- Stockholm School of Economics in Riga

E D I T O R I A L
#4 (71), October 2005
Stockholm School of Economics in Riga newspaper, the autumn issue
1
E D I T O R I A L
New academic year
New people
What’s inside
The semester has begun. For somebody it was difficult to
start getting up early in the morning. Some could not
make it even a year before, which made no difference.
Some found it even easier after sitting in the office from
9am to 5pm without any purpose. Anyway, the very short
summer is over and a long study year is ahead. Let’s see
what it is going to bring us…
Editorial ......................................................................... 2
From all of us, we want to welcome the new academic
force into the school called Year1. This is your first glance
at the school’s media. They say the Insider is the best and
also the only newspaper in SSE Riga. We truly hope that
your expectations will match the results concerning
everything in SSE Riga and that you will keep being
extraordinary active in comparison to your one year older
schoolmates. Otherwise there will be no one to serve your
dear Year 2.
Irish Crossing ................................................................ 9
It would be not fair to say that only the strongest stay till
the end because we really appreciated the help of Jurij
and Antanas. However, some changes appeared in the
Insider Team. From now on, Milda is going to be our
proofreader. The new design of the Insider, which has not
been changed for ages, is an absolute merit of Povilas. At
least the team is not so masculine any longer as well as
the gender proportion in Year1.
News ............................................................................. 3
Eric Hunter.................................................................... 4
Mecislavs Maculevics .................................................... 6
Welcome to the newcomers .......................................... 8
Admission procedure and keeping hte promises .......... 10
Are we going to live in our own dorms ........................ 11
Year 2 about year 1...................................................... 12
Year 1 about year 2...................................................... 13
Summer Symposium .................................................... 14
The scary tales in the basement of fun ..........................16
Winged words ............................................................. 17
Making love with school ..............................................18
Tricky question ............................................................ 19
Gossips ....................................................................... 20
And more... !
As the time goes we develop. We have even managed to
get some information from the administration that should
not have been fully disclosed. What is next to be found?
Hopefully, the Insider will make it till the end of this year .
Your Editors,
Edgars & Mykantas
Published by SSE Riga
Information committee
Strelnieku iela 4a
Riga LV-1010
Phone: +371 7331183
Fax: +371 7331183
Mobile: +371 9193537
Web: http://www.sseriga.edu.lv
Editorial team
Povilas, Edgars, Mykantas and Mild
a
2
Editor: Edgars Cerps
Co-editor: Mykantas Urba
Info.com: Milda Juronyte
Design & layout: Povilas Redko
Proofreader: Milda Tylaite
N E W S
International Affairs
Exchange Students
During the fall semester SSE Riga is
hosting 24 exchange students: 23
Erasmus exchange program students
and 1 student coming as a part of HESP
mobility program. Furthermore, one
student from Saint-Petersburg is
supposed to arrive but it is not
approved yet. This semester, there is the
biggest number of the exchange
students in SSE Riga’s history.
Therefore, several of events were
organized to make them feel more
comfortable and adopt faster in SSE
Riga environment. First of all,
compadres were organized for the
exchange students. Furthermore,
besides local events, such as a Pub
Tour and a tour around Riga's
Oldtown, exchange students and their
compadres went to a trip to Kurzeme.
Moreover, SSE Riga Intercultural week
took place on 16th-23rd of September.
About 30 exchange students are
expected to come in Spring semester.
As a part of exchange programmes, 29
students from SSE Riga will be studying
in other universities this semester.
Exchange Lecturers
Along with exchange programmes for
students, there are also lectures from
other universities coming to SSE Riga to
share their experience. Two lecturers
from Greece: Stavroula Kartali (from
English Department) and Antigoni
Papanikolaou (from Marketing
Department) presented the HelloNet
project (distance learning course of
Greek language) and shared their ideas
about multicultural management in SSE
Riga.
Furthermore, we had two visitors from
Poland, School in Nowy Sacz. Viktor
Patena delivered several lectures in
International Finance course and
Cecylia Sroka was leading a Russian
language lecture.
