lund University, Tim Ekberg, believes that it could be easier for the Minister for Education to persuade the Minister of Finances, for example, to put money into research, rather than spend them on education. “If the Minister of Education would want to increase research appropriations, the government can provide the reason of growth and GNP. Research create innovation, which creates companies and efficiency, which leads to job opportunities and economic growth. Initiatives in education, which are inherently more long-term, have been harder to lobby,” he says.
“Initiatives in education, which are inherently more long-term, have been hard to lobby,” says Tim Ekberg, planning manager of Lund University. Foto: Jonas Jacobsson
The USA prioritise education How to prioritise between research and education can vary greatly between contries. The report Utbildning, forskning, samverkan. Vad kan svenska universitet lära av Stanford och Berkeley? (2014), co-written by Mats Benner, puts forth the argument that the one-sided focus of Swedish seats of learning on research is one of the greatest weaknesses in relation to the American high-prestige seats of learning.
According to the authors, the research-focus might be a result of the fact that, in Sweden, success in academia is seen as on par with success within research, which results in education being disregarded. But there are also economic differences between Swedish and American seats of learning. “At Stanford and Berkeley, educational work is a far greater part of the budget of the seats of learning than it is in Sweden,” Mats Benner says.
However, he believes that is would take a lot more than just money to re-elevate the status of basic programmes in Sweden. For example, reforms concerning how academics are recruited, and how lecturers can control their lectures are needed as well. If the present attitude towards undergraduate education does not change, not only will students be affected, researchers will as well. “If the link between research and education is broken, research becomes sterile. If undergraduate education loses its connection to research, it will affect research quality in the long-term as well,” according to Mats Benner.
The University want to allocate themselves When the Vice-Chanchellor of Lund University, Torbjörn von Schantz, took his position last year, he said in an interview with Lundagård that increased resources for undergraduate education was the issue closest to his heart.
Since then, not much has happened.
But in the budget material from the University concerning 2016 sent to the government, the Board suggested that the seats of learning should allocate appropriation funds between eduaction and research themselves. Today, money is already earmarked by the government when the universities receive it, which the University Board think makes the linking of research and education harder.
Sven Stafström, director-general of the Swedish Research Council, is hesitant towards the suggestion. “On the one hand, seats of learning will experience more flexibility. On the other, there is a risk that priorities will become slop-sided to one or the other. It is important to maintain a balance between research and education on a national level,” he says.
Question of re-allocation divides Another possible way of improving the conditions for the Humanities as well as other low-resource educational areas would be for the University to re-allocate funds from education programmes with greater financial strength. That is how some other seats of learning solve the issue.
“In Uppsala, funds have been re-allocated to, among other things, language studies, which had become severely underfinancied otherwise. I do not understand why we cannot do that in Lund as well,” says Anna Bjernestedt, chairperson of the Student Union for Humanities and Theology.
But actually, a similar system was used in Lund up until the year 2010. In that year, it was removed because the departments thought resource allocation had become unpredictable.
Initiating a new re-allocation system is very much possible, but it would entail that the University Board and all department come to an agreement. “Personally, I think that the model used in Uppsala is interesting. But the departments should agree on initiating it – including those who are then going to lose funds. That could prove hard, and might be the reason why the issue has not been discussed in the last few years,” Tim Ekberg says.
Hurts public image If undergraduate appropriations are to be increased, or the allocation system is to be revised, a governmental decree is needed. But those might be hard to get. This is something Tim Ekberg is well aware of since he worked at the Ministry of Education and Research for ten years, adhering to five different Ministers of Education. All of the ministers wanted to increase resources to undergraduate education, but none of them were able to make it happen. “It could be tough standing up to the Ministry of Finances, who are in charge of budgeting; each ministry wants money put into its own area. Furthermore, increases in student places in courses tend to generate better press than increases in appropriations. It is a bit easier for the public to grasp, which gives positive political points,” Tim Ekberg says.
Since resource allocation is a political issue, Lund University cannot do that much to check the underfinancing, apart from trying to influence the government. “Lund University, together with every other seat of learning nag and nag about more funds, and that the allocation system should be redefined. That is the way it has been for the last 20 years, but in the end, it is still the politicians who decide,” Tim Ekberg says.
Prepared for both? Like most universities with long standing traditions, Lund University has its own motto given in Latin: “Ad utrumque”, usually translated as “prepared for both”.
At first, the phrasing alluded to Lund students being prepared not only to study, but also to violently fend off Danes and other unwelcomed people from the then newly acquired Skåne. As time has progessed, “prepared for both” has acquired a new meaning, in the light of the dual purpose of universities today: education and research.
The fact that the biggest research facilities in Sweden are about to be inaugurated in Lund sends a clear message – the University are prepared for research. But are they prepared to give students a solid educational ground to stand on? And maybe even putting research on the back-burner, if required?
As an employee, Tim Ekberg must remain neutral. But he has previously been chairperson of a Student Union, and has been involved in educational issues, not least concerning humanities and theology. “Part of me probably still wants to see increased appropriations and a re-allocation of funds. If I were to be a student today, I would be dissatisfied with how research is prioritised, while education is put on the back burner,” Tim Ekberg says.
During summer, some of the largest nations gave their clubs a thorough renovation. Now, a new club is coming to Göteborg’s nation and Lund’s nation are putting their efforts into cleaning the air.
Great minds think alike. While the old medieval city have spent its summer months traditionally void of people, the city nations have all invested in radical renovations of their club facilities.
For example, Östgöta nation have installed new bars and refurbished their kitchen area, visitors to Göteborg’s nation will from now on be met by a lounge inspired interior with bare light bulbs and concrete plastered wall tiles. And at Malmö nation, the facilities have been granted a new club entrance, new sound and light systems, a new floor, and repainted walls.
To an outsider, it might seem as though the simultaneous launch of all these renovations by the city nations implies that it is an attempt to compete with each other. These nations are, after all, not that far apart, have somewhat similar club concepts and competes to some degree over the same audience. But apparently, this is not the case.
”Of course, it is all quite weird. But these changes have been planned for years, so it has not been coordinated in any way”, says Martin Brandt, curator at Malmö nation.
Johan Bolin, PQE at Östgöta nation, also finds the situation somewhat odd and holds that it would probably have been better if the nations had not decided to launch their renovation projects at the same time.
”It would probably have been easier to get a hold of construction workers if we had not all been renovating during summer. But it is fun to hear that the other nations are also expanding”, Johan Bolin says.
According to the spokespersons from the city nations, the changes are mostly due to the fact that time has made its mark on the facilities.
”We have basically done nothing with our facilities since they were opened five years ago, so they desperately needed a facelift”, says Nils Johansson, curator at Göteborg’s nation, among others.
Despite the renovations mentioned, people in need of a safe footing can rest assured in the fact that the most popular city nation nightclubs will keep on going during autumn as well. As usual, the doors to Kajplats 15 at Göteborg’s nation will open every Friday. The next day, Sunset at Östgöta nation will do the same, and on the very same day all House loving people in Lund will have their musical needs fulfilled at Källaren at Malmö nation. The techno club at Göteborg’s nation will be remade into an Underground club, however.
But what about the lust for renovation at the fourth city nation, Lund’s nation, the big player in all of this? And yes, they too have made an investment during the summer which probably won’t go unnoticed.
”We have exchanged our ventilation duct”, says Mortimer Henningson, curator at Lund’s nation.
The lack of teacher led hour contributed to Tove Swartling-Eriksson burn-out. Once there, she received a lot of useless advice about how she could feel better. Now she wants to greet new students welcome to the University with a few advices on how to handle stress.
When I were to write my third paper at the University I felt that I couldn’t go on anymore. After having spent six and half years as a student primarily studying the Humanities I felt so incredibly tired. What was the point with writing my B.A.? Or studying? Or even leaving the bed?
