The first semester is a wrap and the second one is already going. It was a semester being on and off on campus and a Christmas lockdown that came early.

UNID spoke with Filip, Commissioner of internal affairs about how he has experienced this half-year. Why did he suddenly lose his hair and what is his vision for the coming semester?

Let’s start with your hair. We have seen some pictures on Instagram of your new haircut. Tell us about it!

Yes, I did cut my own hair during the beginning of the second lockdown. But I also did it for a good cause. At the end of the year my hair was getting too long already. Then the barbers had to close because of the second lockdown, not knowing how long it would take for them to open again. I hesitated a bit to do it myself but people would only see mee in Teams meeting so it wouldn’t be such a big of a deal. So I was already planning on doing it but I wanted to do something extra.

When I was younger I needed medication for my lungs and that really helped me. And that help came from the Lung Foundation, so I wanted to do something back. With that in mind, I set up a GoFundMe with the goal of collecting 100 euros for the Lung Foundation. I would cut off my hair when I would reach that goal. So it was already for a practical reason and in the end, I exceeded that goal by collecting almost 300 euros in total.

How have you experienced the semester and how are you now?

I decided in March last year to apply for the board. That was the start of the whole Corona situation, so the application already went a bit differently. But yeah, I can take real joy from being a board member now. University is a bit empty however but board members can be in Atlas in pairs.

Working together has changed to more formal moments of online meeting. So no casual meetings at the coffee machine or at the bar and I miss that. That makes you make decisions about the board and the members with more caution. The threshold for just a chat, or a quick discussion about something is now higher by sending a message, calling or planning a Teams call. If everybody is at home you assume everybody is busy.

The new situation gave me a bit more stress I think. It made me look at what the Association really needed and what I could do in this different situation to fill that gap. We are a community and how we cope with this new situation is still open.

What is your vision for this semester and what is the biggest challenge as a board member?

I think there is an upward movement. The board and committees are finding their way of dealing with the situation. We’re hosting more successful events like the beer tasting and

For me, the biggest challenge is personal development. In my role as a designer and board member, I want to get satisfaction by bringing people together in this community.

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