Charles University Student Union Seals Partnership with the University of Iceland Stu












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            * Charles University Student Union Seals Partnership with the University of Iceland Studen
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            The Charles University Student Union has started a partnership with the Student Union of t
            Iceland. In this past semester, visits of officials of both unions to the respective forei
            took place. Our union was represented in Iceland by its chair Slaven Elčić, vice-chair Nel

            ex-chair Olga Georgievová and its audit commissioner and one of the founders of the union,
            Martin Benda was also the originator of the whole project. He is a self-proclaimed Iceland
            visited the University of Iceland many times. Partnership with its student union was there

            next step. The contact was an easy one to make. The Norwegian EEA fund has donated a gener
            to Icelandic institutions and the Charles University Student Union applied for a grant via

            During their trip, members of the Charles University Student Union also managed to visit t
            in Copenhagen and Oslo.
            In Reykjavík, Czech students met the management of the student union and officials from ot

            associations. They also met the editor-in-chief of a student magazine and leaders of three
            parties. Last but not least, they took part in a discussion with the university’s steering
            our ambassadors in Iceland.

            Many conclusions can be drawn from the visit to Iceland. “As for working conditions and th
            infrastructure, our union has a lot of catching up to do. In Reykjavík, Oslo and Copenhage
            unions have much better facilities. Student houses, for instance, offer well-equipped offi

            rooms, canteens, music clubs etc. Oslo’s Chateau Neuf student house has a congress hall fo
            said Martin Benda.
            A look into the workings of the local Icelandic student media also proved fruitful. Their 

            quality show that they have been around for decades and that they are household names. At 
            according to Martin Benda, Charles University is not too far behind. University of Iceland
            only has one print monthly, whose online presence is rather poor. Associations that compri

            University Student Union, and the Charles University Media section specifically, can monet
            magazines and maintain their presence in different kinds of media.
            Besides union affairs, Czech visitors took a day-long tour of the Golden Circle. They saw 

            Gullfoss waterfall and the former site parliament at Thingvellir.
            Kateřina Polívková
            Translation: Jaroslav Švelch