NEW BOARD for 2016!

Britannica has elected its new board for 2016 during the autumn meeting on Thursday, November 19th 2015! These are the brilliant people who will be in charge of Britannica's business during 2016:

President
Ellen Seppälä

Board members
Sara Hänninen
Robin Kullberg
Maria Lammassaari
Niklas Lipponen
Ida Nyberg
Jannika Siimelä

The other board members will decide on their posts during their first meeting in January 2015.

CONGRATULATIONS to all the members of the new board! You will make next year awesome!

HÖSTMÖTE 19.11!

Hej alla medlemmar i Britannica! (Dear English-speaking members, please scroll down)

Det är snart dags för Britannicas höstmöte, som kommer att hållas torsdagen den 19.11.2015 klockan 15:15 i studierummet. Möteskallelsen och föredragningslistan finns till påseende på Britannicas anslagstavla på engelska institutionen, och har också skickats till alla medlemmar via e-post.

Höstmötet är föreningens kanske viktigaste möte, eftersom det är på detta möte som styrelsen för nästa verksamhetsår väljs. Styrelsen består av sju personer som tillsammans planerar och genomför föreningens verksamhet under ett års tid - de är bossarna bakom Britannica, helt enkelt. Och nu vill vi att just DU funderar över följande frågor:

- Vill du påverka Britannicas verksamhet och bestämma vilka evenemang som ordnas och hur?

- Tycker du om att lära känna nya människor och jobba i grupp?

- Är du bra på att organisera, skriva, räkna, laga mat, eller något annat som kunde vara till nytta för föreningen?

- Vill du ha ett förtroendeuppdrag som ett snyggt tillägg på ditt CV?

- Vill du uppleva ett oförglömligt år tillsammans med dina fellow students?

Om du svarade ja på en eller flera av frågorna, så tycker vi att du absolut ska komma till mötet och anmäla ditt intresse att ställa upp som styrelsemedlem! På höstmötet väljs en ordförande och sex övriga styrelsemedlemmar för 2016. De övriga medlemmarna kommer sedan sinsemellan överens om sina poster under sitt första styrelsemöte i januari. Om du undrar vilken post som skulle passa just dig, så kommer här korta beskrivningar över vad varje person gör:

Ordförande

Ordförande har huvudansvaret för Britannica och har i gengäld rätt att bossa över de andra styrelsemedlemmarna. Ordförande sammankallar föreningsmöten och styrelsemöten och gör upp föredragningslistor för dem, samt skriver verksamhetsplan och verksamhetsberättelse. Ordförande ser också till att de övriga styrelsemedlemmarna utför sina uppgifter och att verksamheten framskrider som den ska.

Vice-ordförande

Vice-ordförandes huvudsakliga uppgift är att ta över ordförandes uppgifter ifall ordförande inte kan närvara på ett möte eller dylikt. Vice-ordförande är också fadderbarnsansvarig, vilket främst innebär att se till att julkortet till Britannicas fadderbarn skickas iväg varje år.

Kassör

Kassören har ansvaret för Britannicas pengar, vilket innebär att regelbundet räkna kassan, hålla koll på nätbanken och betala räkningar. Uppgörandet av budget, skattedeklaration och bokslut hör också till kassörens uppgifter.

Sekreterare

Sekreterarens uppgift är att föra protokoll över alla Britannicas föreningsmöten och styrelsemöten och samla dem i protokollmappen då de godkänts av styrelsen.

Info-sekreterare

Info-sekreteraren är huvudansvarig för Britannicas e-post, läser inkomna meddelanden och skickar ut information till vår mailinglista. Info-sekreteraren upprätthåller också kontakten med andra föreningar genom e-posten.

Värd & värdinna

Värden och värdinnan har ansvaret för mat och dryck på Britannicas fester och andra evenemang. Deras uppgift är att planera och handla maten, samt tillaga och servera den (oftast med hjälp av andra styrelsemedlemmar).