News from the Student
Association
After the Student Association had
presented their activities to Year1
students on the 14th of September,
there were pretty many students willing
to join SA activities. Still, people who
are determined to become the next
generation of SA are free to approach
any of the SA members anytime and
find out what SA is all about. Ideas and
active people for certain projects are
also very welcome.
Yearbook team is about to begin
working. However, new people are
welcome to join anytime (approach
Milda Juronyte).
The Student Association increased
expenses this year. Luckily, we have 3
big sponsors this year (Ernst & Young,
Proctor&Gamble and KPMG).
You could find valuable information
about what's going on in all the
universities in Latvia and other
upcoming events organized for
students in www.studentnet.lv.
Educational Issues. Education
Committee Chairwoman is currently
working on establishing cooperation
with Alumni about sharing the
Graduates' database on educational
opportunities after getting BSc.
PR issues. On the 21st - 24th August
PR committee chairlady represented
our school in "Leader Forum"
organized by LSA. Different seminars
and lectures on higher education, as
well as group works and discussions
were held. We were proud that one of
the lecturers was the rector of the
Latvian University Ivars Lacis.
Charity
The largest last year's event was a
Christmas party for children from the
orphanage "Ziluks". Similar event will
be organized before the upcoming
Christmas as well. Besides, this year is
it planned to promote SSE Riga Charity
club in a larger scale in order to
receive more financing and show that
SSE Riga is a place where people care
about society. First of all, Charity club
members are going to promote the
club on a radio program. Futhermore,
the Charity Club intends to organize an
exhibition, and collected money will
go to charity needs.
The members of the Charity club are
current students of SSE Riga and
graduates. Moreover, the Charity club
welcomes new members.
The Debate Club
The Debate Club opened its autumn
season recently with a short
presentation of its activities and a
public debate. The season will start
with debate training sessions for the
new debaters. The Club intends to
compete in tournaments in Vilnius,
Cambridge, Moscow and possibly
others throughout the autumn.
Preparations have also started for the
SSE Riga International Inter-varsity
Debate Championship, the oldest
university debating competition in the
Baltics held annually at our School,
which is to take place this year on
December 2nd-4th.
Drama Club
A new year has started for Drama Club
and the Year1 recruits have joined the
team. Improvisation sport team
"Dramikadze" is not going to be the
same this year as some of the team
members have resigned from their
positions. One more piece of news
from the Drama Club is that in the
mid-September a new Theater Sport
season will be opened in the "Laiva"
club.
3
E X C E L L E N C E
ourselves in front of people, so we
have a very big cultural advantage, I
think.
Eric
Hunter
Do you have any special tricks to keep
students interested during the
lectures?
It’s not very difficult; I mean, you have
to do something unexpected. If you
want students to learn you have to
make sure that they pay attention. And
I think the easiest way to do this is to
do something that all of us would do
outside the classroom but for whatever
reason inside the classroom it’s just not
acceptable. And it’s not very hard. You
just do something funny, even stupid,
but at least you get attention, and then
you can start talking.
Probably the most
popular lecturer
here. Year 1
students had known
him even before
they met him
(thanks to our older
friends of course).
And after they met
him… Girls cannot
concentrate on EBP
stuff, guys lack for
attention. I bet you
crawl to know a little
bit more about him.
Well, here you are.
Do you enjoy teaching? Is it your main
occupation?
Yeah, it is my main occupation. I think
I enjoyed it more when I was first doing
it than I do now. But I guess the change
of scenery, the change in environment
makes it still fun, so if I stayed in
Sweden and taught all the time I would
get bored. But being able to come to
Riga once a year makes it a lot more
exciting.
So you like variety?
Yep.
And do you plan doing something
else?
Other than teaching and researching
you mean? One day I might start my
own little business. I wanna open up a
sandwich shop. Big American sub
sandwiches. They don’t have them in
Sweden. So, that’s a dream. A very
small dream.
4
Is that business challenge your idea?
Being in your lectures is really fun.
How did you learn to make these
lectures so interesting?
