OKTOBER_UNIKUM_WEB

Studentavisen for Agder GRATIS | Oktober 2023
PHYSICAL EXERCISE & MENTAL HEALTH // DEN USYNLIGE SYKDOMMEN // HALLOWEEN ON A BUDGET

Nominer en du kjenner til
Kompis
prisen
Hvert år i anledning «Verdensdagen for psykisk
helse» vil SiA Helse i samarbeid med STA dele
ut «Kompisprisen». Kjenner du en medstudent
som aktivt bidrar til inkludering og mangfold
så kan du nominere denne studenten til prisen.
SiA Helse, VT og STA inviterer til gratis frokost
og utdeling av «Kompisprisen» 10. oktober,
kl. 08:45-10:00 i kantina på campus
i Kristiansand!
Last ned
Studentliv
appen
Nominasjoner sendes til eli.stalesen@sia.no
.. og få full oversikt over hva som
skjer på- og utenfor campus, samt
flere eksklusive tilbud og fordeler.
Last ned her

LEDER
WHAT WAS I MADE FOR
You may have taken a gander at the cover,
and considering the month, undoubtedly
this issue’s topic is Halloween. But World
Mental Health Day is also coming up in
October, and if you’ve gotten a keen eye,
you may have noticed the detail our
wonderful illustrator put in the shadows.
We’ve also talked to people, what scares
them the most, and fear comes in so
many forms, from something as simple
as snakes and spiders, to existential
troubles like existence who you are and
what your purpose is. I think the most
terrifying ones are the mental health
fears, those which can wreak the most
havoc, yet are the hardest dangers to spot.
I always thought my biggest fear was
being stuck in a continuous sleeping
paralysis (those months I had it every
night was terrifying). However, the other
day my mom called to me asking how it
went. I told her how busy I was, lectures,
my jobs, upcoming events, and all of that.
She told me she just looked forward to
seeing me again, because she never did
anymore due to all my obligations. She
was afraid my niece and nephew would
forget my face. I never thought about
her unease in all of this, simply losing
me to what she considers overwhelming
responsibilities, that’s what she feared.
And as I walked home from work that
day, I stopped. I took a breath, felt the
cool air grace every part of my skin,
and took deep breaths feeling my
lungs fill with air. And I cried. On the
sidewalk, at 22:28 on a Monday evening.
Why did I cry? I thought about it, then
some more, and then I didn’t want
to anymore. Because I think all of us
usually know the answers to many such
questions, we just don’t want to face
them. I was afraid that with every ounce
of energy dedicated to making sure that
people around me were happy, that
they didn’t experience the desolation
and loneliness I experienced, I was
losing myself bit by bit. And was that
really what I was made for, a vehicle
for other’s satisfaction, yet my own
family are not even part of my schedule?
With every passing day that question
gnaws at me, what was I made for?
Fear comes in many forms, to some,
it could be birds or insects, to others,
it could be rejection or isolation.
Either we find a way to face them,
or we succumb to them. But at
least, there is consolation in that
you’re never alone in your fears.
INNHOLD
4 Physical Exercise & Mental Health
7 Short-story: Girlhood
8 Poduniverset
10 På innsiden av Fadderuken
12 Culture Calendar
14 Activities in Kristiansand
16 Unikum Tries: Drag
19 10 at UiA – Hva er du mest redd for?
20 Poems: THE KETTLE; Everlasting dystopia
21 Norsk Høsttakkefest: Engler og demoner
22 Den usynlige sykdommen
25 Pit Stop
26 Halloween on a budget
28 Review: Lies of P
32 Årlig Forsker Grand Prix Highlighter
Sørlandets Spennende Forskningstalenter
35 Short-story: For he has sworn upon a crimson moon
38 Oppskrift: Jjigae
40 Leserinnlegg STA
43 Studentnytt
44 Gender 101
46 From “1989” to “Taylor’s Version”
- what you need to know
Tobias Klausen
redaktor@unikumnett.no
4843 1050
UTGITT AV: Studentavisen Unikum, ved Universitetet i Agder
POSTADRESSE: Serviceboks 422, 4604 Kristiansand S
BESØKSADRESSE: Universitetsveien 24, 4630 Kristiansand S
ORG.NR.: 984 544 677
TELEFON: 911 45 962
EPOST: redaktor@unikumnett.no
NETTSIDE: unikumnett.no
TWITTER: twitter.com/unikumnett
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/studentavisenunikum
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/unikumnett
Publisert Oktober 2023
Utgave nummer 08
Unikum er studentavisen ved Universitetet i Agder og andre
institusjoner tilknyttet Studentsamskipnaden i Agder. Avisen er
politisk og religiøst uavhengig, og blir drevet på frivillig basis.
Unikum følger Vær Varsom-plakaten og redaktørplakaten. Føler
du deg urettferdig behandlet eller på noen måte uriktig fremstilt
av Unikum, ber vi deg kontakte redaksjonen.
Redaksjon:
ANSVARLIG REDAKTØR :
Tobias Klausen
REDAKTØRER:
Nettredaktør
Nyhetsredaktør
Kulturredaktør
Fotoredaktør
Debattansvarlig
GRAFISK ANSVARLIG:
Natalia Bogdanova
FORSIDE:
Jay Voltaire
Anjali Mariampillai
Natasha Agatha Wangui
Evgeniia Kadyrova
JOURNALISTER/SKRIBENTER:
Àngels Aguilera, Adam Zawadzk, Anja Kathrine Laland
Gyberg, Alexander Horpestad, Alice Soleng, Anjali
Mariampillai, Evgeniia Kadyrova, Halvor Nyhus Hagen,
Ida Marie Bruun, Jakub Świerkocki, Mats Vederhus,
Michael Campbell, Mosac Frederic Stefanel, Natasha
Agatha Wangui, Tobias Klausen, Vilde Hagen Svanberg
FOTOGRAFER:
Àngels Aguilera, Adam Zawadzki, Alice Soleng, Anja Kathrine
Laland Gyberg, Evgeniia Kadyrova, Natasha Agatha Wangui,
Vilde Hagen Svanberg
DESKEN:
Àngels Aguilera, Adam Zawadzki, Alexander Horpestad, Jakub
Świerkocki, Mattias, Johannessen, Michael Campbell, Natalia
Bogdanova, Sandra Victoria Ericsson, Tobias Klausen
KORREKTUR:
Adam Zawadzki, Alice Soleng, Ida Marie Bruun, Martin Hoftun,
Michael Campbell, Ricke-Karia Vikingstad, Silje Gullhav, Tobias
Klausen, Vilde Hagen Svanberg
DAGLIG LEDER:
Marion Bjørndal Søviknes
TRYKKING:
Bjorvand & Co
OPPLAG:
450
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 3

TOPICAL
Physical Exercise & Mental Health
Adam Zawadzki
Writer
Photos: Unikum // Adam Zawadzki
Mats Vederhus
Writer
Illustration: AdobeStock // Pauchi
For over 30 years, 10 October has been the home of World
Mental Health Day. A window to campaign for global education
on the subject, and advocate against social stigma associated
with such discussion. Officially an international day, it gives
mental health professionals the platform to deliver their work to
greater awareness. An initiative supported by the World Health
Organisation (WHO), it allows them to highlight the various
challenges and opportunities facing societal mental health to a
more attentive and, hopefully, responsive public sphere each year.
However, any dialogue on the health of the mind, shouldn’t be
confined to a single day. In Australia, for instance, it forms part of
Mental Health Week, which has been held for almost 40 years. In
the United Kingdom, the Department for Health and Social Care,
inaugurated its first suicide prevention minister, when the country
hosted the first summit on global health five years ago. In Norway,
however, a supplementary survey released last month, following
to the students’ health and wellbeing survey (SHoT) published last
year. It has found that one third of students studying here may have
a mental disorder, with anxiety and depression spotlighted as the
most common. Mental disorders are more common among female
students, while alcohol abuse or substance abuse, is more common
among male students. 5.6 percent of female and 7.7 percent of male
students meet the criteria for a current alcohol abuse disorder.
While more than 10,000 students participated, only 30 percent were
men, compared to 70 percent who were women. As such, we’ve
spoken to a group of male students, all studying different subjects
from different countries. We asked them how a focus on physical
activity has benefitted them mentally – in a country renowned for
rigorous regular exercise – as well as SiA Helse and Spicheren.
During the coronavirus pandemic, this Scottish reporter joined
a gym in his home country, and committed to working out four
times per week for at least six months, which greatly improved his
mental health, before moving to England to continue his studies.
Kristian Jøranson,
Centre Director at the
Spicheren Fitness Center,
says that physical exercise
can aid mental health
for different reasons,
because “it can be a break
in everyday life, which for
different reasons can be
stressful. A strong body
can give you a strong
mind, that gives you more
energy to study or work.”
Regarding what mental
health benefits can be
gained from such activities, he suggests that a combination of
good food, and physical exercise will develop a healthy lifestyle,
but won’t guarantee a positive mentality. “We hear about many
students that suffer from loneliness and by being physically active,
you might meet other students in the same situation. Physical
activity can therefore be a platform for new friendships, and a
social arena.”
Asked how students should approach balancing their studies
with the commitment that comes with joining a gym, competitive
or recreational sports club, Jøranson stressed the importance of
planning and discipline, which “combined will give good routines,
which will be beneficial both physically and mentally.”
4

From SiA Helse,
Inger Mari concurs,
stating that the
positive impact of
physical activity on
students’ mental
health has been well
researched “where
both reduction in
depressive and
anxiety related
symptoms, can be
connected to physical
activity.”
“I have also seen
bettering in several students’ mental health, while participating in
my measure in SIA health,” she continues, “which is personalized
exercise for students with mental health challenges. These also
have a social aspect, which can prevent loneliness, and contribute
to create good relations between students.”
She also recommends that students “find a form of physical
activity that they enjoy, so that physical activity is associated with
something cheerful. When an activity is cheerful, it’s also easier to
prioritise it while studying. An increase in confidence, wellbeing
and the ‘faith in being able to handle challenges”, Mari says, was
a material gain highlighted by many of the students we spoke to.
–
Heine Bjerkaas, a Political
Science student from Norway,
said that “exercise and diet,
to make exercise useful, has
completely changed my life
for the better. A healthy diet,
not necessary to lose weight,
but in the sense of eating
cleaner food, makes your
day structured, increases
your energy, and makes you
‘feel’ better than eating ‘poor’
quality food all round”.
“Also, crucially, it makes
exercise useful and possible. Exercise with intent (no matter what
intent it is) requires appropriate sleep, routine, dedication, and
proper fuel. I am a man with no skills in either exercise or diet, but
exercise forces me to adapt to enjoy the other aspects of a healthy
life”.
“My main reason for working out is to reduce smoking and
drinking, and to become a better swimmer, not just because of the
labels on the box or the calories.”
–
Alban Lorber, a secondyear
master’s student of
Management and Marketing
from France, opines that “there
are several mental benefits
from physical exercise. The
first allows me to think about
something else. If I have a bad
day, I’ll go to the gym, as I know
my session will make me think
about nothing. It’ll make my
brain empty, so I don‘t have
think about my difficult day. “
“I also love the feeling once my
session is done. I feel relaxed and just want to chill after, as I’m
now in a very good mood. Then there is the self-confidence ,as the
more you go to the gym, the more you will feel better in your own
skin. And be more confident, I really feel it, especially when certain
physical complexes disappear with the results that sport brings.”
“Moreover, it’s an all-in-one activity that reflects well on many other
habits like nutrition, for example. When you are very focused on
your sport, you continue this dedication by eating well. With good
ingredients you feel fitter and have more energy. “
“Last but not least, that feeling of satisfaction when you can say to
yourself: oh, wow I did that, I’m impressed with myself or that was
a great session today, anything can happen now, I was happy about
my session. Going to the gym is a discipline but when you see the
results on your body, whether it comes from lifting more weights
or not, the physical result has a huge effect mentally. You just feel
happy.”
“I think that I’ve learned a lot of things from going to the gym.
Firstly, don‘t be impatient haha; sometimes you just want to lift
100kg, for example, but it‘s not the right time. You’ll progress with
time, and you’ll succeed with your goals. But it takes time.”
–
Samuel Goor, a third year
Industrial Engineering and
Management bachelor’s
student, from the
Netherlands, talked of the
purpose that it gave him
based solely on personal
motivation. “I know from
myself that I am happy
when I am constantly busy
with something that is
completely mine. The gym
is just one of these things.
At the same time going to
the gym is something social;
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 5

everybody is busy with their personal goals in one place. Sharing
experiences and goals with each other, gives a sense of community:
a primal human need.”
“Next to the benefits I have mentioned above, there are some more
negative points as well. You are so focused on improving your
own body, that you become perfectionistic. You start to see little
details no one else sees. You end up never being satisfied with the
physique you have, and start to see your own body differently than
other people do “(the medical condition called body dysmorphia).
“At the same time working out helps with mental health problems.
It has been proven that working out releases dopamine. I have
noticed this myself as well. Whenever I feel horrible, I work out;
I use it as a source of energy. I can put all my bad feelings into
the workout, which not only makes my workout sessions more
effective, but it is also a way to vent these feelings.”
Asked why it was important to him to maintain his physical
regimen, he said he works out because he wants “to be healthy and
in good shape. The lifestyle around going to the gym is crucial for
this. Ask anybody into fitness and they will tell you the same thing:
It’s all in what you eat and drink. It’s not just what you train in
the gym, it is the lifestyle as a whole, that makes you grow and be
healthy.”
“I find going to the gym fundamental for my mental health,
because it helps me clear my mind, and deal with the stress of
everyday life. When I train, I take time for myself and I don’t think
about the pressure of this society that pushes us towards being
overproductive, even in our spare time. “
“Since I started training, I didn’t only become “stress-free” (or
considerably less stressful), I also gained much more confidence.
I would also say that I definitely became more tenacious: I don’t
step back from new challenges, and I feel so glad when I manage to
progress in my working out.”
“Going to the gym has taught me that the combination of
consistency and effort, leads to results. Progressing doesn’t have
much to do with luck or genetics, it’s a personal challenge and if
you keep pushing, you’ll eventually get better: a step at a time.
In my experience, the achievements come while you’re not even
paying attention to them.”
–
For more in depth conversation, our new podcast series
on this motion will start on 10 October, with new episodes
released weekly throughout the rest of the semester.
So, what have you learned about yourself from going?
“The most important thing I have learned (and it took me some
time to accept this) is that everyone has different and unique
bodies. The training schedule that works for one may not work for
another, some people need to eat way more or way less, and most
importantly, you will never look like someone else. You’re at the
gym to work on your own body, not to copy someone else‘s body.
This realization makes all your jealousy disappear and makes you
more motivated than ever. You really are doing it for yourself and
your own health.’
–
Antonio Galli, a third-year
Business and Law bachelor’s
student from Italy, was,
however “sceptical about
going to the gym and start
working out, because I truly
felt that I had no time in
my day to spend on such
things, since I had already
a challenging routine.
Ironically, thanks to the gym,
I was able to become much
more organised and more
productive day by day, a
practice that allowed me to
find a little bit of peace.”
6

