The Student Life.
Oct. 10th, 2013 06:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
regndoftSo in the middle of this week's excitement - the presumed-missing-now-presumably-recovered Classic Who episodes - I thought that instead of writing a really boring update about what I've been up to at uni lately, I'd kill time by sharing a venerable piece of university history with you.
Namely, the proud legacy of my own faculty, directly (and very quickly) translated from the Swedish Wikipedia article: the legend of Elof Sundin.
Elof Sundin is a fictional Uppsala student whose presumed presence has come to make its mark on the city's student life. He was born in 1943, studied theology and belonged to Norrland nation.
Sundin's presence started to take form at the institute for theology in the latter half of the 1960s. In Old Testament exegetics, there was a course with rollcall, whereupon the teacher by misreading called out the name "Elof Sundin". No one answered. When this was repeated in two more lessons someone started saying "yes". The matter continued. Elof Sundin's continued existence began to take shape and his name was written on attendance lists, exams were handed in in his name and was written onto different protest lists whenever the opportunity arose. According to the legend exams were handed in in his name in all subjects and he actually acquired a bachelor's degree in theology.
The legend of Elof Sundin was particularly nurtured and passed down through the generations by students at Norrby Student Home. As the inner circle of Elof Sundin-actors continued their studies and made academic careers - several of them became professors at different faculties in time - the character of Elof Sundin did too. In the 70s and 80s his name often figurated connected to the political activities of the students' union.
In spring 1984 Upsala Nya Tidning wrote a big article (2nd of febr. 1984) that Sundin was soon to dispute in Church law with a thesis entitled [I won't even try to translate this, because it's complete academic gobbledygook, which was presumably the point]. Through the presence of the Sundin-actors in the library world the thesis was entered into the university library's catalogue via an authentic and professionally made catalogue card. Several copies were made and a new one was entered into the catalogue whenever an orderly and unamused librarian removed the one already there. The catalogue card was the first establishing that Elof Sundin was born in 1943. A review of the thesis was entered into the theological instution's magazine Dekanalen , where the to say the least studentesque research results were presented, discussed and criticised according to the usual rules of academia. A professor from Lund contacted the faculty asking why he hadn't received his usual copy of a new thesis. Professors at other faculties were heard making serious announcements about the content of the text. Both students and teachers at the faculty of theology put on their pokerfaces. At the Norrby Student Home a part was arranged where the fictional promotion was celebrated. A real doctor's diploma with his name was put up on the wall in the house's salon, where it's still on display together with some of Sundin's "forgotten belongings". An advert was sent to the Upsala Nya Tidning where Sundin regretted that he couldn't "personally reach" everyone who had celebrated but now gave them his "quiet thanks". The thesis story contributed to the spreading of the Sundin legend.
It was possible for the Sundin legend to arise before digitalisation and it was counteracted by the fact that he didn't have a national registration number. In the spring of 2005 a letter signed Elof Sundin was sent to the Prime Minister Göran Persson with a request if it was necessary for everyone to have a national registration number and adress. A reply from Persson to Sundin sent to Norrby Student Home arrived, where he explained the necessity of the registration number by saying that society must see to that "everyone has it well". Further on Elof Sundin handed in an application to Västerås Cathedral Chapter regarding an article the priest Ulla Karlsson had publiched in the church's magazine. The Cathedral Chapter ignored the application when they confirm Elof Sundin's identity.
Elof Sundin still participated in official church context, for example Elof chatted with the bishop (then bishop electus) Jan-Olof Johansson on the web site of Smålandsposten when opportunity arose.
Since the college year 2011/2012 the theology students' council at Uppsala University distribute a prize named after Elof Sundin, Elof Sundin's prize. It is according to the students' council given to a student who has "distinguished him- or herself by promoting a nice atmosphere, a spirit of comradery or good working environment among the students at the Theological Institute".
Namely, the proud legacy of my own faculty, directly (and very quickly) translated from the Swedish Wikipedia article: the legend of Elof Sundin.
Elof Sundin is a fictional Uppsala student whose presumed presence has come to make its mark on the city's student life. He was born in 1943, studied theology and belonged to Norrland nation.
Sundin's presence started to take form at the institute for theology in the latter half of the 1960s. In Old Testament exegetics, there was a course with rollcall, whereupon the teacher by misreading called out the name "Elof Sundin". No one answered. When this was repeated in two more lessons someone started saying "yes". The matter continued. Elof Sundin's continued existence began to take shape and his name was written on attendance lists, exams were handed in in his name and was written onto different protest lists whenever the opportunity arose. According to the legend exams were handed in in his name in all subjects and he actually acquired a bachelor's degree in theology.
The legend of Elof Sundin was particularly nurtured and passed down through the generations by students at Norrby Student Home. As the inner circle of Elof Sundin-actors continued their studies and made academic careers - several of them became professors at different faculties in time - the character of Elof Sundin did too. In the 70s and 80s his name often figurated connected to the political activities of the students' union.
In spring 1984 Upsala Nya Tidning wrote a big article (2nd of febr. 1984) that Sundin was soon to dispute in Church law with a thesis entitled [I won't even try to translate this, because it's complete academic gobbledygook, which was presumably the point]. Through the presence of the Sundin-actors in the library world the thesis was entered into the university library's catalogue via an authentic and professionally made catalogue card. Several copies were made and a new one was entered into the catalogue whenever an orderly and unamused librarian removed the one already there. The catalogue card was the first establishing that Elof Sundin was born in 1943. A review of the thesis was entered into the theological instution's magazine Dekanalen , where the to say the least studentesque research results were presented, discussed and criticised according to the usual rules of academia. A professor from Lund contacted the faculty asking why he hadn't received his usual copy of a new thesis. Professors at other faculties were heard making serious announcements about the content of the text. Both students and teachers at the faculty of theology put on their pokerfaces. At the Norrby Student Home a part was arranged where the fictional promotion was celebrated. A real doctor's diploma with his name was put up on the wall in the house's salon, where it's still on display together with some of Sundin's "forgotten belongings". An advert was sent to the Upsala Nya Tidning where Sundin regretted that he couldn't "personally reach" everyone who had celebrated but now gave them his "quiet thanks". The thesis story contributed to the spreading of the Sundin legend.
It was possible for the Sundin legend to arise before digitalisation and it was counteracted by the fact that he didn't have a national registration number. In the spring of 2005 a letter signed Elof Sundin was sent to the Prime Minister Göran Persson with a request if it was necessary for everyone to have a national registration number and adress. A reply from Persson to Sundin sent to Norrby Student Home arrived, where he explained the necessity of the registration number by saying that society must see to that "everyone has it well". Further on Elof Sundin handed in an application to Västerås Cathedral Chapter regarding an article the priest Ulla Karlsson had publiched in the church's magazine. The Cathedral Chapter ignored the application when they confirm Elof Sundin's identity.
Elof Sundin still participated in official church context, for example Elof chatted with the bishop (then bishop electus) Jan-Olof Johansson on the web site of Smålandsposten when opportunity arose.
Since the college year 2011/2012 the theology students' council at Uppsala University distribute a prize named after Elof Sundin, Elof Sundin's prize. It is according to the students' council given to a student who has "distinguished him- or herself by promoting a nice atmosphere, a spirit of comradery or good working environment among the students at the Theological Institute".