*Det bör betonas att även om alla styrelsemedlemmar har sina egna uppgifter som de är ansvariga för, så består styrelsejobbet i hög grad av teamwork och alla styrelsemedlemmar hjälper till där det behövs för att göra verksamheten så bra som möjligt!*

Om du inte ännu är riktigt säker på vad det här med styrelsemedlemskap innebär, eller om du sådär i allmänhet har frågor, så ta kontakt med valfri styrelsemedlem som kan berätta mer - eller kom helt enkelt till höstmötet och fråga! Ingen kommer att bli tvingad att gå med i styrelsen mot sin vilja. Kom gärna till mötet även om du inte vill gå med i styrelsen - som medlem i Britannica har du rösträtt och kan påverka vad som händer!

Jag hoppas på att se så många som möjligt av er, både gulisar och gamyler, på höstmötet! :)

Best wishes,

Felicia Järnström

Ordförande för Britannica 2015

---

*This blog post concerns Britannica's autumn meeting, which will be held on November 19th, 2015. During this meeting, the board for 2016 will be elected, and this post is mainly directed to students interested in becoming members of the board. Due to the fact that the official language of the association is Swedish, and the meetings are held in Swedish, this post is also in Swedish. Nevertheless, the autumn meeting is open to anyone who is a member of Britannica, so feel free to come along and see what happens, if you want to!*

Happy, Happy Halloween!

Have you missed us? Well we're back! The board has been very busy with organizing fun activities for our members (and of course our studies) and we've been neglecting the blog, so here is a quick update on what we have been up to AND some information on upcoming events!

Our Welcome sitz with ESN was a huge success, and we were happy to see that so many of the new members of Britannica and exchange students wanted to come and celebrate the beginning of the new academic year with us! A few weeks back we also organized "Bowling with Britannica"at Kupittaan keilahalli, it was a chance to relax and forget about our studies for an hour or so and just enjoy bowling with friends. Some board members also made an appearance at the Språkkorridorskväll, where students from the different language associations gathered in the hallways of  Arken to play some board-games and eat delicious snacks. 

Our secretary showing you how it's done

This week is Halloween week and our highly-anticipated Halloween sitz with DaTe is going down on Wednesday the 28th of October @ F. Although the actual sitz is full you can still come and join us at the after party starting at midnight! It will surely be a boo'zy night, and the board is excited to reveal the decorations we have worked so hard on!

Before Christmas we are still planning to host a Pub Quiz, and our very last "annual sitz" in November which you will not want to miss, so stay tuned for more information!

Welcome Sitz feat. ESN

The time has come for Britannica's traditional Welcome Sitz, and this year we're making it extra international by organizing it together with ESN!

This event is the perfect opportunity to learn how to sitz - that is, how to party in the most awesome traditional student way! The price (12€) includes a three-course meal, 1 snaps, 1 punsch and 1 beer or cider. The alcohol-free alternative (10€) includes soft drinks instead of alcohol. The sitz is paid at the door, where you can also buy tickets for more refreshments, so bring CASH!

IN SHORT:
WHAT? Britannica's Welcome Sitz feat. ESN
WHEN? Friday the 25th of September, 7pm - doors open at 6:30pm
WHERE? F (ask the hosts for directions if you don't know the place)
HOW MUCH? 12€ (alcohol-free: 10€)
DRESSCODE? Come as you are! (But wear your overall if you have one!)

All Britannica members and exchange students in Turku are invited, but there are only 70 spots (40 for Britannica, 30 for ESN) so make sure to reserve your seat asap! The sign-up opens at 12 noon on Friday the 11th of September at http://britannica.blankett.fi/form/2467.

Note that SIGN-UP IS BINDING! If you need to cancel your sign-up, you have to send an e-mail to britanni@abo.fi before the 23rd of September at 11:59pm.

A BIG FAT GULIS-WELCOME!

So, now we're all back in Åbo, let's do this once more:

WELCOME (back) to the English department everyone!

The board has finally gotten together for its first meeting, and we also had the privilege to meet the new students earlier today! We're excited to see so many new faces and we hope you will all join our events and see how awesome the extracurricular activities can get if you're with Britannica ;)

As is tradition, we have a whole bunch of events planned especially for our dear gulisar, and it is now time to reveal the dates in question, so you can mark your calendars:

1. GULIS-GAMYL-KVÄLL, 2.9.2015, 7pm @ Hunter's Inn

This is a very chill event, with the simple intention of bringing the new students of English together with the older ones and encouraging chit-chat between people in different years of their studies. It will take place at Hunter's Inn in the city centre already this Wednesday! The Facebook event can be found here.

