The Celebration of Traditions
With only a few days left before the Annual University Celebration, RUST has taken a nostalgic glance at the celebration throughout the ages, and not least, examined this year's ambitious music program.
The headlines of the year, the awarding of honorary doctorates, and classical music will enshroud the opening ceremony in auditorium 45. It cannot be stressed enough: this is the most important night of the university.
The event has been an institution in the institution since the foundation of Odense University in 1966, and has annually provided the perfect context for students and employees, alike, to celebrate the university. This has although not always been the case.
Photographic evidence shows that the modern Annual University Celebration is far more conservative than those of yore, with the flower children of the 70s and the reactionary students of the 80s dealing with austerity policies and questionable hair styles.
The rite of mastering a tie knot
The Annual University Celebration is the celebratory event where young men have the chance to master the more dandy tie knots or may even succeed with the self tie bow, if destiny allows. Indeed, it has become more the rule than the exception, that men suit-up while appearances are kept up, especially when royals, ministerial position holders and other members of the higher echelons of society are invited.
Digging deeper into the archives, tangible Kodak moments reveal that the event, at times, diverged from its conservative rumor, when students scraped the varnish of bourgeoise fashion and created royal smiles through creative youth rebellion.
The Gilded Crowbar
The Annual University Celebration has inadvertently had a tradition for being a platform for rebellion of a humorous nature. The event served as the site for a ceremonial peace agreement between the students and the university Executive Board in 1977.
Lecturer at the History Institute, Tønnes Bekker-Nielsen, has contributed to SDU's official anniversary book, "En verden af viden" (2016), where the opening chapter contains the account of the weekend when Odense University turned revolutionary.
Budget savings at Roskilde University Center had been rumored, so students at Odense University occupied the administrative facilities in a sympathy sitdown/sleepover for the duration of a weekend in April 1977 (Bekker-Nielsen, 26). The debacle resulted in the university staff using brute force to enter through the windowpane at the entrance (Ibid). Needless to say, the story turned out to be the cover story of the day in the local paper, after an army of law enforcers removed the squatters.
“The university's Executive Board had called, roughly, half a hundred officers from the Order Police in Odense to clear the administrative offices [. . .] At no point, dit it come to any confrontation between the law enforcers and the approximately fifty students located in the administrative facilities” (Fyens, 22.04.1977, s. 2). Granted, the sympathy-squatters had been on a fairly symphathetic mission and had duly made sure "emptying ashtrays, removing beer bottles and making sure the flowers in the occupied areas were watered” (Bekker-Nielsen, 26).
”At half past six, sharp, we forced entry into the baracks. We first had to wake the guard sleeping serenely at the entrance. He did not want to open, so a university guard had to draw his crowbar, and we entered. All the occupiers slept serenely. The first group, drowsily, left the barracks, voluntarily, but the rest had to be carried out by the police, at the time they had awoken properly and realized that they were supposed to act as real squatters.
It stayed at the declaration of sympathy, and the revolutionary aspirations never entered the high-alert field during The Siege of April 22-25.
Humanities student Jens Lind could even ceremonially sign a peace agreement with Vice-Chancellor Aage Trommer through the artefact of a gilded crowbar holding the inscription: "Tear down the walls surrounding the university."
RUST has visited Møntergården, where the crowbar is part of the permanent exhibition "Funen - Centre of of the Universe". While the crowbar may not be the centre of the universe, it certainly is one of the most important historic artefacts of the university. Undeniably, the crowbar symbolizes the first steps towards the celebration evolving into an event unifying every affiliate of the university, through generations and through the ages.
It stayed at the declaration of sympathy, and the revolutionary aspirations never entered the high-alert field during The Siege of April 22-25.
Humanities student Jens Lind could even ceremonially sign a peace agreement with Vice-Chancellor Aage Trommer through the artefact of a gilded crowbar holding the inscription: "Tear down the walls surrounding the university."
RUST has visited Møntergården, where the crowbar is part of the permanent exhibition "Funen - Centre of of the Universe". While the crowbar may not be the centre of the universe, it certainly is one of the most important historic artefacts of the university. Undeniably, the crowbar symbolizes the first steps towards the celebration evolving into an event unifying every affiliate of the university, through generations and through the ages.
It stayed at the declaration of sympathy, and the revolutionary aspirations never entered the high-alert field during The Siege of April 22-25.