Hum, actually the idea came from me
and Leif. We discussed it together. He
always had an idea of sending people
out with, for instance, a pencil or a
pen, not giving any money and giving
them one or two days. And in those
two days they would have to turn this
pen into some money, and then see
how they did it. We discussed it. I
always was very interested in getting
some hands on, because I believe that
to understand a lot of this theory that
we have, you have to be able to touch
it. And this entrepreneurship in
practice is a real work experience. So it
was me and Leif who came up with the
idea.
Well, I grew up with 3 sisters and my
mum always played favorites, so we
had to fight to get her attention. It was
a tough environment to grow up where
I believe one of the biggest reasons we
I did. And my sisters are very tough;
wanted you to do this, because what
they are doctors, both of them. Older
happens most of the time if that we
sisters. So I was always fighting to get
lecture, we give all of these theories
attention from my
how business works, but
parents. I guess that
unless you have experience
competition is what
and you can tie theory with
So it was me
made me be more
practice it is very difficult to
and Leif who
outgoing. Also,
abstract this principle. This is
came up with
growing up in
real life business experience
America or in
you have now. Maybe not all
the idea
Canada. We have
the companies will be
different culture. And
successful, but at least you
this culture is much more competitive.
went through the emotions of trying to
We have to stand out more to make a
figure out how we start a company on
name for ourselves. And from a very
a much more smaller scale. You have
young age we’re forced to present
the same steps, so it’s really cool.
E X C E L L E N C E
How about that drama club
introduction? Everybody believed you
were a student.
Really? I was hiding for two days while
I was here, so nobody would recognize
me. And it worked. Did you really
believe it?
Well, you look like other students…
I’ve always faced a little bit of pressure
about that. I mean I have some
colleagues. It’s always a range. At one
end, I dress like a student, and at the
other end, my clothes are very
professional. And this happened too
when I was a consultant. I hate
wearing suits, I hate wearing ties.
Sometimes you have to fit an image,
until you have self-confidence. I’m very
confident. I know that I know the
material; I know that I have experience
and I don’t need to impress people by
wearing a suit. I try to do it through my
personality and I don’t care what
people think of the way I dress. It’s
what I feel comfortable in.
During the lectures you wear a jacket
and jeans. Something between formal
and casual.
Yeah, this year I did it because I didn’t
have an iron and my shirts were all
wrinkled, so if I wear a coat I don’t
have to iron in the morning. So it’s very
convenient, you know.
Describe your ideal day…
you almost forget how it was like when
you were single, you know. If I was
single then probably the perfect day
would be meeting smart, pretty, funny
girl and taking her on a nice date.
A lot of SSE girls like you, and there’s
much talk about you. Do they have
any chances to meet with you?
(Laugh). Well, as I mentioned I’m with
the woman that I love very much. I’m
still too young to settle down and get
married. Who knows, if my girlfriend
leaves me and in a few years they still
find me interesting and they are
graduated and working, maybe…
What about that Polish playboy? Did
you pay them to put your photo
inside?
No. I was quite shocked that they had
put me in actually. It was a dream that
came true, as well, and that was just
something really cool. I showed it to all
of my friends and it was immediate
respect. (Laugh) And yeah, I didn’t have
to pay them (laugh).
And a naughty question. Have you
ever stripped for a girl?
(Laugh) eee… well… see how do I
answer that… yeah (laugh) I just won’t
answer (laugh) no comments.
What was the naughtiest thing you’ve
ever done?
Let’s see what’s naughty… I’m always
so nice…
Yeah… wake up, 11 in the morning, by
Oh, I’ve just done so many it’s hard to
lunchtime… I would probably go to
focus on one…(laugh)
the beach, catch a wave or two, do a
little surfing, and I come home and I
Well, one time (this was in secondary
eat, then I go to sleep for about 2
school) there was a girl who was
hours, then I wake up, scratch myself
interested in me and I
and I probably eat again,
wasn’t interested in
and I watch some TV, play
her. And all her friends
I’ve been
some Nintendo for about
were trying to make us
an hour, eat some dessert,
dating the
a couple. And one of
go to sleep at about 3 in the
her friends called me
same
girl
for
morning and then do it all
on the phone and told
about 5 years
over again. But the ideal
‘Please tell me why
day has no work at all.
