Lundakarnevalen for everybody? A recent decision regarding which memberships are to be required to be a Lundakarnevalen carny excludes certain groups of students – unless they don’t opt to subscribe to the memberships required. A membership that is practically identical to the Studentlund membership.
In May, Lundakarnevalen returns and more than 5,000 students are expected to participate as volunteering carnies. However, despite the fact that the carnival is fully owned and arranged by the student unions, students will, in addition to the student union membership, be required to be members of a nation and the Academic Society, AF, in order to become carnies. A decision that the student unions wish to downplay.
Our perception of this is that you are required to be a Studentlund member in order to become a carny, is that statement accurate?
“You have to be a union, nation and AF member,” says Clara Lundblad, who is president of the carnival organization, Karnevalsorganet.
Doesn’t that mean in reality that you would have to be a Studentlund member?
“Yes, I guess it does in reality,” says Clara Lundblad.
First year without the obligation
The 2014 carnival will be the first one since the abolition of the student union membership obligation. Now, students in Lund may choose whether they at all want to be part of a student union or nation. Studentlund, which is an external collaboration between student unions, AF, and nations, was established in 2010, with the purpose of ensuring that these organizations would still attract new members.
However, only six out of nine of the student unions organizing the carnival are part of Studentlund.
Therefore, the members of the Engineering Student Union, the Doctoral Student Union, and the Student Union of the Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts, will have to subscribe to an additional membership in order to become carnies in the carnival that their student union is organizing.
Clara Lundblad claims that there are good reasons for the Studentlund membership requirement.
“During the spring semester, the carnival will draw a lot of attention from the nations and the student unions. This is a good way of supporting the rest of the student life so it doesn’t become too disadvantageous.
So that is the actual idea for the membership requirements?
“Yes, absolutely. Also, several of the carnival organized parties are arranged at the nations. Plus, AF subsidizes rents, and that contribution is based on their revenue of the memberships. It’s natural to do things this way,” says Clara Lundblad.
Poisoned conflict of interest
For quite a while now, there has been a poisoned conflict of interest between AF and the student unions, as it pertains to the carnival. For one thing, AF has requested mandate of Karnevalsorganet for subsidizing the rents in the AF building during the carnival. But the student unions have been reluctant to assign AF any responsibility.
On the other hand, the student unions now want all student union members to subscribe to AF and a nation as well. AF operations manager, Oscar Hillman, is of the mindset that the decision regarding AF inclusion in the carnies’ membership requirement is important.
Have you yourselves been active in an attempt for this decision to be made?
“Being a carny and an AF member never came across me as being a point of discussion. That was an assumption, considering how it has been previously,” he says.
By the end of November, Lundakarnevalen signed an agreement with AF on being considered a recognized student association.
In AF’s eyes, it makes the carnies’ memberships even more important.
“All recognized student associations tied to AF must have all their members pay membership fees to us,” says Oscar Hillman.
Studentlund will not be promoted
Organizers have emphasized the fact that Studentlund will not be promoted in connection with the carnival, which is due to the risk that it may be interpreted as the entire collaborative network is part of organizing the carnival. Clara Luthman, Head of Communications of Lundakarnevalen, comments:
“Lundakarnevalen is its own, but there are strong affiliations with Studentlund. A lot of times, those working with the carnival are directly recruited from AF, nations and student unions. The carnival committee is the group organizing Lundakarnevalen.
So far, they have been on the quiet side, as it pertains to the new Studentlund membership requirement for the carnies.
“But this will be communicated in connection with the promotion of the carnival section convention, Uppropet, in February,” says Clara Luthman.
If the carnival entirely is in the hands of the student union, should everybody who has connections to a student union be able to participate in organizing the carneval?
“Of course everybody who has any connection to a student union should be able to participate in the carnival. We want all parts of the student life on board, operators from the student unions, the nations, and AF, and those who previously have never been part of the student life,” says Clara Luthman.
Affected student unions not concerned
With its 7,300 members, the Engineering Student Union (TLTH) is the largest student union at Lund University – and they are not part of the Studentlund collaboration. Björn Hansson, TLTH President, believes that many of their members already are Studentlund members, and, thus, the Studentlund membership requirement doesn’t constitute any significant difference.
“The main reason for things being like this resides in the subsidies we receive from AF, and the only way for us to obtain this is to, in the capacity of a carny, also be a Studentlund member,” says Björn Hansson.
Students from the Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts usually participate in activities such as music and carnival stage activities. However, the president of the faculty’s student union SKFM, Andrea Hatanmaa, is not concerned by the membership decision either. She believes that there is a scarce number of student union members who participate in Lund and the carnival, and who usually are Studentlund members.
“In that case it should be considered an individual decision, and we will have to attend to the majority,” she says.
Do you feel that you have been considerate towards your student union with regard to Lundakarnevalen, since you have chosen not to be a part of the Studentlund collaboration?
“We haven’t given it much thought. It’s probably a structural decision by the carnival and depends on the organizational circumstances. Supposedly, the general idea is that it is most convenient if everybody is a member.
But it still affects your student union, who would like be part of this, right?
“It affects a few people. But since we don’t believe that this affects the majority right now, it’s nothing particular that we would announce.
Text: Elin Sivard and Hanna Holmquist
Translation: Maximilian Aleman-Tennell
Photo: Jonas Jacobson