Girlhood
SHORT-STORY
Photo: Freepik // wirestock
Anjali Mariampillai
Web Editor
I pull the arms of my sweater down to my fingers as the chill from people passing through the doors creeps up on me. The lingering
smell of sweet chai tickles my nose as I look down at my empty cup. In front of me, around an ornamented, brown, and vintage table
sit six old ladies, the chitter chatter of their conversation and laughter peeks through my headphones. They smile towards each other,
listening intently to what each has to say. I watch them for a while, smiling at their friendships so pure. On a cold day like this one, it was
absolutely heartwarming. I go about my own business and do the work I‘m supposed to as Hozier’s music serenades me gently through
it. At one point I notice the ladies holding each other’s hands, every single one in that ring, holding each other tightly and smiling. Again,
I smile at them as they get up from their chairs getting ready to leave. One of the ladies, clad in turquoise and white with the biggest
smile, smiles back at me. I try to not pry into their business, so I smile back and nod at her, but notice that she makes her way over to me.
She makes her way slowly to my table, still a smile on her face, as she starts to speak when she reaches my table.
“I hope I‘m not disturbing you, love?”, she asks me as I shake my head at her.
“Not at all!”, I smile, curious about why she made her way over.
Her other friends, I assume, are putting on their raincoats and clearing the table as they gather to say goodbye to one another.
“It‘s just that... These ladies, we all have known each other for a long time.” she says. I look at her and she is practically glowing with her
smile.
“We have known each other since we went to community college in 1947. Can you imagine that?” She asks me, and I nod at her in slight
awe.
“We don‘t see each other a lot, but when we do, it‘s just the greatest. They are really the greatest ladies out there. We send pictures and
stuff, in a group chat on messenger often.” She continues. I watch the ladies hugging each other, and some of them taking pictures.
“Over 40 years of friendship. I can‘t ask for anything more”, she stands close to my table, admiring her friends from afar.
She looks at me again, and proceeds. “I hope you keep your girls close, because when you‘re eighty like me, it‘ll be all you can wish for.”
I nod at her, thanking her for coming by, as my heart feels lighter than ever, just after her words. “Again, I don‘t mean to disturb you, I
just wanted to tell you.” I can‘t help but smile brightly at her.
She makes her way back to her friends, as they notice that she had been talking to me. They all smile my way as they wave goodbye,
laughing and talking with each other still. I wave back, with the nicest feeling of something peaceful covering my heart like the safety
of an umbrella in a bad storm. Tears almost fall from the brims of my eyes as I feel a little speechless. I let the moment sink in a bit, as I
dial my best friend’s phone number.
She picks up on the first ring.
“The sweetest thing just happened at this cafe, and I need to tell someone.”
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 7

KULTUR
PODUNIVERSET:
Vilde Hagen Svanberg
Skribent
Illustrasjon: Freepik // pikisupersta // macrovectorr
Høsten setter inn nådestøtet, dagene blir kortere, og vi er på vei inn i mørkere måneder (fysisk, ikke
metaforisk håper vi). Mørke tider og Halloween blir ofte denne måneden assosiert med skumle ting, og
det er det mer enn nok av i denne månedens podunivers! Gled deg til gåsehud og søvnløse netter hvis du
tør. Kanskje det er lurest å sove med lyset på (med mindre din største frykt er strømregningen)?
REAL GHOST STORIES ONLINE
Ryktene sier at dette skal være den beste podcasten
for spøkelseshistorier der ute. Podcasten er ferdig
med gamle klisjeer om zombier, vampyrer, hekser og
varulver – her får du «the real deal» i følge dem selv.
Spøkelseshistoriene som fortelles i denne podcasten
er nemlig egenopplevde av lytterne selv, og til og med
DU kan sende inn din egen historie om du har opplevd
noe skummelt og mystisk. Tony Brueski tar deg med
gjennom historier fra virkeligheten om spøkelser,
demoner, hjemsøkte hus, besettelser, skyggefolk og
andre overnaturlige ting som garantert vil gi deg
gåsehud.
AVHØRT
Avhørt er en podcast det har stormet en del rundt
den siste tiden, nettopp fordi den tar for seg unike og
dagsaktuelle krimsaker, som f.eks. drapet på Jonas
Aarseth Henriksen. Det spesielle i akkurat den saken,
er at han selv var gjest i podcasten før han ble drept,
som naturlig nok har satt fart på lyttertallene. I podden
møter du også andre spennende gjester relevant til
andre krimsaker, samt et innblikk i saker som Arina på
Tinder som lurte John trill rundt, norske rikinger som
flytter til Sveits, hunden Bob som ble dømt til døden og
torpedoen som fikk penger av Kjell Inge Røkke for å
fjerne en plagsom finansmann.
8

HALLOWEEN-
SPESIAL
GHOST HUNTER ADVICE
Har du noensinne lurt på hvordan det er å jakte på
spøkelser? Hva slags utstyr trenger du? Hvor skal du
lete? Hvordan får du adgang til steder å utforske? I
denne podcasten får du svar på alt dette fra Tanner
Ruteldge, en veteran innen spøkelsesjakt med hele 20
års erfaring. Han er også lisensiert privatetterforsker.
Tanner svarer på spørsmål fra lytterne, som hvordan
kan man kommunisere med ånder og hvilke feil man
absolutt bør unngå, intervjuer eksperter, og deler
gladelig av egen erfaring og spøkelseshistorier.
SPIRITS
Dette er en podkast om mytologi, legender og
folkeeventyr. Spirits har dobbel betydning her:
spirits, som i ånder, og spirits som i sprit. Vertene
Amanda McLoughlin og Julia Schifini drikker nemlig
alkohol mens de diskuterer historier og karakterer fra
forskjellige steder, tidsepoker og kulturer over hele
verden. Det er god stemning med litt godt i glasset,
men aldri så mye at de mister tråden og at det blir
rotete. Du får følelsen av å sitte og ta et glass vin med
gode venner mens dere diskuterer hekser fra Jamaica,
greske guder og urbane legender. Amanda og Julia
inviterer støtt og stadig gjester som er eksperter på
sine områder, og de har også filmkvelder der de ser
filmer som Halloweentown, Scooby Doo, Godzilla og
The Mummy.
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 9

AK TUELT
På innsiden av Fadderuken
Natasha Agatha Wangui
Nyhetsredaktør
Foto: Unikum // Natasha Agatha Wangui
Fadderuken ved universitetene rundt om i landet, har lenge vært
en tradisjonell måte å ønske nye studenter velkommen på, og
hjelpe dem med å finne sin plass i studentlivet.
Fadderbarnet, Åshild Bakklund, og fadderen Tomás Arias, har gitt
Unikum et innblikk i hvordan de opplevde denne viktige uken.
Fadderuken skal hjelpe nye studenter fra hele Norge med å finne
fotfeste i studentlivet.
- en inkluderende start for
nye studenter
Hva syns du skilte seg ut med studentforeningen sin fadderuke
og den vanlige?
- Vi var ikke inndelt i mindre grupper, som de andre som hadde
vanlig fadderuke. Jeg følte vi gikk glipp av mye, fordi vi kun var
med Clio. For meg som er førsteårsstudent, så synes jeg det var
veldig kjipt, og det synes også mine venninner fra klassen. Vi fikk
høre at vi egentlig ikke skulle ha fadderuke, så da koblet jeg meg litt
ut egentlig, sier førsteårsstudenten.
Litt annerledes start
- Min første opplevelse av fadderuken var egentlig veldig bra, men
det var litt nedtur fordi greia med fadderuka er å inkludere alle
sammen, men når vi først fra dag en blir plassert i en annen type
gruppe, så setter jo det et skille. Da blir vi på en måte ekskludert
allikevel, sier Åshild Bakklund (20) til studentavisen.
Bakklund er førsteårsstudent, og studerer årsstudium i historie.
Hun forklarer at hun hadde blandede følelser rundt sin første
opplevelse av fadderuken, da Clio, studentforeningen for historie
studentene ved UiA, arrangerte en alternativ fadderuke.
- Mens noen trivdes godt med dette opplegget, så følte jeg og andre
seg ekskludert fra den ordinære faddergruppen, sier hun.
“Jeg ble adoptert inn i en ny gruppe”
Selv om Bakklund og venninnene opplevde en dårlig start den
første dagen, så ser det ut til at de likevel fant noen lyspunkter de
kommende dagene. Noe som gjorde opplevelsen mer positiv.
- Jeg gruet meg litt til fadderuka, fordi dette med mye skolepress.
Jeg er ikke den mest utadvendte personen, så det ble litt kjipt. Men
så gikk jeg i klasse med ei som også syntes det var kjedelig. Da
forteller hun til meg at hun har en søster som er fadder, og leder i
KSI. Hun og venninnen hadde faddergrupper som vi hang oss på.
De tok oss godt imot, og inviterte oss med på alt. Mitt inntrykk av
dette er utrolig positivt, og de var veldig inkluderende, forteller
hun videre.
10

“Gøy å hjelpe nye studenter”
faddergruppe har laget vennegjeng seg imellom, og det synes jeg
er strålende. Det er akkurat det jeg håpet at skulle skje, sier han
fornøyd.
“Drikkekultur er det”
Photo: Private
En kjent bekymring rundt fadderuken er den påståtte
drikkekulturen. Arias forsikret seg om at hans faddergruppe
gjorde en innsats for å inkludere alle, uavhengig av deres forhold
til alkohol. Han legger også vekt på at det ikke har vært noe
drikkepress, og at han oppfordret sine fadderbarn til å ha det gøy
på sine egne premisser.
- Jeg husker første mandagen, så sa jeg til alle at «det er INGEN
drikkepress» og at alle skulle kose seg, og at om det var noe så måtte
de bare si ifra. Vi hadde velkomstdrink, en billig vodka og saft, men
det var to stykker som ikke drakk, så de tok bare saften. Vi hadde
jo selvsagt drikkeleker, men de ble med selv om de drakk saft, men
det er hyggelig i hvert fall å gi dem følelsen av å bli inkludert, sier
han.
En utfordrende balanse
Tomás Arias (22), studerer Lektorutdanning på andre året, og
er tidligere fadderbarn ved Universitetet i Agder. Denne høsten
bestemte han seg for å gi tilbake ved å selv bli fadder. Året før
hadde han selv en positiv opplevelse som fadderbarn, og ønsket å
bidra til å skape et trygt og inkluderende studentmiljø for andre.
- Jeg hadde gode faddere i fjor, men det var litt dårlig planlagt. Jeg
synes de tok ting veldig på sparket, men på tross av det så hadde
jeg det veldig gøy. Derfor tenkte jeg at det hadde vært gøy å hjelpe
nye studenter å finne på ting, og at de skal føle seg inkludert. De
første dagene kan være tøffe for dem som flytter inn i en ny by, og
de kjenner ingen. Da kan den enkelte føle seg lettet om noen er der
for å hjelpe deg, forklarer Arias.
Gir ros for høstens fadderuke
Lektorstudenten beskriver starten på fadderuken som vellykket,
med solid oppmøte, og en åpen atmosfære. Han gir både fadderne
sin innsats og de nye studentene sin deltakelse ros.
- Fadderuka gikk strålende. Det var sterkt oppmøte, alle var
inkluderende og det var god deltakelse. Vi faddere kan være veldig
på, men om fadderbarna ikke er så gira, så blir det ikke noe av noen
ting. Men heldigvis var alle veldig snille, hyggelige og omsorgsfulle,
og jeg har fått mange gode tilbakemeldinger. Studentene i vår
Ifølge Arias så bemerket han seg at det kunne være utfordrende
å finne balansen mellom fadderaktiviteter, og studier i løpet
av den første uken. Han mener at det er viktig at i de første
dagene av studiestarten, bør det bli prioritert å bli kjent med
universitetsmiljøet og medstudenter, fremfor å bli introdusert for
studierelaterte oppgaver.
- Jeg føler hele opplegget var veldig bra egentlig, men jeg synes
at det krasjet litt med studier. At man ikke skal begynne å stresse
med studier allerede første uken, med timeplan, klasserom og
kjøpe bøker. Første uken skal man ta det rolig, og bli kjent og ha
en bra start. Jeg husker første uken så var det planlagt en busstur
med samfunnskunnskap på en torsdag, og på torsdagen var jo alle
sammen daue, forteller han.
Oppfordrer flere til å melde seg
Til studentavisen forteller Arias at det er viktig med gode faddere.
Han forklarer at det innebærer mye ansvar, og at det også er en
stor fordel å være engasjert, og forberedt under fadderuken.
- Du må ha innstillingen til det, fordi det kan være litt slitsomt av og
til. Du må være forberedt på alt, ikke være dritings, og være der for
fadderbarna, og passe på at de har en god trivsel under fadderuka.
Ikke minst så er det veldig sosialt, så det lønner seg å ha evnen til å
bli kjent, og få andre til å føle seg trygge med deg, sier han.
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 11

