On May 17, 2020, the Student Union of the University of Tartu celebrated its 100th anniversary. Throughout the century, student representation has manifested itself in different ways, but the goal has survived throughout — to stand and fight for students’ rights.
As one of the book’s authors Toivo Kikkas said, the university’s history has been written about enough, but not so much about the representation of students. We are glad to see that gap filled and that a beautiful centennial book “Hundred years of student representation in the University of Tartu” has found its home on UTSU’s shelf.
On the 30th of November, the book launch was opened by exemplary student representatives Linda Tender and Kauro Tafitšuk. The round of speeches was started by the university’s Rector Toomas Asser, who recognised the Student Union for bringing up topics that are important to the broader student body both in Estonia and in Europe. “I recognise the current leaders also for the fact that this [bringing up topics] has been kept in an understanding dialogue and it doesn’t have this very biased, political component. To the current representatives I wish a wise look and the same ongoing understanding and tactics that you’ve had so far, so that the students’ concerns could also reach our, the management’s level,” said Asser and wished the continuation of smooth cooperation.
The chairperson of the Student Union Karl Lembit Laane thanked the Rector for his heart-warming words in the introduction of his speech. “This constructive cooperation that is between the University of Tartu Student Union and the management and the Rectorate is one of the things we appreciate the most – that how we don’t get some weird blocks, that there is no talking down to others, but that we can talk to each other as people and how we often reach the point where, despite some disagreements, we understand each other. I am very grateful to you for that.”
The chairperson brought up in his speech the many differences in the aspects of student representation now and a hundred years ago, but emphasised the goal that has remained through the ages: “We still want higher education to be guaranteed to all the academically capable, not just the wealthy minority. We want the students to have the possibility to concentrate on their studies and not worry about their subsistence. We want the students to have an opportunity to join other students, for example in student organisations, to create something new and that they would get the best possible education in this university.”
Between the two previously quoted speakers, one of the book’s authors Toivo Kikkas also had a word, where he and the lector for Estonian history Janet Laidla introduced the respectable hundred-year journey that was put between the book covers as a comprehensive piece, that definitely isn’t claiming to be a scientific piece of work.
In addition to materials found in the archive and historical literature, the author says the book also contains interviews, but he noted that without the emergency situation, there would’ve been many more of those. “The essential is here, in a way that pleases me well, the person, not just the institution. The institution – that is the people,” noted Kikkas and thanked everybody for their contribution. In his opinion, the people he interviewed gave a very multifaceted vision of their past as a student representative, looked at today and also a little bit at the future.
Kikkas also called the current representatives the future’s sources of history and called upon them to share materials that might find their place in some of the next books. So dear representatives, if you have any eloquent pictures or interesting documents to share, feel free to turn to UTSU or Toivo Kikkas.
For the celebration of UTSU’s 100th and Natonal University’s 101st anniversary, Raul Markus Vaiksoo in cooperation with UTSU created a beautiful masterpiece — a dance show reflecting our history. The premier of “Oh, otsigem…” was on 1 December.
“In life, the search often eclipses the finding. We long to find out who to be, who to become, where to go and where to precede from, with whom to align and against whom to rally. „Oh, otsigem…“ is a tribute to the Estonian-language university and the centenarian student body who have embarked on this journey of searching with us and also helped us find – find what is our own and find what helps us go forward.
The showcased dances will likely not provide an emergent narrative but, on the other hand, they give the viewer an opportunity to look back on both our history and the clearly distinct periods in each of our lives. At times, we yearn to work ourselves to the bone, at times we run out of might. Sometimes we succeed in our search yet fail to rejoice over the findings. Sometimes we fear the future and all that is ahead, feel daunted by the chance of defeat or, even fear the very idea of trying again. But search and try we must in order not to conform. We rise every time we fall and once we join forces, no situation is too challenging. Oh otsigem!”
The university’s magazine Universitas Tartuensis wrote more about the show.