2. GULISINTAGNING, 10.9.2015, 5pm - starting @ Arken

This event is probably best described as an absolutely crazy and incredibly funny initiaion ceremony for new students at the entire Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology. You will get to know new people from other subjects and also meet the boards of several other associations at the faculty. All the information you need can be found here. Remember to sign up for this event, and if anything's unclear, ask your tutor!

3. GULISAKADEMIN, 16.9.2015, 4pm @ Kåren

As a first-year student, this is your golden opportunity to see what a wide variety of associations ÅA has to offer! Kåren will be filled with happy people, small tables, countless overall patches, and FREE CANDY! This is also the best possible date to become a member of Britannica and buy yourselves some of our merch, since there will be a gulis discount at our table. You definitely don't want to miss this! By the way, remember to bring CASH!

4. BRITANNICA'S GULISSITZ, 25.9.2015, 7pm @ F

Last, but absolutely not least, Britannica will organize a sitz to teach you everything you need to know about this amazing form of partying. As this event is more than three weeks away, all the details haven't been figured out yet, but you WILL hear more about this soon! Stay tuned by regularly checking this blog, the notice board at the English department and our Facebook group (and your e-mail, if you're already a member).

SEE YOU SOON!

//The Board

Welcome back!

Hey there all new and old students of English, and welcome (back) to the English department!

This is just a brief notice to let you know that your board members are finding their way back to Åbo and that plans for the upcoming weeks are in the making! As usual, the month of September will be filled with "gulis" events for the newbies - among other things, the traditional welcome sitz is coming up, and Britannica will of course take part in the student associations' fair ("gulisakademin") and the "gulisintagning" with HumFen as usual.

Dates and more information will be up later, so watch this space!

Lots of looove,
The Board x

SUMMER

Hey guys,

Summer is just around the corner and the Britannica board is now on holiday! Our spring term has seen big changes, such as the moving of the students' lounge to the new room at the department, but we've also had time to have lots of fun with our members - three sitzes in the spring term is not bad! We also had fun going to the cinema, sewing overall patches (and eating donuts!), laser tagging, and testing our random knowledge in the pub quiz together with you!

Next up is a new autumn term filled with fun - we look forward to welcoming old and new students alike to our gulis-events once again! Some dates are already set, but we won't reveal them to you just yet - we will give you all the information you need in August ;)

Until then, have a great summer!

xxx
The Board

Upcoming events + Instagram

 College student Jeffrey Beaumont returns home after his father has a stroke. When he discovers a severed ear in an abandoned field, Beaumont teams up with detective's daughter Sandy Williams to solve the mystery. They believe beautiful lounge singer Dorothy Vallens may be connected with the case, and Beaumont finds himself becoming drawn into her dark, twisted world, where he encounters sexually depraved psychopath Frank Booth.

 

It's time for Britannica's annual Pub Quiz! On Tuesday the 21st of April, come test your knowledge of various topics among good company while having drinks and snacks! Do you know as much as you think you do when it comes to movies, music and sports? We've got a wide array of trivia questions waiting for you!  More information can be found here.

We would also like to thank everyone who came by our table at Kåren during Specialföreningsmässan! A lot of people came by to try out our game of matching the correct famous movie lines with their corresponding images. This picture was posted on our official Instagram account, which you can  follow at britannica.rf on Instagram if you haven't already!

Upcoming events

PRIMARY SCHOOL DISCO SITZ 19TH MARCH

Most of you are probably already aware of our upcoming Primary School Disco Sitz that is taking place this Thursday! We're going to have a great set of programs and a delicious menu, so make sure that you sign up if you haven't already: here is the link. Sign ups close on Tuesday 17th March and there aren't many spots left, so hurry!

We are also already planning another sitz, which will be a collaboration with Impuls. A Department Get Together evening will hopefully be hosted at the end of this month. Keep your eyes open for more information, which is soon to come!

SPECIALFÖRENINGSMÄSSA 9TH APRIL (convention of student associations)

Britannica will be joining many other student associations at Kåren on Thursday 9th April and we would love to see you there! If you want to know more about Åbo Akademi's student associations and maybe buy some overall patches or win free candy, then this is an event you don't want to miss!

