For 2014, SUB got a brand new board and BTSB got a fine chance to talk with Mia Lavanti, newly elected president!

Mia, congratulations on being elected president of SUB for 2014! How has your reign started? How does power feel? Thank you! To be honest it’s been pretty hectic and I’ve been super busy, but that’s probably to be expected. I feel like we’ve got everything under control, though, and once all the initial start-of-year paperwork gets handled we’re off to a great start!

Now, the previous presidents have been extremely active in different student organizations. Tell our readers a little something about your history with SUB and other university activities? I started out in SUB as one half of the party team as a freshman in the 2011 term and have been on the board ever since. The only other student organization that I’m currently actively involved in is the women’s soccer team, Avauspotku. However, this means that I’ll be able to commit to SUB 100% and make sure we get things done.

How do you see SUB's “State of the Union” in 2014? In general, I think we’re doing quite well at the moment. I’m especially happy with the amount of new faces we’ve seen this year, people who have become actively involved in SUB. The doors to meetings and events are always open for new people, though!

There are, of course, several sectors that still need some special attention: mainly studies and working life as well as co-operation with other organizations. We’re hoping to revitalize our previous culture and sports sectors and have merged them in to one recreational sector this year. We also have a specifically appointed equality officer on the board this year, Otto Soila.

In previous years, too, presidents have found working life and studies support lacking. Why do you think it is an issue still? To be honest, I feel like we still have a long way to go in reviving this sector. We have had some grand plans, but I think that the issue comes down to not really knowing what people want. This is why we’re starting out this year by asking for specific feedback regarding working life and studies in order to map out what kind of activities would be most useful.

Members just posted general feedback on the organization's past performance. How does it look and what else is there to be developed? We got an astonishing amount of feedback from people, which I’m really grateful for. Thanks to everyone who replied! We appear to be doing well from the members’ point of view as well, I’m glad to hear. As expected, the sectors I mentioned previously were also noted in the feedback as needing some further development. Also with a party team with four main organizers, we’re hoping to be able to throw parties more frequently, as requested by many.

What expectations do you have for your term and what direction can we expect for the SUBmarine in your command? I’m hoping that in 2014 we’ll be able to get things a little bit more organized. We’re starting this out with the literal cleaning out of SUB’s closet in the New Student Building. Everything from more regular events and meetings to a shiny new website will follow! We’re aiming at making things a little more versatile, as well.

What is the hand-print you personally would like to leave? And are there challenges you expect in doing that? Like I said, I want to bring some more organization in to SUB. I like things being organized and I plan out my calendar in scrupulous detail, and I’d like to transfer some of that to SUB. I think one of the biggest challenges of any similar organization, really, is that we rely entirely on volunteers. I know it can be difficult to find time outside of your studies and work, which is why I am extremely grateful to anyone involved in SUB – past, present, and future.

Now, as an experienced university student, what is your favorite event of the university year? What would you recommend for everyone? Definitely the Anniversary Dinner coming up in March! You get to dress up all fancy and eat tasty food with lovely people. Vappu comes in as a close second.

Finally, please say something immortal that we can misquote later! I wish I had some inspirational quote from an admirable character, but I think there are enough of those floating around online. I hope that everyone has a great 2014 and finds suitable activities in SUB!

Thank you very much for your time, Mia, and a good luck for the rest of this year!