The SASSE Election Deep Dive: An Introductory Interview

It’s election season at SASSE once more! For the regular member this means seeing proud posters on the walls and a barrage of follower requests on one’s Instagram, but for the candidates it is an entirely different experience.

I was curious to explore this side of SASSE. Who are this year’s candidates? What do they believe in? How does the election work? And what makes someone seek the prestigious presidential position?

Therefore, I conducted separate interviews with the five presidential candidates. I asked them about their views, goals and stories and will be sharing their answers. But before I could do that, I needed a context to place these interviews in, so I went to the experts: The current president and vice president, Clara Härdling and Hedda Gummeson.

First, I want to hear their stories in SASSE. Why are they here?

For Clara, it was love at first sight. Like many of us, her first interaction with SASSE was during the intro math, and already then, she knew she had to get involved with it. As she had just quit football, SASSE became the new thing that would keep her busy. For, Hedda SASSE was a break from school. She came straight from gymnasium and was slightly tired of studying. She appreciated having something to focus on beyond schoolwork. “I continued to apply and now I’m here” she says with a laugh.

I ask Clara and Hedda how their election season was. They both agree that it was a “nervous process”.  

“You get up on stage to pitch why they should choose you. That’s very brave and raw in some sense” says Clara. Despite this nervousness, they both have very fond memories of the election and of the closeness they felt with the other candidates:

“We created this hub, a bubble of election talk, and there was a very friendly spirit”

The president of the election committee, Rasmus Malmback, echoes this sentiment. I met with him to discuss the election in detail, as he is the foremost expert on the subject. “If there’s ever a broken rule or regulation it’s usually by accident”.

Now I cannot resist asking a blunt question: What makes someone apply to the time-consuming positions of president or vice president? They are full-time positions for a whole year after all. Thankfully, neither Clara nor Hedda seem to be offended. Hedda starts: “I’m gonna’ be boring, but it’s the fun and the people”. She tells me that, while she comes home exhausted every day “the good parts always shine the brightest”.  It is this enjoyment that fuels Hedda’s engagement and she wants to share it with all SASSE members. Clara has a similar view: “It boils down to that we are here right now. This is our time, and we need to make the most of it. It has been my best time at SSE and SASSE and I want to make sure more people can get to have the same experience.”

I want to know what their vision of SASSE is, and in which direction they hope the association will go?

“A wise man once said that SASSE should be like a ‘professional playground’”, Hedda says. “I really enjoy being in an environment of high achieving people. But continuing to always have the purpose of fun is the most important part”. Clara answers by referring to a “garden”, something that she has done throughout her tenure. What she means is a SASSE that can continue to grow from the engagement of students. They want all students to feel like they can realize their ideas through SASSE.

 “No idea is too big to pitch to me or Clara”, Hedda says, and Clara quickly adds “or too little, of course.”

Rasmus believes the elections should be fun as well. He says the election committee’s hashtag, #LetsGoDemocrazy, highlights the joyful experience of the election. He points out however that participation levels differ. International students are still underrepresented, and he theorizes that some international students might feel they lack the necessary networks to be elected to a board position.

As you will read in the candidate interviews, the engagement and inclusion of international students is a hot topic. Some have suggested that these words have become more like compulsory “policy speak” rather than genuine values candidates care about. I asked Clara and Hedda about their thoughts on the matter.

While they can see the point about policy speak, they firmly believe inclusivity and engagement are the key words of the organization. “Inclusivity is the best word to describe what SASSE is about” says Hedda “Everyone should be welcome, and that boils down to inclusivity.” She hopes the promotion of this word in the candidates’ campaigns is a sign that there is a shared belief in inclusivity in SASSE.

Finally, I ask about legacies in SASSE, exemplifying with the Erdman room named after the first president of SASSE.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever have a ‘Härdling room’” Hedda jokes, “but there will of course be milestones, such as selling Enoksro, that people will remember. If they will remember Hedda and Clara making phone calls or just that it happened 2024 is impossible to say.”

She continues by explaining that a board can be known for certain aspects and Clara adds her hopes about their board’s legacy: “I hope our members felt that this was the year they could do what they wanted. That people will look back and think that 24/25 was a year that SASSE and its members were thriving”.

With this sweet conclusion our time was unfortunately up, and I had to leave. Hedda made sure I mention that her door is always open for all SASSE members, and Clara joked that I should write the following in bold: “it’s not over yet!”. They are still our president and vice president for a few months, and I thank them both for their service and time.

But now we gaze forward. The next president of SASSE will be revealed on December 5th, but you can already get to know the potential winners through their interviews. Each and every candidate represents something unique within SASSE and I encourage all members to learn about their views and ideas. I know it sounds cliché, but YOU have the power to decide where SASSE goes. Do not waste it.

Best of luck!