Director – Raul Markus Vaiksoo
Editor – Patrick Antonjuk
Operator – Mattias Veermets
Operator’s assistant – Kaarel Kõvatu
Master of Light – Jaanus Pähn
Assistant to the Master of Light – Grete Vaalma
Recording producer – Mattias Veermets
Client – University of Tartu Student Council
Stage producer – Trine Oak
Project manager – Kristel Jakobson
Choreography – Saara Liis Jõerand, Meeri Jürgenson, Saara Kaljujärv, Rene Kriisa, Lisanna Lajal, Anna Zobel, Margaret Tilk, Raul Markus Vaiksoo, Oliver Valk, Priidik Meelo Västrik
Stage speech – Saara Liis Jõerand
Speakers – Saara Liis Jõerand, Saara Kaljujärv, Oliver Valk, Priidik Meelo Västrik
Dancers – Saara Liis Jõerand, Meeri Jürgenson, Saara Kaljujärv, Rene Kriisa, Lisanna Lajal, Anna Zobel, Margaret Tilk, Raul Markus Vaiksoo, Oliver Valk, Priidik Meelo Västrik and Dance Society Pikne
Dance Society Pikne – Indrek Aamisepp, Maria-Helena Adams, Karl Einaru, Karl Martin Kadaja, Hedi-Riin Kivikas, Siim Kolberg, Kerstin Lind, Raido Rehepapp, Laura Sauga, Karl Suurkaev, Kendra Claudia Tamtik, Liisbet Teemaa, Kaarel Tigane, Tiina Tubli , Triin Tärnov, Kaarel Viljaste
Music:
Aivar Surva “Train Ride”
Mihkel Zilmer “Work” Mihkel Zilmer “His ditch, in his land”
Johanna Playing “The Perfect Negative”
Lofoten Cello Duo “Minor Foot”
Eugen Kapp “Kalevipoeg III. Rear of Swords “
Mandotrio “Waltz for Tomorrow”
Texts:
Gustav Suits “Congratulations to the Estonian University”
Student song “Our thoughts are pride”
Kalju Lepik “We Sing”
Viivi Luik “It is the end of the century. It’s night “
Special thanks to:
Helena Aadli, Fahrenheit 451 ° book room, Printing Museum, Evelin Kullman, Mirjam Link, Madis Mikkor, Electric Theater, Rasmus Rääk, family Kaljujärv, family Västrik, Alfred Kraft, Helen Värno, Dance Society Pikne MTÜ, Tähtvere Dance Center, University of Tartu Spade University Museum, Robert H. Nutt, Kaius Põder, Matthias Tiidelepp, Keiti Väliste.
Photographer – Helena Aadli
The war’s evil crater is still spewing fire and smoke,
when the new carrier of light, alma mater, opens
its old doors here, on the edge of the quiet hill,
which isn’t seeing it’s first nor last rejoicing.
Oh, let us seek and sharpen our methods here.
A new human, that was created from the seeds of the old.
Our thoughts are free, who could bind them?
Who has such might to send them into prison?
Even in prison and toil, heaven is still open to us.
Like this we are almighty – our thoughts are free.
It is a joy to live in the midst of the Sun’s gold,
and it is a joy to cultivate the soil of mother Earth,
and carry suffering and give oneself as a sacrifice.
Like this we are almighty – our thoughts are free.
We don’t care about anything else that we ourselves don’t wish for.
It’s all from ourselves, whether it’s good or bad.
Our heart and eyes, they create the world.
Like this we are almighty – our thoughts are free.
You sit here, half-well in the shadow
and evil is on this side of your road.
I know, that over your servant’s shadow
all roads will once lead to you.
You have bolted the door
and bound the roads
and read the beats of my heart
and you ready the sled for a ride.
We sing a brave song
in the middle of winds and the autumn night.
We sing until the fire
Once more flares up again.
In every falling leaf I fall.
Every broken branch is my voice.
I fall over onto you,
the white snowdrifts on my heart.