CULTURE
culture doesn‘t have to
cost an arm and a leg!
Adam Zawadzki
Writer
Illustration: AdobeStock // Katsiaryna // macrovector
Vilde Hagen Svanberg
Writer
Photo: Kilden // Lars Gunnar Liestøl
Chilly autumn days are perfect for discovering new cultural activities! How
about visiting an art gallery, experience improv theatre, concerts, or maybe
even an interesting seminar where you can learn something new?
Theatre
What: Amadeus
Where: Kilden
When: 8 September – 14 October
Price: 150 – 650 NOK
What: JEG KLARER MEG? – EN
FORESTILLING OM DET Å VÆRE EN
PÅRØRENDE TIL EN RUSAVHENGIG.
Where: Kilden
When: Tuesday 10 October – Thursday
12 October
Price: 225 NOK
What: Improtorsdag på Teateret
Where: Teateret
When: Thursday 12 October
Price: 50 NOK
Music
What: Classical lunch concert with
classical music and music pedagogy
students
Where: Building K, Sal 1
When: Wednesday 18 October
Price: Free
What: Over Seas (Kristiansand
Symphony Orchestra)
Where: Kilden
When: Thursday 19 October, 19:30
Price: 150 – 425 NOK (150 for U30s)
What: Fiesta De La Noche
Where: Teateret
When: Saturday 21 October, 21:30 –
Sunday 22 October, 01:30
Price: Free
What: Rachlin with Beethoven‘s Septet
(Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra)
Where: Kilden
When: Thursday 26 October, 19:30
Price: 150 – 425 NOK (150 for U30s)
What: Rachlin, Mozart and Brahms
(Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra)
Where: Kilden
When: Thursday 2 November, 19:30
Price: 125 – 425 NOK (150 for U30s)
12

Culture calendar for students
05.10 - 08.11
Cinema
What: Trainspotting
Where: Cinemateket
When: Thursday 5 October, 20:00
Price: 80 NOK
What: Ida
Where: Cinemateket
When: Tuesday 10 October, 18:00
Price: 80 NOK
Languages: Polish, French, Latin speech.
Norwegian text.
What: Babette’s Feast
Where: Cinemateket
When: Wednesday 11 October, 18:00
Price: 80 NOK
Languages: Danish, French, Swedish
speech etc.
What: Joker
Where: Cinemateket
When: Thursday 12 October, 20:00
Price: 80 NOK
What: Blackberry
Where: Kristiansand Kino
When: Friday 13 October
Price: TBC
What: Killers of the Flower Moon
Where: Kristiansand Kino
When: Friday 20 October
Price: TBC
What: Past Lives
Where: Kristiansand Kino
When: Friday 27 October
Price: TBC
What: Snikende Tiger, Skjult Drage
(Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
Where: Cinemateket
When: Wednesday 1 November, 18:00
Price: 80 NOK
What: Jeanne du Barry
Where: Kristiansand Kino
When: Friday 3 November
Price: TBC
Lectures
What: International Day of the Girl Child:
Women’s and girl’s human rights – under
strong international pressure?
Where: Bølgen bærekraftsenter
When: Wednesday 11 October
Price: Free
Language: English
What: Lørdagsuniversitetet: The
Witchcraft Trials in Agder
Where: Teateret
When: Saturday 21 October, 12:00 – 13:30
Price: Free
Tickets: Limited space, but are collected
at the theatre bar from 11:00 on the day.
What: Lørdagsuniversitetet: God, Trump
and Putin
Where: Teateret
When: Saturday 4 November
Price: Free
Tickets: Limited space, but are collected
at the theatre bar from 11:00 on the day.
Art
What: Nico Widerberg (painting –
graphics – sculpture)
Where: Galleri BI-Z
When: 16 September – 8 October
Price: Free
What: Amir Asgharnejad – Blod Brødre
Where: Agder kunstsenter
When: 16 September – 8 October
Price: Free
What: Andreas Lian (woodcutting –
sculpture)
Where: Galleri BI-Z
When: Opens Saturday 14 October
Price: Free
Other
What: Maskefallfestivalen 2023
Where: Rosegården teaterhus
When: Thursday 12 October – Saturday
14 October
Price: 100 NOK per day
What: Business og brunost: Incubator
kick-off
Where: UiA Nyskaping – Universitetsveien
13, 4630
When: Wednesday 18 October, 18:00 –
20:00
Price: Free
What: Klubb Skamlös
Where: Teateret
When: Saturday 28 October, 21:30 –
Sunday 29 October, 01:30
Price: Free
Recommendations
If you still haven’t seen Amadeus
at Kilden, you need to hurry up!
Maskefallfestivalen is also worth
checking out. It is a big collaboration
project in relation to World Mental
Health Day where you can watch
theatre and art exhibitions, listen
to concerts, and read various texts
about self-worth, community, and
fitting in. I also can’t recommend
the classical lunch concerts at UiA
enough! We are so lucky to have
so many amazing musicians on
campus, and these lunch concerts
give you the possibility to listen
to what they’re working on at the
moment. Students supporting
students

TIPS
Activities
Alice Soleng
Writer
Need some ideas for what to do when you’re in Kristiansand? Whether you’re here for a semester abroad or a
full degree, we all need some tips and tricks for how to spend our time, whilst having the most fun. So, if you need
some help with figuring out what to do the next time you’re hanging out with friends, or just looking to get out of
boredom, we are here for you. Here are seven things Unikum suggest you do in Kristiansand.
Exploring Dyreparken
This one almost goes without saying. Dyreparken is one of Norway’s
most visited tourist attractions, and you could spend several hours
here without getting bored. Bring your friends, and wear some
comfortable shoes, because there will be a lot of walking. The park
is divided into the world continents, and they also have an addition
of Thorbjørn Egner’s Kardemmome by, where you can enjoy some
delicious cinnamon buns, or spend some time in the town’s prison.
The park is not only a zoo, but it’s also part amusement park, which
means that there are Tivoli games, a waterpark and lots of fun all
around. If you weren’t lucky enough to go for free during buddy
week, a ticket for one day costs 389 kr. We would say it’s a must do
when you’re in Kristiansand.
Photo: Glowing Golf
Trying and failing at Glowing golf
Located in Vågsbygd, this activity is certainly a great
way to spend an hour or two. Glowing Golf is minigolf in
luminous surroundings. The course has 18 holes, that are
surrounded by UV-lights. A perfect way to spend some time
with friends. Mini golfing is quite a popular activity, and we
are lucky enough to be one of only two places in Norway
that offer Glowing golf. If you’ve never played neither golf
nor minigolf, this might be the place to start. You also get a
student discount, so remember to bring a student ID.
Jumping high at Skyland
Do you have a lot of energy, but hate running with a
burning passion? Then this is the place for you. Skyland is
a trampoline park, that have several types of trampolines,
intended both for jumping and flipping. And if you’re
really angry at your friends, you could push them into
the gymnastics pit, or throw a dodgeball at them. Either
way Skyland is a great place to both work out and have
a fun time. If you have the student calendar app you can
also get two hours of jumping for only 179 kr!
Photo: Dyreparken Photo: Skyland
14

in Kristiansand
Watching films at Cinemateket
Photo: Cinemateket Kristiansand
Cinemateket has been around for ages, and it is located
in the movie theatre Aladdin, right in the city centre.
Compared to a regular cinema, they have lower prices,
with a ticket only costing 80 kr per movie. Sadly, they do
not show as many films as a regular cinema, but they do
also offer free coffee and tea! They show films 2-4 times
a week, so bring popcorn and enjoy! Upcoming films in
October, that might be worth catching are Joker (2019),
Superman (1978) and Tango (1998).
Swimming in Bertesbukta
I’m a person who firmly believes that
it is never too cold to take a swim, and
if you’re like me, or want to get into
swimming year around; this is the
perfect place to do so. Since it’s early
autumn, the temperature in the water is
still manageable. You could spend some
time jumping from the diving tower,
maybe try out death diving (with caution
of course) or swim out to the floating
docks. Beware of the seagulls, but the
jelly fish are mostly gone by now. There
is also a sand volleyball court nearby, so
you could spend just a few minutes or
several hours here. On a wall close to
the diving tower there is a blackboard,
where the temperature of the water is
written. Perfect, so you can brag to your
friends that you went swimming in the
cold water.
Photo: Alice Soleng
Rent something from BUA Kristiansand
Photo:Facebook
Ever wanted to try rollerblading or camping, but you don’t want to spend money on equipment you
might only use once? Then BUA is the place for you. Rather unknown, but an excellent concept, BUA
is an organisation that rents out equipment for free for one week at a time. They rent out things
such as bicycles, skiing equipment, SUP-boards, tents and much more. In Kristiansand they have two
offices, the closest to the university being in Sør-Arena. To rent out equipment you need to make a
user account on BUA’s website. For international students, you need to register in person at a BUA
office, because the online registration requires a Norwegian phone number. If you already have both
a Norwegian address and phone number, you’re good to go and register online. BUA is a great way
to try new activities! You can also donate equipment that you don’t use anymore, so others can enjoy
them for free.
Climb sky-high at Sørlandet Klatresenter
Another way to make yourself exhausted, whilst still having fun, is going climbing.
Sørlandet Klatresenter is the south of Norway’s largest climbing gym. They have a course
for every level, so if you’re a complete beginner, you can just ask one of the staff members
to quickly show you around. The climbing gym also have walls with auto-belay, which
means that complete beginners can climb on the higher walls. If you’re afraid to climb
sky-high, you can make use of the bouldering walls. The gym is located at Odderøya,
and it costs 115 kr to enter for students. If you don’t have any equipment, you can rent
both climbing shoes and harness. P.S if you are only going to try bouldering, then you
don’t need to rent the harness. Climbing is a fun activity to try both alone, and with your
friends, so we advise you to check it out.
Photo: Sørlandet Klatresenter
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 15

UNIKUM TRIES
Unikum Tries:
DRAG
Jakub Świerkocki
Writer
Illustration: AdobeStock // sanee
I always wanted to try drag. The fun
thing is, only two weeks after arriving
here, on my first Unikum meeting, there
was an option to try it in the workshop
as an Unikum Tries. I thought to myself,
why not? I got the chance, so I’m going
to use it. Also, this workshop let me meet
two beautiful drag queens, Dinah Myte
(@dinahmytedraq) and Yessica (@_the_
yessica_).
First, before I’ll describe the workshop, I
want to explain the reason I decided to try
drag. It’s going to get personal. The first
encounter with drag I had in third year of
primary school. Someone had a birthday
party and on this event the birthday
person decided that we are throwing a
talent show with different characters.
Suddenly all the “male” clothes were
taken out and what was left was a dress
and a wig. I introduced myself then as a
Gertrude. It was fun.
Photo: Private
The second reason is that I consider
myself someone who likes art. I like
reading books, watching movies, but also
comedy or dramatic plays. Additionally,
I was in the theater circle, in school but
also in some outside organizations. Art
was with me everywhere and I stopped
looking at it as just particular items
within a category and instead I started looking at it as a form of
expressing emotions, feeling, dreams or desires.
The third reason (excuse the rant you accidentally encountered)
is that I feel some type of connection to drag. Maybe because I’m
a nonbinary gay person, or just because of my connection to art.
Drag, I feel, is a part of queer legacy, that needs to be celebrated and
@dinahmytedraq
worshiped. Drag queens and kings are
always in the front of queer liberation.
For example, the stonewall drag
queen activist, Marsha P. Johnson.
Also, I always wanted to express my
femininity. In my home country, I
don’t think I would be able to do that.
It’s not safe there, and I would never
feel comfortable there. Additionally,
I watched a lot of Rupaul Draq Race
franchise, which got me fascinated by
drag and the different approaches to
doing it.
And now, with the essay on the ‚why‘
finished, let‘s talk about the workshop
itself.
First, when I came there, I was
so stressed. I was so scared that I
would not like it, or I would feel
uncomfortable wearing makeup.
It was a surprise to me, that it was
quite opposite. After one minute the
ice was broken, and I started feeling
comfortable.
The drag queens were nice and
supportive. While covering eyebrows,
we started talking about how each of
us got introduced to drag and how
they started their career in it. Even I
saw some clips from Dinah Myte. They were so good and energetic.
Doing eyebrows felt like it took an eternity for me. They was so
long but after doing them, I couldn’t tell, where my eyebrows were.
Each step was first shown by drag queen, and then I copied it. It
was so fun because I think I know the basics now. On each step,
I felt like I could ask them anything and if I ever started feeling
uncomfortable, I could draw back.
16

Photos: Leif Tore Soelberg
I started liking it. After finishing the eyebrows, which took one
hour, I got introduced to the base of the face; lips, eyeliner, and
everything else. I went from being a stressed person who was
nervous of what was coming next, to feeling excitement over what
the next step was. The fun part is, I couldn’t tell, if they were doing
something wrong because I don’t have that much experience. The
only thing I knew, was that the lines on the eyes were kinda bad
but the solution to it was to create a unique look with it. I loved it
to be honest. That part was my favorite one of all the drag makeup
because it was special.
At the end, I tried putting on a pink wig and heels with a glitter
jacket. That was the time I became Gertrude, but not some scared
kid from third year of primary school but the adult one. Well, I
didn’t have any experience in walking in heels, but at least I didn’t
fall. I might need some practice, though.
Photo: Private
@_the_yessica_
The entire drag look helped me embrace the characteristics that
I didn’t know existed. It embraced my feminine side but also
brought confidence and blunt character. If I would describe the
feelings I felt at that moment, I felt freedom and self-love. Freedom
that I was somehow truly myself and that I could wear anything I
wanted. That I didn’t care if I felt judged. That I felt safe being in it.
The second one was self-love. It‘s hard to explain, but when I saw
Gertrude in the mirror, it was love at first sight. Seeing myself from
a different perspective made me think how unique I am and how
beautiful I am.
To end this chapter, if you ask me is it worth it to try drag, I would
say yes, 100 percent. Drag pulls forth what is hidden, but also helps
you look from a different perspective. Who knows, maybe you
could learn something from your drag character. If not, you could
have a lot of fun. I did. I will definitely do it again.
This is not the last time you heard from me,
Gertrude.
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 17

18

10 på UiA:
Hva er du mest redd for?
AK TUELT
Vilde Hagen Svanberg
Skribent
Tobias Klausen
Ansvarlig Redaktør
Foto: Unsplash // Carlos Nunez
Foto: Unikum // Evgeniia Kadyrova
Høsten og mørket er her, og halloween
nærmer seg. I den forbindelse
har vi hørt med studenter på UiA
hva de er mest redde for!
Trapper! Ikke pga. høydeskrekk,
men jeg er redd for å falle ned eller
bakover. Jo brattere trapp, jo verre.
- Vanja, litteratur, film og teater (LFT)
Failure, som f.eks. å drite meg ut på scenen.
- Thorgeir, master i Shift
entreprenørskap og teknologi
Gore og lyder sånn som i Saw,
sånne disgusting greier.
- Victoria, biologi
Oi, sånn bortsett fra å dø? Å
ikke prøve mitt beste.
- Josef, barnehagelærer
I’m scared of the dark. It’s a childhood
fear, I grew up in Asia, so you never knew
if there’s a snake around or something.
Jeg har fuglefobi! De er så uforutsigbare.
- Amelia, nursing
- Marianne, master i
statsvitenskap og ledelse
Brennmaneter, jeg fikk tredjegrads
forbrenning i Spania en gang.
- Carl-Fredrik, markedsføring og ledelse
Kjedsomhet, eller lack of diversity, som det så
fint heter på engelsk. Da blir hverdagen grå.
- Rikke, PPU YD
Å være alene.
- Håkon, elektronisk musikk
Å miste noen i familien.
- Tone, SiA Mat og Helse
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 19