That I got burnt-out was not only the University’s fault, but it certainly had something to do with it. It is possible to work eight hours a day but it is not possible to study eight hours a day. And with the menial financing the Humanities gets that is what is generally expected of the students. During my latest term I had two hours of classroom teaching a week – seminars where we discussed the literature. All learning was to be done through reading. It was soul-killing.
I think it was when I read Ester Eriksson’s comic book Det finns ingenstans att fly (There is nowhere to run) that I, in earnest, realised I was depressed. The book came out last spring and is an example of a trend where more and more comic books touch on mental illness. The problem for the main character in Ester Eriksson’s book is not her studies, but rather the reaction of her surroundings on her health. Her unsympathetic boyfriend is a perfect example of the difficulties of living with mental illness. He thinks that Ester should not be medicated for anxiety and depression, but should instead try yoga and thinking differently. But what she might really have needed was a simple “I understand” and a hug.
I have myself received a lot of advice from unsympathetic people on how to deal with stress. You will certainly also get that and most of them are completely useless. I have however scraped together a few things I myself would have wanted to know before I started studying. Things that you might find useful.
Accept that you will not have time to read everything you should – read what seems most important and the rest you can read summaries on the internet.
It is okay to bullshit.
You are all on your own so expect that you will have to make do without input from your teachers.
Eat, it doesn’t matter if it is junk food – you have to eat something. It all boils down to this: don’t kill yourself – keep track of your limits and remember to pause, everything doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. Be kind to yourself. The world doesn’t end if your thesis is not on time.
We know that Juridicum has the quietest reading rooms and that LTH has the most extravagant nollning – but which faculty offers the best lunch experience? Lundagård’s test group went out to try all* of the faculties’ lunch spots and decide once and for all which has the best one.
Photo: Christina Zhou
LED-café, E-huset
Score: 3/5
Food: Good. Nice mix of salads. Wholesome salads but no vegetarian options. Also sells ciabattas.
Environment: Scarce space. However, people were eating brought lunches in the café.
Price: 40 SEK
Service: Self-serve.
Big assortment, everything from hamburgers, pies and simple home cooking to cheap sandwiches.
Photo: Christina Zhou
Moroten & Piskan, Kårhuset
Score: 3/5
Food: Tasty main course. Good assortment. Poor salad buffet. No budget alternative.
Environment: Bright and with big windows. Restaurant atmosphere, guests are only seated to eat without studying.
Price: 55-65 SEK
Service: Good service
Many options to choose from. Nice building. The warm dishes weigh up for the poor salad buffet. Good place if you want to eat on location.
Photo: Christina Zhou
Café Karna & Ilias, Socialhögskolan
Score: 3/5
Food: A lot of cucumber salad, with a lot of cucumber. Sandwiches and ciabattas.
Environment: Homey and cozy.
Price: 32 SEK
Service: Decent
Very cheap, which is also evident from the salad, which consists mostly of cucumber.
Restaurang SOL, SOL
Photo: Christina Zhou
Score: 3/5
Food: Big sandwiches. Warm dishes and a salad buffet.
Environment: Study environment, but during lunch the area is a study-free zone. Fresh with a high ceiling and outdoor seating.
Price: 35-75 SEK
Service: Okay.
A large variety of warm dishes and sandwiches. Good place to eat if you are in the area.
Stamstället, BMC
Photo: Christina Zhou
Score: 4/5
Food: Wide selection of main dishes, salad buffet, sandwiches. Good luxury food.
Environment: Nice and snuggly with outdoor seating available.
Price: 60-69 SEK. Does not accept card for transactions under 40 SEK.
Service: Quick. Brings the food to your table.
A nice place with a restaurant feel. Will probably not become your regular place, but your splurge spot every now and then.
Hilbert Café, Mattehuset
Photo: Christina Zhou
Score: 5/5
Food: Large servings at a low price. Only sandwiches and salads but many different flavors.
Environment: Few places to sit, but homely.
Price: 12-40 SEK
Service: Many and helpful employees.
A lot for your money. Lacks a luxury assortment and warm dishes.
Café Holger, Ekonomicentrum
Photo: Christina Zhou
Score: 2/5
Food: Gives off a pizzeria and frozen food feeling.
Environment: Study environment. Well-lit and calm with a lot of space.
Price: 55-70 SEK
Service: Slow for being warm dishes.
Like a pizzeria, without the pizza. Bad placement in the building.
ISS-café, Juridicum
Photo: Christina Zhou
Score: 3/5
Food: Sandwiches and warm dishes with the “school cafeteria food on a good day” vibe.
Environment: Located close to the entrance, the reception and the library. Many people walking around.
Price: 50-60 SEK. Do not accept cards.
Service: Not enough employees, but they are nice. Food is brought to your table.
High ambition level but does not deliver. Only one person in charge of the register, the kitchen and serving.
Café LUX, LUX
Photo: Christina Zhou
Score: 3/5
Food: Tasty bread. Good produce. Tasty main courses. Sandwiches low on filling.
Environment: Study environment. Clean and newly built.
Price: 50-69 SEK
Service: Decent.
A good place to eat if you’re already near LUX.
Café Marina, Ekologihuset
Photo: Christina Zhou
Score: 2/5
Food: Kebab joint assortment, food is microwaved, offers “yesterday’s sandwiches” at a lowered price.
Environment: Located in a corridor, but has outdoor seating.
Price: 30-65 SEK. Does not accept cards. Does accept Swish.
Service: Fast.
Not that much variety. Too expensive. There are better places within walking distance.
Café Finn Ut, Studiecentrum
Photo: Christina Zhou
Score: 3/5
Food: A large variety of warm dishes and sandwiches. Boring burgers.
Environment: Few places to sit, study environment.
Price: 22-75 SEK
Service: Not a good waiting system
Many things to choose from, everything from burgers, pies and simple home cooking to cheap sandwiches.
Café Eden, Eden
Photo: Christina Zhou
Score: 2/5
Food: Many kinds of sandwiches. Boring salad and poor variety of everything but sandwiches. Small servings.
Environment: Few spot, study environment.
Price: 22-65 SEK
Service: Fast
Café Athen, AF-borgen
Photo: Christina Zhou
Score: 4/5
Food: Tasty, nicely plated.
Environment: Pleasant and calm with second hand armchairs and candles.
Price: 24-26 SEK
Service: Long waiting time.
A lot to choose from and good enough space to actually sit down and eat.
Big assortment at okay prices, but it’s not that good. Works best as an emergency solution if you don’t have time for a proper lunch.
Café Bryggan, IKDC
Good buffet. Expensive and rather poor sandwiches.
Photo: Christina Zhou
Score: 4/5
Food: Nice main dish. Good assortment and salad buffet. No budget alternative.
Environment: Spacious. Restaurant atmosphere. Narrow between the tables.
Price: 55-75 SEK. Do not accept cards for transactions under 20 SEK.
Service: Decent. Fast moving line.
A more expensive spot that works for luxury lunch. Also has café options, but these are not as affordable as the lunch.
Café Ester, Kemicentrum
Photo: Christina Zhou
Score: 3/5
Food: Decent serving, big assortment, good buffet. We got a whole lemon wedge with rind and a caper stem in the sandwich.
Environment: Nice with many seats.
Price: 55-70 SEK
Service: Okay, long line during rush hours.
Thaiway, Fysicum
Score: 3/5
Food: Tasty and just enough. A lot to choose from.
Environment: Boring. Weird entrance. A lot of buzzing sounds.
Price: 50 SEK
Service: Self-serve.
Tastes good and is cheap. Easy to bring with you, which is good since the environment isn’t very inviting.
