President of the Student Body of the University of Tartu Renar Kihho: I encourage you to stand up for yourselves and for the entire university family
Speech by Renar Kihho, President of the Student Body of the University of Tartu, at the opening ceremony of the academic year on 2 September 2024.
Renar Kihho:
Honourable rector and mayor! Dear guests, members of the university family, and first-year students!
I am pleased to greet you all on the occasion of the beginning of the new academic year. It is a pleasure to see so many new students in our beloved student capital, where you can feel the academic spirit and youthful energy at every corner. The acclaimed writer Jaan Kaplinski once said, “Tartu is a city where time stops and thoughts move.” Here, on the banks of the Emajõgi river, the ground is fertile for new ideas and for changing the world. Yet, I must warn you not to believe that time really stops in the Athens of the Emajõgi. Enjoy every moment of your journey through the university and on the paths of Tartu! Notice the surrounding excitement and seize the opportunities.
Dear new students! In my speech today, I would like to encourage you. You have opened the door to the world of knowledge, where every day brings new discoveries and opportunities. This time, I encourage you to stand up for yourselves and for the entire university family. I must be honest with you and share two concerns on which I hope to work together with you, firmly and consistently.
Learning is not, unfortunately, a one-way activity which allows you to acquire higher education in a couple of years simply by listening to a lecturer in the lecture hall. You have to put in a lot of time and effort. However, students cannot live on intellectual food alone and must also think of their economic situation.
Higher education funding and students’ livelihood are like a tumbler toy that, no matter how hard it gets hit, keeps a smile on its face, holds its head up and high, and does not grow up. But how long? How long can we be sure that higher education in Estonia remains accessible to everyone? How long can we be sure that we have enough resources to have the best and highest-quality university education? How long can we concentrate on our chosen field without worrying about our livelihood? How long will the conditions and the size of stipends remain unchanged, out of touch with the students’ actual needs? How long will it take before tuition fees are introduced in universities, hidden behind the term “administrative fees”?
Secondly, I would emphasise that we must find one or two essential values that guide our actions and behaviour honestly and unconditionally. I would suggest equality and security as the two. The university must be an environment where everyone is treated equally, regardless of background, gender, nationality, position or beliefs. It may seem that all of this has already been achieved and is taken for granted, but let us pay attention to those for whom it has not or who oppose it by their actions. Notice yourselves, too. Let’s be proactive and work towards maintaining security – to feel protected, safe and confident, knowing that we are not alone and we are sharing the same two values with others. Let’s act in such a way that makes people around us feel equal and safe.
“Words are air, and yet when spoken at the right moment, they can turn the world upside down,” said Friedebert Tuglas. Behind the word, there is thought. Look around you – there are fellow students with all kinds of thoughts and words who will soon be, or already are, also affected by them. We do not have to turn the world upside down. The thoughts rolling in your head need to be put into words so they can be said at the right moment. Otherwise, silence can make it possible to turn the world upside down.
Dear students, today marks the beginning of a new chapter in our higher education journey. Make sure it will be an exciting one! Challenge yourselves, do networking, and join a student organisation. Exchange ideas, write them down and send them flying. Change the world and stand up for the best higher education. Create precisely the kind of environment at the university which is not just good for you, for me and for him to be there, but where we feel we want to be. Where we feel we want to be part of this university, pursue higher education and ensure its endless excitement and accessibility for future students.
Dear members of the university family, I wish you an exciting new stage on the journey into knowledge! Let’s work together for the best possible higher education and university. Enjoy Tartu, enjoy the river Emajõgi, and enjoy the university!
Vivat academia!
