The Nations

What are Student Nations?

ESN Lund is not a Nation! But we host most of our activities at the nations so we strongly recommend you to become a member of a nation as soon as you get to Lund; otherwise you won't be able to attend our events! The membership to the nations is not mandatory but since most of the social life in the city takes placethere it is more than worth to join one of them.

*****

The student nations or nationer exist at the two ancient universities in Uppsala and Lund; each with thirteen nations each. The Uppsala nations have a history stretching back to around 1630-1640, while the nations in Lund were formed at the time of the foundation of the university (1666) or shortly thereafter.

Traditionally, students were required to be members of the nations whose area one came from; this requirement is now voided. The nations are in charge of the kind of social activities which are at other universities normally handled by the student unions, such as restaurants, bars, clubs, theatre companies, orchestras, sports societies, and also some housing.

Swedish educational institutions also have student unions, political and religious student societies, etc. Student nations exists at other Swedish universities as well, but they are strictly social organisations and membership is not required to be a student.

Source: Wikipedia.

How to join a Nation?

The Student Nations, the Student Unions and the Academic Society (AF - Akademiska Föreningen) have together formed a platform called Studentlund. In order to have access to all the activities at the nations, student unions and the AF, you will need to register and become a member at Studentlund. Studentlund is present at the General Information Market and you can there ask them any questions you may have and also get assistance to register!

The membeship costs about 275 SEK (about 30€) per semester and you can only register after you have a Swedish social numer or a Lund student number (LADOK number). International degrees will usually get the LADOK number already when being accepted to their programs (in the acceptande letter/certificate); exchange students will get their LADOK number at the Arrival Day. Only students staying in Lund more than a year have the possibility to apply for a Swedish Social Number at Skatteverket (the Swedish tax office).

When registering online at Studentlund (http://studentlund.se/) you will there have the possibility to pay with credit card or with (international) bank transfer. After having registered online you still need to physically visit a Nation and register to it. Most nations have registration open during office hours (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

For more information about the Studentlund, the nations, student unions, AF, how to register, etc. please visit: http://studentlund.se/

*****

The ultimate Nation guide!

No student will ever be denied a good time at any nation based on membership.  But do seek membership with the one that suits your tastes.  Get acquainted with each nation’s unique character and varied offerings with Lundagård’s nations guide.

Helsingkrona Nation
Freshman Activities:
The freshman mentorship for students new to Lund will present mentors who will show how things work in Lund. We will also organize a full day of fun activities and competitions. The day will finish with a dinner / picnic with some training in singing for the upcoming dinner parties.
The Novisch Party in the AF-building, organized jointly by the Torna Nations. Clubs / Pubs:
Lunch on Monday and Tuesday 12.00-13.00.
Winbladh Restaurant & Lounge on Wednesdays with good food and drinks in a relaxed environment. 18:00 to midnight.
Pub Fredman on Fridays is our after-school pub with pub food and drinks to kick-start the weekend. 15:00 to 19:00
The dinner party on Friday will offer wonderful food and a fantastic atmosphere. 19:30 to 21:30
The Schlager Night Club runs every Friday, every even-numbered week, 22:00 to 02:00
Club Arena runs on Fridays every odd-numbered week, 22:00 to 02:00
Brunch Rise’n Shine serves on Saturdays a delicious buffet of treats that will surely wake you up properly. 11:00 to 13:00

Specific activities:
Crayfish on August 31st offers for international students a taste of a yummy tradition with crayfish and various drinks.
Snörsjöabalen on October 1st will be a wonderful night in the AF castle’s main hall.
Helsingkrona’s spex-play will give the audience a good laugh with song and drama of high quality. The spex will premiere the 3rd of Nov along with shows on the 4th and 5th.
Facilities for the Disabled: Yes
Equal Treatment Plan: Yes
Environmental Certification: Yes, along with the “nation frog”
Number of members: 2029 students

Östgöta Nation
Freshman Activities:
“We will hold a Novischpub on September 15. The various freshman groups, each of which have two or three mentors, will meet and gain insight into the various committees in the nation while our förmän present themselves. Then it’s Thursday Club.”
A novischdag will occur on the 17th of September filled with activities such as competitions and games.
We will have a second novischdag Wednesday, the 21st for everyone to further get to know the nation and one another.
The freshman period ends thereafter with the grand Novisch Party on Friday, the 23rd of September.
Clubs / Pubs:
“Saturday Club Sunset, following after the dinner party will continue to hold a standard of high quality.
On Thursdays each week we open Pub Punkan where we serve pea soup with alcoholic fruit punch and pancakes, or some form of dinner. We serve drinks in the form of beer and cider out of our wide range.
Every odd-numbered week, we run a re-launch the club front. Thursday Club will play more retro, rock, indie pop, and will become a great addition to Sunset.
Tuesdays we have dinners on Maggie, which serves food with a meringue suisse as dessert.
Then there are our treasures, Söderström’s basement is our gourmet restaurant. We serve a five-meal menu with selected drinks. These take place once a month.”
Specific activities:
“We have a wide range of cultural activities, including a sport run on Mondays through Wednesdays in the Victoria Stadium, football, basketball and hockey.
NATU has different activities. Among other things, it was around spooking in the winter darkness in the spring. It has previously arranged a trip to the Louisiana Museum.
Our newspaper Ostroskopet is a web page that keeps track of what’s happening in the nation. It is a truly handsome online newspaper, which includes autumn news and our ProInspektorsblogg.
We also have a fragile activity that many would like to have: Ostrochorus. They are very good, particularly where they sang during the Sweden Days in Warsaw. They have also received approval by the court to sing for the royal family.
That, mixed with all our different matutskott, includes our very popular rear bulkhead baking. They bake breads and cakes to our matutskott. On Sundays, Våra Tages is our brunch.”
Service for the Disabled: Yes
Equal Treatment Plan: No, but a joint plan for the nations is currently being reviewed.
Number of members: about 2,600 members