Mindpark Café, Helsingborg
Score: 3/5
Food: Small sandwiches. Soup of the day and soup of the week taste good. Sometimes sushi.
Best place on campus to sit. The soup is reliable, but expensive.
Amica Hermes, Helsingborg
Score: 5/5
Food: Buffet with three warm dishes, one of which is always vegetarian. Large and nice salad buffet included.
Environment: Noisy but a lot of room.
Price: 85 SEK
Service: Self-serve.
Exceptionally good food. Large boxes gives you the opportunity to take two portions from the buffet if you choose takeaway, which makes the high price more bearable.
Coffeshope i Campushuset, Helsingborg
Score: 3/5
Food: A variation of boring “school cafeteria food”, Thai food, sushi and sandwiches. The Thai food and sushi are tasty and affordable.
Environment: Annoying environment in the entrance of Campushuset.
Price: About 45-60 SEK
Service: Okay
Boring place but it surprises you with the sushi and Thai food, can be good if you get bored of the other alternatives and don’t feel like walking to Knutpunkten.
* MaskinerIet in M-huset and the restaurant/café at Campus Malmö are missing in the test. MaskinerIet was closed when we visited M-huset and due to a lack of time we didn’t review Campus Malmö.
This is what we did
The lunches were scored according to four criteria. Food – taste, appearance and plating. Environment – the number of seats and the atmosphere of the venue. Price – different price classes for lunch. Service – time waiting and possible serving. From these criteria the food was scored 1-5.
The pictures in the test shows both food in takeaway boxes and food served on plates in the restaurant or café, because we sometimes took the test food with us. Many of the locations offer on-location dining. We’re sorry for the lack of pictures at four of the places, this is because we forgot to take pictures (perhaps because the food was distractingly good).
In the wake of the Macchiarini scandal, more and more cases of cheating are uncovered in research. According to a new study, there are severe issues within Social Sciences as well.
The two Linköping-based researchers, Solmaz Filiz Karabag and Christian Berggren, have inspected all articles in economics, organisation, and leadership that have been rejected from scientific journals in the period 2005 – 2015. The total number of articles concerned is 184. The researchers have also noted that the number of rejected pieces have increased.
Before 2005, there were no rejected pieces at all, while there was an all-time high in 2015.
“We cannot unquestionably say that the level of cheating is increasing; it might be that the control agents have become more effective,” says Christian Berggren, Professor at the Department of Management and Engineering.
Increasing pressure
According to researchers themselves, one reason for the feeling of increasing pressure is that the universities want to have productive and often quoted and cited researchers – this leads to the researchers climbing ranking lists, generating more appropriations. The want for efficiency makes researchers go into grey areas, and sometimes, cross the line into scientific dishonesty.
“Today, getting published is vital for a researcher to be able to compete for positions,” Senior Lecturer, Solmaz Filiz Karabag emphasises.
Undermines trust
But in contrast to the Macchiarini case, the study made by the Linköping researchers mostly concerns plagiarism, or fabrication of data.
“Granted, it does not entail physical damage, but it steals space away from genuine contributions, as well as undermines the trust of researchers in general,” Christian Berggren says.
The study also discusses something that is called salami publication or segmented publication, i.e. when researchers split their results in as many parts as possible, to publish as many articles as possible. About half of editors of scientific journals see this as a problem.
Amer El-Sarie, master’s student in science of religion, had mostly clothes with him when he arrived
Photo: Lukas J Herbes
in 2014 to Lund from Syria. However, his room is far from empty.
“Most things in the room I’ve either got as gifts or bought at second-hand stores”, says Amer.
His best tips to students is to shop at second-hand markets because you often find fun things there. He, for example, was very happy when he found his stuffed parrot in such a store. He also advices that there is a free store at Smålands nation, where everyone can donate things they no longer need and find something new. Amer himself usually donates things to people he meets.
“When I got here I brought ten small pictures with views of Damascus to give to friends. I don’t need to see them; I know how it looks there”.
No wi-fi
Photo: Lukas J Herbes
Jeremia Karlsson is a graduate from the School of Social Studies, but currently still lives in the fraternity house at Laurentiistiftelsen. He feels he does not need more space in order to live comfortably.
“I often play music, and nowadays it’s easy to find cheap music equipment that doesn’t take up a lot of space so there hasn’t been any problems”.
In the kitchen Jeremia has an extra desk that has a special purpose.
“I’ve chosen to have a place to write where I don’t have access to the internet. It’s too easy to just start browsing when you really should do something productive. That is why I don’t have Wi-Fi in the apartment. As a student you have a lot of free time, so you have to spend it right.
Jeremia bought the sword in his room for himself as a birthday present when he turned 20. Along with items such as a stone angel and old hardback books, they contribute to a personal atmosphere.
“I thing I’ve have a form of gothic style for my room. You can’t find everything second-hand, but a lot of it. With odd things you can make your room a little more personal”.
Living together
In a double room at Klostergården live Nada El Nahass and Olivia Nabbosa. They recently moved in
Photo: Lukas J Herbes
to their dormitory, two people who did not know each other from the start. But despite the fact that they are both new students and had not counted on getting a double room, they were sympathetic.
“It’s nice to live with someone, so that you don’t have to live alone”, says Olivia who came to Lund from Uganda.
For students who have travelled far to study some days can be pervaded with homesickness. Then it feels good to decorate your rooms with something that is usually found at home.
“For me for example it’s important to have photos and definitively coffee close at hand”, says Olivia.
Loft with much cosiness
Photo: Lukas J Herbes
After moving three times in the span of three years, 22-year-old Anna-Clara Örtendahl landed as a lodger in a house in Lund. She has now lived in her 28 square meter room for one and a half years.
There are two things Anna-Clara thinks you must have for a home to feel well-settled in:
“I’ve have always had plants; it is something I think makes the place you are staying at into a home. Photos is also good as you can get homesick”.
Before Anna-Clara moved to the house she lived in a dormitory and, for short periods, on friends’ sofas. Anna-Clara’s best piece of advice is to be patience and try to endure living at places that you do not love from the start.
Every year during mid-September the recycle week puts forward the importance of how consumers can reuse things and reduce waste. But pursuing a sustainable lifestyle is an everyday challenge.
Alternative ways of consumption, such as the #Fourfitchallenge initiated by the waste company “Sysav” and the Salvation Army’s second hand retail chain “Myrorna” can help us to raise awareness for the problem of overconsumption and disusage in our society.
Consuming things gives us pleasure In Sweden, each person throws away eight kilos of textiles and 28 kilos of perfectly edible food every year. Precious resources are wasted, as we, the consumers, want to fit in a society, where excessive consumption has become the norm. Consuming things gives us stability, pleasure and distracts us from our daily routine. In other words: A world without buying new stuff on a regular basis is not imaginable for most of us.
Against this background, the Swedish companies “Sysav” and “Myrorna” initiated a campaign by inviting the Swedish population to use only four items of clothing during one week. The campaign went viral and was soon spread over the whole Internet. The topic resounded throughout different social classes and brought people to overthink their own consumption habits. But how can each of us implement more sustainable consumption patterns in our daily lives on a long-term basis?
A new way of thinking
Talking to Cecilia Fredriksson, professor of ethnology at the department of service management and service science, there has been a clear shift in thinking of alternative ways of consumption.
“Already as a young student 30 years ago I was very interested in flea marketing as a phenomenon. However, back in the 1980’s it was extremely odd to visit a flea market and to buy second hand clothes. It was more a thing that the poorer people were doing, so you really had to look hard for those shops even in a city like Lund.”
She adds that she has always been fascinated by that kind of consumption so that her first publication indeed centered the idea of flea marketing. Although, at that time nobody spoke of second hand shopping as an alternative way of consumption it marked the beginning of an important form of consumption for our society today.