POEM
the kettle boiled and I filled a cup of black tea from the mom’s tea service
I‘m sitting on this chair and drinking tea.
and it seems that nothing could be more eternal than this chair
and I‘m sitting
the chair no longer feels so comfortable and was it ever so?
the chair has become familiar
the chair has become eternal
I can scream!
I can sob!
I can moan!
I can bark!
and I will sit
and I will wait
the whole world is already deafening
and I‘m sitting
the whistling of the kettle is already a part of me
as I sit
the sound penetrates every cell of my tired body
as I sit
the sound literally deafens me
and I‘m sitting
the kettle is boiling on the cooker
and I‘m sitting there
THE KETTLE
Evgeniia Kadyrova
Photo Editor
Illustration: Evgeniia Kadyrova
Illustration: AdobeStock // BrAt82
Everlasting dystopia
Mosac Frederic Stefanelad
Writer
All this life for naught,
It is what it taught;
Nothing like a summer sky,
Knowing that the end is nigh.
Rhetorical rhythmical redemption,
All this metal should get detention.
Lift my head to the second sun;
Only to feel the light run.
Mouths utter indescribable sounds
For and to the ear that bows,
And the eyes silently wage
With the nose to smell the rage.
Half the matter is in grey
Half of it goes away;
All of it looks and drools
Questions not for words of fools.
20
Smoking clouds with darker houses,
Candy eyes for it arouses;
All of them are inebriated
As Wonderlands tea is outdated.
Sea of colors is ahold
Crashing waves come to fold,
With a tranquil lake resign
Dim sky and snowy moon align.
Internal irresistible infinite,
Strike in a blaring screaming fit.
All just dust with dreams
That will never be fulfilled in years.
Hands collide with sinful gaze
To give afoot a never maze,
A body luggage with a mindful
But a head that is not careful.
All this life for naught,
It was what it taught;
Everything like a meadow green,
None of this for us to win.

AK TUELT
Norsk Høsttakkefest:
Engler og demoner
Ida Marie Bruun
Skribent
Illustrasjon: Freepik // photographeeasia; AdobeStock // Andrey Kuzmin
Familiedrama, bordbønn og overfylte buffeter med en stor kalkun
i midten. Thanksgiving er et kjent motiv fra amerikansk film og
tv. Men visste du at vi også har en rik tradisjon for å feire høstens
grøde i Norge?
I moderne tid i Norge er høsttakkefest tradisjonelt feiret som
en takkegudstjeneste i kirken. Kirken pyntes med korn, frukt
og grønnsaker og vi takker Gud for alt Han har skapt og alt Han
gir. Feiringen har ofte blitt lagt til 29. september, kombinert med
markeringen for erkeengelen Mikael. Høytidsdagen skal minne oss
om at Gud gir oss det vi trenger og skaper gode ting, og at han
sender sine engler til oss for å lede og passe på. Gud husker på oss,
og Han vil oss vel.
Helt tilbake til vikingtiden har Mikkelsmesse vært en stor
merkedag og hatt forbindelse til innhøstningen. I middelalderen
var dagen like stor som jul, og det kunne være straffbart å ikke
brygge øl til Mikkelsgilde! Dagen ble feiret med et stort festmåltid,
som avslutning på forberedelsene til vinteren, som skulle være
ferdig til da. Man markerte overgangen fra sommer til vinter.
Tjenestefolk kunne også flytte på dette tidspunktet, så det fungerte
som et vendepunkt eller en overgang på flere måter.
Selv om erkeengelen Mikael først og fremst er en beskytter, er
han også forbundet med døden. Han skulle føre sjelene over til
dødsriket, og dømme dem ved å veie sjelene på en vektskål. Etter
katolsk tradisjon la han gjerne en finger på skålen i sjelens favør,
for å hjelpe en stakkar inn i himmelen. Likevel har selve dagen
vært preget av mye frykt i Norge. Forberedelsene og gildet ble
avsluttet med en skummel og truende natt hvor overnaturlige ting
kunne skje.
Før Mikkelsmesse skulle dyra være hentet hjem fra sommerbeite,
og alle dyr og mennesker måtte holde seg inne. Folketroen var at
hvis man gikk ut om natten kunne man se alt det fæle som kom
til å skje det neste året. Dyr som gikk ute kunne dessuten bli spist
av urnautene, mytologiske okser fra havet. Var det ugunstig vind
kunne uansett havoksene blåse opp på land og spise opp avling
og dyrefor. Noen steder trodde man at havfruene selv kom opp
på land. I motsetning til Disneys lille havfrue med store blå øyne
og søt latter, ble havfruer – vannvetter eller sjøgyger – sett på som
stygge og farlige troll eller ånder. Så det var best å holde seg inne
og be til høyere makter om riktig vindretning.
Norsk høsttakkefest kan romme ganske mye. Den kirkelige
høytidsdagen rommer takknemlighet og tro. Folkeovertroen
rommer frykt, mystikk og eventyr. Det er rom for glede over det
vi har, ettertanke over skiftende sesonger og vendepunkt. Det
er rom for forberedelser til mørketid og vinter, om håp om nytt
liv etter vinteren. Enten du vil delta på en gudstjeneste, lage en
egen seremoni, skrive en takknemlighetsliste, samle venner
til Mikkelsgilde eller lese om erkeengelen Mikael eller stygge
sjøånder; her er det mye tradisjon å hente!
I Norge kan vi også feire Epledagen 26. september og Allehelgensdag
1. November. I vår tid feirer også mange Halloween, eller har egne
Thanksgiving-inspirerte middager. Hvorfor ikke kombinere noen
av høstens merkedager?
Det er noe fint med å være en del av en større sammenheng av
feirende mennesker. Enten man fysisk samles rundt et bord, eller
bare vet at andre feirer samtidig som deg andre plasser. Samtidig
hjelper merkedager oss med å være til stede her og nå. Merkedager
gjør oss oppmerksomme på tid og sted, og gir faste holdepunkter
i året og i livet. Midt i eksamenslesing, regnværsdager og dager
som blir kaldere og mørkere, kan du kanskje finne noe å feire
eller markere i år? Du kan slenge deg på gamle tradisjoner, eller
skape dine egne, vel vitende om at du er en del av en lang rekke
mennesker som har søkt til tradisjoner og merkedager i ulike
former og til alle tider.
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 21

MENINGER
Den usynlige sykdommen
22

Alexander Horpestad
Skribent
Illustrasjon: AdobeStock // Oleksandr; Freepik // freepik
Når man går rundt på campus, kan man se mange ulike
personer. Mange friske og raske, i alle aldre og kjønn, som
studerer. Folk som løper i gangene til forelesninger og folk som
sitter i kantinen og jobber. Men ser man godt etter rundt seg,
kan man se studenter med krykker, blindehund eller folk som
hoster. Alt dette er ting som alltid er synlig for de rundt, og
som kan påvirke studieprogresjonen. Nå som temaet psykisk
helse har blomstret opp i mediene, vil jeg rette fokuset mot
sykdommene som ikke vi ser med det blotte øye.
Alle har hørt om depresjon, dysleksi, ADHD og autisme.
Disse diagnosene kan være med på å gjøre studielivet
vanskeligere. Til tross for at mange er kjent med dem, så
er det fortsatt mye stigmatisering rundt dem. Jeg har
hørt at folk har sagt at det bare er å prøve hardere,
men med en funksjonsnedsettelse, neurodivergens
eller psykisk uhelse er det ikke bare å prøve
hardere. Selv har jeg en autismediagnose, men har
venner med ADHD og dysleksi. Noen vil sikkert bli
overrasket over hva jeg studerer også. Jeg studerer
altså sykepleie. Nå tenker sikkert mange umiddelbart:
«kan de jobbe med mennesker?», «mangler ikke de
empati?», eller «er ikke de utviklingshemmede?».
Svaret er NEI.
Hva er autisme?
Før jeg går inn på hvordan skolehverdagen er, vil jeg oppklare hva
autisme er. Autisme er et spekter av diagnoser hvor noen er høyt
fungerende og andre lavt fungerende. Det som er viktig å forstå er
at de er verdt like mye som alle andre mennesker, og ca. 1 prosent av
befolkningen er på spekteret. Det som definerer en med autisme er
endret adferd- og kommunikasjonsmønster pga. tregere utvikling
av hjernen. Ta sosial kompetanse som et eksempel, med det kjente
begrepet «sosiale antenner». Det kan forklares med at en uten
autisme har strake antenner, mens en med autisme kan ha de litt
bøyd, og dermed har problemer med å få inn samme signaler som
alle andre. Dette hindrer ikke en med autisme i å kunne lære seg
normalt samhold og fungere i hverdagen, men personen bruker
mer energi for å få inn samme signaler og resultater.
Skolearbeid kan være tyngre med en diagnose. Den energien
andre bruker på skolearbeid blir ofte brukt opp mye fortere av
en med en diagnose. Dette er fordi hjernen bruker så mye mer
energi å få med seg og samle informasjonen den får. For eksempel
vil en med dysleksi bruke mye mer energi på å lese enn en uten
dysleksi. Samme prinsippet gjelder med ADHD eller autisme, hvor
konsentrasjonen forsvinner til alt annet rundt deg, og dermed
bruker du mer energi på få inn informasjon. Tenk deg å løpe UIAløpet,
men skoene dine er laget av sement. Det blir mye tyngre for
deg enn for andre som ikke har denne ekstra belastningen.
Personlige erfaringer
Alle med autisme er forskjellige og alle bør respekteres. Man ønsker
de samme tingene og ønsket om å ha et normalt liv er likt, uavhengig
av om man er lavt eller høyt fungerende. Man velger ikke å få denne
diagnosen. Jeg ble selv sent diagnostisert med autisme, siden jeg
utviklet meg likt som andre til midten av barneskolen. Da hadde
jeg flere gode venner, og gjorde det greit på skolen. Det som ble
en utfordring for meg var alle nye sanseinntrykk jeg måtte henge
med på. Jeg ble mer ukonsentrert og fikk høyere temperament når
jeg ikke forstod ting. Et kjennetegn ved autisme og ADHD er
at man lett blir overstimulert av sanseinntrykk, noe som
kan føre til konsentrasjonsvansker. Tenk deg at du leser
en bok, og hører noen snakke i bakgrunnen samtidig.
De fleste klarer nok å konsentrere seg greit, men for
en med autisme kan det oppleves like forstyrrelse
som om du satt ved en motorvei og leste. Denne
overstimuleringen kan komme fra alle sansene.
Personlig har jeg opplevd gjennom oppveksten å
bli sett ned på, på grunn av diagnosen. Det har vært
situasjoner der andre i klassen har holdt avstand
fordi de visste at jeg hadde autisme. Jeg har også fått
kommentarer der folk lurer på om jeg er smart nok.
Disse hendelsene er sårende, og slike holdninger påvirker
en som person. Det er slike ting som sørger for at folk som er
“annerledes” trekker seg tilbake fra samfunnet, og blir usikre på
seg selv. Det at andre så ned på mine skoleferdigheter fikk meg
også til å miste motivasjon. Til og med lærere tenkte automatisk å
ta meg ut på grupperom, bare for de tenkte jeg var “dum”. De viste
ikke tillit til at jeg kunne oppnå mestring side om side med de andre
i klasserommet. Jeg følte meg misforstått. Ja, jeg har problemer i
språkfag, men ellers er jeg skoleflink. Blant annet har jeg alltid vært
interessert i naturfag, men ble holdt tilbake av andres holdninger.
På videregående endret ting seg og alt gikk oppover. Jeg opplevde
å ha lærere som hadde tro på meg, og folk rundt meg
som aksepterte meg for den jeg var. Den største
endringen som påvirket resultatene mine var at
jeg fikk en venn som brukte tid på meg. Han
satt med meg og motiverte meg til å lære.
På denne måten fikk jeg økt motivasjon og
brukte tid på å lære. På grunn av dette gikk
jeg opp til 5/6`er i noen fag, noe jeg aldri
hadde klart på egenhånd.
Jeg gir fort opp og mister troen på meg selv på
grunn av det som har skjedd tidligere. I tillegg
hater jeg å måtte gjøre ting alene. Da jeg fikk
noen som brukte mye tid på å hjelpe meg å lære,
gjorde jeg det mye bedre. På videregående valgte jeg
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 23