you don’t like Christie’
and I didn’t want to tell it because this
How about girls?
was embarrassing. ‘Please tell us,
Girls? Yeah…(laugh) it’s a good
please tell us, I promise we won’t tell
question. You know, I’ve been dating
her anything’. ‘Fine, fine, I don’t like
the same girl now for about 5 years, so
her because she’s ugly’. And the thing
was that I didn’t know it, but Christie
was also listening on the second phone
and heard me saying she was ugly and
she was really sad after that. And then
the next day everyone at school knew
that Eric called Christie ugly and it was
really naughty. And what I did then
was asking her to be my girlfriend
because I felt so bad about it. So I was
naughty and nice. And I dated her for
the rest of the year and I thought she
was really ugly but yeah… (laugh) it
was tough, tough year… (laugh)
How old were you then?
Maybe 13, 14.
What you wanted
to do when you
were 10 yrs old?
Whoa…good one. I
wanted to be a soccer
player; also I wanted
to be a punk rocker.
But I just couldn’t sing
and play. Stupid dream.
How do you imagine yourself after ten
years? (Question like in our admission
interview)
Well, I see myself being a professor.
Hopefully, I’ve got enough
publications, maybe a few books. Then
I can start taking more time off from
work. I’m saving money very hard right
now, so maybe I can work half of the
time and half of the time spent in
Thailand or in Florida, surfing a little
bit, hanging out in the sun. But maybe
in ten years I might think of getting
married, maybe I’ll have any kids in ten
years, well, I’m still too young of
course, but there’s a possibility.
And you live in Sweden.
Yeah, most of the time. But I haven’t
decided if I wanted to stay in Sweden. I
like Latvia a lot. Maybe I will come
and check this place out in ten years
(laugh). I come here every year for a
few weeks. If you guys want me to
come more you have to tell them to
hire me for more courses (laugh). I
teach other courses, too.
Malgozata Makovska & Ignas Vaitkunskas
5
G R A D U A T E S
ME!ISLAVS MACUL"VI!S
Those who know him
cannot dislike him. Those
who don’t know him (Y1)
should beware of him, in
particular during
baptizing. Those of you
who will get to know him
will discover an individual
as a good find, nice
colleague, or/and a
strong opponent in the
Fight Club. You might find
some new aspects of this
personality…
What is you current occupation and
main responsibilities?
I am an HR manager at
Procter&Gamble Baltics, and I am
doing as well as a part time finance
role. In SSE terms, it means doing
organization and management. A lot of
the stuff is what they teach in the same
named course here. I do some
financial analysis on the way. Mainly, it
is people and finance.
What would be your ideal job or have
you already found one?
(makes him think for a while) … I
remember writing in messenger my
nickname as “potential carpenter”
during SSER time. Maybe carpentry
would be an ideal job for me as you do
a lot of stuff with your hands and you
get a lot of free time, but I mean that I
am pretty happy with the job I have
currently. I have to talk to people. I
have a good time. I can organize
parties. I can organize different events,
and I get paid for it….The same I did in
SSER and SA, but nobody paid me.
6
Your were the founder of the famous
“Fight Club”. What did inspire you to
establish such a friendly activity?
I mean it is friendly. The inspiration
came when I was two. My mother
forced me to go to dances. I was
dancing for fifteen years, and then I
decided that I want to keep dancing
while studying in Riga. The closest
option to dances that I could get was
fighting proposed by Janis Volbergs. It
is like being a ballerina kicking and
punching instead of jumping. Fight
club is very similar to dancing. You
have a partner, and you do some stuff.
The only thing is that usually they are
not girls. One could say that love for
dancing inspired me for fighting.
I have read an interview with you in
Latvijas Avize regarding one of your
hobbies. Could you elaborate a bit on
your passion to literature?