The waters die, the rain has stopped.
Sharpen teeth, pound the hammer.
We sing about how we
never – never- will disappear.
A hand turning the page,
the other supporting the forehead.
It’s the end of the century. It’s cold.
Nothing else is afoot.
Nobody can answer yet
in this world,
why an immortal fire ignites
in a mortal eye,
why still is there a sparkle
on the line between good and evil
in such a clear pupil
on such black rays,
Is the blood’s taste of Bible
on the winds because
a question mark like a wound is
on all the lips of the living,
Is that the only thing to scare off
the shadows from the land,
if someone coldly into an art piece
turns a hot scream.
When all is about to end,
should we then just hope,
that something new is coming which
none of us can guess?
A hand turning the page,
the other supporting the forehead.
It’s the end of the century. It’s night.
Nothing’s afoot as yet.
Dance production “Seeking for…” was completed for the 100th anniversary of the Student Body of the University of Tartu and the 101st anniversary of the National University. The production was recorded at the Estonian National Museum in 2020.
The Student Union of Tartu University was founded on the 17th of May back in 1920, bearing the name of Üliõpilaskonna Edustus (roughly translating to Student Representation). Although the seeds of Union could be found already in 1914, the formal Union was formed on the 17th of May, soon after the ending of the Estonian War of Independence. Student Union’s work ceased during the occupation after 2nd World War. Union was reinstituted 50 years later in the beginning of the 90s with it’s original name – Üliõpilaskonna Edustus. Soon after many reforms in both national and University’s legislation – the Student Union of Tartu University got it’s current name, structure and function.
Student Union’s base structure originates from the time the Estonian students first started grouping together – primarly on the Estonian Students Society, founded on the year 1870.
Medicine student Josep H. Teinman (Estonian Students Society) was one of the first, who framed the idea of Student Union and also inspired others of it. Therefore the Student Union was created on the 17th of May 1920. This happened on the main hall of the University of Tartu with the cooperation of all students, with unanimous support. The meeting formed the Student Body’s Temporary Leadership, whose main goal was to represent all students in the University of Tartu and which was justified to speak and act for the students.
From there, the difference of nationalities was kept aside to create one unified association to represent all students in the University of Tartu (not only for Estonian students anymore). Student Body’s Temporary Leadership’s first chairman was Josep H. Teinman (Estonian Students Society), assistant-chairman: D. Treude (frat! Fr. Estica), first secretary: V. Luik.
Soon after the foundation, Student Body’s Temporary Leadership quickly found recognition and help from the government of University. The latter gave student body wide rooms to use, on the address of Liivi 4 (today’s School of Economics) – where many of the student workgroups, comitees and the Student Kitchen could start working.
On the 24th of November 1920 a concrete voting law was passed. It was aggreed on, that the 30-membered Student Representation will be voted, including all students in the University of Tartu, by universal, direct, secret, uniform and proportional election method.
On the 10th and 11th of December 1920 the first elections (using newly finished Voting Law) of Student Representation were held. The choice was made from 7 listings, with 857 students of 1507 eligible to vote, making it 57% of students in the University of Tartu that time.
The main responsibilities for Student Representation were to solve any financial issues regarding the organisation and to initiate cooperation with foreign student bodies. The main questions for students was the possibility of a student loan, together with the idea of creating health insurance fund inside the University.
During the Soviet occupation, Student Representation didn’t have actual possibility to influence student lives in any way, as it was seen (by Soviet repressors) as a socially hostile sighting of bourgeoisie and was therefore forbidden. In the 90s, when Estonia regain it’s independence, the student body was restored with the original name – Student Representation. Student Union of the University of Tartu got it’s current name and form through many reforms and structural changes. Today – Student Union brings together over 140 student representative.
To celebrate the 100 years of organised representation of students in the University of Tartu, Student Union organises series of discussion evenings and a big party on the 16th of May.
Facts from history compiled by UTSU100’s project manager is Kalle Valge