More information can be found here.

We're moving!

Dear Britannicans,

It probably hasn't escaped anyone's attention that things are happening at the English department at the moment. Substantial amounts of stuff are being moved from one room to another, people are running back and forth, and furniture is standing in the middle of the corridor. Basically, this is what's happening to the room arrangements:

Students' lounge -> Former department office
Department office -> One of the smaller researcher rooms
Researchers -> Former students' lounge

As this whole moving business means there is quite a lot of chaos in several rooms, and as there are still quite a few things to be done in the new students' lounge, we will keep the room closed for now. We hope that this short time of general disruption at the department won't bother you all too much, and we look forward to opening the brand new students' lounge to everyone later - hopefully at the beginning of week 8 :)

All the best,
The Board x

PS: Remember that our Anti-Valentine's sitz with Infå takes place at F on Wednesday 11.2! The ones of you who didn't manage to get a seat at the sitz are most welcome to attend the afterparty starting at midnight. See you there! :)

DONUTS!

If you ever want to hear a group of students in their 20s squeal like a bunch of excited children, give them a box of donuts. Needless to say, our first get-together-day of the year was a fun and cozy (albeit a bit competitive at times - ALIAS can be quite dangerous) success!

All the best,
Kathy 

Upcoming events

Greetings, Britannicans! As promised, your sparkling, brand new board is setting off the new year with a new lineup of events!

 First off, we're hosting a fun and relaxing evening in the Student's Lounge on Wednesday 28th at 3pm. Feel free to join us if you want to sew overall patches, play board games and socialize with other people from the English Department! Do bring along any of the following things if you feel like it: your overall and sewing equipment, board games, snacks, friends!  We will also be selling drinks and patches.

F*CK V-DAY SITZ
Roses? Romance? Happiness? Ugh. Britannica and Infå are once again collaborating to host a Valentine's Day sitz party together! However, this year we're straying from tradition (as you can see from the clever and tasteful title). More information can be found here! The spots are indeed already filled, but go ahead and sign up for the queue in case somebody on the main list doesn't make it to the sitz. There is going to be an afterparty starting at midnight, which is open for everybody, so come and party with us!



All the best,
Kathy

Britannica goes Paddington

Britannica's inofficial mascot Paddington has come to the cinemas and naturally we want to go and watch his adventures together! We have booked 15 tickets for the screening in Finnkino on Monday. You'll find all the information you need, and a sign-up sheet, right here!

The event in short:
WHAT? "Paddington" at the cinema
WHERE? Finnkino Åbo, Kauppiaskatu 11
WHEN? Monday 19th January, 17:15 (movie starts at 18:10)
HOW MUCH? ~9,30€ with student card (10,30€ without)

Also, note our little "special offer": if you haven't got Britannica's standard Paddington overall patch yet, this is your chance to buy it at a special price! It normally costs 3€, but during the cinema event you can buy one for 2€. If you want a patch, remember to indicate it on the sign-up sheet, and bring 2€ in cash to the movie. Please avoid the 20€ bills as we won't have large amounts of change with us!

Watch the trailer for the movie here to get in the mood:

See ya Monday!

The new board has taken over!

Dear Britannicans,

Your new board wishes you a happy new year and welcome back to Åbo and the English Department! We hope you've had a well-deserved, relaxing holiday with lots of food and other goodies, and that you have recharged your batteries with energy for the new term.

Today the new board for 2015 got together for its first meeting! The people who will organize your favourite events this year, serve you at countless sitzes and continue the fight for our students' lounge (among many other things) are:

While waiting for a picture of the board,
here's a picture of Paddington

Felicia Järnström, chairperson

Emil Gullblom, vice chairperson

Ellen Seppälä, treasurer

Jasmin Vallenius, secretary

Kathy Dang, info-secretary

Niklas Lipponen, host &

Maria Lammassaari, hostess

We can't wait to start planning this year's events, and we hope to see you all there! A few exciting things are already being planned, such as a sitz with Infå in February, a get-together in the students' lounge for sewing overall patches and playing board games, and possibly a visit to the cinema!

Stay tuned for more info!

All the best,
The Board x