Cecilia Fredriksson, professor of ethnology. Foto: Jessica Könnecke.
A trend to possess less Cecilia also mentions a new trend that is happening right now in terms of peoples’ wishes to possess less.
“We can see a new trend coming regarding “stop-shop-acts”. Hereby especially women clean their wardrobes and homes and can hence also unclutter their lives in some way. This stop-buying behavior is a good practice and it is teaching us how to consume less.”
“In addition, people are becoming more interested in the authenticity of second hand clothes”, as Cecilia puts it. “Knowing that the clothing item has a history gives people the feeling that they are connected to the item.”
Sustainability in Lund Having all this information in the back of our minds it emerges the question what a student city like Lund has to offer with regards to possibilities to integrate more sustainable consumption patterns in our lives. For Cecilia, Lund represents an exceptional good example for the readiness of people to change something in terms of sustainability.
”In Lund, people are very aware of this topic. There are lots of second hand shops and there is this willingness, especially of the young people, to take part in the circular economy movement.”
It is all very well to have people that are willing to change something. However, this readiness also has to be translated into practice. For this purpose Lundagard is launching a series of articles called “Eco – Why not?”. This new rubric aims at showing students how to consume and live more sustainably in Lund on the basis of articles and video clips. So let’s step out of our comfort zones and change something, or as Cecilia formulates it:
“We should always reflect upon ourselves as consumers because it is morality that is involved when it comes to consumption.”
Among the engineering students at Lund University, Jonas Månsson has become a familiar face through the education he runs on his blog and YouTube channel.
After teaching for some time, Jonas Månsson noticed that the same questions were repeated during lectures, and in the end he was struck with the thought of starting a blog.
On the mathematic blog lectures are frequently posted. Since he started a couple of years ago his videos have over 2 000 000 views, and everything a student at LTH may need to know about linear algebra and multidimensional analysis can be found there.
Lund University’s magazine has described him as “Sweden’s math teacher” and in the past year the number of views on the YouTube channel has been about 3000 on average per day.
“On an average day during the course periods it’s about 500 visitors. During exam times it can be around 800-1000”, Jonas Månsson says.
Jonas Månsson’s blog has elevated the education to a whole new level and has helped many engineers in Sweden. His importance for the future of Sweden’s engineering can probably not be underestimated.
When a young Jonas Månsson first started studying it was in matematikhuset at LTH. Now, the once fascinated math student has become a lecturer in the place where it all began. It is a rainy Tuesday in June when we meet in his study.
“It’s a bit funny, now I work with the people I used to have as teachers”.
The idea of a digital learning platform was not something he expected would be a success from the beginning. Now he sees his videos as very effective tools for students.
“I thought that it’s much easier to upload videos so that the students can go back and watch there”.
Jonas Månsson thinks it is a given that the lectures are available for free.
“Principally, yes. If I upload it I naturally want it to be possible for everyone to take part of. It felt obvious that it should be available to anyone”.
His digital platforms have been shown to have a positive effect on the students. Last year, he was awarded Teknologkåren’s pedagogical prize for the second time, among the reasons were: “Excellent pedagogical methods combined with new thinking”.
“It has a different meaning when it comes from the students themselves”, Jonas Månsson says and glances at the diploma, which is just one of many, hanging on the wall.
“Because then I get confirmation that the work I do is appreciated by the ones I teach”.
When I turn to an engineering student who has had Månsson as a teacher, and who regularly uses his learning platforms, the answer is as I expected.
“He’s really pedagogic and genuinely cares about getting the students to understand”, says Jonathan Kuuse, who studies Civil Engineering with a focus on Mechanical Engineering.
In Jonas Månsson’s study math shines with its constant presence. One side of the wall is decorated with awards and diplomas, the other is covered with a whiteboard. It is filled with jotted down variables and equations.
“My colleagues”, Jonas Månsson says and laughs.
“That’s the way it gets when one colleague after the other comes in to write something. Creativity”.
There are no doubts that education lies close to his heart. However, he never planned on ending up where he is today, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences. After a successful master thesis, Jonas Månsson was offered a doctoral post, and thereafter a temporary post. This later resulted in a full-time post as a lecturer.
“It wasn’t very though-out, really. I mostly thought about applying for other jobs outside of the university”.
However, there are other interests beyond mathematics and education. Work stays in the office and when Månsson comes home he tries to focus on other things. In his study stands a painting that has not yet made it up on the wall.
“Yes, I love art. Among others Swedish, Scanian and modernistic. I collect art, that’s all”.
Despite that the traditional lectern education has had to take a step back, and a more and more digitalized platform has claimed space, Jonas Månsson is positive. The number of students at lectures has decreased, which may be a result of the new way of teaching. But Jonas Månsson is not worried.
“It has decreased in all subjects at LTH, so it’s not only mathematics and my lectures. Possibly it’s because more material can be found on the internet today and you can manage your studies individually. But this is a phenomenon that should be investigated further”.
To increase the number of students who attend the lectures, Jonas Månsson believes you need to think about how education looks today, and how it should be handled in the future.
“I have no problems with my teaching. The important thing is how the students absorb the knowledge and that they do it in a good way. The question is what’s best, and how it should be done”.
Perhaps there are more videos waiting to be filmed. But when it comes to the future Jonas Månsson is secretive.
“I always have plans, but I don’t know whether they will work or not”, he says and smiles.
“I think MAX IV is the brightest idea Sweden has had in a long while. This Laboratory will explore all of Earth’s building blocks on all the different levels”, says Christoph Quitmann, Director of MAX IV.
Long construction process MAX IV officially opened June 21, and the laboratory is expected to be fully expanded with its approximately 30 steel pipes in 2026. In October it is time for the first external scientists to start their experiments, but the construction of MAX IV started in 2010. The total cost for the construction is estimated to land at six billion SEK and it is the University that stands as host for the building.
A political compromise The facility has also become an important prestige project for Lund’s municipality and the placement of the laboratory out in Brunnshög is somewhat of a compromise between scientists and politicians.
The politicians wanted to build it close to the highway so that everyone who passes through Lund can see the facility. This despite that vibrations from the highway risk disturbing the experiments by affecting the light ray. To counteract these vibrations they have therefore surrounded the facility with small hills, and according to the latest readings they seem to lessen the vibrations well enough.
The light makes the invisible visible MAX IV is going to be used much like a microscope to make what is invisible, visible. This is done by shining light on a material with a ray of light that is extremely strong, and focused to the point that the scientists can study as few as a couple of hundred atoms at a time. Which in its turn makes it possible to measure how the light bounces against the atoms, and in that way comprehend which placement they have relative to each other.
“What we wish to understand is how different atoms form molecules and how they separate”, says Christoph Quitmann.
To put it simply, you accelerate the particles (in this case the electrons). Because it is a charged particle that is being accelerated it loses energy every time it turns, and sends out the energy in the form of light. That light is what the scientists use to look at atoms and molecules, similar to a huge microscope.
A wide area of use Christoph Quitmann describes the MAX IV laboratory as research’s answer to the Swiss army knife. At the laboratory, scientists will be able to research the world in a variety of fields and sciences. Their research will in its turn hopefully be possible to use when developing new medicines, more effective sun catchers, better batteries, highly effective catalysts and more environmentally friendly packaging.
The glory days will be short However, the glory days of MAX IV are predicted to be short lived. For some time, it will be one of the leading facilities in the world on synchrotron light research, but it is already known that the facility will be surpassed by others.
“There are about ten ongoing projects in the world, and they all share the goal of wanting to beat us. Most of them will be finished between 2018 and 2021, but we already have ideas on how to keep the lead with MAX IV in this race”, Christoph Quitmann says.