Reading books is nice. So, I tried to be
nice and good; that is how I was
reading books. Somehow I started
liking it. This was a good choice if we
consider that I was living with three
Lithuanians who were always moaning
about the choice of TV channels I
made. I like watching Latvian channels
and films in Latvian. Consequently, I
had to find something else to do. That’s
how I continued reading books, and I
have never left it. It is kind of fun
activity especially after Finance, which
decreases one’s appetite for books.
In how many extracurricular activities
were you engaged while studying at
SSER? And, do you remember all of
them?
There were not that many of them. Our
year was known for being very active. I
was involved in Student Association,
Fight Club, the Latvian Week, being an
ambassador for SSE Riga, participated
in Peak Time and all the other stuff. So,
there weren’t that many of them.What
about Young Professionals? (Mecislavs
forgot one, though)
I am partly to be blamed for the spam
you are currently receiving about great
job opportunities. I believe this is one
of the best projects you can have in
G R A D U A T E S
F RES HLY MADE G RADUATE
SSE Riga. We are all here to get some
great prospects for future careers and
jobs, and this is a help for us to do this.
What was the key to managing all the
activities and your studies at school?
The key was initially that I was from a
different city than Riga and I didn’t
have that many activities to take care
of. So, I had a bunch of free time. I
think that a lot of Lithuanians,
Estonians, and Latvians from other
towns took up most of the activities for
that reason. I believe that having fun,
doing some sports, and studying just
supports one another.
I also know that you have managed to
win the state Olympiad in economics
and business basics. Were you such a
hardworking person for the very early
age?
(..trying to remember..) I was more
artistic type because of dancing and
having a family that consisted mainly
of people who were involved in the
theater. That has left me love for the art.
I mean you could call me hardworking,
but in SSER I met people who are
much more hardworking than me. I
cannot say whether I was more or less
hardworking during SSER, before it, or
even after. The stars came together and
I managed to succeed. In addition, I
had a great secondary school.
By the way, have you passed Finance
for the first time?
Nooo… (laughs) That was too tough, so
to say. I didn’t pass for the first time,
but I would not like to discourage
people who don’t, because you learn
so much more and it is also a chance
to get a top score, which was the case
with me. It is just another learning
experience, and not many people do it
from the first time.
Was it the way how you became a TA
in Finance?
Yes, it was due to the fact that I had the
best result among my year, but with the
first re-exam. I also did pretty well in
the second course of Finance
Specialization. That’s why I got this job
offer of being a TA in Finance.
Is there something new on your mind
to be established sooner or later?
Well, I think so. I started to like all
those extracurricular activities at
secondary school and SSER so much
that I can’t even imagine my life
without them. First of all, I would like
to see Fight Club developing in
something traditional so that it
wouldn’t die as our year finished the
school. Secondly, I am currently having
a part time position in the Council of a
golf club so maybe I could take up
some other sports. I am definitely going
to do something after my working
hours.
It is like being a
ballerina kicking and
punching instead of
jumping
Do you have any other plans for the
future?
The nearest plan is to participate in
baptizing of 2005 (everybody is
laughing in the SA room, where the
interview takes place. We will skip the
things that he did last year). You know
we suffered a lot in the first year so you
have to make a repayment at least for
ten years. That is definitely the biggest
project on my mind.
What do you value most in people?
The characteristic that I value most is
honesty. Probably this is because my
activities and work are so much related
to people being honest about their
opinion and being honest to me. I do
value honesty a lot and like people
being punctual and telling what is on
their minds. Though, I do not like
arrogant people. Ah, I like a lot of
people in SSER. (laughs. Could it imply
that there are some?) We are not that
arrogant after all. Especially,
under-grounded arrogance I dislike a
lot.
And, what do you value most in girls?
Aaah. That’s a nice one. Nowadays
describing a girl, we are speaking in
terms of being sexy, erotic, and hot. I
still remember phrases like “She is
being feminine” and “She is being
attractive.” So, what I like in girls is that
they are feminine and attractive. And, I
do like when she dances well.
What is your favorite entertainment?
Going to Dance Club, I mean Fight
Club is a good way how I enjoy myself.
