AEGEE is a student association which often receives some help from the universities. Obviously, every Antenna enjoys a different support from a university and in this article we verify the situation of some Locals (AEGEE-Skopje, AEGEE-Rostov-na-Donu, AEGEE-Kyïv and AEGEE-Verona) which have a good relation with the universities.

Marija Davcheva, External Relations Responsible of AEGEE Skopje, tells us AEGEE-Skopje office is registered at the University SS.Cyril and Methodius Skopje, Faculty of Law’s address and they have their office there. Also, the Macedonian University supports her Antenna by providing the office and rooms on request for events/workshops and general assembly. The faculty also covers the costs, monthly bills for the office including the wi-fi network. The Antenna has not had any other financial support from the University yet. Instead, the University helps AEGEE-Skopje to collect more new members by allowing it to promote its activities inside the areas and the hallways of the faculties. AEGEE members usually make info desks in certain periods of the academic year, for instance the beginning of a new semester or before the SU applications, when the students are motivated the most and are looking for new volunteering opportunities. The University allows AEGEE-Skopje to make info desks in the faculty areas, as well as presentations for AEGEE activities in some of the classrooms at the University. Until now the Macedonian Antenna has not promoted any collaborations with the University like a foreign language course.

Anna Bespalova and Elena Efremova, Board members of AEGEE-Rostov-na-Donu, tell us their University guarantees some kind of support to the Russian Antenna by offering an annual grant for student project and international events. Then, the Russian Antenna takes financing from the University for the Summer Universities, NWMs and LTCs, and is provided accomodation, meals and transport. The University helps AEGEE-Rostov-na-Donu to collect new members by giving information about its events on the official website and let it spread its promo materials in the areas of the University. The University allows the AEGEE members to promote their association inside the areas of the same University by providing the space for presentations and let them print their promo materials for free.

Sara Bottacini, Board member of AEGEE-Verona, tells us the University allows the AEGEE members to promote their association in the areas of the same University although they do not receive any other kind of support. The ESU, an office which tends to give offsite students canteen and accomodation, leaves some space for the office of the Italian Local and funds AEGEE-Verona a little for its activities.

Iryna Sheremeta, Board member of AEGEE-Kyïv, says that the Ukrainian Antenna does not receive any kind of support from the University and it does not have sponsorship as well. AEGEE-Kyïv members do not get any financing from the University, but they get rooms for free and possibility to make their events there (Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyïv). Currently, they do not have an office but they are working on this. “We have good relationship with heading in the University after Autumn Agora Kyïv 2015, so hopefully we will get office for us” adds Iryna. The University helps them to collect more members because they do presentations about AEGEE in different universities in Kyïv. About the association promotion, they are placing posters inside the University and collaborating with student parliament. “In such a way we get promotion in University and on some events as well” says Iryna. 

“Dear Network, it is my great pleasure to announce that at the recent local Agora the new board of AEGEE-…. was elected.” An e-mail with such information ticks into many AEGEE members e-mail account day in and day out and in numerous times ends up deleted.

Announcing the new board of an antenna is made on Announce-L, and contributes to the large number of e-mails entering accounts of young students around Europe every day. The question was raised not so long ago about why there is the need of boards announcing themselves on the Announce-L, and one might wonder if this procedure could be improved?

Some commissions would like to prefer that contact information for every board member of the different antennae to be included. This way the Audit Commission can connect to Treasurers, The AEGEEan can connect to PR Responsible and the Human Resource Committee gains the opportunity to reach out to HR Responsible across the antennae.

However, others might have the opinion that announcing the boards on the Announce-L is spamming, and a measure that should either take place in another way or simply not take place at all through e-mailing. In The AEGEEan we keep stressing the fact that anybody can publish more or less any news in our magazine. With the six different sections we reach many areas, and for people who find it difficult to compose an article we have journalists and editors happy to help out. This for example happened in the case where AEGEE-Napoli contacted the magazine, eager to announce their new board to the Network and the things that they were working on.

This made Patricia Anthony, editor of European Events section, wonder if it is possible to announce all boards through our magazine? Her idea is to separate the announcement of boards from the Announce-L and create a new list with the only purpose of announcing boards. That could be for example be named Announce-Board-L. This way commissions, committees, and people who are generally interested in receiving such news in their inbox can subscribe and still stay informed about new boards.

Some might be scared that not enough people obtain the information about the change in their antenna, but this can be solved as well. As mentioned before, there is the great opportunity to announce such information in The AEGEEan and there are many possibilities to do so. Antennae can write the article themselves, or they can reach out to the team behind The AEGEEan stating their desire for such article, or if more people are in favor of the idea The AEGEEan can create a standard form that antennae can fill in, and the creative journalists of the magazine will then put it together as an article.

What do you think? Are you bothered by the large number of boards being announced through Announce-L since it is for many useless information? Would you like to see a change? Would you like it to stay the way it is? What is your opinion?

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København