Blog from the Consistory Boarding School

A misty and cool fall morning. Leaves crunch crisply under leather boots. It's a perfect day for student influence.
And it's not every day that a simple medical student gets the privilege of representing all of us students in the university's management, which in true Uppsala spirit is called the Consistory. But alas, it's my turn this time, and not only that, we're going to boarding school! Two days of intensive work outsourced to the surprisingly homely Noor's castle in Knivsta. The fog obscures the view during the bus ride as well as it does outside the window when we take our morning coffee. Modest comments about the US election echo through the foyer, and all the way up to the meeting room.

Day 1
Looking around, it is clear that student influence has an almost unspoken high role at our university. Centered at the meeting table is of course Rector Magnificus Anders Hagfeldt, flanked by President Anne Ramberg and University Director Caroline Sjöberg. After that, there are only a few pampas, such as our Pro-Vice-Chancellor Coco Norén, until you reach us students. Downstream of us, in the context of young people, you will find further rows of pampas from academia and business.
The agenda for these two days is full to say the least. Allow me to filter the agenda for you: broadened recruitment, teacher-led time, the Rector's memo and a not inconsiderable amount of formalities of the highest order. After an introductory welcome by Anne Ramberg, with strong undertones of the US election results, we're off. Allez.

Broadened recruitment is, in short, creating the conditions for those admitted to universities and colleges to reflect society at large. We are actually quite a homogeneous group when you look at it, especially in certain fields. The HERO report presents and visualizes this. Gender, social status and rural areas, well everything seems to be unevenly distributed in terms of who is actually admitted to university. Admittedly, we choose education freely, but admission and conditions play a very big role. Not least information; dear primary school student hear us. You can! But maybe not on an independent course, because society has long since taken over there. If you can't afford to try, you'll have to become an engineer or a nurse, that's the order of the day in our modern university. But make no mistake, the report is just the beginning, it's about Understanding - Explaining - Changing.

During lunch, you will be joined by the Vice President of SACO-S for Uppsala University. There is a discussion about the seemingly low status of teachers in society, something SACO-S certainly dares to challenge.

Next, we spend a lot of time discussing teacher-led time. Did you know, dear reader, that some of the fellow students you encounter have as little as 2 hours a week of teacher-led time? At first glance "chill" but a solid problem regarding the quality of education. Not only are there those who have it bad, Uppsala University is in several areas the worst of the universities in Sweden, and Sweden in turn among the worst in Europe. The Consistory wants to see this investigated. You know it's Uppsala when a senior member says "It's the students we're here for. If Lund can do it, why can't we?" and everyone in the room recoils. He who shall not be named. How does the Consistory want to solve this problem then? My colleague Holger probably said it best: "You go to the doctor with a mole and the doctor replies that he doesn't know. That's not very reassuring." Coco is quick to counter "Isn't that an Ernst metaphor?" and the medic in me smiles. However, the chairman agrees, the mole must be examined. The principal concludes with the words "I think there is a minimum level, we can't get away from that."

Cake is consumed. Coffee with it. Is there oat milk, I ask modestly?
The Vice President of the Consistory, Elisabeth Dahlin (Chairman of the Board of the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation), tells us between sips how she is one of the few people from her childhood in Haparanda who even thought that higher education was a possibility. The conditions are lacking, but not the people.

The vice-rectors join in, not least MedFarm's Mats Larhed, who has brought his own bottle of Cola-zero (those who know, know).

After discussing scientific impact, day one will soon come to an end. But not before both myself and Mats have time to comment on the use of KI as a role model. During dinner, our table neighbor Åsa Zetterberg (chairman of TechSverige) and I agree that Gothenburg Nation may well be one of the absolute best. We can also agree on drinks, a Dry Martini. As her old friend from her student days, Bishop Johan Dalman, had said: No cap.

Day 2
An early morning, an early breakfast, and more discussions about Donald Trump. Could this man be the new ice-breaker? Very possible if you are in a consistory boarding school.

If you are going to write memos, you should be taught by the Magnificus himself, because his memos are second to none. Lobbying in Brussels, requests for fencing students in Uppsala, and a first bachelor program in English. Congratulations if you like the Egyptology.
It continues with investments from the state in the STEM area (congratulations) and cuts at HumSam (regrets).

A breather? No, thank you. Another cup of coffee. I feel my hands shaking and my eyes staring, but I NEED coffee!

Newly appointed head librarian Johanna Hansson is our guest. There is a lot of talk about books and little about study places. The need is endless and money is finite. I realize that I have spent too little time at Carolinan to fully understand this.

It all ends with brief summaries of the Nobel laureates. If you're ready, here's an even shorter version. Micro-RNA, machine learning, computerized protein design, the role of institutions in the economy, poetry about women's oppression and human suffering. Go home and impress your parents now, you are an academic after all.

A bus ride home and tomorrow is just another day. Dare you breathe out?

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