Italy has panettone, in some countries Santa comes with liters of coke and Sweden…well, sigh… To help you find your way through the jungle of Swedish Christmas treats, Lundagård has done the testing for you.

Christmas is a holiday celebrated in many countries, but the traditions surrounding this holiday can be very different. Let’s just take the food: had you heard of lussekatter, pepparkakor and julmust before arriving here? To know what treats are must-tastes and which ones you can skip, we asked a brave team of two Swedes and one international student to test four kinds of food and two drinks that are very particular for Swedish Christmas.

Alvin (American exchange student, living in Sweden for four months now) and Isabel and Malin (two real Swedes) have judged the different products on the amount of the Christmas feeling that they give. The undisputed winner? Gingerbread cookies. Maybe not so surprising, they are after all omnipresent these times.
Julskum (Literally: Christmas foam)

What do they think it is? Alvin: ”Strawberry gummy? A gummy kind of thing” Isabel: “Not bad. Santa kind-of marshmellows. But instead of red, Santa is here pink.” Alvin: “Oh wait, is it Santa?!”

How would the test persons describe the taste? Sweet, sweeeet. Very chemical strawberries. And you really have to chew on them.

When should one eat this, according to the Swedish crew? While opening the presents, which in Sweden is done on the 24^th of December.

On a scale of 1-10, how much Christmas feeling does this give? Malin and Isabel both give a 7. “The popularity of skum is increasing, but we don’t really know why though.” Alvin gives a 3.

Average grade: 6.7

Pepparkakor with blue cheese

What do they think it is? Alvin: “Gingerbread cookies with some sort of cream on it. Vanilla cream?” Isabel: “Gingerbread cookies with blue cheese from a tube. You can also have them with normal blue cheese.”

How would the test persons describe the taste? Alvin: “Is this cheese?! I’d like them without it.”
The taste is described as kryddig (spicy, but not of the hot kind), and simultaneously salty and sweet.

When should one eat this, according to the Swedish crew? At any adventsfika. Or at just any time, maybe.

On a scale of 1-10, how much Christmas feeling does this give? Alvin gives a 7, the others a 9 and a 10. This comes close to the ultimate Christmas treat.

Average grade: 8.7

Julmust

What do they think it is? Alvin: “Some kind of alcoholic drink?” Malin and Isabel: “A Christmas soda with Christmas spices.” For the record, without alcohol.

How would the test persons describe the taste to you? Alvin: “Pretty good! Slightly berry-ish.”

When should one eat this, according to the Swedish crew? THE drink to accompany the Christmas dinner.

On a scale of 1-10, how much Christmas feeling does this give? Alvin: “A 3, because I have never had it before.” Isabel: “A 7. It’s quite Christmassy, but now they also have it for Easter nowadays.” Malin: “A 7.”

Average grade: 5.7

Ischoklad (literally: ice-chocolate)

What do they think it is? Alvin: “Chocolate with peanut butter? It looks like Reese cups.” Isabel: “It’s ischoklad. I don’t really know how you make it. It’s just chocolate for Christmas.”

How would the test persons describe the taste to you? A bit like caramel, otherwise just like chocolate.

When should one eat this, according to the Swedish crew? Also when opening the presents on the 24^th.

On a scale of 1-10, how much Christmas feeling does this give? A 3, a 4 and a 5, as the test persons say: “I could eat this any time, not just on Christmas.”

Average grade: 4

Lussekatt

What do they think it is? Alvin: “Raisin bread? I have no idea.” Isabel: “It’s a saffron bun, which one should eat on Lucia Day. That is on December 13^th.”
Alvin: “What is Lucia?” Isabel: “Lucia was an Italian saint that nowadays is celebrated in Sweden with processions with lights and songs. Many pre-schools, schools and offices do something with Lucia. We need to light up December, it is so dark.”

How would the test persons describe the taste to you? Alvin: “It just tastes like bread. No big difference.” Isabel: “I’d say it tastes like saffron. I baked them for Christmas when I was in the US, but they destroyed the concept as they didn’t understand it! They ate it with the turkey, but I brought it as a dessert.”

When should one eat this, according to the Swedish crew? For Lucia, at a concert at school, or any time. You are allowed to eat them after the 13^th too.

On a scale of 1-10, how much Christmas feeling does this give? Malin and Isabel both give an 8. Alvin a 6 “because I at least know what it is.”

Average grade: 7.3

Svagdricka

What do they think it is? Alvin: “Beer.” Isabel: “Christmas beer. I have never tried it before.”

How would the test persons describe the taste to you? A kind of sweet beer. Possibly a mix of julmust and beer.

When should one eat this, according to the Swedish crew? At Christmas dinner, to accompany the food.

On a scale of 1-10, how much Christmas feeling does this give? Alvin: “A 3. Oh, but it says jul on it, and that means Christmas, right? That helps. Then a 5.” The others also give a 5.

Average grade: 5

Text and photo: Paula Dubbink.

For many international students, the days approaching Christmas mean cleaning dorms and flying back home. Lundågard caught up with three international students who are staying in Lund for Christmas and asked them about their decision to stay. 

Text by: Alvin Chen

For some exchange students, winter break means a vacation right here in Lund between the fall and spring semesters.  One of the biggest reasons not to fly home was the financial cost. Coming from different continents, all three students lamented the high price of flying home and coming back to Europe.

Kevin Richardson, from Michigan, USA, plans on going to the Christmas market in Copenhagen for a day trip sometime during the winter break.  As for Christmas Day, he’ll be spending it with a close friend’s family in Lund, where he says he will try his hand at baking lussekatter.

Winter living in Lund has been different than back home in Michigan:
“Being outside in winter was limited to the race from the door of my apartment to the door of my car, starting the ignition, and praying for the heat to kick in quickly”.