I am also doing it on the weekends
with other trainers for Latvian Tai Kwan
Do and Martial Arts federation. Doing
sports is a big thing, but recently I took
up this very weird game that is called
Magic’s the Gathering. It is good that I
don’t have a wife because she would
kill me as I spend so much money on
the paper cards every month.
Is there anything we should know
about making it to graduation
successfully?
Ha, if you don’t go to lectures, if you
don’t read the text book, if you don’t
go to seminars, and if you don’t copy
notes from other people than there is a
fair chance not to make it to
graduation. However, if you succeed in
two or three of these on a regular basis,
then you will make it.
The last and traditional question
would be: what is your message to SSE
Riga students?
Very simply, stay in school. The school
provides you with many great
opportunities, lots of fun, some
baptizing on the way, but that’s life. So,
stay in school and make it to
graduation.
By Edgars Cerps
7
N E W
Y E A R
Dear fresh SSE Riga people!
The school year has started already a month ago, so this is hardly anymore a welcome
message. You have finished your first courses, and have also seen the other side of
students’ life in the first school party and, of course, in Summer Symposium. Yet, there
are still many first-time experiences in front of you.
First impressions form the initial image of what we know. Repetition either approves or
changes it. Think about what SSE Riga means to you today, and try again after a few
months. And after a year, and after five. The school is the same, yet you get different
feelings each time when you try to recall this time in Riga.
A couple of days ago I had an inspiring conversation about the SSE Riga spirit with one
of the newcomers. It made me think why, for example, I still wear the class ring from my
high school. And why do I feel a bond with people who have graduated the same
school, but have never studied together with me? What is it that creates this great unifying spirit?
There is a reason why the address said “people”, not “students”. Simply because within the time we spend here, the school becomes much more
to us than just a building we visit; similarly we become much more than just its students. The SSE Riga spirit inhabits us, and makes us smile
later when we remember the people, the days and (over)nights. Even after 3, 5, 10 years. Because we are the face and the name of the school.
We wish you a great school year, unforgettable memories, unmemorable forgettings, and to enjoy every moment!
Eiko & Karolis
8
T R I P S
!"!#$%
&"'##!()
Instead of taking traditional internship, we decided to take a more
desperate step – go to Ireland. “You’re crazy! You have only one way
ticket to Dublin! No place to live or work!”– This was what we heard
mostly. But who really cared? Not us, we had internship places reserved
in Estonian companies as well; fortunately, there was no need to use them.
Only desperate Estonian are capable of that – write an exam in the morning, drive five hours to Tallinn to say goodbye to mummies
and daddies, and in the evening end up in Dublin. Nevertheless, this was how it looked like. And in spite of the fact that we nearly
missed the bus Tallinn and left loads of garbage bags to our beloved flat mates, at Dublin we arrived in time. By the first night we
found out, that:
• You look a complete weird if you drink tea without milk.
• We thought that two taps in a sink (different for cold and hot water) exist only in
English textbooks, but it’s reality!
• You don’t need to have an adapter to use a British plug; just put a wooden stick into
the third hole, and your two-pin plug matches.
• Irish don’t drink Vana Tallinn, and their Irish
language abilities are quite poor.
• People wear shoes at home, but you can still sit on
the floor without worrying about your clothes
getting dirty. Magic!
• Kalev chocolate – the best! Proven by Irish guys.
It’s a vicious circle – to find a job in Ireland you need
Irish work experience and PPS number, but you can’t
get the first one without being employed by an Irish
company and you can’t obtain the second one without
a proof of address. Anyhow, our goal for two days was
to find an apartment, since otherwise we would sleep
under a tree. In addition to spending these two days in
the internet and phoning landlords, we managed to see:
• Before every crossing there is a sign on the traffic area
“Look Right” or “Look Left”, so foreigners like us could
understand where to look. Thank you, British society!
• Irish crossing – you can cross the road whenever and
wherever you want. People, who stand behind the green light, are foreigners.
• High style in summer in Dublin – miniskirt and winter boots, especially when it’s 30°C outside!
• Irish people are a minority in Dublin, mostly there are people of different colours, ages and cultures.