Basic research and company research Because the laboratory is built and sponsored mostly by Swedish tax money, it will cost if a company wishes to do experiments here and keep their results secret. But for the scientists who do research and are willing to share their results with the public, experiments will be free.
The thought is that laboratory time will be split up in equal parts between company research and other research. The ambition is to be able to perform several hundred experiments each year.
Important to include students The facility is expected to have a lifespan of about 25 years. During these years, innumerable students from all over the world will have a chance to join and conduct experiments at the facility.
“It’s important to us that students are widely included in the experiments performed, and we hope that more parts of Lund University will be moved out to us. We constantly need new minds. This place is fully dependent on that to function”, says Pedro Fernandes Tavares, Project Manager at MAX IV.
Former students already on location One of the new minds currently working at the facility is former physics student Robin Svärd. After five years as a student at Lund University he is now project employed as a research engineer at MAX IV.
“A regular day on the job I kick-bike hell of a lot. My responsibility is mainly to monitor the drift, but there is also programming”, says Robin Svärd.
Despite not being directly involved in any experiments today he thinks the laboratory is an exciting work place.
“MAX IV is a tool that opens up to many types of research in many different faculties. The laboratory will have a significant meaning to all faculties of natural science, as well as the industrial world”, Robin Svärd says.
He is extra enthusiastic about the basic research that will be conducted at MAX IV.
“The basic research is research for real, and it is always done out of curiosity. You have a theory you want to try and hopefully you discover something new”, says Robin Svärd.
Unclear messages at the last minute and revoked licenses. Compared with last spring, communication between law enforcement authorities and Lund nations has deteriorated, according to Kuratorskollegiet
Text by: Tindra Englund Translation: Richard Helander
“Halland’s nation is not the first to have run into problems with the authorities, mostly the police,” according to Ludvig Bodelsson, chairperson of Kuratorskollegiet (The Association of Lund nation qurators, KK).
Last-minute answers
According to Ludvig Bodelsson, cooperation and communication with the police force has become increasingly difficult and unclear ever since much of the work of Lund’s police force was transferred to Malmö.
“Last week for example, through one of the qurators, we received word that police had suddenly decided to revoke the 4AM släpp-permit that had been exclusively for the AF-building and Kårhuset,” Ludvig Bodelsson says.
Previously, there has been an agreement between the police force, the permit granting authority, and the nations. This agreement has made it easier for the nations to acquire permits to keep the parties going in the AF building until four o’clock in the morning. But for some reason, the police have suddenly changed their mind on this.
“The decision was made without providing us with any sort of information. Instead, we heard it from a qurator who had applied for and had been denied a permit. The qurator then called the police and asked for a reason. The answer was that the local police authority had decided to revoke that special permit,” Ludvig Bodelsson says.
Revoked the decision KK contacted the permit granting authority who had not been informed of the decision either. Through them, KK finally managed to commence a dialogue with the police.
“Then, the police decided to withdraw their rash decision, and as it stands now, they will re-evaluate the question once more, after having done further analyses of the level of public order,” Ludvig Bodelsson says.
Nations frustrated
But frustration runs high with both KK and the nations – frustration over such a decision having been made without any effort to communicate with them or with any other authorities involved.
“Of course, this generates insecurity and frustration, since we try to adhere to the regulations and demands that are put on our establishments, but that becomes hard when regulations are so unclear,” says Ludvig Bodelsson.
According to him, being given such information at such a late stage could be problematic since it puts the whole arrangement at risk.
“Then, suddenly we might have to start the ball night earlier than planned, something few people have time for or want to do. Alternatively, it might result in the time schedule being squeezed together, which is not a good solution either,” Ludvig Bodelsson says.
Raises problems for Halland’s
Ludvig Bodelsson also believes that what happened at Halland’s nation last week is both worrying and problematic.
“Being forced to cancel a club night could be devastating for the nation in the long-term as well. Because every nation strives to keep within budget, lost revenue could affect the whole organisation of a nation.”
According to Ludvig Bodelsson, more nations risk being severely affected if communication with the police stay at the low level of today. But in an effort to prevent such a negative trend, KK will invite all parties to a meeting, to discuss how communications could be improved. At the same time, Ludvig Bodelsson cannot quite hide his own disappointment with how things have turned out.
“It feels even more strange since the authorities told us that the new permit rules would not mean any great organisational changes or difficulties,” Ludvig Bodelsson says.
Police are sorry about the situation
The police apologise for turnaround time being prolonged, and they too think that the problems are due to the re-organisation.
“Our organisation has gone through some changes, and sadly, these changes have affected a great deal of the permit-handling section; for that, we are sorry,” police officer Joakim Nyberg says.
According to him, communication was smooth this past spring, even though big changes were made with respect to nations’ permits.
“But ever since the start of the semester, misunderstandings and miscommunication has increased,” Joakim Nyberg says.
The police are now working on improving the collaboration in the future.
“I do hope that we can find our way back to the constructive dialogue we have had previously,” Joakim Nyberg says.
The first month of university has drawn to a close and those of us new to Sweden have had a whirlwind introduction to Swedes and their culture. Here are some of Rowena Guthries observations.
Swedes are open When I tell friends that I am studying in Sweden, the usual response is to ask if it is difficult to make friends. The stereotype that Swedes are reserved and even unfriendly towards new people is still very much believed. However, it is something I am yet to experience. Every country has unspoken social rules that must be learnt and Sweden is no exception. Depending on where you are from, these may seem extreme but that definitely does not mean Swedes in general are unfriendly.
Fika is integral Fika is a word you will come across in all aspects of your life in Lund. In short, it is to come together to drink coffee, the lifeblood of many Swedes, and eat something small, usually a sweet bun or sandwich. Fika will be served at meetings of academic groups, you will meet friends for fika and if you work in an office, expect a daily fikapaus. The idea that an entire office will sit together regardless of hierarchy to drink coffee is a very charming indicator of the social foundations within Sweden. Fika will undoubtedly find its way into your everyday vocabulary.
Split the bill It is very easy in Sweden to split the bill at a restaurant and an option that servers will usually offer. Despite the term ‘going Dutch’, I found out in Amsterdam that it is practically impossible to split a bill in The Netherlands. In contrast, it is usually expected when in a restaurant in Sweden. Whether with friends or on a date, all parties pay their share of the bill. It is certainly telling of widely held societal views in Sweden that this is the assumed practice.
The System After a month in Lund, you are probably well acquainted with Systembolaget, or Systemet (The System), the government owned alcohol monopoly. While there are similar systems in other Nordic countries, for many new to Sweden it is a new concept. The need to consider what time one can buy alcohol until is something that takes practise and planning. I have ended up going to more than a few parties with 3% beer from the supermarket!
Swenglish Some may find that their mother tongue gives them an advantage when learning Swedish or already being multilingual allows them to learn new ones with more ease. Whatever your situation, you will easily be able to have a life in Lund without speaking Swedish. But the ease at which we are able to communicate in English can be seen as a hurdle in learning Swedish! Forming your own Swenglish and slipping in Swedish words and phrases will be met with encouragement and support by your Swedish friends. SFI is also available if you want to push yourself further.
Moving to a new country is difficult, especially if it is very far away from home. One of the most exciting things about doing it though is having the opportunity to learn about and experience a new culture. I am sure I will continue to learn new things about Swedish culture as long as I am living here and I thoroughly look forward to that.
Halloween is rapidly approaching and the amount of fulsittningar (an informal sittning) is never ending. Lundagård has met some of Lund’s experts to get new inspiration and love for costumes.
Text: Tindra Englund Translation: Viktor Jönsson
There are many roads to choose from when making your costume. You can sew your own or borrow from a friend. But in Lund there is also plenty of opportunities to purchase or rent at a reasonable price.
Klädkammaren. Photo: Tindra Englund.