In Lund, getting around is mostly done by bus or foot, so Kevin has been outside in the winter cold a lot more often.

For Diane Lim, from California, USA, Christmas plans are not set in stone. She hopes to travel to nearby countries with friends or may opt to take a break and relax in Lund. Being in Sweden, Christmas already feels a lot different from her home because of the fact that California does not have a high probability of snow.

She also indicates that there is a different holiday feel in a college town like Lund as compared to being at home.

Gamaliel Kan, from Malaysia, also has not set a definite plan for Christmas.  He aims to either find last-minute cheap tickets to countries around Europe, or stay in Lund to relax as well.

Christmas in Lund will be a quite different experience than back in Malaysia according to Gamaliel: ”You still get highs of 31°C on Christmas day”.

Thus, a snowy Christmas morning is usually out of the question.  Furthermore, Christmas isn’t huge in Malaysia so the festive air of Lund will add to the new experience.

Apart from the high flight costs, staying in Sweden over the holiday break ended up not being a tough choice to make because all three students have had good experiences living in Lund this semester.  Food is one of the top reasons, as Kevin points out his love for Swedish baked goods and Gamaliel agrees: “If kanelbulle is served during fika, that is heaven to me.”

Christmas this year for Kevin, Diane and Gamaliel may not be as familiar as being back home, but with friends and Swedish hospitality, it will still be a very memorable one.

No time to think of a Secret Santa gift idea? Here are three shops in Lund, where you will find a great selection of presents.  

Reko Deli
As a student you normally have a tight budget and can’t spend your money on gourmet food. Why not giving away deli food? Reko Deli offers a big variety of extraordinary and delicious food presents, all organic of course.

TeKulturen Lund
It’s teatime! Also a nicely packaged tea tin is a great Secret Santa gift. Especially during wintertime, a cup of tea is warming and makes everybody happy. At TeKulturen you will find everything from loose tea to tea accessories and tea mugs.

Lexis Papper
This shop is everything else than just a boring shop for copying and printing university papers. You will find a fine selection of high quality notebooks or lovingly designed writing pads. A lot of their products are crafted and have hence a unique character. Give it a try!

TEXT Jessica Könnecke

Lundagård is on Christmas break. Please come back to lundagard.net in the middle of January for the latest updates about higher education and student life in Lund.

Do you have any suggestions on what we should cover during 2015? Please contact us on lundagard@lundagard.se

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A new country and a new city is a daunting experience no matter your background. But Lund and its student life present an impressive array of activities. Make sure to get to know your new home and its people. Below follows a small list of your choices.

MONDAY
Perhaps you are worried that this little town is as complete cultural drought, but fear not. Kino Cinema is screening the opera Nabucco from the Metropolitan (recorded 7^th of January). 300 kr per ticket but with 25% student discount lets you enjoy Verdis’ work in HD and surround sound.

TUESDAY
British expats and general admirers of a very long and filling meal! Sydskånska nation offers an afternoon tea 08:00-17:00. Join the century long debate if clotted cream more closely resembles cream or butter.

WEDNESDAY
Join the 350^th University celebration in the lecture ‘Five years with Sten K Johnson Centre for Entrepreneurship. The discussion will concern the contribution the centre has made to entrepreneurship since its formation, with a focus on lessons learned and future opportunities. 15:00 at the  Sten K Johnson Entrepreneurship Centre.

THURSDAY
Thursday is a good day to try a student lunch at one of the nations. Both Malmö nation and Göteborgs nation as well as Västgöta nation offer a homemade meal this day at student friendly prices. “Smaklig måltid!”

FRIDAY
The Swedish Association of Professional Photographer’s have an annual photo award. Peer at the winning photo by Martina Hoogland at Stadsbiblioteket along with her other works. Available 13^th January to the 5^th of February.

Celebrate you survived until the first weekend by going out on a truly Swedish club night. Helsingkrona nation offers SCHLAGERNATT, which is a genre of music both loved and hated by the Swedes; yet somehow slightly ironic dancing will in all probability turn to nostalgic singalong for many.

SATURDAY
The Tourism Information Office of Lund organises a food tour this Saturday 12:00-14:00. Try trendy raw food and classics like the Lundafalafel. The tour starts outside the Tourism Information Office at Stortorget. The ticket costs 330 SEK and can be booked http://www.ticketmaster.se/event/smaka-pa-lund-biljetter/450817

The ice rink Ishallen is open for the public on Saturdays 16-19 (and Sundays 11-14). Entry ticket costs 40 for adults and renting skates is 70 kronor. The price is well worth it for watching your friends slide around in panic trying to avoid hitting small children and angry parents. Dress for how you would expect to dress in a room full of ice.

SUNDAY
Brunch at  Hallands nation 11:30-14:00. A beloved staple in the nation’s weekend activities. Sample a satisfying meal while pondering if you could see yourself spending a hazy weeknight club night in Hallands.

MONDAY 23^rd
You may have noticed that the students of Lund defy the weather and cobbled streets on bike. This bike auction is, perhaps, your chance to get a good deal. The auction starts at 17:00, with the bidding starting about 18:00. Find it at John Ericssons Väg/Ole Römers väg.

A study at the Faculty of Science shows how molecules in different liquids and creams affect the skin, but also how the solvent is affected by being absorbed into the skin.

Written by Tindra Englund. Translated by Rebecka McKinnon Forsell

It is only a small amount of the skin’s molecules that are in liquid form. However, these molecules are in motion and they are important because they decide many of the skin’s properties like elasticity and barrier function.
– We have studied the skin for many years. It is partly a biological system but also a fantastic material and membrane, says Professor Emma Sparr.

