THE KEYKEEPER’S GETTING FIRED!
THE KEYKEEPER’S GETTING FIRED!
Right before the start of the semester the news came that the Keykeeper was getting fired. An arrangement that has existed at Samfunnet for generations is getting scrapped, but who is the Keykeeper, why is he getting fired and who will replace him?
Journalist: Marie Tjelta
Photographer: Ben Børilden
Translator: Ida Haraldstad
Web distributor: Martha Ingeborg Evensen
The Keykeeper: The students’ superhero
We had a chat with the current Keykeeper, Wilhelm Anthun. He has been the Keykeeper for a semester and has a semester left until he’s done. The Keykeeper is a yearlong position, paid for by SiÅs. There are always two Keykeepers, one is hired during the fall semester and the other during the spring semester. The two Keykeepers are on call every other week and have a week off in between, this way one Keykeeper is always working. Wilhelm describes the Keykeeper’s job as that of a handyman who lives at Samfunnet and locks doors and solves all sorts of problems that students might have. Have you locked yourself out of your dorm room? The Keykeeper fixes it! Do you want to get into Samfunnet? The Keykeeper fixes it! Is there a viper in the sink in the bathroom? You guessed it, the Keykeeper fixes it! In many ways, the Keykeeper is the students’ very own superhero who comes to the rescue when we call upon them.
The history of Keykeepers
The Keykeepers, or more accurately, the Keepers of Keys, have a long history, and the arrangement has remained almost unchanged since its creation in the 1980s. Before the time of the Keepers of Keys, there was a restaurateur and accompanying service staff at Samfunnet who lived there and performed caretaker duties. The restaurateur was an independent business operator who rented parts of the building and made a living from serving food in Klubben. This position gradually disappeared, leading to several breakins at Samfunnet. Therefore, when the Samfunnet building was expanded in the 1980s, it was important to create a similar solution - this is how the Keykeeper apartments became a part of the office wing as we know it today. The arrangement was well-received at the time and was seen as a good solution, which might be the reason it has remained unchanged for the past 40 years. Therefore, one might wonder, why should it be discontinued now?
No one wants to be the Keykeeper
The decision to discontinue the arrangement is made by SiÅs and the Board of Samfunnet. This fall, there was a shortage of candidates to take over as the Keykeeper when the former Keykeeper, Vegard Hansen, stepped down. Time was running out, and SiÅs needed to find a new Keykeeper quickly. When no one came forward, SiÅs conducted a review of the Keykeeper’s instructions: what are the Keykeeper’s tasks, is there a need for a Keykeeper, and can they be replaced if necessary? They concluded that the Keykeeper is no longer a necessary arrangement to have at Samfunnet and therefore wished to discontinue the arrangement.
A messy game of telephone
We contacted Pål Magnus Løken, SiÅs’ CEO, to inquire if they wished to comment on the discontinuation of the Keykeeper arrangement. The response we received was: “The Keykeeper arrangement is ‘owned’ by Studentsamfunnet, so I think it’s natural for you to talk to Samfunnet.” This leads us to the other issue with the Keykeeper arrangement: “The arrangement falls somewhat between two, the Board of Samfunnet and SiÅs,” Wilhelm explains. It can seem like no one really has clear responsibility for the Keykeeper. The communication flow between the Keykeepers, the Board of Samfunnet, and the Board of House and Finance is poor. Currently, it’s the Keykeepers who are responsible for training other Keykeepers, while Samfunnet has little involvement with them. What the former Keykeeper doesn’t teach the new Keykeeper is forgotten. Previously, the Keykeeper had their own e-mail and PC, which they no longer have. The Keykeeper’s instructions themselves have not been updated since the 1990s, including outdated tasks like emptying ashtrays. Wilhelm describes it all as a kind of game of telephone that has happened over their heads, where it seems like things have slipped due to a lack of structure. “If someone had taken a closer look at the Keykeeper arrangement a few years ago, assessed its needs, and tightened it up, made training more systematic, maybe things would have gone differently,” Wilhelm says. He further believes that efforts should be made to make the Keykeeper position more attractive. For example, renovating the Keykeeper apartments at Samfunnet, reinstating the Keykeeper on the leadership list, and advertising the position more prominently could yield good results. Perhaps the solution could be a revision and revitalization of the arrangement rather than discontinuation.
No one wants to claim the Keykeeper
While SiÅs believes that the Keykeeper and its discontinuation fall under the responsibility of the Board of Samfunnet, we get a different response when we talk to Maja Raz Karterud, the leader of Samfunnet: “We received an e-mail from the operations manager seeking input and feedback on how Samfunnet and the Board of Samfunnet currently use the Keykeeper arrangement. And that’s what we did. As of today, we use the Keykeeper to lock the building when it’s not a party night and to unlock specific rooms and spaces for associations when the building is generally closed. And that’s essentially it, that’s how we use the Keykeeper.” Maja goes on to explain that last year, the Keykeeper was removed from the leadership list. She doesn’t know why this decision was made, but can imagine it may have to do with Samfunnet having very little connection to the Keykeeper. “They live here, but maybe they don’t have as strong a connection as it used to be.” “We see the need for someone to lock the building and turn off lights... but it’s also something for which we can potentially find a replacement.” Maja also comments on the response we received from SiÅs, stating that the Keykeeper arrangement concerns Samfunnet. “What I find a bit unfortunate is that they have told us to make a decision when we haven’t been given a choice.” So, no one seems to take ownership of the Keykeeper arrangement. It’s possible that SiÅs made a hasty decision because Wilhelm is overworked. “This is also a jab at us; it seems like no one has ownership of the Keykeeper arrangement, and there’s no proper training for the Keykeeper... I think there’s a bit of a lack of follow-up and development of the arrangement.” So, the Keykeeper arrangement is a kind of like a child of divorce caught between SiÅs and Samfunnet. The more Tuntreet dug into this issue, the more loose ends we found.
The situation now
As the situation stands now in the aftermath of the final decision, there is only one Keykeeper. The plan is for Wilhelm to stay at Samfunnet until the end of the semester, but now he’s on his own. “I’ve ended up being the only Keykeeper, so in a way, I’m working for two,” he says. He still locks the doors and closes the windows at Samfunnet every evening, knowing that it won’t be done if he doesn’t do it. “Anyone who has called the Keykeeper and not received an answer in the past few weeks will understand why when they read Tuntreet,” Wilhelm laughs. Some of the Keykeeper’s tasks, such as unlocking doors for students who have locked themselves out of their rooms, have already been taken over by Securitas. Wilhelm is skeptical about how Securitas will replace the Keykeeper arrangement. “It’s all the little things, like changing light bulbs at Samfunnet, small things that Securitas won’t go around doing.” There are rumors that digital card readers could also potentially replace the Keykeeper. Whether this is a good solution or not, only the future will tell.
Following the interviews, we have received a new comment from Pål Magnus Løken, SiÅs’ CEO:
“SiÅs neither can nor will decide to discontinue the arrangement. Recruitment for the Keykeeper positions takes place in dialogue with Samfunnet and UKA because the role of the Keykeeper has been significant for their operations. Interest in being a Keykeeper has decreased in recent years - at least if we look at the number of applications we have received. Samfunnet’s operations have changed significantly in recent years. Samfunnet’s takeover of operations in Cafe Klubben is an example and means that Samfunnet has activities at the building every evening. This may be of importance for how Samfunnet views the arrangement, although SiÅs has not been in such a dialogue with the Student Society Board.
I assume the Board of House and Finance will be involved if a decision to discontinue is made. It is natural that the one who owns the arrangement takes the lead in any significant changes.
