Positions up for grabs at GF

Monday March 22 is the day of this year´s general assembly. This semester, a staggering 17 positions are up for grabs! Here is a short presentation on what previous possessors say about the positions. If you have your own questions, you can ask at Samfunnet´s question hour March 1st.

Journalist: Guro Størdal
Translator: Thea Samskott

What made you run?
What surprised you the most about the position?
What will you bring with you moving on?

STUDENT BOARD OF SAMFUNNET

Leader – Maylinn Dramstad

First when I found out I was nominated, it was so exciting that someone had suggested me, that I really started considering running. I thought of how fun and giving this year would be, and no matter how the general assembly would turn out, I would learn something. It was the thought of learning something new and getting to know new people that made me actually run, and not just consider it.
There are more meetings than I anticipated. I was also impressed by how professional everything is and everyone are!
I feel like I have learned incredibly much, especially about myself, about organizational work and collaboration across knowledge and different personalities. And there are many situations I have been in that I have learned how to, and how not to, handle. I have also acquired new skills I have yet to discover, but that I am sure I will notice later on. One learns so incredibly much from being in such a position!

Chief of economics – Peder Midttømme

After being in the economy department a while I wanted new challenges and to contribute more to Samfunnet. I ran for chief of economy because I find financial management interesting and figured that I could contribute the most to the student board this way.
It is difficult to point to what surprised me the most, but I have absolutely been positively surprised by the social aspect of the position.
I still have quite a while left, but I will surely remember a lot of the social parts. Additionally, I want to highlight the experience of being chief of economics for an organization who´s yearly revenue is about 5-6 million kroner. You rarely get an opportunity like that before graduation, and it is amazing that it is 100% voluntary!

Chief of events – Miranda Dørum

During my time at university, I have taken on positions to challenge myself and to experience as much as possible as a student. Chief of events was a natural choice after a time as Head of the event committee during UKA, it was here I felt like I best could contribute with my experience. In addition, I am a creative person who likes to work in a way where you have a lot of brainstorming and talking, and also finding good solutions to problems that might occur. In this position, you get to influence other student´s days by offering a varied selection at Samfunnet, and that means a lot to me.
How much you learn from other places outside your own position and obligations. Having a board who you collaborate with or who can offer advice is something that has been new to me. I was not aware of how many things one actually need to have an opinion on! It is incredible to influence an entire branch in the operation of Samfunnet I Ås and being part of a bigger organization than first expected.
Structure!! I am not a person with a lot of structure in my work or the one with the most in control over what is going on around me, but as chief you need good routines. I have never been in this kind of position before, so I have felt kind of strange moving from a position as Head of the event committee to a person on the board. You are challenged in so many ways, get to know so many incredible people and occasionally have to make really hard decisions.

TUNTREET

Editor-in-chief – Guro Størdal

After a year as a journalist, I wanted to run, but hesitated and never went ahead with it. But, when Tuntreet´s future was discussed at GF I knew how much I cared about the student paper and knew that I wanted a say. Preferably as editor-in-chief.
It is incredible how much you learn! About the student community, what lies behind a product like Tuntreet and how much good colleagues mean. The pride of holding the first issue in my hands dazed me.
New knowledge about how to motivate, organize and lead an organ of so many personalities and tasks. Also about how much good happens when you give people trust and room to do their thing.

THE BUSSINESS COMMITTEE

Chief of events – Clara Nilsson Moseby

I wanted to contribute to Samfunnet and simultaneously challenge myself and network. I wanted to influence the relationship between students by NMBU and business, so chief of events or the business committee seemed exciting and relevant.
Everything fun you get to participate in as a part of Samfunnet, both socially and professionally.
Fun memories, new friends and lots of experience within organization and planning that I couldn’t have learned in school.

Chief of sponsors – Johannes Voll

The aspiration to participate in the community and getting more experience within organizations and organizational structure.
The amazing environment between the different committees, and that everybody is one big bunch.
Good experiences and new friends.

Chief of the career day – Emilie Giltvedt Langeland

I wanted to participate and take on more responsibility. I also wanted to work on a bigger project and work outside my comfort zone. I think the business day and the career day are very important arrangements and I wanted to take part in organizing them.
I was surprised by how good you get at mailing. I was astonished by how much you learned in a short time span and how good you got at coordination and planning.
I want to bring on my ability to both work independently, and at the same time have a board that you collaborate with. One of the things I appreciated the most during my time in this position was being in a team where one always could get help and support.

HOUSE- AND FINANCE BOARD

Student representative – Oscar Mork

I wanted to contribute to Samfunnet´s long term goals, and to have a say in discussions about budgets and Studentsamfunnet´s economy. I also wanted to take part in the organization on an administrative level, without too many daily obligations.
Knew much about the position beforehand, so few surprises.
The experience of being part of a board with so many personalities, and the importance of always looking up and having a good overview over what you are doing and where you want to go with your projects.