Old unique costumes
In the depths of AF-Borgen’s basement an initiate can find Klädkammaren. A goldmine for every student in need of a costume. Clothes from spex, sewing events and other student related escapades hang here tightly packed in manifold rows.
“It works like this: you come here during our opening hours and try clothes until you find something you like”, says Elin Lundgren, one of the students who is currently co-running Klädkammaren.
“Some come here knowing what they want, other come here with a vague idea or no idea at all. But we think it is fun to brainstorm ideas with people and are always happy to help”, says Bella Gleisner.
The Dragon of Love. Photo: Tindra Englund
Bella Gleisner’s favourite is the so called Kärleksdraken (the dragon of love), a far out jersey with a mysterious past.
“However our most popular costume is the Napoleon jacket, and we have noticed that The Great Gatsby is a popular theme”, she says.
Madeleine Lie actually feels that there are no rules when you are dressing up.
“The most important part is not to be afraid and not feel any kind of pressure. It should be fun to dress up”, says Madeleine Lie.
Even if Klädkammaren is run by students everyone is welcome to borrow costumes. Young, old, student or otherwise.
There are a lot of princess dresses. Photo: Tindra Englund
Cost: as a student you rent a costume a week for 150SEK.
Tip from Lundagård: check to see if the ever popular hotdog is in. A timeless classic for those of you who want to be the life of the party.
Photo caption: Cajsa Åkerlund works at Buttericks and she appreciates that Halloween now allows for greater variation – you do not have to dress up as something scary but you can be anything you want. Photo: Tindra Englund.
New outfits and a lot of wigs
Buttericks has existed in Lund for five years and despite the shop’s meagre area they have good relations with campus life in Lund. It is not uncommon for the shop to offer a discount before sittningar.
“It is so wonderful with all the creativity that exists here, especially during the novish period”, says Christel Eklöf, who is store manager in Lund.
According to Christel it is hard to tell which costume is more or less popular, as she feels that the students purchase all kinds of costumes and accessories.
“Of course some items come and go. For example, the Elvis costume was very popular ten years ago but has now been removed from the assortment.”
At Buttericks you can purchase a complete costume, but there is also plenty of accessories for someone who just wants to zest a borrowed or homemade costume for a few coins.
Agneta is visiting. Photo: Tindra Englund.
Christel herself loves to dress up and with Halloween coming up everyone in the store is dressed up daily. Her best tip is to wear something you feel comfortable and pretty in.
“It is so varied, some completely overdress and others want something they actually feel pretty in.”
With roughly 2800 products she is confident there is something for everyone.
“Either you make up your mind to go ‘all in’ or you can choose to wear a simple accessory”, says Christel Eklöf.
Beaches covered all over with plastics, birds dying with stomachs full of plastic parts: Our eco system is on the brink to collapse. A student city like Lund might seem a place far away from all these problems at first glance, but in fact also students here in Sweden contribute to this miserable situation.
Plastic here, plastic there Life as a student can be really hard sometimes. Especially if it is Monday morning, 7 am and you have to get up for your 8 o’clock class. What usually happens in this situation is that once you managed to leave the bed you quickly get dressed, grab a toast from the kitchen and get on your bike so that you reach your class in time. After surviving the first lecture it is finally time for a break sticking to your motto “caffeine isn’t a drug, it’s a vitamin!” With the coffee-to-go-cup in your right hand and a sandwich wrapped in plastic foil in your left hand you head to the next class.
At 12 pm you meet your friends to get some lunch. As always you directly walk into the nearest grocery store to buy some food at the deli counter. This time you decide to take some chicken and rice, which is put into a huge plastic box and conveniently goes with a plastic fork and knife. Additionally, a big bottle of ice tea is purchased as well as a bag of sweets to share with everybody. Once the whole group has packed their food into plastic bags at the cashier you can look for a nice place to sit and enjoy your meal. Having recharged your batteries the second half of your university day can begin…
Break the rules! Adding up the plastic consumption of just half a day at university would make lots of students look surprised. In many cases it is just the lack of time and the pure convenience to buy packaged food and beverages. But what can students do to reduce their plastic consumption? The key words here are preparation and thinking ahead.
Most of the students drink coffee or tea on a regular basis, so that investing in a reusable cup would be a first step. In terms of getting a snack or sandwich it is always recommendable to prepare it at home. To do so, students do not have to invest hours. Within 5-10 minutes a fresh and delicious sandwich can be prepared and put into a stainless steel box or into a plastic box that can be reused. Talking about the lunch, it can either be prepared at home as well or one can bring their own box to the grocery store and ask the staff to put the food in there. As a last step a glass or BPA free plastic bottle should be your daily companion! Tab water in Sweden is safe so that there is no need to purchase extra plastic bottles.
Step-by-Step Going from a life full of plastic to a plastic free life is an ongoing process. One can start with small things such as using a reusable water bottle or a reusable coffee/tea cup. Then, step-by-step, there can be implemented new ideas. Within the frame of the “Eco – Why not?” series at Lundagard.net, there will be published a video on zero waste showing how a zero waste lifestyle can easily be realized in practice. Stay tuned!
Did you know
…that it takes 500-1,000 years for plastic to degrade?
…that we currently recover only five percent of the plastics we produce?
…that enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth four times?
…that Plastic chemicals can be absorbed by the body—93 percent of Americans age six or older test positive for BPA (a plastic chemical)?
…that annually approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million bags are used every minute?
Literary scholar Malin Alkestrand has in her thesis work at Lund University shown how Harry Potter can be an effective tool when working with fundamental values in school.
Text: Tindra Englund Translation: Elise Petersson
Malin Alkestrand has through studying three different fantasy series – Harry Potter, the Artemis Fowl series and Engelsforstrilogin – researched how fantasy literature can be pedagogically used in school to educate students and highlight and discuss questions regarding democracy, human rights and cultural diversity.
“My point is that fantasy actually often reminds us of our own reality, which can aid us in gaining new perspectives. A clear example is how Voldemort’s racism is similar to Hitler’s ideology”, says Malin Alkestrand.
According to her, fantasy as a genre is a suitable tool to discuss fundamental values because it offers a certain distance to what is happening, which makes it easier to see it from another point of view. Malin Alkestrand hopes that the teachers who read her dissertation will be inspired and see what possibilities fantasy offers.
“However, my thesis is not about how to use fantasy in practice. That decision is up to each teacher. But I can imagine that you, for example, can use examples from literature when discussing fundamental values and then ask the students how they would have acted in a similar situation”, Malin Alkestrand says.
Today she teaches the course “Harry Potter from and intermedial perspective” at Linnaeus University, and she thinks it is a shame that there is such a contempt against “Harry Potter knowledge”, not least within Lund’s academia.
“I know there was some commotion over this course a couple of years ago, and in my experience there are plenty of hierarchies in Lund’s academic world. But I believe that Harry Potter is at least as important as Strindberg”, Malin Alkestrand says.
According to her, HarryPotter can be highlighted with the same theoretical tools as Strindberg, and she thinks there is strength in using the literature young people actually read.
“Harry Potter research is full of different perspectives like gender and race. Therefore it’s a good way to learn how to analyze the literature academically, and besides the course at Linnaeus University is extremely close to research”, Malin Alkestrand says.
A lot of English research on Harry Potter already exists, but Malin Alkestrand’s is the first Swedish dissertation about the didactic qualities of the fantasy genre. She is also the first person to delve into the depths of Engelsforstrilogin, which is a highly successful Swedish fantasy series.
Malin Alkestrand is an elementary and high school teacher in Swedish and History, and discussed her thesis Magical possibilities, Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl and the Circle in school’s work with fundamental values in the subject Literature on Friday, September 16 2016 at Lund University. She is now working at Linnaeus University where she teaches courses on children’s literature and Harry Potter.