The Products Affect the Skin in More Ways than We Know
In this recent study, scientists at Lund’s Faculty of Science have noticed how molecules in liquids and creams affect the skin, but also how they are affected by being absorbed into the skin.
– Today, we use a lot of different products that are in contact with the skin, both voluntarily and involuntarily, says Professor Emma Sparr.

More or Less Liquid
A lot of the products are affecting the skin’s penetrability, making the skin more or less liquid. This effect is intentional in some products in order to make the skin absorb medication or vitamins.
– When making the skin more penetrable to a certain substance, it also becomes more penetrable to other things although it affects the skin only during shorter periods, says Professor Emma Sparr.

– Normal skin is a complex structure and only a small amount of its molecules are liquid. The amount of liquid molecules is not constant and factors like the environment and added products on the skin can change the amount of liquid molecules, says Professor Emma Sparr.

The New Method
So far, there has been a lack in tools to research these liquid molecules and how they are affected by added products, even though the molecules are very important for the quality of the skin. Emma Sparr and her research team have succeeded in finding a method to distinguish how different products affect the skin’s molecules.

By using NMR, (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), scientists have discovered changes in these molecules when they interchange with molecules from different solvents. The scientists have also been able to distinguish effects the other way around, how the added molecules are affected by the skin’s molecules.
– On the one hand we can now explain earlier observations, and on the other, we now have better possibilities to predict what will happen when adding a certain type of substance, says Professor Emma Sparr.

Make Smart Choices Possible
There is a big interest in the new research and the research team is already collaborating with both dermatologists and companies that develop cosmetics and pharmaceuticals that are applied to the skin.
– If you don’t have a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms, you will have trial and error but with help and experience, this method can help you make smart choices, says Professor Emma Sparr.

No Need to Worry
So far, Professor Emma Sparr is not too concerned with the results on how the way products affect our skin. On the contrary, she is becoming all the more curious.
– Every discovery we do leads to more new questions to answer and the results can help in other areas where products are applied to the skin, says Professor Emma Sparr.

It can be about hygiene, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. A medical ointment has to transport active molecules through the skin; a skin lotion can make the skin softer and more supple while a disinfectant shouldn’t have any effects on the skin’s quality.
– The more knowledge about molecular mechanisms we gain, the more effectively we can influence and regulate the qualities of the skin, says Professor Emma Sparr.

The study has been made by Professor Emma Sparr together with Professor Daniel Topgaard and doctoral candidate Quoc Dat Pham.

After having received a record number of applications, Lundakarnevalen’s nominating committee has now submitted their suggestion of whom to include in the Carnival Committee.

By Tindra Englund      Translated by Cecilia Eriksson

In total, 152 nominations and 61 candidacies were received for the eleven posts. The nominating committee chose to interview 40 of these.
– None of the applicants has applied for a specific post. You apply to be on the Carnival Committee and then, based on your interests, rank the posts in order of preference, says Therese Whass, chairman of the nominating committee.

Based on Solid Work
She is very pleased with the candidates they decided on and says the nominating committee has put some solid work into trying to put together the best team imaginable.
– We spent about 646 hours on interviews and preparations, says Therese Whass.

The nominating committee centred the interviews on creating a diverse and equal organization.
– It’s important that we have a good mix, and don’t end up with eleven students from the social sciences or eleven students from Lund Nation, says Therese Whass.

The One Important Question
The nominating committee has also carried out a solid background check, and did not merely speak to the references presented by the applicants themselves, but also tried to take unofficial references into consideration.
– However, the one important question in the interview was whether the applicant would have been sorted into Gryffindor or Slytherin, says Therese Whass, chairman of the nominating committee.

The Nominees for the Posts Are:
Head of Tickets and Sponsorships: Carl Johansson
Head of Economy: Jacob Karlsson
Head of Parties: Sofia Brandt
Head of Communications: Sara Ramberg
Head of Music and Programme: Patrik Norrman
Head of Amusement: Sofia Jörnlid
Head of Grounds: Kevin Bengtsson
Head of Production: Maja Cronert
Head of Security: Freja Davidsson Bremborg
Head of Parade: Ludvig Bodelsson
Head of Vieri: Ellen Olsson 

The Candidate Election Takes Place on February Seventh
The members of the Carnival Committee will not be decided until this meeting takes place. Then, potential rival candidates get the chance to present themselves before the election will be held. The meeting will be open, which means that anyone who is interested is more than welcome to attend.

___________________________________________________________________________

The Carnival Committee

• This is Lundakarnevalens highest executive institution. This group of students will govern the administration and the main task of working with Lundakarnevalen as a whole.
• The Committee will create the entire organization, which includes everything that Lundakarnevalen
• The Committee members have a shared responsibility to make sure that Lundakarnevalen becomes a reality.

Philip Warkander is the first person in the world to hold a doctor’s degree in fashion science. He now works as a university lector at the Division of Fashion Science at Campus Helsingborg.

Text by: Sofia Esfandi                Translation: Carl-William Ersgård

How do you research fashion?
“At Lund University, fashion science is part of the humanities, and research works just as in the other art fields. Fashion science is sort of like a lens through which we can study our society. My field of study is fashion in relation to contemporary phenomena.

Why is fashion science important?
“The key question is ‘why are there human sciences?’ We study our surrounding in order to better understand culture, and humanities are the soul of society. As for fashion, it is a science that both reflects and drives the development of society. Fashion is more widespread than any other cultural expression, since all people wear clothes and thus must relate to the fashion industry.

Philip Warkander holds that fashion is important to study and analyse from a critical perspective. According to him, fashion is a complex subject with positive as well as negative aspects.

