The excited chatter and rustle of papers bounce around the walls of Storsalen as members fuel themselves with coffee and snacks before 2013’s General Assembly. A podium is set upon the stage and lit with the ferocity of a thousand suns, much to the compounding displeasure of anyone required to speak throughout the night. Behind that rises a massive screen, hooked up to the live twitter feed that begins as a collection of witty remarks and good humour, but quickly becomes the easiest (and funniest) way to follow the proceedings. We are all furnished with numbers and, in the beginning at least, are keenly attentive. Shortly after the meeting is underway, it arrives upon a controversial and fiercely debated topic. I’m not going to rehash the contents of the discussion, that’s what the transcript is for, but I am intensely interested in the significance of it happening at all.
Martin, Jørn, and Tomas each stride up in turn to their own personalised theme tunes…
Foto: Øystein Jensen
Being an international member of DNS allows a unique perspective into the workings and culture at Chateau Neuf. One of the most impressive aspects is the rigour and passion that everyone brings to their own positions and to the general expectations of how the house should run. So regardless of the consequence, what is so fantastic about the early contention at the meeting is that groups and people within DNS are able to express their democratic voice. I’m not sure if many Norwegians realise this, but as far as I’ve seen, few other student-run organisations around the world exhibit such prodigious freedoms of expression and high standards of functionality. In a country held to be one of the most democratic in the world, seeing those values filter down and become a part of the organisation is part of what makes it great. Certainly, at times, the meeting feels like a marathon of semantics; archaic commandments that need trivial alterations or removal but nevertheless, a thorough demonstration of the fervour that drives DNS forward. Seven hours is beginning to push it though.
Being an international member of DNS allows a unique perspective into the workings and culture at Chateau Neuf.
The coffee has had time to turn into regret (toilet breaks are few and far between) and the last Sino bottle has tipped over beneath someone’s chair; it is time to swear in the new board for 2014. Before the patient moderator of the meeting can finish their introductions, Martin, Jørn, and Tomas each stride up in turn to their own personalised theme tunes, and deliver a short speech. It is fantastic to see the conclusion of the assembly is one steeped in such excitement and fun – an atmosphere the new board promises to see carried on throughout the next year.
Last week Skribentersamfundet had a talk with the new board for 2014, you can read the interview here.
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Søndag 3. november var det tid for generalforsamling i Det Norske Studentersamfund. I det klokken nærmet seg fire, sto både medlemmer og andre interesserte klare i døren for å registrere seg, og bli med på det som skulle bli et syv timers langt møte. En storskjerm med twitterfeed fungerte som bakteppe, mens 2013s høydepunkter ble presentert gjennom årsberetninger fra de ulike foreningene, og mot slutten fikk vi endelig svaret på hvem som skal lede Det Norske Studentersamfund gjennom 2014.