In 2008, Thailand agreed to buy the Swedish fighter aircraft JAS Gripen in exchange for access to hundreds of educational places in Swedish Master’s programmes. Therefore, from 2010 until this summer, a group of Thai students attended Swedish Universities for free, most of whom studied in Lund. Individual institutions could have chosen to decline the Thai students – but none of them did, except for the Faculty of Law.
Written by Oskar Madunic Olsson and Virve Ivarsson Translated by Cecilia Eriksson
Sverker Jönsson is a Senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law. In 2014 he discovered that there had been an inquiry about the number of educational places available for Thai students, which was part of the JAS-deal that was made with Thailand in 2008. Sverker Jönsson found it inappropriate to educate the JAS-students.
– I told my head of administration that there might be a risk that this deal would undermine our research in human rights and constrict the independence of the University, he says.
The Faculty of Law Refused As a result, a team of teachers in the Master’s programme in Human Rights Law opposed teaching the JAS-students, because it would jeopardise the integrity of the organisation. At this point, after Thailand experienced a period of unstable democratic ruling, many feared that the Thai military would regain power in Thailand – which they did later that year. These issues concerning the JAS-students were first noticed by the reporting site Blank Spot Project.
The Head of the Department: “In Hindsight, it Turned Out for the Best” Vilhelm Persson, Senior lecturer in Public Law and head of the Faculty of Law at that time, says he did not find any reason to doubt whether higher authorities had handled the situation with the JAS-students correctly.
– But as head of the department I saw no valid reason to go against a team of teachers who felt uncomfortable, he says.
However, in hindsight, he is glad that the Faculty of Law didn’t accept any of the students.
– As it turned out, the Swedish Armed Forces did not have enough knowledge about the situation.
The Head of Office: “The Institution Decides” The Faculty of Law declined the JAS-students. According to Susanne Norrman, head of the University’s commissioned education, all faculties have the opportunity to refuse students on commissioned education.
– The enactment of commissioned education clearly states that the effecting of commissioned education cannot affect the quality of the education. Therefore, an institution can decline students if, for example, the classes grow too large. In that case, the University will accept the situation, says Susanne Norrman.
LTH: “It Was an Accomplished Fact” The first JAS-students started their Master’s programmes in 2010 and the last ones graduated in the spring of 2016. Thai students were represented at LTH, the Faculty of Science (FS), the School of Economics and Management (SEM), the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS), the Faculty of Medicine (FM) and the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies (CES).
Per Warfvinge, Assistant Dean at LTH, was on the LTH board in 2010. He does not remember knowing about the commissioned education until the decision had already been made.
– I recall us being presented with an accomplished fact. Even the registration of the students had already been completed by someone outside of LTH, which is extremely unusual, he says.
However, the students’ backgrounds were known.
It became clear that the employer was the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration and that the students were part of the JAS-deal made with Thailand, says Per Warfvinge.
But he doesn’t remember how he felt about the issue at the time or whether there had been a real discussion about it within the management at LTH.
FM: ”The Problem is Ethical” The same thing happened at the Faculty of Medicine, where people felt more or less forced to accept the new students. – Those who preceded me has explained how they got a signed contract about these students’ commissioned education from the board of commissioned education. But she didn’t know about their connection to the JAS-deal, says Martin Stafström, head of the Master’s programme in Public Health.
– Once a decision has been made about a commissioned education our job is simply to carry it out. I find the issue with the JAS-students to be problematic from an ethical standpoint, but in this case the decision had already been made by higher authorities, he says.
SEM: “Is not Pursuing its own Policy” Pontus Hansson, the director of undergraduate studies at the Institution of Economics, confirms that they accepted a JAS-student to the Master’s programme in Finance. The student’s connection to the JAS-deal seemed to be known, but the Institution saw no reason to decline her a place in the programme. – The Government had decided we were to educate them, and since the University is a public body that is directed by the Government we adhere to them. The Institution of Economics isn’t pursuing its own policy.
CES: “Did not Have a Military Background” Monica Lindberg Falk, director of the Education Board at the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, supervised a JAS-student but says she didn’t know about his connection to the JAS-deal. – We always have Thai students from some scholarship programme. And he definitely did not have a military background, she says.
FS: “The Moral Compass of Individual Co-Workers is of Great Importance” At the Department of Chemistry there was no real discussion about the acceptance of the JAS-students. They did not see the acceptance as optional.
Olle Söderman, who was head of the Institution in 2014, finds it interesting to exchange students from undemocratic countries, but says the University has been avoiding the issue by not having a policy for it. – At the international Master’s programme in Chemistry the students come from many different countries. Should there really be an exchange with China, for instance? In reality, this is up to the moral compass of each individual co-worker, a situation that can be further discussed, he says.
The Vice-Chancellor: “Not that Problematic” The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Torbjörn von Schantz, does not see it as a big problem that the Government using educational places at Swedish seats of learning to negotiate with – as long as it doesn’t violate the University’s own organisation. As head of authority he respects the Government’s decision. – I can understand that there are people who react – these are difficult issues. But personally, I don’t find it that problematic since the education that these students receive isn’t primarily used in the military.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, the University has acted correctly in regard to the JAS-students. He finds exchanges with undemocratic states to be risky, but according to him this is an issue for the Government to decide, rather than the University. In addition, he finds that educating foreign military has a more positive than negative effect. – If a soldier comes to Sweden to study and meet people from Sweden and other countries, it might contribute to making the world more pacifist. I believe education has the ability to make peace, says Torbjörn von Schantz.
Sverker Jönsson did not want Juridicum to accept the JAS-students. Photo by: Virve Ivarsson.
The Lecturer: “Why should the University sell Saab’s fighter aircrafts?” Sverker Jönsson feels that more people need to understand that universities aren’t like any other authority. – The Swedish military shouldn’t be able to call the University in the same way that the Enforcement Authority calls the police. You can utilize the fact that you are an authority, but why should Lund University help Saab sell fighter aircrafts? If anyone knows, feel free to contact me.
Sverker Jönsson also stresses that the problem with the University accepting the students isn’t about what subjects they study.
– Even if every JAS-student studied to become a dentist, it is still upsetting because the University’s acceptance of them means we are taking part in the arms trade.
To Sverker Jönsson this is about the University’s reliability and independence. According to him, the arms trade should be alarming to the faculties.
– For example, what do we do when bombs are falling from those JAS-planes? The military did do a coup d’état in Thailand right after the JAS-deal, and one might say that we, at the University, cooperated with the military by accepting the JAS-students, he says.
Lundagård has been trying to reach the Faculty of Social Sciences – who also accepted JAS-students – for a comment.
This article was written in cooperation with Blank Spot Project
At the end of October, Pope Francis will visit Lund and Malmö to commemorate the start of the Reformation in 2017. Lundagård spoke to a Catholic and Protestant student about their feelings and hopes before the visit.
On October 31st 1517, the German monk Martin Luther nailed ninety-five thesis on a German church with demands for change in the Catholic Church. This event started the Reformation and was the foundation of the Protestant Church, which next year will have existed for 500 years.
At the start of this anniversary year, Pope Francis will meet representatives of the Lutheran Church in Lund Cathedral and 10.000 people will gather to see him in Malmö Arena.
Psychology student Nicolaus Fredestad is excited about the upcoming visit:
“The pope is the successor of the apostle Peter and it is his role to maintain the Catholic Church’s tradition and keep it united. It is a big
honor that he will come here.”