“In society, fashion is a way of expressing one’s identity and which group one belongs to. At the same time, the fashion industry also provides for people across the globe. But the other side of the fashion coin is consumption. A consumption that deepens the gap between rich and poor. In addition, we must not forget that the fashion industry, second only to the oiling industry, is the world’s most dangerous industry to the environment. Increased consumption leads to more problems for the climate.”

Is there a typical ‘student style’?
“Historically speaking, students of the humanities are, for example, associated with the duffel coat. Nowadays, it is difficult to pinpoint a specific student style, since students as a group have become more diverse. On the other hand, there are probably certain dress codes more common among some programmes than others, where for example class belonging is sometimes manifested in what you wear.

In 2013, Philip Warkander was the first person in the world to hold a doctor’s degree in fashion science. When I ask him why it was not until the 21^st century that fashion became something to study at the university, he points at a classic academic norm.

Philip Warkander holds that subjects traditionally dominated by women are seen as less valuable in relation to those dominated by men. According to him, this is the reason why it was not until 2006 that fashion became science.

____________________________________________________________________________________

In Sweden, fashion science has been a part of the humanities since 2006. Philip Warkander took his doctorate in 2013 with the thesis “This is all fake, this is all plastic, this is me – An ethnographic study of the interrelations between style, sexuality and gender in contemporary Stockholm.”

From an international perspective, Lund  Sweden’s most popular university. For the autumn semester of 2017, 26 223 foreign students applied to study at Lund University at an advanced level (one or two-year master).

Written by: Simon Appelqvist      Translated by: Linn Mattisson

The University received applications from 180 countries and most applicants were from Bangladesh, Egypt and the United Kingdom. Of the top ten most popular degree programmes in Sweden, nine belong to Lund University this year.

The top three consists of the two-year Master Programme in Public Health (1642 applicants), the one-year Master Programme in International Marketing and Brand Management (1547) and the two-year Master Programme in International Development and Management (1466).

The programme director for the Public Health programme at Lund University, Martin Stafström, was positively surprised when he saw the results. He believes there are many reasons for the success.

– We are good at marketing [the programme] and using the web. We also dedicate a lot of resources to contact and dialogue with those who get in touch with us that are interested in applying, says Martin Stafström.

Göteborg’s nation leaves techno and the Thursday club behind in favor of a new concept on a new day. Wednesday 25^th January is the premiere of Göteborgs nations onsdagsklubb – Göteborg’s nation’s Wednesday Club.

By Tindra Englund   Translated by Cecilia Eriksson  Picture: Göteborg’s nation.

According to Truls Nörgaard Grytli, curator at Göteborg’s nation, there are many reasons for the decision.
– We used to have a club on Thursdays and Fridays, which resulted in the clubs drawing attention from one another. If one club went up, the other went down which wasn’t desirable.

Also, the management of Göteborg’s nation felt it was time for something new. And so far there has only been one permanent Wednesday Club within Studentlund.
– We tried different concepts with the Thursday Clubs, but we feel a change in day will benefit student life and give everyone more options to choose from, Truls Nörgaard Grytli says.

Although he won’t acknowledge the Thursday Club has been doing badly, Truls Nörgaard Grytli says the club’s had both ups and downs.
– It’s gone up and down, but lately it hasn’t always been as good as you’d want. So, this was a discussion we needed to have.

A New Name and Style of Music
The name Reaktor will be removed and instead the club will be called Göteborgs nations onsdagsklubb – Göteborg’s Nation’s Wednesday Club. And every other week or so there will be a theme club.
– Among other things, there will be a Håkan club and a Schlager club. And on the International Women’s Day we’re having a Queen B club where most of the artists will be female, Truls Nörgaard Grytli says.

Even the music will be changed as mainstream music will replace techno.
– We call it “rally music”. It will be songs you can sing along to. After a night out, you should have a sore throat after having been on the dancefloor, singing along. That’s what we think Lund should be like!

No Risk of a Bad Atmosphere
Even though Göteborg’s nation is now launching both a Håkan club and a schlager club Truls Nörgaard Grytli isn’t worried the other nations will see this as stealing their best concepts.
– The nations affected have “permanent” themes, while we will only have these themes once every semester. Also, we’ve had close contact within the Kuratorskollegiet and have been very transparent.

He is secretive about what one can expect from the Grand Opening on Wednesday, but he is certain there will be a large turnout.
– What this means exactly, you’ll have to turn up to find out. But our new concept has been well received, so we’re expecting a full club. Also, both dance floors will be opened, says Truls Nörgaard Grytli curator at Göteborg’s nation.

 Read more: Arguments about Håkan: ”Once again the upper classes are stealing from the people”

These are the words of Småland’s nation, whom are accusing Göteborg’s nation of stealing the club concepts. ­ – It is tragic that they are trying to steal our biggest club concept, says Alice Nordin, one of the organizers of Småland’s Håkan club.

Written by Tindra Englund                 Translated by Rebecka McKinnon Forsell

Earlier in the afternoon, Lundagård published an article about Göteborg’s nation creating a new club concept with themed club nights. Instead of coming up with their own themes however, they have ”borrowed” some of the classics which Småland’s nation is now responding to. They write the following statement on their Facebook page:

”Once again the upper class are stealing from the people! Göteborg’s nation.

Don’t take this the wrong way, we are happy to help other nations who are struggling with coming up with new club concepts. You are more than welcome to come to us for help with understanding sexism or what March 8^th and May 1^st really stand for.

Everyone else can relax, you are all welcome here when the real Håkan clubs are back this semester.”

Astonishment and Annoyance
The person behind the post is Alice Nordin, one of the organizers of the Håkan Hellström Club ”En vän med en klubb”, who is also active at Småland’s nation. When she read about Göteborg’s new club concept she was at first astonished, but the astonishment was followed by annoyance.