Humanities student Jens Lind could even ceremonially sign a peace agreement with Vice-Chancellor Aage Trommer through the artefact of a gilded crowbar holding the inscription: "Tear down the walls surrounding the university."
RUST has visited Møntergården, where the crowbar is part of the permanent exhibition "Funen - Centre of of the Universe". While the crowbar may not be the centre of the universe, it certainly is one of the most important historic artefacts of the university. Undeniably, the crowbar symbolizes the first steps towards the celebration evolving into an event unifying every affiliate of the university, through generations and through the ages.
With a compromise-seeking vision of the modern Annual University Celebration, the student council and, as a result, the students were now an equal part of the gala event which was formerly regarded as "elitist".
The evening event of 1982 was also the last edition before the post-ceremonial festivities emulated into its current state. In the party's annus horriblis of 1983, the evening event was cancelled due to abysmal ticket sales (Ibid. 41). Meanwhile, the free alternative "The Annual University Celebration of the People" in Munke Mose drew in 5,000 participants in its nineteenth and final edition in 1985 (Ibid.).
It stayed at the declaration of sympathy, and the revolutionary aspirations never entered the high-alert field during The Siege of April 22-25.
Humanities student Jens Lind could even ceremonially sign a peace agreement with Vice-Chancellor Aage Trommer through the artefact of a gilded crowbar holding the inscription: "Tear down the walls surrounding the university."
RUST has visited Møntergården, where the crowbar is part of the permanent exhibition "Funen - Centre of of the Universe". While the crowbar may not be the centre of the universe, it certainly is one of the most important historic artefacts of the university. Undeniably, the crowbar symbolizes the first steps towards the celebration evolving into an event unifying every affiliate of the university, through generations and through the ages.
"2018 Danish Mainstream-DeeJay of the Year”. The prize says it all, and everything points in the direction that the Campustorv will be enclosed by discotheque music with finesse. The back-catalogue reeks of love for the commercial dance floor. Skøtt has maintained a constant level with his latest remixes on Ava Max’ “Sweet but Psycho” and his, to date, biggest Spotify smasher: Pharfar's “Alt for mange mænd". Skøtt's Mixcloud series "Krims Krams" is defined by lighter deep house and house elements, but also opens for the introduction of harder bass and big room house sequences as the set evolves. As the closing act at Tinderbox’ Groovebox, for the full duration of the three-day festival, Rasmus Skøtt is the epitome of excellent craftsmanship and dedication to the dance floors of the Danish provinces.
Track on repeat: "Sweet but Psycho" (Rasmus Skøtt Remix) - Ava Max
Gilli - 22:30
As part of the trendsetting hip hop collective B.O.C; Kesi, Noah Carter, Benny Jamz, and, last but not least, Gilli have changed the vernacular of an entire youth generation. Kian Rosenberg Larsson reached shooting star status after Fenar Ahmads suburb drama “Flow” (2014), which served as the ultimate platform for catapulting the beats and rhymes of Gilli's debut solo EP "Ækte Vare". It is a rarely occuring phenemenon, that an artist with equal amounts of critical appraisal and popular acclaim perpetually can conquer such a large portion of the national club chart. "C'est la Vie", "Oui", "All In", and S!vas'“d.a.u.d.a.” are certified bangers for the commercial club floor, while “Orale”, nowadays, can be used colloquially to begin and end any sentence. The rap-along hits stand in line to morph the Danish language through the sound of concrete and the dream of the good life delivered by the champion of flow.
Track on repeat: "Vai Amor"
Anders K - 23:00
For the duration of a midnight session, Anders K will be in a bodily deficit without his EDM partner Martin Nick. Needless to say, with a guaranteed bass-heavy set list, Anders K will set the Campustorv aflame. Possibly the best bet at a Odense resident act, Toomanylefthands have been instrumental in the city's dance culture holding resident status at Magicbox and Generator. The original material is mainstream and radio friendly with singles such as "Mad about It", "Lonely", and" “Too Young to Die” serving as the perfect examples of the TMLH. It is undisputed that the DJ duo, amputated or not, will crank up the biggest festival bangers, come Friday midnight. With a two-hour long set, Anders K will, in other words, introduce the Campustorv to another dimension of bass.
Track on repeat: "Dreamers" - Toomanylefthands.
Tickets for the Annual University Celebration are sold out.