THE ELECTION COMMITTEE

Two representatives

Wanted to contribute to keeping Samfunnet´s great voluntary spirit and that as many as possible get to participate. Also wanted to get to know new people. Was interested in a better understanding for every student run organ in Samfunnet.
How much lies behind every organ and position in Samfunnet, how many outstanding people making everything come together. It is also exciting to see how much lies behind GF in terms of logistics and planning.
Talked to and gotten to know people I wouldn’t have got toknow otherwise. Have made new friends<3

THE BOARD OF UKA

Leader – Chief of UKA – Fimke F. Pijfers

There was mainly a wish to contribute more and feeling like I had way more to give after being a committee chief during UKA 2018. As a student in Ås you have an incredible number of arenas and ways to participate, but I was captured by the thought of shaping Norway´s longest festival from beginning to end.
How much enthusiasm and drive there is among the students in Ås, and how much UKA I Ås means to students, staff members and locals. I knew I burn for and love UKA I Ås, but that SO many others had the same feeling surprised me. It has been moving to see, especially when the festival became so different from the original plan. Another thing that has surprised me was how much time went into communication and knickknack that might not be noticed. The position as chief of UKA is difficult to describe, as most of the work is representing UKA I ÅS in different meetings and boards and basically talk to people within and outside the organization. These are efforts that may not be easily recognized and that one thinks takes less time and energy than it does, but that was how I ended up spending most of my time.
I have learned incredibly much about organizational work and about being a leader, both for myself and for others. But the most important lesson is learning to trust your gut. As chief of UKA you have to make many rapid decisions, big and small, so I have learned to trust myself, to stand for my decision and face the consequences later.

Chief of revye – Synneva Gjelland

I wanted to run because I wanted to take part in UKA yet another time. It has been wonderful, and I was not ready to be done with it. And there is so much revye potential in Ås. A quite unique community for making a revye here, I don’t think there is any other place where so many people appreciate viewing and producing them.
One is also very engaged in organizing the UKA festival itself, you are in the board of UKA and that brings good discussions and lots of fun. It surprised me in the beginning, as I was so hung up in the revye part of the position, but it felt great to participate in the entire festival. It is an amazing festival we get to produce here in Ås!
I am bringing along the revye joy, and I believe I am going to create revyes all my life. I think it is the most amusing thing there is. It has been amazing to work in an organization like UKA, where people put their soul into what they do. Being a part of something like this is very giving. Lastly I want to mention that I have raised the bar in terms of structure in meetings and planning, in addition to understanding what a good record is and why one would want one.

Chief of events – Guro Lervik Arntsen

After serving as chief of a committee during UKA I Ås 2018 I was not ready to throw in the towel, I wanted to give myself a bigger challenge and thought it seemed very fun and giving to be a part of the board of UKA.
I was surprised by how much the students wanted and appreciated the festival, even when considering social distancing it still went excellent! I was also surprised by how much you can learn about Norway´s cultural life and that the Ås students are an audience in their own league (We are incredible).
Of all the lessons, I want to bring with me the ability to trust my own decisions and quickly resonation to the best solution, it is golden when you are in a crunch.

I will always treasure the Dagny concert, when I realized that we made it happen! In that moment I understood how extremely much every engaged student in UKA has worked and how proud I was, especially of my own department, where I was allowed to help produce every event!

Chief of administrations – Helene Storlien

I mainly wanted to contribute more to Samfunnet! I also wanted to challenge myself and felt like the position as chief of administrations for UKA I Ås 2020 would be a great fit!
The position has been very much like I anticipated, if you don’t count every change made because of the pandemic. What did surprise me was how incredibly much we can accomplish as a community with eagerness, volunteering and an ambition for creating something positive for the entire body of students.
I am bringing many good experiences, friendships and memories as I move forward. My time studying at Ås would not have been the same without UKA i Ås 2020!

Chief of economics- Sanne Kristin Karlsen

I had previously been a voluntary clerk in UKA twice and had possessed a position in the economy department in Samfunnet for 1.5 years when I ran. I was captivated and wanted to contribute more and take on an even bigger challenge.
How overwhelming everything was in the beginning, but everything suddenly feeling possible. You learn incredibly fast when you get started and it is delightful seeing everything progress! What is especially fun about UKA as a festival is that the planning period is so long, so when it finally happens, it is almost unreal.
An enormous competence I couldn’t have accomplished in any lecture hall (especially for an economy student in this position!). Regardless, the most important element is all the great people I got to know, who are there for the rest of my life.

Chief of serving – Mildrid Angard Hoff

The possibility to partake in creating something from scratch. And getting the opportunity to get to know so many capable and dedicated students that I would not have met otherwise.
You enter a bubble just before UKA where everything you think, dream, talk about and breathe is UKA. This is a taxing time, but it is so much fun!
Lots of amazing people, and I have become so fast at writing mails!

Chief of marketing – Eirik Sønstervold

I wanted to learn more about marketing and collaboration. I also wanted to challenge myself to be a leader, including keeping good discussions, responsibility and making decisions.
The unity and voluntary spirit for contributing to the community. Whenever someone needed laborers, people who had nothing else to do showed up.
Things never go as planned, but that does not have to be a bad thing. This, along with a sprinkle of stress, makes for very good training for future work situations.

Chief of the house (previous chief of sales) – Anders Halsvik Sandnes

I was hinted to run for chief of sales and thought “why not?”. I researched at the different positions but landed on that the chief of sales obligations were most captivating. I had an expectation being about sitting in a board at Samfunnet would be a lot of fun, which was right.
What surprised me the most was without doubt when the big canvas by Aud.max lifted of and wrapped around Aud.max. In general, an unexpected number of matters put up a lot of resistance in the period just before UKA, but everything turned out great in the end.
I was also surprised by how capable and independent many of the committee heads are. If you have the right people with you, the entire organization of the festival is easy.
You don’t have to be great to achieve great things. As long as you have got proficient and commendable people around, contribute to good communication, and realize your responsibility, it is amazing what you can accomplish. It is also important to always greet people with a smile. The goal with UKA I Ås is in many ways quite simple; making a good atmosphere. That requires good atmosphere within the organization as well.