Basic facts
Student Union (TLTH)
Technologkåren is the student union for Lund University of Technology. It monitors and drives the development of education at the school and also runs business and leisure activities.
A-Guild
The A-Guild was founded in 1965 and has been part of the Student Union since then, with the exception of a period when the guild was inactive. In the beginning it was just architecture students the industrial design was added in the 80s.
A-Guild´s color
Our Guild´s color is purple. The exact shade is Pantone Violet 2597C because it is objectively the prettiest color. The industrial design line has an old color which is purple/white batik, however, lime was announced as the color of industrial designers at the Nollegasque in 2021.
A-Guild clothing
The guild's clothing is a black jacket with the a-guild logo on the back. During strap changing, it is jacket parts that are the correct thing to change and you do that to show your friendship. More about this is under "Change strips". In the beginning, the A-guild had overalls as official guild clothing, but in connection with the A-guild being inactive, these were replaced with the black jackets we have today. After much discussion on the matter, it was decided that purple overalls will be sold by the guild but is not official guild clothing.
Mascots & the Trinity
The A-guild's trinity consists of Rolf-Christina the Rat, the Unicorn and the Skalman. These characters should be respected by all guild members and displayed as often as possible during guild activities.
Rolf-Christina is the A-guild's patron saint and the rat who lived in the guild's storage. It lived in the storage since its beginning in 1965 until the evening of Nollegasquen 2016 when she met her fate in a rat trap. Since her death, the guild chose to immortalize Rolf-Christina, also called Roffe-Stina, for her efforts for all A's. Rolf-Christina now protects for the success, well-being, order and happiness of the guild, especially the guild's basement storage.
The unicorn is the spirit animal of the A-guild. The reason is mysterious.
Skalman is the A-guild mascot. Skalman is a creative genius, full of ideas and inventive like no other. Fittingly for the architecture and industrial design students in the guild!
Traditions
Academic quarter
The academic quarter is a term that is found all over Lund and will certainly confuse you during the first weeks at LTH. The academic quarter (15 min) generally means that you start a quarter after the specified time, but this only applies to full hours. So 1pm means 1.15pm but 4.15pm does not means 4.30pm. On weekdays from 6 p.m and on weekends, double quarters apply, i.e. 30 min. If you mean that something actually starts at the appointed full hour, you use the expression 'dot' abbreviated (.), for academic quarter, and the expression 'dot dot' abbreviated (..), for double quarter. If you print the minutes, for example 13.00 or 18.00, it is the same as writing 13 (.) and 18 (..) respectively. A simple rule of thumb is that if there are minutes printed, those are the ones that apply and nothing else.
The technologist cap
In 1864, the student cap emerged as a common symbol for Swedish students. Students at technical colleges wear the slightly different technologist cap. It is a normal student cap where one side is extended to a tongue where a black tassel hangs. There are certain rules for the cap; the cap may only be worn by a technologist only after he has completed the TLTH introduction (nollning). There are two variants: a dark blue winter cap worn October 4th through April 30th, and a white summer cap worn the rest of the year. On April 30, there is a hat-making event in Lundagård. The whole student world goes there to put on the white summer cap. The hat and spear are most easily purchased at KFS. The spegat is the colored ring that was attached to the tassel. For every new year you hang on to a new one. We at A wear purple spet for Architecture, alternatively purple/white for Industrial Design. All guild have their own color. In addition, there is the indicator that shows whether you have taken a year off, done military service or worked full-time in the Student Union. When you eat soup or similar, it is practical to raise the tassel. Just make sure that the braid doesn't stay up when you pull the tassel back down, because that signals that you're desperate. To show that you are busy, tie a knot on the tassel ribbon. To keep the tassel neat, you can tie the bottom of each thread into the tassel itself. Since this is a chore, whoever ties the knot for you is rewarded with a kiss.
Change strips
To show your friendship, you can exchange strips of the jacket with other guild's overalls. A deeper relationship can be shown by changing the collar. An exchange of an entire arm symbolizes close friendship. You can change the button after exchanging body fluids. You can change a front pocket when you've had a good time and if you used the back door, you can change the back pocket. If you previously read something else but then changed, you can exchange half the coverall for your old one. As the A-Guild's official dress is the blazer, it is very important to place the large A-Guild logo on the blazer even though other sections have it on their overalls. According to tradition, the coverall should not be worn fully on, but should only sit on the legs. However, this becomes so automatic for us at A because the overalls should not be worn alone, but should always be accompanied by the blazer. On the other hand, you can always wear just the blazer as the overall is just a nice complement. According to tradition, the guilds clothing should not be washed. The exception is if you wear it when you do it, but it is not recommended because it risks destroying the patches.
The Songbook
Here you can find the digital songbook
The songbook is a book filled with songs that are sung more or less often during sittings. All the guilds have their own songbooks. At LTH, it is important to attach a pen to the book with string. The reason is that if you don't have a pen, people can, for example, tear out pages or bite into the book. Therefore, make sure that the pen fits well, preferably with both a knot, tape and glue. The books are passed around during the sittning so that you can draw and write things in each other's books. One should not read one's own book on the same day that people have written in it. This tradition allows you to write a romantic greeting in your secret love's songbook even if you want her to remain a secret. The songbook is not a requirement to buy, but it is subsequently filled with great memories, so it is highly recommended! However, it should not be taken to balls. Then there will be song sheets on the tables to help you sing along instead.
Medals
For active participation within the guild you can get medals. Which medals we have, as well as what they mean, can be found under "Patches & Medals" on the website. In the A-Guild, you may wear all the medals you have on the occasions specified, however, you should be aware that on finer occasions, for example at doctoral promotions, only the three highest are valid. To indicate in, for example, an invitation that you may have medals, you can write m.a. (with orders) or m.a.o. (with academic orders). Certain positions, such as President at the Guild, are entitled to wear specific medals en sautoir. This means that the medal hangs on a ribbon around the neck, more about this is can be found in “POLICY DOCUMENT”.
Anniversary ball
Every five years, the A-Guild holds an Anniversary Ball in the spring to celebrate. It is held in years that end with a zero or five because the A-section was founded in 1965. In other years, the Vårfårviolgasquen is held instead.
Hall of fame
Nils Philip Påhlsson - The A-Guild's (so far) only honorary member. He performed the tremendous feat of reviving the entire Guild after it had been inactive for many years, and for this the A-Guild awarded him the an Honorary Member Medal.
The boat Alice – A-Guild's own boat.
KirA – The A-Guild's older speakers.
RitA – The A-Guild's newest speakers.
Rolf-Christina - Our patron saint.
Enhörningen - Our spirit animal.
Skalman - Our mascot.
Linus på Linjen – Industridesigns maskot
Tl;dr:
- Pantone Violet 2597C is the objectively most beautiful color.
- Absolutely do not put the large section logo on the overalls!!
- Academic quarter is complicated but you will learn after a while.
- Make sure to securely tie a pen to your songbook!