Västgöta nation
Freshman activities:
“Pub crawl (together with Halland where we play games and drive seduce pub crawl, Torna Games (sports competitions and prestigious meeting against other listed nations), Visboksinsjungning (seating of a familial nature in which novischerna [the freshmen] have the chance to get to know active in the nation)”
Novischfest (along with other nations in AF).
Clubs / Pubs:
Club every Wednesday (Metro, 22-02) with seating before starting at. 19th
Reputed Freda’Kök & Bar every Friday 19-24, “Nation restaurant.”
Stand-up comedy club Wisecrackers will be on once a month with stand-up in English with familiar faces and rookies from all over the world.
Rundpingis Preparty Club Professor Pong bi-weekly 20-24.
Specific activities: Yes, including sports.
Suitability: No
Equal Treatment Plan: Yes 

Environmentally Certified: No 

Number of members: 1400 


Hallands Nation
Freshman Activities:
Provides mentoring, välkomstsittning (a welcome party) for exchange students, pub crawl among the nations, ampo (seating with pea soup, fruit punch and vocals) and a large Novischfest with the Torna Nations.
Clubs / Pubs:
Pub on Wednesdays from 19 with food and the Champions League with projector, alternately Pubquiz.
Pub Fridays with food from the 19th Merged with Club 3 opening at 22.00.
Lunch on Mondays at 12
Brunch Buffet on Sundays at 11 am.
Specific activities:
[Sparta], the Committee provides sample activities every Thursday
NATU-committee organizes cultural and amenity activities every other Tuesday.
Services for the disabled: Yes
Equal Treatment Plan: Yes
Environmentally Certified: No, hope to be certified by Environmental Frog next semester.
Number of members: 1700

Blekingska Nation
Freshman activities:
Our novisch may be involved in a mentoring group with other novisch and already active nation members. During the first few weeks, the nation organizes a total of nine activities where you can discover the nation and get to know other novisch as well as active members. Activities range from Quiz Night to the nation’s pop club to sport in the form of indoor bandy.
The novisch period ends with a big novisch party in the AF building along with Wermlands nation.
Clubs / Pubs:
Club every Friday from 22-02.  Pop club Indigo, rock club Resonance, and electro club Heartbeats take turns lighting up the dance floor.
Every Wednesday is onsdagpub, offering great atmosphere, an extensive range of drinks, and tasty food. Every other Wednesday, the pub also features Howl, our open-mic stage, or our pub quiz.
Every Friday from 16-19, we serve a selection of 30 different beers along with a bite to eat at Sonja’s ölcafé.
Specific activities for members:
“You can play hockey every Thursday at 21:00 at Blekingska, which is the reigning champion of the Nations hockey league.
We also offer activities for those who are interested in writing in the nation’s newspaper, working with our broadcast radio, singing in the choir, working with information technology, public relations or environmental issues.”
Services for the disabled: Yes
Equal Treatment Plan: No, once the nation joint equality policy is adopted, we will develop a treatment plan.
Environmentally Certified: Yes, the nation is certified with the nation frog.
Number of members: 1,028

Krischansta Nation
Freshman Activities:
Sponsor groups, parties, and alcohol-free activities for getting to know the nation.
Clubs / Pubs:
Pub on Wednesdays beginning at 19:00.
Club on Fridays beginning at 22:00.
Specific activities:
Krischanstaspääxet
FATHOM – alcohol-free activities in the nation.
Services for the Disabled: Yes
Equal Treatment Plan: Yes
Environmentally Certified: Yes, with the nation frog.
Number of members: 1,595

Kalmar Nation
Freshman activities:
Nation mentors will take care of mentor groups during a month of activities, eventually culminating in a Novischfest.
Clubs / Pubs:
Pub Piranha on Tuesdays 19-01.
Pub keg on Fridays 18-00.
Monday night meals and Saturday brunch.
Specific activities for members:
Sports, running, horseplay, the Nation magazine Calmare Key, Natu-activities.
Services for the Disabled: Yes, but not completely wheelchair-adapted.
Equal Treatment Plan: Yes, we have also an equal person in charge of the Senior College.
Environmentally Certified: Yes
Number of members: 1,166

