Studentsamfunnet’s passionate souls
Studentsamfunnet’s passionate souls
Journalist: Marie Tjelta
Illustrator: Ingvild Sperstad
Translator: Mathilde Buttedahl
Studentsamfunnet in Ås celebrates its 160th anniversary on September 6th September 2024, and in honour of this occasion, Tuntreet wishes to celebrate by illustrating our history with some of the passionate souls who have devoted themselves to Samfunnet through the years. Studentsamfunnet is more than just a building – it’s the members who define it. Those who have faced challenging situations have formed the services we have today, whether during war, economic downturns, or a global pandemic. Below, we have chosen to highlight some of these passionate souls and historic moments. We hope this overview will provide a broader picture of the Ås-student and honour some of the devoted students from the past, while also reflecting who we are and always have been.
1859: The Norwegian Agricultural College (NLH) is founded.
1864: Studentsamfunnet, then Elevforeningen, is founded. Studentsamfunnet in Ås was born from a desire to create a student-run arena independent of the academic environment. It was meant as a place where students could both be playful and engage.
Johan L. Hirsch (1860’s)
One who helped establishing the “Ås-bubble”
Johan L. Hirsch became the first chairman of Studentsamfunnet. He started as a student at NLH in 1863 and was a part of the year of students who founded Studentsamfunnet in Ås. He also founded Hankattforeningen, contributing to creating Ås’ student association culture. Later, he became the director of NLH. He is described as a trustworthy and enchanting man who was very popular among the students. After seven years, Hirsch had to resign as director. This was vaguely explained as due to opposition related to family relations deemed inappropriate for a teacher. When he resigned, the students held a large farewell party in his honour. Today, the statue of Hirsch overlooks the Clock and Tower buildings.
1920: Elevforeningen changes its name. As Elevforeningen grew, the time came to change its name to Studentsamfunnet in Ås. The name change sparked intense debate at Studentersamfundet in Trondheim and Det Norske Studentersamfund. These organisations sent written protests and refused to recognise Studentsamfunnet in Ås as they meant the students at NLH were not “real” students. In response, the chairman of Studentsamfunnet in Ås, Jon Lende-Njaa, stated that they did not need their recognition to be a real studentsamfunn.
1924: The first student-week with a revue, what we now know as UKA in Ås.
Astri Frisak (1920’s)
One who advocated for Studentsamfunnet before parliament
Astri Frisak became the first female “chairman” at Studentsamfunnet in Ås. She was also the only female student at the college at this time. She made her mark by going to the Norwegian Parliament and giving a speech to the chairman of the Finance Committee, which led to a grant of 100 000kr to build what we now call the Samfunnsbuilding. She was also politically active for the party Venstre and was the only female representative on the Ås city council
1928: The King approves the Samfunnsbuilding. The King in council approves the college’s area of Bjerkehagen to be a duty-free building site and park for Studentsamfunnet in Ås.
1934: The Samfunnsbuilding is inaugurated. Studentsamfunnet finally has a home.
Bjarne Ljones (1930’s)
A man who preserved Ås-history
A former horticulture-student who is known for his beloved hardangerfiddle and as editor for the first volume documenting the history of Studentsamfunnet in Ås: “Ås-studenter i hundre år” (Ås-students for a hundred years). In this book, he wrote down the history of Ås students, from the birth of NLH in 1859 up until the 100-year jubilee in 1964. This book was crucial to preserve the history and legacy of Ås students.
1938: The first promotion of the order by Hans Hovenhet Hestehoven.
1939: World War II. The Germans tried to nazify Samfunnet, without success. The sitting board, with chairman Magnus Solum, resisted despite serious threats. Unfortunately, this led to Samfunnet being shut down.
Einar Blidensol (1940’s)
One who fought for freedom
Blidensol was shot in Oslo by the Gestapo. He was the chairman of Samfunnet before the war in 1940. A memorial-text describes him as “a true Samfunnsman in the wildest sense, and the spokesperson and trusted representative for the students”. His life ended abruptly but during his time as a student, he still made a lasting impact at NLH.
He was always ready to fight against injustice. To this day, it remains a tradition to honour the fallen students on the 17th of May.
1946: First edition of Tuntreet. As Studentsamfunnet reopened after he war’s closure, a new student paper was launched with its first issue; Tuntrèet. The newspaper’s first article emphasised the importance of volunteering and engaging and was dedicated to the memory of the students who fell during the war.
1950: Post-war period. During the post-war period, Studentsamfunnet experienced enormous growth and arranged bigger parties and concerts – events the founders of Samfunnet could only have dreamed of.
