President of UTSU Eneken Riin Salong to first-year students: Be the ones who dare to know, to ask, to change, and to bring about change

Speech of the President of the University of Tartu Student Union Eneken Riin Salong at the opening ceremony of the 2025/2026 academic year.

Dear students,

Welcome to all of you: those who are only starting your studies at the University of Tartu and those who are continuing your university journey.

On behalf of the Student Union, I greet you at the start of the academic year and wish you strength, wisdom and curiosity for all that lies ahead.

Today is the start or continuation of one of the most significant stages in your development. For some, it is the first step towards independent life – a new city, new people, new opportunities. For others, it means a continuation, a setting of focus, delving deeper. In any case, it is a good moment to ask which values we will take with us from the university. What do we stand for? What is our path?

The university is not just a place for acquiring knowledge. It is also a space for shaping values. It is a place where you learn not only what to think, but also how to think. How to ask? How to doubt? How to present your arguments? How to think critically? It is a place where, alongside learning, understanding yourself – your strengths, weaknesses, and sense of responsibility – is just as important.

I want to say a few more words about responsibility. It is one of the core values of the University of Tartu. In the strategic plan, it has been worded as follows: “We recognise the societal and university-wide impact of our actions and inaction. Our words and deeds are carried by a sense of responsibility for the past, present and future.”

We could say that it is our moral duty. But perhaps an even more meaningful and humane word is caring – caring about your own development, about other people, and about the kind of world and university we are shaping together. Each of us has a responsibility to notice and to act when we see injustice, whether within the university or beyond.

I urge you to have courage. Dare to say if something is wrong. Dare to listen even if the truth is inconvenient. Dare to act even if it is difficult. If we act according to these values, the university will do the same.

Dare to dream big, but also have courage in your small everyday choices. Dare to say “no” if you are unsatisfied and “yes” if someone seeks support. Dare to make mistakes and learn from them.

Dare to write your essay yourself. Dare to answer in a seminar, even if you are not sure about your answer. Dare to be foolish at times – foolish in a human way, instead of being artificially smart. Artificial intelligence does not make you intelligent – you do that yourself. Artificial intelligence can support you, but it cannot doubt for you, grow for you, or learn for you.

Dare to learn, instead of just getting something done. Dare to think for yourself. Dare to ask “why?” and sometimes also “why not?”.

You are the greatest value and the future of Universitas Tartuensis. You shape not only yourself, but also the university and society you belong to.

Be students. Be humans. Be thinkers. Be the ones who dare to know, to ask, to change, and to bring about change.

A happy new academic year to us all!