Helse- og oppvekst, for jeg likte å jobbe med mennesker. Noe som
kanskje er rart å tenke at en med autisme vil. Det tok tid å bli vant
til å være profesjonell og vise samme empati som andre, men da
jeg først fikk det til, så synes folk rundt meg at jeg passer til denne
typen arbeid.
Hvordan går det nå?
Hva har så blitt veien videre etter
videregående for meg? Først gikk jeg
lærerutdanning. Etter å ha jobbet på
fritidsklubb skjønte jeg at jeg likte å jobbe
med barn. Men her var første gang jeg
så min autistiske side svekke meg. Jeg er
veldig flink «en til en», men å stå foran en
klasse, det fikk meg til å føle på sterk sosial
angst. Det trakk fram mange usikkerheter,
og jeg var redd for å ikke forklare ting faglig
godt nok. Når jeg snakker, blir jeg ofte enten veldig
faglig eller for lite faglig. Noe som ikke er et problem om de ikke
skal lære det best mulig, men det funker ikke særlig bra i en
klasse. I tillegg så kobler hjernen min ut om det blir mye uro. Det
opplevdes som en utrolig vanskelig situasjon å skulle roe ned en
urolig klasse, samtidig som en skulle holde seg pedagogisk, med
fagspråk. Det blir for mye for meg. Som jeg skrev, vi er ikke sosialt
underutviklet, men trenger lenger tid til å lære og bruker mer
energi på å opprettholde sosiale forhold.
Etter en samtale med studieveilederen min ble jeg anbefalt
sykepleie. Det ble anbefalt fordi jeg da slapp å måtte forholde meg
til så mange samtidig, i tillegg passet det til mitt ønske om å jobbe
med mennesker. Jeg stortrives i utdanningen så langt. De legger
veldig til rette for læring, i større grad enn på lærerutdanningen. På
sykepleie har de egne læringsgrupper, der studenter fra året over
er studentveileder og jobber i kollokviegrupper med oss i fagene.
Denne strukturen fungerte veldig godt, for da fikk jeg jobbet med
andre om fag og de kunne tilpasse det til mitt nivå. Jeg fant også ut
jeg var veldig flink i fagene og har bidratt med å forklare temaene
for de andre studentene.
Så hva har funket for meg?
Jeg var heldig som startet å jobbe på en fritidsklubb hvor jeg ble
venn med kollegaene mine. Dette hjalp meg med å holde motet
mitt oppe om at jeg kunne få ekte venner. Det hjalp også mye da jeg
begynte på videregående hvor jeg fikk gode venner i klassen. Det
var først her jeg fikk muligheten til å skikkelig lære meg de sosiale
normene. Jeg beholdt ikke vennskapene etterpå, men har fortsatt
kontakt med noen, til forskjell fra de jeg kjente på ungdomsskolen.
Det fine med universitet, er at du kan møte mange nye mennesker,
med mange ulike personligheter, og i mange ulike situasjoner. Jeg
har prøvd meg litt rundt, alt fra studentbaren til studentavisen,
før jeg til slutt fant gruppen min. I studentavisen er vi en gjeng
raringer, med egne problemer. Dette passet så godt for meg og
jeg føler nesten at vi har blitt en liten familie. Ønsket om å utvide
vennesirkelen motiverte meg også til å ta kontakt med SIA-helse.
De hjalp meg med å bli en roligere person, og håndtere alle
sanseinntrykkene rundt meg. Nå jobber jeg i hjemmesykepleien og
har venner i klassen som har troen på meg, som ser hvor flink jeg
er. Dette er noe som motiverer meg til å lære å bli bedre på sosialt
samspill, selv med mine utfordringer. For å si det sånn, har jeg en
lang vei å gå for å bli sikker på meg selv og andre, men det hjelper
utrolig mye at andre har troen på meg.
Når det kommer til andre utfordringer, så finnes det heldigvis
muligheter for oss som sliter ekstra med skolearbeid. Det første året
som student visste jeg studiet ville bli tungt, og at jeg ikke hadde
kapasitet til å jobbe ved siden. Lånekassen har ekstrastipend for de
som har en medisinsk grunn til å ikke jobbe. Derfor anbefaler jeg
alle som har grunnlaget til det, å snakke med legen for å få sendt
inn dokumentasjon. På det viset kan du få litt ekstra penger inn
i en tung studiehverdag med høye utgifter. I tillegg til dette kan
man kontakte tilrettelegingskontoret på UIA, for å få tilrettelegging
i skolegangen. Dette kan gjelde alt fra tilrettelagt undervisning
til tilrettelagte læremidler. Det var jeg selv ikke klar over før
jeg søkte dette opp nå på UIA.no, og noe jeg skulle ønske jeg fikk
informasjon om fra første studiedag på UIA. Noe jeg vet at flere
har dratt nytte av, er derimot tilrettelagt
eksamen med eget rom og lengre tid.
De med konsentrasjonsvansker
eller de som av andre grunner
bruker lengre tid per oppgave,
kan ha stor nytte av dette. Siden
vi ikke er dummere enn andre
studenter, fasiliterer dette at vi
kan opprettholde samme kvalitet
og standard som studenter uten
tilleggsutfordringer. Det siste jeg
vil nevne, som gjelder alle studenter,
er å utnytte seg av skrivestue.
Skrivestue er et rom på biblioteket
der hvor alle studenter kan få hjelp med
skriveprosessen.
Skal du behandle personer annerledes?
Det er så mye ved et menneske som man ikke kan se ved første
øyekast, men bare fordi man ikke kan se det, skal man ikke vende
et blindt øye til at det finnes studenter der ute som sliter med et
‚usynlig‘ problem. Jeg mener ikke med denne artikkelen at du skal
overanalysere hver person du møter, og prøve å finne ut av om
det er en underliggende diagnose, men at du har forståelse for
oss som faktisk sliter. Ikke minst vil jeg oppklare misforståelser
rundt diagnosene. Du vet ikke alltid hvorfor noen oppfører seg
annerledes, eller har større problemer å lære noe enn deg. Det jeg
prøver å si er; tenk deg om før du kommenter andre, og aksepter
dem for dem de er.
Og til de av dere som kjenner dere igjen; vi har
instanser her ved UiA som kan hjelpe.
24

ENTERTAINMENT
PIT STOP
Down
1. snake lady
2. a combined sport
3. tool for shaping sculptures
4. worlds first civilization
7. worlds most popular food
Across
5. snake in latin
6. NaCl
8. celebration
9. NSAID
10. a tropical cyclone
11. first dog in space
12. head of faculty
Illustrasjon: freepik
25
SEPTEMBER OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 87 25

TIPS
HALLOWEEN ON A BUDGET
Nothing screams Uni student on Halloween like someone stumbling around in a bin bag at 4am. Now, despite the
bin bag’s obvious benefits - namely, as a bib for the night ahead (undignified but, c’mon, its Halloween) - I’d like to
think that there are better options out there for the starving student on the lookout for a festive costume. To save you
from the dreaded last-minute panic, I’ve done the leg work for you. So, if you’re looking for well-made, sophisticated,
refined costumes, then I suggest you swiftly take your leave because we’re on a budget and ‘refined’ is a 130kr word.
Michael Campbell
Writer
Illustration: AdobeStock // SpicyTruffel
Scooby Doo gang
• Daphne - purple and green
• Velma - orange and red
• Fred - white and blue
• Shaggy - green and brown
• Scooby doo - brown and blue
Pick your favourite of the Mystery Inc. gang and grab
some friends, this one is great for group costumes and
can easily be done with the clothes you already own!
Photo: Nintendo
Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi
• red/green/yellow/purple shirt
• eyeliner/eyebrow pencil/natural hair
growth above your upper lip
No need for appearance altering mushrooms (save
those for the weekend). All you’ve gottta do is pull on
a colourful shirt, draw on a moustache - bonus points
if you’ve got some dungarees - and congrats, you’ve
instantly transformed into an Italian plumber!
Jill Valentine
• blue vest top
• dark trousers
Sandy and Danny
• Sandy - black top, black pleather or
spandex leggings, red shoe moment
• Danny - black top and jeans
Granted, this won’t win you any creativity
points, but if those spandex trousers are
calling your name, then you do you!
Colin Robinson
• beige/plain cardigan or sweater
• white shirt
• brown tie
• glasses
You can put away the glitter and pointy teeth, the only
undead life-draining monster I want stalking the streets this
year is everyone’s (least) favourite energy vampire.
Beach Barbie (and Ken)
• spandex/neon workout clothes
• colourful headband
• a Ken-do attitude
It’s the zombie apocalypse but don’t you worry because
you’ve got full military training and a cute fit to get you by.
PS For those with longer hair and an affinity for tomb raiding,
archaeologist Lara Croft dons a conveniently similar get up.
Photo: People
Ghost
• white bedsheet
• scissors
Okay. You may be questioning how this is any better
than donning a bin bag and calling it a day. I would
argue that with just these humble materials you’ll
be making what can only be described as a classic
Halloween costume. Lazy? I think not. A one-of-akind
handmade garment? Well, let’s not push it.
Freddie Mercury
• white tank top
• light coloured jeans
• black arm band and belt
• eyeliner/eyebrow pencil/natural hair
growth above your upper lip
Photo: Heroes Wiki
26
Rollerblades are a plus, but I don’t want
to ask too much of you. Then again, what
household is complete without a pair
of neon yellow roller blades?
I know its Halloween, but I will not be held
responsible for anyone who takes ‘Killer
Queen’ a little too literally.

Spice Girls
Sue Sylvester
• tracksuit - preferably red but don’t let me stifle your creativity
• megaphone and stopwatch optional
You can’t go wrong with a coordinated tracksuit. Pair
this with an unquenchable thirst for the Glee club’s
downfall and you’ve got yourself a villain that’d send
anyone packing! And that’s how Sue sees it!
Kiki
• navy blue/black dress
• red bow
• broom
Getting back on the spooky theme, Kiki is a solid
choice for anyone wanting to channel those
cosier witchy vibes this Halloween.
Photo: iMDb
• Scary – leopard print clothing
• Sporty – athleisure
• Baby – pastel pink dress and pigtails
• Ginger – red or Union Jack (Great British flag) clothing
• Posh – little black dress
I-CON-IC (only a touch of bias)
???
Be that obscure book character no one recognises, indulge
yourself with a deep cut and embrace a night of every
person you encounter asking “what are you supposed
to be?” Become the scariest thing they’ve seen all night
and unleash a two-hour spiel on who you’re dressed
as, after all, that’s the true spirit of Halloween.
Regina George
Joel Miller
• plaid shirt
• backpack
• boots
Zombie Apocalypse: Trauma Edition.
• white vest
• scissors
• colourful bra
• mini skirt
Speaking of ‘Mean Girls’, there’s no shame in whacking on a
headband with some form of animal ears. Great thing about this
one is that you can have your pick of the animal kingdom, though
my personal favourite would have to be a mouse (duh).
Photo: College Magazine
Perry the Platypus
Quickfire trench coat costumes
• fedora
• teal clothes
• orange accessory
This a public service announcement: beware that Dr
Doofenshmirtz should and WILL be quoted at you if you
choose this costume. You have been warned.
Quickfire white buttondown
shirt costumes
The white button-down? A goldmine of
potential and a fabulous piece for lastminute
party goers? Need I say more?
• Baby one more time Britney
• Shaun (Shaun of the Dead)
• Mia Wallace (Pulp Fiction)
• Superman/Clark Kent (DC)
• Baby (Dirty Dancing)
• Near (Death Note)
Photo: Creepy Catalogue
If you happen to be the owner of a trench coat
then congrats, you have the cheat code for infinite
options this Halloween. Depending on what variety
of trench coat you possess, here are a few ideas:
• Neo (The Matrix)
• Sherlock Holmes
• Dr Who
• Deckard (Blade Runner)
• Doc Ock (Marvel)
• Nick Fury (Marvel)
• Tommy Shelby (Peaky Blinders)
• JD (Heathers)
• Holly Golightly (Breakfast at Tiffany’s)
• Joker (Persona 5)
• Gundam Tanaka (Danganronpa)
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 27

REVIEW
Photo: Open Critic
Tobias Klausen
Editor-in-chief
Lies of P REVIEW
It’s been well over a year since the release of Elden Ring, and
although a DLC is on the horizon, the veterans of FromSoftware’s
games may be itching for something new to take their minds off the
wait. Lies of P is the answer, promising to fill the void of a difficult
but rewarding gaming experience. However, can Neowiz Games
and Round 8 Studio put on an encapsulating puppet performance,
or does it simply fall flat?
The premise of Lies of P is a gothic/horror spin on the classic tale
of Pinocchio. You play as the titular character, awoken to life by a
mysterious voice to save the city of Krat, as it has fallen victim to
the puppet frenzy, a tragedy which made the puppets of the town
go mad and kill most of the human inhabitants. Now, they roam the
streets with blood-soaked hands and dangerous weapons, and it’s
up to you to attempt to save what remains of the city of Krat.
The premise is a simple, yet tantalizing one, taking a grotesque and
gruesome approach to a fairytale often considered family friendly.
You will recognize several nods to the Pinocchio universe and
even to other literary works, but in no way do you need extended
knowledge of the source material to enjoy the game. And the game
is set in the gorgeous city of Krat, inspired by the Belle Epoque era
(think France at the end of the 19th century), which lends itself to
some absolutely breathtaking scenery.
Let’s get the inevitable comparisons out of the way. If you’ve seen
any trailers or gameplay videos, you may have noticed that Lies
of P is near indistinguishable from a normal FromSoftware title,
from the UI, the graphics and most importantly, the gameplay. This
is a double-edged sword, as on one side, it’s a huge compliment,
considering FromSoftware has risen to critical acclaim over the
last couple of years with incredible games, thus being able to
imitate their greatness is an accomplishment in of itself. However,
on the other side, it means that they’re merely copying a formula
which is known to work. That said, certain elements are either
tweaked or added, you’re not playing Elden Ring with a different
coat of paint slapped on, instead, it’s more of a mix between their
a few previous titles, that of Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and Sekiro:
Shadows Die Twice.
For those that are not familiar with the “Souls-like” formula, it’s the
pure encapsulation of “DIFFICULT”. Souls-likes are designed to be
incredibly though in every gameplay aspect, from understanding
each of its intricate systems to reading enemies’ incoming attacks.
28