Ottar Brox (1950’s)
One who committed to both Samfunnet and society
Ottar Brox lived an impressive life, and it all began as a student in Ås. As editor of Tuntreet and UKEauthor he became engaged with the world around him. He became a prominent social debater, author, and politician who left his marks on the world. Tuntreet was fortunate to conduct Ottar Brox’s very last interview in February 2024, three weeks before he passed away.
Kjell Aksnes (60’s)
One who protected Samfunnet
Despite being sick of school, Kjell Aksnes became a student at NLH in the autumn of 1960. Time would show that just Kjell would become an important advocate for Samfunnet during a difficult time when it was desperately needed. His involvement began as UKE-author, then moved into Hankattforeningen, and eventually into Sudentsamfunnet when he became chairman in 1962. When Kjell was chairman for the House and Finance Committee in the 70’s, he became key figure in keeping Studentsamfunnet alive. Samfunnet’s income was minimal with lacking funds for maintenance. Kjell feared that Studentsamfunnet would fall apart and went several rounds of negotiations with stakeholders within the agricultural business to secure funds for the expansion of Studentsamfunnet. Later, Kjell became the director of the NLH and made an important effort to unify Samskipnaden, Samfunnet, and the college. Up until his last days, he remained devoted to Samfunnet and attended every Urpremiere after 1960 except for one. “He is a protector, as well as a user of Studentsamfunnet in Ås“ – Ås Students for 150 Years.
Mette Eggen (1960-1970’s)
One who revolutionised Tuntrèet
Mette Eggen became the first female editor for the studentpaper Tuntrèet. She was responsible for a big change in both the appearance and content of Tuntèet. The student paper shifted from mainly covering internal drunkenness and antics to also covering more serious and current affairs.
1970: Auditorium Maximum is completed. After years of needing more space, this multi-purpose building was constructed, significantly increasing the capacity.
Ivar Ekanger (1970’s)
One who put UKA in Ås on the map
A historical UKEchief who ensured that the prime minister and His Majesty King Olav himself visited UKA 1978. Already before he became a student at NLH, he was captivated by Studentsamfunnet in Ås when he visited in the autumn of 1974. As UKEchief, he wrote to the country’s biggest newspapers, including Tuntreet, stating that the King hadn’t visited Ås since he was Crown Prince and that it was time he came back to see what had become of the place. Despite professors accusing them of “lèse-majesté”, Ivar welcomed the king on the steps of Samfunnet in the autumn of 1978. It was Ivar’s courage and dedication that led to this historic event and made him the student who drank whisky with King Olav in Klubben.
1980: Anton Hjeltnes passage is built. Originally constructed as a temporary plank road for UKA in Ås, it was later built as a permanent building, working as a corridor with extra rooms between Samfunnet and Aud.Max.
1982: The gym is converted into an office wing. The gym in the building is made into offices for the different bodies of Samfunnet, today known as the yellow “kontorfløya” (office wing).
1994: Halvors Hybel is opened. With this, the physical building of Samfunnet exists pretty much as it does today.
1999: Café Klubben is opened. Originally run by SiÅs, the name was changed to Klubben when Samfunnet took over management around 20 years later.
Oda Garaas (2010’s)
One who changed the Business Committee
Oda Garaas was the turning point for NU when she became the leader in 2015. Because of changes she proposed, NU has become a skilled organisation that is taken seriously externally. Some of these changes included holding the career day in Aud.Max, establishing the career fund, and making the NU board elected representatives.
2011: The Business Committee at NMBU is established. NLU, later NU, is the newest body of Studentsamfunnet, ensuring good contact with businesses, meaning sources of income from others than students and other visitors.
2020: The Corona pandemic. The pandemic also left its mark on Studentsamfunnet, leading to its closure and a reduction of volunteerism in Ås. This could have been the end of the tale for our beloved Studentsamfunn, as with many other things during the pandemic, but thanks to the current passionate people, Samfunnet still lives on in 2024.
2024 Today
Those who are passionate
We still have passionate people among us today. Students like UKEchief Fimke Frederika Pijfers or, the then-head of the House and Finance Board Lars Raaen, who kept the volunteering-spirit and student associations alive through the Coronapandemic. Or take a look at Jardar Lindaas Bringedal who managed to breathe new life into Klubben. Not to mention this edition’s To Beers subject, Åsmund Godal Tunheim, who successfully revived the Leikarringen Frøy association. And many more that would have taken an entire edition of Tuntreet to mention. This is who we are and always has been. The Ås student is a person who is passionate for something bigger than themself. It is because of these passionate people that we can say we turn 160 years old this month.