– We have been doing a little poorly now for a while. But now we were planning to start with the Håkan clubs, which makes it tragic that another nation is doing it too.

– I was also a bit disappointed when I read the part about how they had been transparent within Kuratorskollegiet, KK, and talked to each other, but they haven’t e-mailed us, says Alice Nordin.

Feeling Disregarded
Neither the Nation’s representatives at Småland’s nation nor the organizers behind the Håkan Club ”En vän med en klubb” had heard anything about Göteborg’s nation’s plans before they read the article in Lundagård. But Alice Nordin is no longer surprised that Småland’s is being disregarded by the other nations.
– Lately, it feels like we have been more disregarded, especially since we opened up for everyone. Now it’s like people don’t really see us as a nation anymore, says Alice Nordin.

She thinks it’s even more tragic because many of the other nations have memberships through Studentlund and can therefore more easily get people to attend.
– We always have to fight a little harder and this is our biggest club concept that they’re taking.

Alice Nordin thinks it would be a whole other issue if Göteborg’s nation had been in touch with Småland’s and told them that they were thinking of doing something similar.
– That would have been nice maybe. We could have talked about it so that we wouldn’t be competing over the same week for example. If they were to have a Håkan Club on Wednesday, who would come to ours on Saturday?

(Read more: New Wednesday Club Promises “Rally-Music” and Double Dance Floors)

Big Ideological Differences
According to her it also feels extra sad that it is coming from Göteborg’s nation, one of Småland’s biggest ideological opponents. This makes the ”theft”, not only by the Håkan concept but also by the focus of the International Women’s Day, feel extra sad.
– All the other days of the year they don’t care about working class women. To use this day as an excuse to drink and dance to Beyoncé feels a bit hypocritical. I have seen what they do on May 1^st and that makes it even worse. Will they make March 8^th into a party day for the upper class as well?

As a revenge, Småland’s nation is now planning to arrange a Skybar at Dacketaket.
– We think it is regrettable that Småland’s are reacting the way they are. It is natural for Göteborg’s nation to dedicate one of the club nights of the term to Håkan Hellström since he is a large profile in Gothenburg and his music has for a long time been a main part of the festivities of the nation, says Göteborg’s nation’s curator, Truls Nörgaard Grytli.

The Winter Universiade (World Student Games) will take place between the 29 January and the 8 February in Almaty, Kazakhstan. There are five students from Lund University who will participate, and we have met three of them.

By Tindra Englund    Translation by Viktor Jönsson

Usually Carl Edström and Justus Saldeen study civil engineering at LTH, and Victor Anderberg physiotherapy. But during the two coming weeks they trade their studies for the Winter Universiade.

“It feels really cool! Kazakhstan is not a country you go to on vacation. So in my mind, if I don’t go now then I will never go”, says Justus Saldeen.

Team-unity is the best
They have all played ice-hockey since childhood and think that there are a lot of good things about the sport.

“But the team-unity is the most fun”, says Carl Edström.

The players drafted for the Swedish troupe is made up of students from across the country, from Umeå in the north to Lund in the south. This means that they have not even played a training match together. Something they judge to be a disadvantage.

“I think we will go to the finals… I mean we WILL go to the finals. But the Canadians and Russians are a bit frightening. They have had wholly different resources available to them and that makes them very good”, says Justus Saldeen.

Not a lot of culture regarding student sports in Sweden
He speaks about the vast difference between Sweden and Canada. Canada has a certain culture surrounding college hockey which results in that the best players apply for this type of team.

“Unfortunately we don’t have the same type of culture here in Sweden”, says Justus Saldeen.

Even Victor Anderberg and Carl Edström agree that Canada and Russia probably will be tough opponents.

“But I still believe the finals to be fully possible to hope for. You can’t say more before we have done a couple of training matches”, says Victor Anderberg.

A high-class event
In this year’s Winter Universiade a troupe of 52 participants will attend from Sweden, where several of them have international experience from the Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships.

“We are looking forwards to a high-class event with a lot of professional student athletes. For participants of the Universiade this is a good way to develop one’s proficiency with championships for the future, and hopefully brings home some medals”, says Johanna Olsson, general secretary, Swedish University Sports Federation.

___________________________________________________________________________

Lund University is represented at the Winter Universiade 2017 by the following participants:

• Ice hockey: Justus Saldeen, Viktor Uvemark Anderberg, Carl Edström, Ola Dahlbom
• Figure skating: Marcus Björk

The Winter Universiade in short

• 2 500 participants from 55 over countries
• 3 000 volunteers
• Eight obligatory games: Alpine skiing, cross country skiing, biathlon, snowboard, curling, ice hockey, figure skating and ice skating.
• This year’s Universiade will also include competitions in freestyle skiing, ski-jumping and Nordic combined.

Sex with a rock and voluntarily homeless. Last year, viewers of the TV-show Outsiders could meet Mathias Risberg, who lives what many would call an extremely alternative life. On his way to the yearly winter markets in Jokkmokk, he stopped by Lundagård’s office for a chat.

By: Simon Appelqvist       Translation: Carl-William Ersgård

Full of energy and surrounded by an entourage of angels, Mathias Risberg steps into Lundagård’s office. He is used to be the centre of things. Thanks to his kind appearance, bright eyes and humble tone, the atmosphere immediately turns jovial. The angels are his temporary travel companions, who seem to be replaced one by one. They have just been hitchhiking with a taxi driver between Malmö and Lund, and stopped by Buttericks to purchase an entire bag of angel related stuff.