Photo: Xbox
Photo: Den of Geeks
You will encounter multiple enemies that
need to be defeated to obtain experience
points you can use to level up. Every new
enemy type comes with different attack
patterns, health bars and strategies. What
makes the game difficult is how unabashedly
hard it can be to read the attacks, and if
you misstep, the game does not hold back
punishing you, and is not forgiving in the
slightest. Lies of P copies this formula to
almost perfection, retaining most of the rage
inducing elements of previous Souls-likes,
while mitigating some frustrations with a
few helpful improvements, like regaining
extra charges on your healing item based on successful attacks
or leaving accumulated experience points outside of boss arenas
instead of inside. In Lies of P, whenever an enemy attacks you have
the option to either block or dodge, depending on your playstyle,
enemy or whatever strategy you employ. This gives you a plethora
of options to deal with enemies and bosses in different scenarios,
however, since it allows for both playstyles, it means the game is
not as finely tuned around these mechanics like Bloodborne and
Sekiro. Sometimes you are forced to block as enemies perform
attacks which cannot be dodged (which is a blatant lie, they can
be, they just do not give you invulnerability frames, like a usual
dodge does). Thus, choosing a playstyle isn’t always as viable, as
preferably, you should employ both. That said, I mainly dodged
and was able to get through most of the game, except for one pesky
clown boss, but after looking at other playthroughs realized that I
did it in a less than ideal way. If you’re too late to block you will also
take damage, you have to perfectly time it, however, this gives you
a window to regain some of the lost HP if you attack back quickly
enough, much like the system in Bloodborne.
Lies of P incorporates a unique element which helps to distinguish it
from being a mere FromSoftware copycat. Each weapon can attach
a unique handle, which both alters some stats, attack animation in
general and Fable attacks. Fable attacks are special attacks which
can only be used once a certain amount of successful attacks have
been landed, akin to Elden Ring’s Ashes of War. By mixing different
handles you can alter your playstyle and also decide which stats
you’d want to focus on, as every handle works better with certain
stats, and the damage can scale of that. Changing up your playstyle
may be beneficial as some enemies and particular bosses may
require a different approach than what you’re used to, although
everything dies in the end to a good whack.
Speaking of bosses, the main attraction of any Souls-like are the
grandiose boss battles and Lies of P does not disappoint. They
are big, feral, and as dangerous as they come, and let’s not forget,
incredibly infuriating. You will die, numerous times, and that’s
why we masochists return time and time again to this game genre.
Because the exhilaration and thrill of studying a boss’ moves and
overcoming fierce adversity is a rush that cannot be compared.
The bosses are well designed, with a few particular standouts that
I fell in love with and felt slight disappointment that we didn’t see
more with the same gothic-horror vibe. But they are a magnificent
sight to behold, and luckily, just as fun and maddening to beat too.
Accompanying the exploration of Krat and combat is a delicious
soundtrack, that in my opinion stands as one of its stronger,
and original, points. It’s epic and monumental during bosses,
heightening the already striking battle taking place, and somber
or even creepy during exploration and fighting standard enemies.
The voice acting too is quite decent, some characters feel a bit
flat though, but overall, the cast does a good job of portraying the
characters stuck in this horrifying scenario.
The game looks absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking. The city
of Krat feels like a real place, fallen to the tides of tragedy, and
other areas feature the same striking style and influence from the
Belle Epoque era. The graphics are working overtime, and if you
play on PC, I hope your computer won’t implode from rendering
the beautiful scenery. Some areas are better than others, and
occasionally a few areas feel a bit recycled where they could
have changed it up. They do on occasion, however, the feeling of
repetitive use of ideas occur, yet it doesn’t stifle the experience. I
also want to note that the final area is most likely the most lackluster
and visually boring, which is a sad climax to an otherwise fantastic
journey.
What receives a lukewarm reception is the story. There’s nothing
wrong with it, the worldbuilding is fine, the characters fun, but
often the characters feel a bit one-dimensional, and their quests
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 29

don’t feel too engrossing. The overarching story lacks the extra oomph and as I progressed, I hoped that my expectations would be
subverted, akin to Bloodborne. It also feels a bit staggered, with one half focusing on a particular aspect of the story, and the later half
focusing on another, there could have been tighter connection between the two or something which turned the narrative on its head. It’s
a serviceable and fun story, yet it won’t receive any standing ovations.
Photo: Steam
Another unique element added to Lies of P, is the choices, where you can decide whether to tell the truth or not, which is loosely tied to the
thematic of the game. Honestly, half the time I forgot it was a thing, and it feels underutilized, especially considering the game attempts
to highlight it as meaningful. It leads to certain events and quests having multiple outcomes, enabling replays, however, I was never so
engrossed that I desired to play it anew simply to experience another scenario.
Once you’ve beaten the game, you have the opportunity to start a New Game Plus meaning you start the game over, but you retain the
weapons, upgrades and some items, while the enemies get beefier and tougher. Personally, I don’t often do new game plus, but it is a
nice new challenge which enables multiple replays. This adds a nice layer of replayability, as it’s a game that deserves to be replayed
considering the love and care which has gone into it.
Lies of P proves that you don’t need to be FromSoftware to put on a dazzling show. It feels like a finely tuned adventure, which pulls
exactly all the right strings when it comes to combat. Although it may not be as optimized for every playstyle, it’s still manageable and
most importantly, fun and engaging. It may not reinvent the wheel, instead it stands as a great example of how strong and excellent of a
formula it is. The game is visually spectacular and despite not using its setting to the fullest, you’ll never grow bored of its performance,
with an incredible score to supplement it. The story has room for improvement, same goes for characters and their questlines, however,
it does not detract from an otherwise amazing experience. Lies of P is a recital you wouldn’t want to miss, especially if you’re a fan of the
Souls-like genre, and I hope that this isn’t the studios final bow, but that an encore is on the horizon.
30

OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 31
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AK TUELT
Årlig Forsker Grand
Prix Highlighter
Natasha Agatha Wangui
Nyhetsredaktør
Foto: Unikum // Natasha Agatha Wangui;
Illustrasjon: AdobeStock // lightgirl
Onsdag 20. september 2023 stakk Vibeke
Salvesen av med seieren ved årets
Forsker Grand Prix som fant sted på Bare
Studenthus i Kristiansand. Stolt mottok
hun prisen fra selveste Sunniva Whittaker,
rektor ved Universitetet i Agder.
arbeid og dette er bare startfasen. Jeg har
flere prosjekter på gang som jeg gjerne vil
få til i fremtiden, sier vinneren til Unikum.
Vant for sin forskning på seksuell
helse for hjerteinfarktpasienter
Under årets Forsker Grand Prix
konkurrerte Salvesen med åtte andre
doktorgradskandidater fra Universitetet i
Agder og andre forskningsinstitusjoner på
Sørlandet.
Hun presenterte en humoristisk fremføring
om seksuell helse for hjerteinfarktpasienter.
Dette stjal oppmerksomheten til både
publikum og dommerpanelet.
Med den underholdningspregede
prestasjonen ble hun utropt som
vinneren med poengsummen 6,6,6 fra
dommerpanelet.
- Det er veldig gøy å vinne. Jeg har lagt i mye
Forskeren fra Arendal forteller videre til
studentavisen at hun bruker en heldigital
tilnærming for å forbedre sexlivet til denne
pasientgruppen og arbeider for å bryte ned
bekymringer rundt seksuell aktivitet etter
hjerteinfarkt.
- Dette berører ikke bare kroppen,
men også livskvaliteten og velværet til
enkeltpersoner, sier hun før hun løper av
gårde for å feire seieren med venner og
familie.
Må gjennom kurs og opplæring
Doktorgradskandidater i ulike fagfelt,
blir ifølge kommunikasjonsrådgiver ved
UiA, Arne Martin Larsen, nøye valgt ut
flere måneder i forveien. De utvalgte
deltakerne går deretter gjennom opplæring
og veiledning for å kunne formidle sine
forskningsprosjekter på en engasjerende
måte.
Deltakerne får hjelp og lager to
presentasjoner om et selvvalgt tema om sin
forskning. På fire minutter skal de overbevise
publikum i salen og et dommerpanel
bestående av en journalist, skuespiller og
forsker. Disse bestemmer om hvem som
er den beste forskningsformidleren, sier
kommunikasjonsrådgiveren til Unikum.
På bildet står kommunikasjonsrådgiver
Arne Martin Larsen sammen med scene
coach Ida Fugli, Visuelt ansvarlig Thomas
Eikeland Fiskå og informasjonssjef ved UiA,
Jan Are Olsen.
Det regionale arrangementet på
Sørlandet er ledet av Universitetet i
Agder og er i samarbeid med ulike
forskningsinstitusjoner i regionen.
32

Sørlandets Spennende
Forskningstalenter
populærmusikk som handler om klima og
miljø. Han utforsket hvordan sangtekster i
ulike sjangre karakteriserer klimasang og
hvordan populærmusikk kan ha politisk
innflytelse.
Årets doktorgradskandidater
imponerte på scenen
Deltakerne ved årets Forsker Grand Prix
satte stor fokus på deres forskningstemaer.
Fra å avdekke mikroplast i Skageraks
havbunn til å utforske klima og miljø
gjennom populærmusikkens tekster, har
disse forskerne kastet lys på forskjellige
sider av vitenskapen.
Håvard Haugland Bamble
- Klimasanglyrikk
Haugland Bamble fra Institutt for
fremmedspråk og oversetting ved UiA
presenterte sitt litteraturstudium om
Anam Shakil Rai -
Svangerskapsdiabetes
Fra Institutt for ernæring og folkehelse
ved UiA kom Anam Shakil Rai på en god
andreplass. Hun presenterte sitt arbeid
med å avdekke svangerskapsdiabetes.
Hun delte hvordan denne tilstanden øker
risikoen for komplikasjoner hos både
mor og barn, og hvordan nye kliniske
retningslinjer fra Helsedirektoratet
har påvirket arbeidsmengden for
helsepersonell. Rai søker å evaluere om de
nye retningslinjene korrekt identifiserer
kvinner med svangerskapsdiabetes og
forbedre screeningstrategier basert på ny
kunnskap.
Andreas Røst -
Historiefortelling og Minner
Røst fra Institutt for visuelle og sceniske
fag ved UiA tok publikumet med på en
reise gjennom historien og betydningen av
felles minner. Han presenterte sitt prosjekt
„Minnekommisjonen,“ som utforsker
hvilke historier fra 2. verdenskrig i Norge
som er mest relevante i dag og hvorfor.
Røst diskuterte også utfordringene knyttet
til det agonistiske demokratiet og hvordan
mennesker med ulike synspunkter kan
minnes fortiden sammen.
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 33

Eva-Grethe Befus - Unges
Psykisk Helse
Befus fra Institutt for helse- og
sykepleievitenskap ved UiA presenterte
sitt arbeid om unges psykiske helse og
helserelatert livskvalitet. Hun forklarte
hvordan hennes studie undersøker
sammenhenger mellom livskvalitet,
fysisk og psykisk helse blant ungdom,
og hvordan denne kunnskapen kan
hjelpe helsesykepleiere og politikere i
folkehelsearbeidet.
Hilde Kristin Røsstad - Historien
om Plantevernmidler
Røsstad fra Institutt for religion, filosofi og
historie ved UiA ga publikumet en innsikt
i historien om plantevernmidler og deres
innvirkning på samfunnet og menneskers
erfaringer. Hun delte resultater fra
intervjuer med gartnere om deres forhold
til kjemikaliene og hvordan dette har
endret seg siden 1950.
Vegard Solhjem Knutsen
- Vindkraftforvaltning
Solhjem Knutsen fra Institutt for global
utvikling og samfunnsplanlegging ved UiA
tok opp styrings- og fordelingsmessige
spørsmål knyttet til vindkraftfeltet
i Norge. Han pekte på utfordringer
og legitimitetsproblemer i dagens
vindkraftpolitikk og brukte teorier om
felles ressurser for å utforske hvordan
fellesskapet adresseres i norsk forvaltning
av vindkraft.
Karl Audun Borgersen
- Anbefalingssystemer i
Kunstig Intelligens
Borgersen fra Institutt for IKT ved UiA tok
opp temaet anbefalingssystemer i kunstig
intelligens. Han forklarte hvordan disse
systemene fungerer og hvordan de kan
forbedres, spesielt innen moteutleie.
Henriette Hultmann -
Mikroplast i Havbunnen
Henriette Hultmann fra Institutt for
naturvitenskapelige fag ved UiA var
førstemann ut under showet. Hun bød
på innsikt i sitt arbeid med å undersøke
mikroplast i Skagerraks havbunn.
Hultmann forklarte hvordan hun hadde
samlet bunnprøver fra ulike lokasjoner
med varierende menneskelig aktivitet,
som renseanlegg og båthavner, for å
avdekke ulike typer plast og kildene til
mikroplastforurensning.
34

SHORT-STORY
For he has
sworn upon a
crimson moon
Mosac Frederic Stefanelad
Writer
Illustration: Freepik // pikisuperstar; AdobeStock //Background Studio; Photo: AdobeStock // gdvcom;
woken up, through a red veil over the sky, washed away with a swift motion of my hand. A ringing noise disturbed my slumber, and
the stars were as close to me, as my breath extended. I got picked up by him, his face all red and white like a moonlight tint. His armor
pure and violent with animalistic features, that inspire fear and bravery. He looked at me with bright crimson eyes, approached his head
towards mine, and whispered to not give up, to rise from myself, and continue towards my journey. Then he left, like a mist carried with
the wind. He left me on my feet, but I could not feel them. The only thing I knew was that I had to go towards the shadowy figures, and
the towering blackness that stood before me. A flash, a cling and the moon shone under me like a glass of wine, with nothing but silence
around me, I fell.
Disturbed again from my rest, I see only darkness, even though I felt like my pupils touched the air. In the corner of this abyssal room,
there was a man, a figure, a creature. I could only understand the cape that touched the floor in the most majestic and caring way, like
a mother holding its infant, and whispering about love and survival. He spoke to me, asked me about myself, cared for me, and I don’t
know why. I talked with him for what it felt like many moons, but I was relaxed and then I fell. On the next encounter, I started to discern
the room. The bookcase that was filled with words I could not comprehend, and more on the floor next to it. The window next to me,
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 35