Lunds Nation
Freshman Activities:
“We have a broad mentorship which novisch who register with us.  Along with their sponsors, novisch participate in Novisch Day, a day of games and a novisch café with many competitive prizes. You can also work at the nation!”
The novisch period ends with the great Novischfest the 23rd of September.
Clubs / Pubs:
“We have our classic Penthouse club every Thursday and our retro / modern concept club Hybris! on Saturdays.  Our big house club Wonderland is held every third Saturday.
We also have a pub called Agardhsgatan every Saturday with a broad portfolio of beers for the enthusiast, along with a good meal.”
Specific activities for members:
Cultural events such as baking, crafts, and the like.
Any member is welcome to participate in our sporting events, held twice a week.
Services for the Disabled: Yes
Equal Treatment Plan: Yes
Environmental Certification: We are constantly striving towards an environmentally-friendly expansion of recycling and energy-saving options.
Number of members: about 4,200

Wermlands Nation
Freshman Activities:
We offer mentoring and various activities to our novisch such as climbing, bowling, a novisch pub, a novisch day with Blekingska and Kalmar nation, and the opportunity to attend our novischfest which we have with Blekingska nation in the AF building.
Clubs / Pubs:
Pub every Wednesday.  Our pub quiz is held every second Wednesday of the month, and the third Wednesday of each month is the Greenway – an eco-friendly pub where eco-friendly food and drink are served in a friendly pub atmosphere.
Club every Saturday. Pop is our main club, but special events sometimes occur.  Also, in cooperation with ESN, we host a club the last Wednesday of every month.
Meals: Wednesday lunch, Saturday café, and Sunday dinners.
Specific activities for members:
Wermlands holds cultural and sports activities such as the pub quiz, formal mini-golf, and disco floor hockey.  Wermlands operates a nation newspaper, Samojeden.
Equal Treatment Plan: Yes
Environmentally Certified: Yes, certified with the nation frog.
Number of members: 1,070

Malmö Nation
Freshman Activities:
“Our novisch activities are managed by our novisch leaders, and culminate in a spectacular novischfest the 30th of September!”
Clubs / Pubs:
Our clubs Casanova and the Upper East are held every Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
We also run a house/club basement every Saturday.
Specific activities for members:
All our activities are open to members of Studentlund, though some special benefits are reserved for our more committed members.
Services for the Disabled: “Yes, our facilities are for the most part accessible to pesons with disabilities.”
Equal Treatment Plan: Yes
Number of members: approximately 2,300

Göteborgs Nation
Freshman Activities:
Our novisch leaders are responsible for this, and the event dates are not final.  We will have certain recurring events, such as hanging out in the garden, and a novischfest which we promise to be unforgettable.
Clubs / Pubs:
Kålleseum held Thursdays on even weeks.
Berth 15 every Friday.
Skybar on Thursday’s odd weeks.
Specific activities for members:
Our activities are open to all members of studentlund, but priority may go to members when spots for certain special events are limited.
Disabled Facilities: Our spaces for business are handicap-accessible, but the residential area is not.
Equal Treatment Plan: Yes
Environment Certified: No
Number of members: About 2,000

Smålands Nation
Freshman Activities:
Applications for Småland nation’s novisch activities will be added shortly.  All new members will be greeted warmly.
Pubs / Clubs:
Smålands Nation holds pubs and clubs on both Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Specific activities for members:
Members of the nation receive access to our lab and rehearsal space.  In addition, we offer them a 50% discount to our clubs and live shows.
Services for the disabled: Yes and no.  The pub area is handicap-accessible, but not our housing facilities.
Equal treatment plan: Yes
Environment Certified: No
Number of members: 568. Besides these, there are a number of supportive outside members.

Sydskånska Nation
Freshman Activities:
“Our novisch activities are managed by our mentors.  Novisch are placed in small groups where mentors themselves decide what to do with their novisch.  Activities can consist of playing games in the botanical gardens, enjoying coffee together, or having a common pre-party and then going out to a club.  We will also have a mini-festival in the nation where our novisch who are involved with mentor groups will receive preferential access to the festival’s activities.  We will also have a novischpub and a special novisch dinner before the big novischfest. “
Pubs / Clubs:
“We have five clubs this semester: hip hop club Svartklubben, pop club Heartland, techno club Plant, rock club Dirty Frank, and soul and funk club Foxen.
This semester’s pubs will be our reggaepub Bar Babylon, Bar Retro, Retro pub and [PUB LIC], where we hold a pub quiz.”
Specific activities for members:
“We have special activities such as sports five times a week, and a Sunday cinema cafe where you can watch movies.  NATU operates a lot of activities such as visits to museums, walks in nature, and so on.”
Services for the disabled: Well, as far as room allows.
Equal Treatment Plan: Yes
Environmentally Certified: “Not yet, but we plan on attaining this goal in the future.”
Number of members: About 2,200

Research: Maria Berg
Translation: Justin Chan and An Holmqvist

Source: Lundagård article published the 31st of October, 2011.