Dress right when you hitchhike
“Dress well and all goes well. Dress for success when you hitchhike, is all I say. Sticking out in a positive way is important to get people to pick you up. Be happy and bring an instrument, even if you cannot play. It is also good to jump to show that you are sober”, Mathias Risberg says with a smile that reaches his ears.

Despite his angel wings, Mathias has both feet on the ground. The last eight years, he has been hitchhiking around Europe and Sweden, living out his dream of an alternative life with smaller ecological and larger social footprints. He has a very positive outlook on humanity, despite sometimes being picked up by heavy criminals.

“I have been hitchhiking with both thieves and murderers. However, the thing with murderers is that they do not murder all the time.”

Periodically, he has been earning his dough at conventional workplaces, such as home services and food stores. But the dream of working as a professional stripper has been there all along.

“I have always dreamed of being a stripper, that is my dream job. I took the bike to Germany when I was fifteen to do some strip shows, just for fun and since I love dancing.

Previous church youth leader
For a long time, Mathias Risberg was active as a church youth leader, but as he refused to abandon his alternative lifestyle, he was forced to leave.

“Many Christians lives a dubble life, with one side for sin and one for virtue. There is a double cognitive view in which I cannot develop as a person. So I left my Christian faith and created my own, humanitarian, faith.

Mathias sees several similarities between student life and his own alternative lifestyle.
“You dumpster dive for free food at ICA, you party, you fall in love and live outside the bounds. You explore yourselves and play theatre, and I believe that we are really very similar to one another. I always focus on the common ground in humans, instead of looking for differences. Because you can always find that in people.

Mathias will also be on the next season of Outsiders, where he will once more star on TV.

If you want to try out hitchhiking but are afraid, he suggests going for shorter trips to the neighbouring village. Or why not jump on somebody’s bike carrier and follow them downtown?

Lund University’s 350^th anniversary ceremony was held to newly written music. The tribute speeches focused on such as resistance of facts, or ‘alternative facts’, a term that has strongly prevailed in the press since President Trump’s inauguration. King Carl XVI Gustaf presented in his speech a “little observation”, to use his words, about the students of Lund.

Written by: Filippa Werner Sellbjer. Translated by: Rebecka McKinnon Forsell

In Vice-Chancellor Torbjörn von Schantz’s and Vice-Chancellor Emeritus Göran Bexell’s tribute speeches, education was called the foremost means of telling facts from fiction. The latter stressed that despite the changing international situation, facts must never be replaced with alternative facts. Torbjörn von Schantz said that “in times where thinking is mistaken for knowing”, critically thinking internet users with high education are a determining power against resistance of facts.

Lund University also received royal congratulations by Akademiska Föreningen’s formal protector, King Carl XVI Gustaf. Slightly amused, he said that if you ask an old Lund student what they remember from their time at University it is often anything but their education.

– It is with references to Akademiska Föreningen rather than academic studies. They remember their tricks more vivid than their thesis topics. Many generations have had a lot of fun here, says King Carl XVI Gustaf.

He finished his speech by paying tribute to free, independent research and education. It is something that he regards as just as important today as 350 years ago, as the line between opinions and facts now seems more blurred than ever.

The first copy of the Lund University Anniversary Medal, a gold-plated version, will be given to King Carl XVI Gustaf. There are another 35 copies of the medal made in silver, which will be auctioned off on February 11^th in the Great Hall of the University Main Building.

This past Saturday, The Museum of Sketches was reopened. After working to renew the museum, it is once again ready to welcome visitors into a world of sketches and paintings.

Written by: Cornelia Smedberg Translated by: Cecilia Eriksson

Before opening day, Lundagård received a tour by Patrick Amsellem, the curator of the museum. He began by explaining that much of the work has been dedicated to creating better accessibility for students, scientists and the general public. Therefore, huge signs are now hanging in every room to describe the art in that specific room.

Visitors are Invited in
One of the biggest changes has been made in the first room, which is called the The Swedish Hall. Even if the art is hanging in the same way as before, there is now a special archive cabinet with sketches to compliment the paintings hanging on the walls.

“It is an attempt to invite visitors to explore for themselves” says Patrick Amsellem.

The Heart of the Museum
Birgit Rausing’s Hall, also known as the courtyard, is a room which holds huge expectations. That’s where workshops and seminars will be held and where music will be played.

“This is the heart of the museum. This is where we’ll meet the visitors” says Patrick Amsellem.

It is evident that the courtyard is something very special. The ceiling is lined with huge mirrors that reflect the gigantic mural that portrays a woman named Maram. The mural is made by the American street artist Caledonia Curry, who goes by the stage name Swoon. Her projects often revolve around people she meets in her everyday life. Among other things Swoon takes an interest in social issues, which is why she made the portrait of Maram, a Syrian refugee.

Spreading Joy
When Swoon interviewed Maram in connection to the portrait, Maram laughed and Swoon decided to try depicting the joy Maram feels about having a safe place to live and having received the opportunity to create a new life. By making a portrait of Maram with a smile on her face Swoon says it spreads humanity.

For those who couldn’t be there on opening day it is not too late. For instance, you can drop in on Thursday evenings when the museum is opened in the evening. In case you also want to delve into Swoon’s portrait above, there is a special event devoted to this portrait being held on February 2^nd.

The law program at Lund University has traditionally attracted mostly Swedish students. But now, interest in the program is increasing among the Swedish-speaking Finns. One important reason is the tough admission process at Finnish Universities.

When Beatrice Suomela from Österbotten was about to apply to a university the choice was the law program at the University of Helsinki. However, concurrence for spots were tough and despite having good grades she was not accepted. The reason was that she had not scored high enough on the entrance exam, which is an important part of being accepted into the University.

