RUNNING FOR LEADER OF NSO!
RUNNING FOR LEADER OF NSO!
In January, it was announced in Khrono that former NMBU student Jens Bartnes is running for the position of leader of the Norwegian Student Organization (NSO) at their national assembly in Tønsberg on April 5th-7th. As the current International Affairs Officer of NSO, Bartnes takes the English expression “to run for [...]” quite literally. Therefore, we conducted a running interview with Bartnes in the city to learn more about his candidacy for the leadership of NSO!
TEXT AND PHOTO: TUVA HEBNES
TRANSLATION: VEGARD SJAASTAD HANSEN
Warming up body and mind
The journey naturally starts with a good warm-up before Tun & Tre hit the streets of Oslo, and Bartnes uses the time to tell us a bit about what NSO is. A good warmup for the reader as well! The Norwegian Student Organization works to safeguard the interests of students and promote their cause in national politics. NSO has a board consisting of 6 members who are elected at the national assembly to work full-time on the daily operations and political leadership of the organization. Bartnes has already served in this board as the International Affairs Officer for the past year, and now he aims to continue his work as the leader!
But who is he really?
For those who are not already familiar with Bartnes, he describes himself as a cheerful and engaged individual. Tun and Tre can attest to this – especially with Bartnes’ enthusiasm once we finally get the running going. He has studied for a total of four years at NMBU, obtaining both a bachelor’s degree in International Environment and Development Studies and a bachelor’s degree in Economics Impressive!
Master’s degree on the backburner
After his years of bachelor studies, Bartnes was elected as the leader of the Student Parliament’s Executive Board (AU) at NMBU in the spring of 2022, thus working full-time on student politics at the university the following year. Further master’s studies were therefore put on hold. Bartnes then chose to take a step higher in student politics when he was elected as the International Affairs Officer of NSO in the spring of 2023. This is also a full-time position, so the master’s degree had to patiently wait again. Will the master’s degree have to wait another year for student politics? That is up to NSO’s upcoming national assembly to decide!
Tricked into it!
The running route continues towards Operataket – the best location for hill intervals in downtown Oslo! At the top, we take a breather, and the magnificent view of the city makes Bartnes reminisce. What was it that brought him to where he is today? Like many other students from Ås, he too fell victim to free food. It all started in first grade when rumors spread about free pizza in the basement of the Tower Building. Coincidentally, there were also elections for the Student Council in the basement, and suddenly Bartnes found himself in the Employment Committee. The rest is a typical Ås tale with numerous positions in the Student Democracy, student associations, Samfunnet, UKA, and so on and so forth, before he finally concluded his Ås career as the leader of the Student Board.
Let’s talk ~a bit~ politics
As we continue the run up Karl Johan, Tun & Tre struggle to keep up with Bartnes, so we ask to slow down the pace a bit to discuss what we actually came for. After all, we should perhaps talk a bit about politics in the election campaign too? Bartnes starts by stating that one of his key issues is student finances, emphasizing that this is a well-worn cause – but for good reason! “It’s about the entire foundation for a good student life,” Bartnes explains. He elaborates that if one struggles to make ends meet, it’s harder to focus on studies, take care of one’s physical and mental health, prioritize making new friends, and building a network. Furthermore, he highlights his desire for NSO to engage more proactively in the media. He wants NSO not only to react to what happens in the political news but also to help set the agenda and influence what politicians should care about to a much greater extent.
Ready for battle!
At the national assembly, there are a total of 181 delegates with voting rights who will determine whether all of Bartnes’ running has been worth it. The delegates are distributed among NSO’s member organizations based on student numbers, giving the Student Parliament at NMBU a total of 4 delegates. Bartnes doesn’t feel threatened by being from a “medium-sized” member organization in the fight against his two opponents for the leadership position from UiB and OsloMet. He mentions that it’s almost a tradition for someone from NMBU to sit on NSO’s board, where NMBU has been “overrepresented” relatively speaking in recent years. “To Tun & Tre, I can say that this is fair and reasonable,” he adds.
The road ahead
As we finally approach the end of Tun & Tre’s longest run in recent memory, Bartnes concludes by saying that he looks forward to returning to the classroom – when the time comes! “Hopefully not for another year,” he laughs. Regardless of the outcome at NSO’s upcoming national assembly, the plan is to pursue a master’s degree eventually. To the dismay of Ås, Bartnes reveals that despite his love for it, the master’s degree will probably be pursued abroad. We thank him for the run and wish Bartnes the best of luck in the leadership election!
BARTNES’ BEST RUNNING TIPS:
Don’t start out too fast!
Dress warmly – freezing while running is not a good time!
It’s more fun to run with a Runner’s Club, who joins you for a beer after!
Bartnes himself joined the Shadowside Social Running Club when he moved from Ås to Oslo. They meet every Wednesday for a group run, which they conclude with a beer at the Shadowside Bar. Something to establish in Ås? The Social Running Club, anyone?