and the abomination of a device, that looked like an impaled circle with the moon and sun engraved on it. The chair that he stood upon,
bigger than anything I have seen. Then at the door, he came in, bowed before the door so he could enter. Again, the same caring questions
were uttered before me, as now I could get up and walk around the room. Asking him about the place where I was and am, was difficult
as there was no clear answer, in the end I fell. Time has passed, and now I can walk around this world of rooms. I need a map for them,
but he can maneuver his way with ease. Now in the courtyard, I practice what I knew my whole life, swordplay. He has agreed to spar
with me, and yet as humble can he talk, he humbled me with the grace of his sword technique. As soon as I fumbled to my feet, his eyes
glinted like a ruby in a cave of nothingness. I would rise again, as soon as his eyes sparkled, like a trance or a war cry ushered only by his
gaze. He took me back to my abode and talked about another fight that I needed to face, but this time with him by my side. I am indebted
to him, for what I know my life, and I shall honor his request. With a faint smile he left the room, leaving for me to rest and I fell.
The pain excruciating, the screams I shouted were echoing throughout the corridors. I felt myself changing, losing my sense of reality,
and him watching over me, from that cursed chair, with his cursed gaze and his cursed cape. I will fall no longer, and yet in a flash I was
on the top of this castle, looking down at the clouds, and fear is not consuming me anymore, I feel empty. I jumped towards the clouds,
only to float like a feather carried by the zephyr of the night. I touched the ground with grace, from the tip of my shoe to the sole of my
feet. There he stood before me; never did I understand the difference. I needed to look at him like a mountain, chiseled by nature and
majestic in the moonlight. He threw a sword at me, but it perfectly snaps in my hands. He charges towards me, like a beast of night I
was engulfed by the darkness, but I started to match his pace. Soon enough I leaped out of the abyss, and hurdled my sword to his neck,
but foolish I was. With a snap of his finger, I was again on the ground, but not in pain, I surrendered. Took the sword he had given me
and went to my abode to slumber. The bed that was an escape, a freedom, looked distant and cold. Kept thinking about the pain, and the
castle that I stood upon. Passing time through the endless corridors, I stumbled on a door, different than any that I had seen. My curiosity
got the best of me. It opened to a place of obscenities, glasses that looked like balloons, more books than a man can read in two lifetimes,
and small swords big as the finger. I felt his presence approaching. Leaving the room, I knew I should not have seen it, but most peculiar
of all, the portrait of the most beautiful and serene woman. With hair gold as the coin tossed to a barkeep, a face as sharp as a blade but
smooth and caring. The eyes of blue like no sea or sky, the gaze of man have ever seen and lips of red. He uttered my name, which I did
not know, but heard, yet my conciseness had blocked. I looked behind to his stature. He was neither mad nor angry, but disappointed, lost
by looking in the room that I was in. I did not ask about that place, for I know that it was, and will be forbidden to me. I only apologized
for my doing, and he smirked for a second, but changed to a cold man that made shivers crawl from the floor to my hair. His words were
shallow, but with meaning to not test his patience.
Days have turned to months, months to years, not much would have happened, but I have grown. I saw clearly through the veil of the
night but struggled to get my bearings within the kiss of the light. Nothing came close to me in sheer speed and force, as the walls were
scared to hold my path, and the wind ushered me way to my sword. His training, though a predicament for my slumber, has enhanced
my fortitude. Every day of coaching he seemed more and more pale, more and more suffering, as though my presence made a darkness
grow powerful inside his chest. I asked him what this is all for, why train someone who was nothing but a burden from the beginning?
His answer, empty, just like the shadow from where that cursed chair stood across my bed. Nothing prepared me for this, not the training,
not the hollow corridors where I wept as if nothing had heard me. He had said that the world is nothing to him, only the pale moon has
given him peace. This plan of existence would be his or for nobody to enjoy, for it had taken everything from him, and left only sorrow
and despair. I grew defeated, before his words, as nothing I would have said could have changed him, or what was eating away the real
him. The next few days, I tried to accompany him inside the fortress and outside, not only in training, but in dining and having measly
conversations. Once in a while, he would slip and give me something to cherish, or keep only for myself. He has given stories about youth,
about death and, most importantly, about love. He is a changed man or being when conversing about his love. In those darkened eyes
you could see the stars when the words about his devotion to this fair maiden. When these tales would end, I have seen the sorrow in his
eyes, his wish to weep and cower. I felt like ending anyone who would have hurt this gentle fallen angel.
36

The time has come, he said, while disturbing my slumber. Trying to get my bearings, my sword flew across the room deep withing my
clutches. I felt its hunger, the lust for power and destruction, making my heart skip a beat. One last match between us, he gave me an
ultimatum to either defeat him or take his life, or whatever he had left. The sword unsheathed itself, like a rabid hound waiting to feel
the blood of my enemies, I stood my stance. Leaped at him, grazed his face, the anger I have seen in those bloodshot eyes, made me cower
and change to a puppy. But alas, I charged again, he grabbed me by the skull, smashed me through enough walls that it would take years
to repair, but I felt nothing. In those few moments, that I was taken as a puppet, I only thought about a way to keep him at bay. As soon
as he finished dragging me through the façade of the castle, I was thrown in the courtyard and on my back. Got up on my knees, about to
admit defeat, only to hear the whizzing of arrows flying over the moonlit sky. I grasped the change from red to crimson, my blood boiling
inside my veins. I saw only shadows before me, in the thousands or hundreds of thousands, but alas they have all fallen before me. These
attackers have been defeated by me, eviscerated, and mutilated by me, sensed that I started to lose myself, this bloodlust was not who I
was. I opened my eyes, the real ones, and did not know where I was or how I got there. He was standing there with a white cloth in his
hands, rubbing my face and hands. “Use it on your sword, for it had helped you defeat your enemies”, his words echoed in my head, the
hue of my sight changed from red to black, as if it had changed to the ordinary. I started to feel like I would have fallen, but not this time
I gripped my sword, cleaned the blood of it and demanded it to sheath itself.
But now, I stood before him, the full moon over us for light and the stars as audience, the music was the droplets of water that came from
the sky, as if mourning the loss of the purest soul. Neither he nor I would start this duel, but he said it must be done. “Come at me with
all that you have, and do not hold back the strength that I have given you from the beginning”, he said with the most bone breaking and
soul crushing scream, and I obliged. We clashed in swords and fists, with claws and strikes that created new lights before us. The forest
where this dreaded battle took place has turned into a field, as the trees were used for cover and weapons. His cape, as majestic as ever
even in this wretched sight of nature, flew around him and captivated me with ease, but alas, my focus was on him, his cursed face, his
cursed eyes, and his cursed demeanor. I ordered my sword to dance with me, around me, to shield me and attack with me as though we
were one. A killing machine of sort. With the moon nearing its end, his life also came to something poetic. As a final clash with open arms,
I sliced him and pierced his blackened heart. “Your eyes are beautiful just like the maiden I long for”, he has given me another story to
decipher with these final words, as I took his cape and buried him next to that gloomy castle.
I once again open that door, the one with the most beautiful of décor, looking at that maiden painting. Deep within its eyes, I see myself.
The candle was lit, the room anew and more paintings were shown to me. It was him and this fair maiden, with a boy as pale as the
moon, and his hair silver like the blade I control. In the corner stood a temple with him and the maiden, with a book under it. I took it
and read it right there, only to find what I should not have or should have. The pain and ringing were sharp as the tip of a mountain top,
piercing every thought I had, but now I remember. I am his and hers. For he was my father, the man named Dracula, Vlad Tepes, and I
was Alucard, his beloved son. He has lost my mother to this wretched world, and would have destroyed it, if I had not intervened. I have
lost my first endeavor, but he has given me a new life only for me to end his. He got the peace that he wanted, and I am grateful it was me
who provided his final moments. Now I stand in that cursed chair, looking at my bed, only to see the portrait of us as a family looming
over this cursed cradle. For now, I am Alucard, and will always be, the protector of humans and nature alike.
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 37

ULTUR OPPSKRIFT
OPPSKRIFT
Min favorittrett for kalde kvelder:
– Jjigae –
Anja Kathrine Laland Gyberg
Skribent
Foto: Unikum // Anja Kathrine Laland Gyberg
Illustrasion: freepik // freepik
Jjigae er en koreansk gryterett som rommer mange ulike oppskrifter. De mest kjente er kimchi jjigae, doenjang
(fermentert bønne-paste) jjigae, budae jjigae (army stew) og sundubu (silketofu) jjigae. I denne oppskriften tar jeg for
meg en forenklet versjon som ikke begrenses til en spesifikk oppskrift. Rett og slett en basis-jjigae. Alle former for jjigae
serveres med kokt ris på siden, noe som gjør at gryteretten holder til flere måltider i tillegg til å forbli billig.
Det jeg liker spesielt godt med denne type rett er at man kan mikse og trikse litt etter behov. Ofte bruker jeg opp rester
av det jeg finner i kjøleskapet og det er enkelt å lage store kvantiteter, som jeg da porsjonerer utover uka.
38

Ingredienser:
Suppebase:
1-2 ss Gochujang (Koreansk chili-paste)
Chilipulver (Om du foretrekker spicy)
1 ss Soyasaus (Salt etter behov, noen
soyasauser er saltere enn andre.)
1 ts Sesamolje (Du kan klare deg uten,
men 100 ganger bedre med)
1 ss Fiskevann
MSG (Kun om du har allerede, iykyk)
Kraft (Oksekraft eller asiatisk kraft med kelp
og tørkede ansjos (kok opp vann kelp og
ansjos i 15 min før du fjerner de fra vannet))
Ikke nøl med å ha mer soyasaus/
fiskevann etc om du ønsker det. Smak
til slik at det blir en rett du liker.
Grønnsaker:
Løk
Potet
Gulrot
Daikon-reddik
Vårløk
Hvitløk
Ingefær
Sopp (Sjampinjong/enoki/
rehydrert shitakesopp)
Skulle det være noe du ikke har, null
stress. Bruker ofte rester jeg har liggende
av grønnsaker, de nevnt over er bare de
vanligste. Ikke overtenk. Hvor mye du velger
av hver er også opp til deg og hva du har.
Protein:
Valget av proteinkilde er bredt. Du kan
enkelt ta det du har i kjøleskapet eller
velge det du oftest bruker i andre retter.
Tradisjonelt så kuttes fast tofu opp i
terningsbiter i tillegg til animalsk protein.
Jeg pleier å ha tofu i alle variasjonene jeg
lager, og så er lammekjøttdeig eller tunfisk
på boks mine to favoritter i tillegg.
Karbohydrat:
Kokt ris
Ekstra:
Vil du leke videre med variasjonene som
finnes i retten kan du bytte fast tofu med
silketofu og knekke et egg rett i midten
så det poaches. Da får du sundubu jjigae.
Ønsker du å teste ut budae jjigae, army stew,
så er proteinet oppkuttet pølse, bogskinke
og instant nudler. Prøver du å lage kimchi
jjigae så tilsetter du bare kimchi og kimchi
lake til baseoppskriften. Selvfølgelig kan
man søke opp individuelle oppskrifter av
alle de nevnt over, men du vil finne mange
ulike tolkninger at det blir enklere å gjøre
det til ditt eget med en gang. På det viset
forblir retten billigere, mer tilpasset din
studentøkonomi og personlige smak.
Jeg handler de fleste av mine asiatiske
basisvarer på Vung Tao nede i
Kvadraturen. De har et stort utvalg som
jeg kan anbefale alle å ta en titt på!
Framgangsmåte: les igjennom hele før du begynner
1: Sett vann til koking. Du velger selv hvor mye du ønsker å lage. Selv pleier jeg å ha 1½
liter, noe som gir gode mengder restemat. Tilsett kraften du har valgt. Samtidig kutter jeg
opp grønnsakene og tofu i passende biter. 200g tofu holder til en stor gryte.
2: Sett ris til koking. Følg anvisningen til risen du har kjøpt. Vi har riskoker
hjemme, så ville ikke tatt råd av meg for koking av ris i kjele.
3: Når kraften er klar tilsetter du ingrediensene til suppebasen, dermed heller du oppi alle grønnsaker som trenger litt
lengre koketid, rotgrønnsaker etc. La de koke litt før du tilsetter tofu og resterende grønnsaker. Husk å smak til underveis.
4: Når det kommer til proteinkilden så må du tilpasse ettersom hvilket protein du velger. Ved kjøttdeig så tilbereder
jeg det i en kjele der det stekes. Chillipasten tilsettes før jeg heller kraften over i gryten med kjøttdeigen. Ved
denne metoden bruker du to kjeler. Om du velger tunfisk for eksempel så heller du den bare oppi gryten helt
mot slutten og rører forsiktig om. Andre proteinkilder kan variere, om du ønsker å steke den først som med
kjøttdeig, eller om du ønsker å ha de oppi og la de koke. Det kommer an på hva du foretrekker og hvor lat du
er den dagen. OBS: kjøtt skal ikke være hovedrollen i denne retten. Her kan du spare litt penger ved å redusere
mengden og ha rester til andre middager. Eks: bruk en halv pakke kjøttdeig, frys ned resten til senere.
5: La det koke til rotgrønnsakene og proteinet er ferdig. Server i skål og spis med skje og
spisepinner. Passer perfekt på dager det er litt kleint vær eller kaldt ute.
Bonus: Som ved alle gryteretter så er de enda bedre dagen etterpå!
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 39

LESERINNLEGG
Leserinnlegg STA
For at en vertsby for universitetene skal bli best mulig for studentene, er det en del faktorer både nasjonalt og lokalt som må være “på
plass”. Derfor ønsker vi å komme med noen forventninger både nasjonalt og lokalt som vi i STA mener må til for at Kristiansand og
Grimstad skal bli de beste studiebyene!
Sandra, nå må studentene prioriteres!
Et universitet er her for studentene. Alle ressurser, tjenester og mesteparten av finansering kommer på bakgrunn av studentene. Derfor er
det essensielt at studenter får tilhørighet til sin institusjon og de avgjørelsene som fattes der. Studentmedvirkning i alle ledd er essensielt
for å få til dette. Derfor er det viktig at sektoren har en statsråd som tar studentene på alvor. At statsråden hører våre bekymringer, går
i dialog og handler deretter. Jeg forventer at vi har en statsråd som lar studentene ha reel medvirkning. I tillegg må sektoren tilpasse
seg en skiftende studentmasse. Studentmassen er mangfoldig og skal være dette. Men, noen ting er vi like på. Vi ønsker alle sammen
forutsigbarhet. Forutsigbarhet i forhold til økonomi, tjenester, tilgjengelige ressurser, helsetilbud osv. Denne forutsigbarheten har vi
ikke i dag, men det kan du hjelpe oss å få gjennom, å styrke studiestøtten, bygge flere rimelige studentboliger, større satsning på psykisk
helse, for å nevne noe. Vi forventer at det investeres i en utdanning for alle i Norge. Høsten 2022 begynte norske universiteter å kreve
skolepenger for internasjonale studenter utenom EU/EØS og Sveits. Som en konsekvens av innføringen kommer det færre internasjonale
studenter til Norge og UiA. Dette er et stort tap da dette er dyktige studenter som sitter med nye perspektiver som gagner undervisningen
og studiemiljøet. I tillegg så bidrar de til en økt kunnskapsutvikling og kulturveksling som vi mener er viktig for våre studenter. Sist,
men ikke minst, var dette et brudd på det viktige gratisprinsippet i norsk akademia. I Hurdalsplattformen står det at høyere utdanning
skal være gratis i Norge og at dette inkluderer internasjonale studenter. Som sagt, det er et viktig prinsipp som nå er brutt. Sandra, i dine
første måneder som minister har du prioritert å reise rundt i landet og snakke med oss i sektoren, både studenter og ansatte. Dette må du
fortsette med! For det er gjennom god dialog at vi sammen kan finne de beste løsningene og snu de ikke så gode avgjørelsene.
40