“I had never studied law before, and unfortunately I didn’t take the entrance exam seriously enough, because it’s really tough. When you’ve just finished your high school finals your motivation sadly isn’t on top to just sit down and study for entrance exams”, Beatrice Suomela says.

Luckily she had also applied to the law program in Sweden, and here things went easier. She was admitted to Lund University directly by the grades from her Swedish-speaking high school. The decision to apply for Sweden felt natural, almost obvious.

“The admission process is smooth. You know the language. We have grown up with Swedish pop culture and the society is similar to Finland. I have relatives here, and friends who are studying in, for example, Umeå. Besides, Sweden is attractive because it’s a bit bigger, cooler and more developed. There are other opportunities and a bigger selection of both studies and work here”, Beatrice Suomela says.

Oliver Meriläinen from Helsinki talks about similar experiences. He took the law program entrance exam in Helsinki three times without getting admitted. Despite taking an expensive “prep course” that was supposed to prepare students for the test. Now he has opted for studying to become a lawyer in Lund instead.

Increased interest from Finland
The law program is given in Swedish and primarily covers Swedish rights and conditions. This is why it traditionally hasn’t been an obvious choice for international students. According to student counselling at the Faculty of Law the only group outside of Sweden interested in the program are Finns. A growing interest to boot.

“I have experienced an increase and assumed it’s because of Finland’s new rules regarding financial aid for students. But I’m not sure if that assumption is correct”, Student Counsellor Lina Jönsson states in an e-mail.

However, the Finnish students Lundagård has been in contact with says that the possibilities to receive financial aid are basically the same in Sweden and in Finland.

The overall interest among Finns to study in Sweden has been big for a long time, especially for people with limited knowledge in Finnish. The medical program has been a popular choice in many cases. The fact that students have been attracted to the law program as well depends on, among other things, the decrease of available spots in Finland.

“Finland’s economy is strained and the number of study spots is adapted according to the needs of the job market. When the number of spots decreases concurrence increases”, Beatrice Suomela says.

May need to complement
Finnish students studying law in Sweden are not automatically authorized to work as lawyers in Finland after graduation. In order to get a job, that would normally need a Finnish Master of Laws, a decision from the Finnish Board of Education stating that the applicant’s foreign degree is equal to a Finnish degree is needed.

To be deemed equal the Swedish degree must be judged to be equivalent of a Finnish degree in terms of extent, requirement level and focus. Otherwise, the student may have to complement with up to 100 credits in Finland. The processing time for an application is estimated to be three to four months.

Lundagård has been in contact with the Board of Education regarding how a degree from Lund University would be assessed, but the authority says that a collected assessment must be made on an individual level.

“From what I’ve heard you have to do a couple of minor complements, including a language test. But I definitely hope I can work in Finland in the future”; Beatrice Suomela says.

For those who decide to stay in Sweden after graduating, applying for Swedish citizenship may become necessary, at least if you want to join the Swedish Bar Association or work within the court system.

However, Nordic citizens without a criminal record or debts at the Swedish Enforcement Authority have the possibility to become Swedish citizens after spending only two years in Sweden.

High absenteeism seems to be a problem across different parts of LTH. At one course, about 85-90 percent of the students were not attending. The reason for this is however unknown and LTH lack general statistics of the problem.

By: Filippa Werner Sellbjer   Translated by: Viktor Jönsson

A survey shows that the attendance is in decline at several places at LTH. Digital aids, low grants and below average teachers are given as possible reasons. LTH has however not made a review of the situation as a whole, or the possible reasons for it.

Daniel Rittsten, who is studying Environmental Engineering at LTH, attends some of the seminars. It is mainly the mathematic ones he avoids attending.
“There are substitutes to learn from, like YouTube-lectures and discussion-forums that work just as well”, says Daniel Rittsten.

Anton is on term four at engineering and estimates that he goes to half of the seminars. For his part the deciding factor is the lecture’s method of teaching. He thinks that several students feel that they might as well study at home.
“There are unfortunately not a lot that I feel are worth going to”, says Anton.

A seven percent drop
Even in the students’ own course evaluation at LTH are signs that the attendance has decreased. In the evaluation the students estimate how much they participate in form of percent.

At the mathematic courses the attendance has decreased by seven percent over five years. When it comes to LTH as a whole the number is two percent.

But general statistics over actual attendance at LTH does not exist. At the larger mathematic courses attendance is only taken, for example, when it comes to group exercises.

Attendance dropped by 90 percent
Anders Holst, director of studies at Mathematics at LTH, motivates that it is easy to adjust the number of groups at the exercises based on demand.

The management and the lecturers have according to Holst an informal agreement to rapport if an unexpected number of students are attending.
“In a very late stage last autumn I was notified, via student councils, that attendance on one course had dropped by 10-15 percent. This would definitely have been better if I knew this earlier”, says Anders Holst.

Even at the exercises provided by LTH in other ways there is a decrease in attendance.
“People not going to the exercises is classic”, says Martin Magnusson, Associate Professor at Engineering Physics.

He has however not noticed any changes over the past few years, something he thinks is because they have not looked that the issue systematically.

“Says something about the lecturer”
Michael Grimsberg, programme director at Chemical Engineering, has over the past three years noticed a distinct drop in attending students when it comes to the exercises.
“I would guess that in some cases only a third of the students show up”, says Michael Grimsberg.

He thinks that the groups are too big at the exercises, and that students do not feel that there is enough time to receive help. He points out that the size of the groups depends on the grant given to the undergraduate studies.
“The grants have been cut in half the last ten years. The only way to be more efficient is to make the groups bigger, something that leads to impersonal contact between student and teacher”, says Michael Grimsberg.