Nicolaus is Catholic and chairman of the southern region of Swedish Young Catholics, an organization coordinating Catholic youth work. He comments on the reason for the pope’s visit, which in some way is ironic for Catholics:
“We Catholics don’t celebrate the Reformation after all. In my eyes it is one of the worst things that has happed in Swedish church history. A lot of culture and piety has disappeared when Sweden converted to Lutheranism in the 16th century. But that is why it is good to give attention to it now and to try to build bridges between Catholics and Protestants. What happened to make the church divide? We are looking for unity.”
On the last point Veronica Pålsson, a theology student at Lund University completely agrees with Nicolaus. She aims to work as a minister in the Swedish Church, and is involved in organizing a youth meeting linked to the papal visit.
“We will gather with about one hundred Catholics and Protestants age 18 to 25 from Southern Sweden in Lund during the two days before the pope comes. We will have discussion groups together, lectures by both Catholic and Protestant church leaders and we will pray together.”
Even though Pope Francis is not the leader of her own church, Veronica is very excited for his visit:
“This is a historic event. It is only the second time ever that a pope visits Sweden, so it is awesome to witness it. And Pope Francis engages himself in important questions: the refugee crisis, the environment, the acceptance of homosexuals… Of course, these issues will not be solved overnight, but the pope dares to start the discussion.”
She hopes that both the visit and the youth gwathering will lead to more understanding and unity between Catholics and Protestants.
“There is much more that unites us than that separates us, we are all God’s children. And we might even be able to discover the richness in the traditions of the other.”
About the pope visit and Chrisitianity in Sweden:
On Monday October 31st, Pope Francis will arrive in Lund. He comes to commemorate the start of the Reformation in 1517, when Martin Luther’s criticism on the Catholic Church led to the foundation of Protestantism.
Lutheran Protestantism has been the main denomination since the 16th century. Nowadays, about two-third of the Swedish population is a member of the Swedish Lutheran Church. About one percent of the Swedes are Catholic.
The pope’s visit starts with an ecumenical service in the Cathedral, only open to invitees. Among those attending are a.o. the Swedish royal family, the president of the Lutheran World Federation and Swedish Catholic and Protestant church leaders. The service will be broadcasted live on Swedish television and will be shown on large screens in Lund.
On Monday afternoon, there will be a larger event in Malmö Arena. The 10.000 tickets for this were sold 1,5 hours after their released Some tickets have, however, been reserved for youth people and will be sold later.
On Tuesday morning the pope will celebrate a Catholic Mass in Malmö, before returning home. At the moment, it is not yet known where the Mass will be held, nor is anything known about the sale of tickets.
When Lundagård sent out a survey, most novisches answered that they were very pleased with their nollning. However, many hold that the activities were too tailored to extrovert people and focused too much on alcohol. What most people bring up as a problem is that it was difficult to have time for both nollning and studies.
Yet another nollning period is over. When Lundagård sent out a suvery to all novisches at Lund University, asking how they found their nollning, it received 504 answers. A majority of the respondents stated that they were very pleased with their nollning.
“I am very pleased. It felt well organised with committed mentors and a lot of different activities. Without nollning, you would have just gone to your lectures. Now, however, you got to know your fellow students”, says Svante Rosenlind, fresh student of engineering mathematics at LTH.
Alcohol and social demands The survey also shows that a lot of novisches found that the nollning focused too much on extroverts and alcohol.
“I noticed that some more introvert people were present during the first days of the nollning, but then stopped showing up for the activities. And even if drinking alcohol was voluntary, with sober mentors always present, many of the activities consisted of sittnings and pub rounds. The Facebook events encouraged people to ‘bring your own booze’, which I found unnecessary”, says Kim, who just started studying at the Faculty of Medicine.
Nollning obstructs studies However, what most people mentioned as problematic was that it was difficult to have time for both nollning and studies. This was something that Kim also recognized.
“Social activities are fun and a great way to get to know your fellow students, but nollning and studies don’t add up. At one time, we had a sleep-over with the nollning group and then an exam the next day. It didn’t feel that well planned.”
Marianne Fuglsang Jordt, who has started her studies in Arabic at the Faculties of Humanities and Theology, also had trouble finding time for her studies.
“I had to try and assess whether I had time for a nollning activity without missing too much of my education. Some activities only had two people showing up since everyone else felt they had to study instead”, she says.
Could be inspired by Denmark Marianne Fuglsang Jordt does have a suggestion on how to solve the problem.
“I´m from Denmark, where we have our nollning period during summer, before the semester starts. I think that Lund University could serve from being inspired by that system”, she says.
Efforts in study groups Of the respondents to the survey, most of the novisches who had problems finding time for both nollning and studies were from the LTH.
“We try to have many niche activities to suit everyone. We also have study evenings and groups were experienced students help the new ones to find time for their studies. Rather than removing nollning activities to make room for studies, we add more nollning time tailored for studying”, says Nicolás Salas, General of Nollning at the student union at LTH (TLTH).
“Everything is voluntary” The Faculty of Medicine is the faculty where most novisches felt too great a focus on alcohol. Chairperson Madeleine Lehander at Medicinska Föreningen (MF), states that they are aware of and try to prevent the problems that may arise.
“Everything is voluntary, both participating in the activities and drinking alcohol. There are always sober mentors on site, and we also have calmer activities such as movie nights which do not involve alcohol”, Madeleine Lehander says.
The key: Organisation and experience Overall, the survey respondents are pleased with their nollning. LTH has the highest number of very pleased respondents. Nicolás Salas believes that it could be the result of experience and clear organisation.
“I have five years of experience working with nollning and have been working on this year’s edition since November last. Everything has been carefully planned, so that when problems have arisen, we have been able to focus entirely on solving them”, Nicolás Salas says.
Summer nollning a possibility The suggestion to follow suit with Denmark and hold nollning before the programmes start has not been raised either at MF or TLTH.
“It hasn’t been discussed during my year at Medicinska Föreningen but it could be something to look at”, chairperson Madeleine Lehander says.
“It would take a restructuring of the entire nollning organisation. There are a lot of longstanding traditions at the faculty. That being said, it is not impossible”, Nicolás Salas says.
It can be exasperating to feel incapable of influencing the politics of our time. But new research concludes that political satire gives you tools to orientate and engage in politics.
No step for man, a giant leap for human mind. The ability political satire has to inspire political interest and media awareness in youths is the essence of new research conducted at Lund university.
Joanna Doona, who received her doctorate this September, has examined the audiences of the political satire podcast Tankesmedjan and the television program The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Her findings show that political satire occupies an important function that ordinary news programs cannot fill:
“They have an emotional and pedagogical function that helps the audience to better understand current issues”, says Joanna Doona.
In the tumultuous present day media landscape, where everyone is a potential news source, it is vital to think critically about what you read, hear and see. The confusion and constant vigilance can be a problem.
“To feel the unending need to be critical and that you sort of have to have studied at a university to understand a political speech; it is fundamentally undemocratic. Those not feeling a part of that may turn to superficial perspectives”, says Joanna Doona.
According to her, many young people are not necessarily looking for objectivity, but rather want to be emotionally engaged. One of the interviewees, working at a local council, sometimes felt alienated from her colleagues because of her enthusiasm. On those occasions she thought of the podcast Tankesmedjan as
a little friend as it maintained her political engagement.
“Because you can get really tired of all the political correctness, I’m sick of that sometimes”, she commented.
As this shows, political satire programs invite engagement and also seem to improve independent and critical thinking.
“Political satire create a capability to understand that everything isn’t what it looks like, maybe you need to dig deeper and criticise”, says Joanna Doona.
As an individual it can be hard, sometimes seemingly impossible, to change the currents of the political world. That being said, what can the individual do? Democracy is about engagement and political satire is one, admittedly fun, way to engage.
As Joanna Doona states, it is fundamentally undemocratic not to understand a political speech. Political satire exists to explain them, their falsities and booby-traps, and gives you tools to analyse politics.