Kjære Mathias, Beate og alle nyvalgte representanter i Kristiansand og Grimstad!
I Agder er vi cirka 16 000 studenter totalt. Vi er en befolkningsgruppe som ofte kun bor i kommunen i en kort periode, men hvor flere
ønsker at vi skal bli værende. I løpet av den korte perioden vi bor i deres kommuner så må dere tilrettelegge for at vi får det best mulige
inntrykket slik at vi ønsker å bli værende. Det er mange ting dere kan hjelpe til med, men her kommer vi med 3 krav vi mener må være
på plass for at studentene skal trives best mulig under og etter studiene.
1. Transport! Mobilitet og fleksibilitet er viktig for studentene. Vi har ofte ikke råd til bil og er helt avhengig av offentlig kollektivtransport
for å komme oss fra ulike steder. Selv om mange studenter velger å bosette seg på Lund i Kristiansand eller rett ved universitet i
Grimstad, så vet vi også at en del studenter velger å bosette seg utenfor bykjernene for å nettopp spare penger. I tillegg finner vi oftere
boliger hvor strøm er inkludert utenfor bykjernene. Dessverre så er ikke busstilbudene her ofte tilstrekkelige nok slik at vi får delta på
alle aktivitetene som vi har et ønske om å delta på.
2. Jobb etter utdanning. For at vi skal kunne bosette oss i denne regionen etter endt utdanning så må det være mulig for oss å få en
relevant jobb etter utdanning. For det er det vi ønsker når vi er ferdig på universitetet. Dessverre så hører vi historier gang på gang av
studenter som aldri en gang blir kalt inn på intervju selv om bedriften spesifikt ønsker nydannede. Her skapes det et uheldig utenforskap
som dere må være med å motvirke.
3. Dere må være med å øke studiestøtten vår! Jeg vet at dere ønsker å satse på mental helse, frivilligheten og det sosiale livet. Men, på
grunn av studiestøtten vår så må vi gjøre harde prioriteringer som grupper i resten av samfunnet ikke må gjøre. Det er vanskelig å velge
en tannlegetime når du ikke vet om du har råd til busskort og middag. Det er vanskelig å velge en treningskontingent når du ikke vet om
du har råd til å reise til foreldrene dine til jul. For at vi skal kunne bli aktive borgere i deres kommuner så må studiestøtten økes.
Jeg vil gratulere dere med disse viktige tillitsvervene og så gleder vi i Studentorganisasjonen i Agder oss til samarbeidet!
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 41

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Studentnytt
AK TUELT
Vilde Hagen Svanberg
Skribent
Mats Vederhus
Skribent
Foto: Unikum // Vilde Hagen Svanberg
Illustrasjon: Adobestock // alex_bond
Gjøres klart til nye studentboliger på Lund Torv
I disse dager er rivningen og klargjøringen til 371 hybler på Lund
Torv godt i gang. Utbyggingen har fått navnet LundSiA, og er
forventet å stå ferdig til studiestart 2025.
Området er gjerdet inn, og Lundskråga Pub og den rosa iskiosken
ved Spar og lyskrysset på Lund er historie. Studentsamskipnaden
i Agder (SiA) sitt nyeste prosjekt skal øke dekningsgraden av
studentboliger i Kristiansand. Veidekke Entreprenør (VD) og SiA
har inngått en kontrakt i å bygge og ferdigstille prosjektet til en halv
milliard kroner. Tidligere i år tildelte regjeringen 154 millioner
kroner til prosjektet, resten finansieres med lån i husbanken.
Når det står ferdig, skal de nye boligene være fordelt på to blokker
på seks etasjer, med butikker, treningssenter og kafé på gateplan,
og hybler i høyden. Det vil bli mye støy de neste månedene, med
rivning, sprengningsarbeid og boring.
Fremdriftsplan:
• September – Oktober 23: Oppstart rivning og klargjøring av
byggetomt.
1 av 3 studenter har psykiske helseplager
Ifølge SHoT-undersøkelsen for 2023, som offisielt kalles en
tilleggsundersøkelse, har en av tre studenter symptomene som
oppfyller kravene for en psykisk lidelse.
Både kvinner og menn oppgir å ha opplevd å ha en psykisk lidelse
i løpet av de siste tretti dagene.
Blant psykiske lidelser som rammer studenter er en alvorlig
depressiv periode og generell angstlidelse vanligst.
Utdanningspolitisk talsperson for Arbeiderpartiet, Elise Waagen,
sier til Unikum at det er «alvorlig» at så mange som en av tre
studenter rapporterer at de sliter med en psykisk lidelse.
Foto: Arbeiderpartiet
• Oktober – Mars 24: Oppstart grunn- og fundamenteringsarbeider,
betong- og sprengningsarbeider.
• Mars – November 24: Massivtre og fasadearbeider.
• November – Juni 25: Innredningsarbeider og utomhusarbeider.
– Denne utviklingen må snus. Derfor er jeg glad for at AP/SPregjeringen
har levert en opptrappingsplan for psykisk helse, og
skal bruke tre milliarder kroner på feltet fremover.
Waagen sier at det skal blant annet sikre lavterskeltilbud nær der
man bor, hvor man kan få hjelp uten henvisning.
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 43

OPINION
Gender 101
Jakub Świerkocki
Writer
Illustration: Unsplash // Jason Leung
Did you ever think: Why in English does words such as sex and gender exist? Did you ever think about the difference? If not, but you are
curious about it, this article is for you. I will explain why sex and gender have an important distinction and why is it not simple to call
someone female or male, woman or man.
Let’s start with the definition of ‘sex’.
The oldest one I found was from 1985.
“ ‘Sex’ is a word that refers to the biological differences between male and female: the visible difference in genitalia, the related difference in
procreative function” (Oakley, 1985)
And the World Health organization’s definition (WHO):
“Sex refers to ‘the different biological and physiological characteristics of males and females, such as reproductive organs, chromosomes,
hormones, etc.’ ”(WHO)
Okay, so we have definitions. Let’s look at the language they are using. When they are referring assigned sex, we use female and male,
not man or woman. Also, the definition doesn’t include intersex people, who are either male or female. The definition for intersex is:
“Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations. In some cases, intersex traits are visible at birth
while in others, they are not apparent until puberty. Some chromosomal intersex variations may not be physically apparent at all.”(UNFE)
There is a whole discussion about what to put into the intersex conditions because the percentage of people will vary depending on it.
If we include conditions such as Turner syndrome, Klinefelter‘s syndrome, vaginal agenesis, Locah, the number will be estimated to be
1.7% worldwide but there are people that don‘t agree with this (Fausto-Sterling, 200). Without these conditions, the number is estimated
to 0.018% worldwide (Sax, 2002). I wanted to show you both sides of this intersex discourse. I’m not gonna get into that too much because
it will take the whole newspaper to make a point. Also, if you want to read more about sex as a spectrum, I’d recommend an article
written for Scientific American, “Visualizing sex as a spectrum” by A. Montañez. The spectrum of sex is shown as a graph.
Since we went through ‘sex’, let’s go to the easier topic, which is gender.
First and foremost, gender is a social construct, it’s created by people and society.
Gender, according to WHO:
“Gender refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed. This includes norms, behaviors and roles
associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society
to society and can change over time.”(WHO)
So once again, gender is a social construct. Not a biological thing, it was created by humans. Also, gender is a spectrum. Some people don’t
like the roles associated with their gender, so they change it to find the most comfortable one. You can identify as a man, woman, both,
neither or you can be just in the middle. We have a name for these categories.
44

Transgender and Cisgender people:
“Transgender is an umbrella term that refers to people whose gender identity does not necessarily correspond to the sex category to which
they were assigned at birth, whereas the term cisgender refers to people who feel that their gender identity aligns with the sex category to
which they were assigned at birth” (Serano, 2013)
So, what you know now, is the definition of sex, which is biological differences that categorize people into male and female. Between
these two categories, which doesn’t fit perfectly with the conditions, are intersex people. The other important definition was gender,
which refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls, and boys and how they are socially constructed. Of course, this is also a spectrum
and between it we have transgender people and nonbinary, agender are included in that. Which leads me to my next topic: Trans issues,
specifically, gender dysphoria. What is it and how can you heal it?
Definition of gender dysphoria:
“Gender dysphoria: Discomfort or distress related to an incongruence between an individual‘s gender identity and the gender assigned at
birth.”(American Psychological Association, 2018)
I wanted to find the definition that really illustrates the problem of gender dysphoria. Some definitions, instead of gender assigned at
birth, use sex assigned at birth, but that stigmatizes a lot of nonbinary people. Nonbinary people experience gender dysphoria in their
unique ways, for example they don’t want to change sex but may want to look more androgynous, which hormones could help (Galupo
et all, 2021). Also, we know now the difference between sex and gender.
My main concern is that if you read that gender is a social construct, you think you can cure gender dysphoria by simply changing your
mind or attitude. That is not true. For example, some have depression or some other mental health problems, inherited or given by
trauma, that is cured by medication. People feelings matter and if they want to change gender or sex, that should not be a problem. The
whole process of transitioning include meetings with psychotherapists that will exclude trauma as a factor of changing gender. Also, one
more important thing to note is that trans people have increased anxiety and depression than cis people (Newcomb et al, 2020).
The solution to gender dysphoria is called gender-affirming care. In short, it’s not only bottom surgery and medical things, like giving
hormones, but also can include any other psychological, sociological and behavioral factors that reassure the gender people have. It
could include changing pronouns for whoever they feel comfortable with. Random fact, erasing gender distinctions in language is a
steppingstone to gender equality (Liu et al, 2018). But yeah, the changes could be anything that makes you your gender identity.
You may ask: How do we know that this works? There is long term research about the effect of gender-affirming care(Ruppin
Pfäfflin,2015;Vries et al.,2014).
So, after all this information, I want to leave you with one question.
Why is gender-affirming care still so hard to get?
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 45

CULTURE
From “1989” to
“Taylor’s Version”
Illustration: Freepik // Harryarts
Photos: Twitter, Vulture
Àngels Aguilera
Writer
Since her label change in 2018, Taylor Swift has been on a journey to re-record
her first six albums. After a 13-year contract with the artist, Big Machine Records
sold Taylor Swift‘s masters to producer Scooter Braun, leaving the singer with
no ownership over any of her self-written music. Since then, Taylor Swift has
been an advocate for artist‘s rights to own their life work and in consonance,
she is reclaiming her old music through recording it all again.
Critically acclaimed
“1989” is her 5th studio album, but it will soon be her 4th re-recorded album.
“1989 (Taylor’s Version)” will be published this October 27th, exactly 11 years
after its original release. But before that happens, let‘s travel together into the
“1989” universe to make sure you don’t miss out on any details. Here’s what you
need to know about the album from a certified Swiftie!
Behind the title
“I’m Taylor, and I was born in 1989” was the opening line for the 1989 World
Tour, which became the world‘s highest-grossing tour of 2015. The album was
inspired by 90s pop music and as such, Taylor named it after her birth year,
symbolizing both the decade she drew inspiration from and her own musical
rebirth. She decided to label this as her first pop album and consequently broke
free from the country music scene where she had built her fame beforehand.
In addition to the record-breaking tour, the album itself has accumulated more than 150 awards including one Emmy Award, ten Guinness
World Records and three 2016 Grammys: “Best Music Video”, “Best Pop Vocal Album” and “Album of the Year”. All these recognitions
have granted the record the title of most awarded pop album in history, which is an achievement in itself.
Deluxe Version
It seems like 13 songs weren’t enough for Taylor Swift’s debut into a new musical genre so she released an extended version of the album
called “1989 Deluxe”. This included 3 additional tracks: “Wonderland”, a metaphorical trip through what love can do to an apparently
sane person; “You Are In Love”, an intimate peek into a relationship taking its firsts steps and “New Romantics”, a satire on modern love.
So, if you’re looking for the complete Taylor pop experience, make sure not to miss out on these.
Vault Tracks
This time around, there will only be one version of the album with 21 songs. Five of these songs have never been heard before which
Taylor herself calls “From The Vault”. These are songs that were originally written for the album back in 2014 but didn’t make it on the
original record.
46

– what you need to know
The Big 3
Are you new to the Taylor Swift universe and don’t know where to start? Try
the album singles: “Blank Space”, “Shake It Off” and “Bad Blood”. I can assure
you that you’ve already heard at least one of these (unless you’ve been living
under a rock for the last 10 years) and therefore these can be a nice gateway for
you into the rest of the album... or honestly just a fun listen! Give them a try!
The underdogs
If you are ready to dig a little deeper into the record, as a seasoned Swiftie I
recommend you try some less known songs. For example, “Out Of The Woods”
is a beautiful portrayal of the type of anxiety we sometimes feel in tricky
relationships. In that same lane, “I Know Places” gets a bit darker as it explores
the pressure of a high-profile relationship. Finally, if you’re going to listen to
any of my recommendations, let it be this one: “Clean”, a delicate expression of
the struggles with addiction.
A peek into “Taylor’s Version”
If even after listening to the original “1989” you want more, I have good news:
two of the re-recorded songs have already been released! You can check out “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” and “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s
Version)” for a preview of the new sound! Additionally, if you’re like me and enjoy experiencing albums as a complete concept, you can
look into the four different album covers that Taylor has revealed for the new CD. The vibe of the album has evolved from the original
big-city-vibe to a very soothing beachside aesthetic!
Not sold yet?
Maybe you‘ve heard so many things about Taylor Swift already that you‘ve blocked all her music on your Spotify? I can‘t say I blame you,
we‘ve all suffered having to hear the same three songs over and over again. However, before you completely cross out her discography,
let me say this: not only does she consistently shatter her own records while advocating for artist‘s rights, but she is shaping up to become
one of the biggest singers of the century. Isn‘t it worth giving her a chance, considering her undeniable impact on the music industry?
And what better time to do so than with her most popular album? “1989” is the perfect first taste of Taylor Swift, and who knows, you
might just become a Swiftie yourself!
OKTOBER 2023 UNIKUM NR 8 47

BSU
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Det er tre gode grunner til at Boligsparing for ungdom er den beste risikofrie
spareformen for deg under 34 som vil spare til egen bolig.
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Du får vår beste rente.
Pengene vokser.
Du får lettere boliglån hvis du
viser at du klarer å spare i BSU.
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