Anton on the other hand sees the shifting attendance as signs of the lack of quality in some of the lecturers.
“It says something about the lecturer if maybe he or she doesn’t live up to every student’s expectation. I had reasonably high expectations on the teaching and thought that everybody would keep a high standard. But that is unfortunately not the case”, says Anton.

Anton is called something else.

MALMÖ: It was with Professor Sarat Maharaj’s encouragement – and memory – that Malmo Art Academy’s “Teaching Studio” room was changed into a replica of another classroom, many years and kilometers away.

Professor Maharaj, along with five of his students, has been working since early October to turn the former studio room into a replica of the South African University College for Indians’ art history room. The room was recently completed, and was inaugurated on January 31^st with a gathering and a lecture by Professor Maharaj.

The University College for Indians’ art history room has special significance to Professor Maharaj:  he studied there in the late 60’s, during South Africa’s apartheid era of racial segregation. Maharaj., who is of Indian descent, attended the segregated University College for Indians. This spring, he’ll be leading his own course in his own reproduction art history room, a course entitled The World Turned Upside Down: art and ethics in the rise of the Stone Age South.

The course description explains that the original art history room’s apartheid-influenced purpose was to show an “evolutionary ladder” of artifacts; to illustrate how some cultures’ artwork was superior to other cultures’.

Maharaj hopes the reborn art history room will raise counter-readings, and throw light on “today’s world of the migratory mix of peoples and cultural elements — on prickly issues of  multiculturalism, its limits and shortcomings, on questions of learning to live with diversity and multiplicity… ”

The Durban Art History Room was recreated in spirit, if not in complete accuracy.

“A perfect replica would have been impossible”, Maharaj says, because all he and his students had to go one were his memories from nearly 60 years ago and one picture, a photocopy of a photocopy of a photograph – “an image of an image of an image,” as Maharaj describes it. The picture is in black-and-white and is slightly blurry, and shows a corner of the classroom with a blackboard, a window, and a desk with a few sculptures arranged on it.

Maharaj remembers the sculptures as Greco-Roman, but the photograph is too hazy to make out any detail. The dedicated team of student re-constructionists were unfazed; not only did they re-create the sculptures, but they re-created their blurriness, too, making the sculptures in indistinct and silhouette-like shapes.

Joakim Sandqvist and Max Ockborn, two of the students involved in the re-construction, both said that building the room was fun and interesting, but that it also took a lot of work. Some of the pieces of furniture, such as the desk, were hand-built, while others were picked up from thrift stores or IKEA. One rug was delivered from South Africa.

“The students put an optimistic gloss on the room. This is world culture on display; what do we do with it?” says Maharaj.

The Center of Middle Eastern Studies broke the rules when they last-minute organized a course on IS and failed to give student representatives a chance to influence the course content. That is the conclusion from the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ).

In October 2015, the Student Union for Humanities and Theology (HTS) reported the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) to the Swedish Higher Education Authority. One month earlier, the Center of Middle Eastern Studies had presented a 7,5-point course with the title “Islamic State and the future of the Middle East”. But CMES didn’t follow the rules when composing the course.

The IS-course would be taught about two months later, during the same term. However, according to the rules of the University, the Faculty Boards have to review, set and approve the syllabuses of any course a month before the final day that one can apply for a course. This would have been March 15th. The course and syllabus were thus presented almost half a year too late.

Moreover, CMES never gave the representatives in the student union the opportunity to be involved in reviewing and evaluating the syllabus, which is an established student right. Instead, HTS was only informed about the existence of the course when it was presented.

As there also had been previous problems with student influence at CMES, the Union decided to report the case to UKÄ. This body now established that the students indeed were right in their criticism. The University has broken its own rules regarding student representation in the case of the IS-course.

UKÄ also states that while students have the right to influence their education at CMES, this right is not regulated fully in the University’s policy documents. UKÄ thinks that the University should compose guidelines in order to ensure student influence at CMES.

HTS’s vice-chairman Daniel Kraft and chairwoman Amanda Bjernestedt are happy with the report of UKÄ but have some critical remarks:

“They have a view of the situation that is comparable to ours,” Daniel says. But Amanda Bjernestedt adds:   “Their reply has come very, very late and we have reminded them several times.”

She also adds that she thinks that the problem is not a lack of regulations:

“At a university-wide level there are indeed not so many rules for student influence regarding course syllabuses, but this is organized at a faculty level. It is more about really following the regulations that already exist.”

Both board members do agree that the situation of student influence has improved since last year. So far, there have not been any problem with late course plans or the ignoring of student influence.

“We have a student council at CMES, student representatives and for the first time also a student health and safety representative. Earlier, it was hard to find people for these positions. And our contact with the Education Coordinator at CMES is good too,” Daniel Kraft says.

This morning Lundagard.net was hacked and several articles had been replaced by hackers’ messages and images. In one of the articles there was a waving Kurdish flag. 

“I’m not sure why anyone would like to hack us, but we have had similar problems before, but never to this extent”, says Tindra Englund, web editor.

The messages read things like: ”From the Imam with Love” and ”Kurdish Hacker – FUCK ISIS”.  As soon as the editors saw the messages they removed them and put the normal texts back.

But when the article: ”CMES broke rules with IS-course” was published this afternoon the site was once again hacked.

“You never know, but I don’t think that this article is the reason for the attack”, says Tindra Englund.

All the articles are now back on the site and the web editor have been working to figure out a way to make the site more difficult to access.

“But after all we are just a student magazine, so it’s weird that people would think that it’s cool to be able to hack us” says web editor Tindra Englund.

The site and the WordPress system has now  been updated, and all the passwords have been changed. The editors hope that this will be enough to convince the hackers to leave lundagard.net alone.