• Some landlords require a letter from the bank that you have an account, references from the previous landlord, and a work
contract. Again a kind of a vicious circle here…
• It’s a lie that all Irish girls look like fat cows. Yes, there are rather big women, but most of the girls look good.
• If you are a U2 fan you may have ask your mum whether you have Irish relatives. ALL Irish people are just crazy about U2 and
they are extremely sad if they can’t get a ticket for 160 euro.
• It’s not allowed to smoke in bars. On the one hand, it’s good because you don’t feel like a smoked chicken after going out. On
the other hand, Irish love spending evenings at pubs and smokers form huge traffic jams on the streets.
After one week from the arrival we both were already working. Who said we couldn’t do it? Irina ended up in a catering
management and Anita in sales and marketing sphere. Who wants to find out more about internship possibilities in Ireland, we
would love to share our experience. Anyway, it is worth it. Making new friends, starting a life abroad may seem an arduous task, but
it’s a wonderful adventure. Now, being back in Riga, summer seems like a dream. So don’t be afraid of anything, take your chances
a19nd live the dream!
By Irina Ljubovskaja and Anita Suurlaht
9
O P I N I O N
Admission Procedure
and Keeping the
Promises
One may ask how the admission to SSER relates to keeping
promises. It does. First of all, as Mr. Morten says - student must
actualize what he or she has promised during the admission
interview: be dutiful, responsible, and study hard. To ensure
this, various actions are taken during the first weeks of studies
(and later during Finance): one often hears keyword “selfdiscipline” and is punished for being late 12 or something
seconds. Of course, it is a planned strategy and done for a good
purpose.
However, my article is not about students keeping promises.
Opposite, it is about those that teach us “self-discipline”. It is
about the admission procedure and keeping promises: about
busses and Mathematics.
The thing is that the admission procedure in 2005 should have
been changed. At least this is what was told during the
Ambassadors’ meetings. New stage introduced in the admission
procedure: you have to pass state exams with decent results to
be invited to test. In Riga. Vilnius and Tallinn have disappeared
from exam map. Twice to Riga (test + interview) and one still
may be not accepted! Haven’t heard that any school would
have such a system. Last year ambassadors tried to persuade
applicants that it is worth trying and that there will be free of
charge busses bringing school-students from Vilnius or Tallinn to
Riga.
False. There was none of these, although they were promised.
Second thing is the exam. It should have been changed. At least
that is what Diana and Gita told the ambassadors who, in turn,
communicated it further. False again. It was said there will be
no Mathematics part, only logics will remain. I am not a good
mathematician (can’t make a derivative), but I am pretty sure
that trigonometry has something more to
Maths than to logics or English. Well,
I will ask Chandler anyway. Overall,
the exam did not change much:
there was no English grammar.
The worst thing is to answer the
e-mails of applicants after the test:
”Sorry, try next year.”
Bo
nus
!
r
t
l
ya
the
b
out
ma
r
of
SSE keting
RIG
A
Sho
In my personal opinion, the exam should have been changed
years ago. It is possible to prepare for it: repetition of basic
maths + IQ book (with sequences) + practice of mental
calculations = you are ready for the bigger part of the exam. It
might seem shocking but some people started preparing as
early as in the eight form.
In addition to that, marketing of the school also deserves
revision. After we have joined the EU, enormous possibilities
have opened for Baltic school-students. Moreover, local schools
and universities (especially private) strengthen their positions. I
wonder if SSE Riga is ready for that. Does it have some strategy
(plan) how it will attract the brightest students of the Baltics?
I think that 10 years old stand, copy-printed dull brochures and
4x5 cm advertisement somewhere in the 10th page of the
newspaper is not enough for a respective business school. It
seems that our school uses the same marketing strategy and
techniques since 1990s and we now live in the Frederic
Beigbeder’s world. Times have changed in universities’ “market”
as well: it is not anymore that SSE Riga is the only decent
possibility for bright students. Why one should apply for it if he
or she can be admitted to Bocconi, Bremen or even LSE?
One may argue that our school relies on students who present
SSE Riga in study fairs or school presentations. It is of course a
good approach and each year there are volunteers who devote
their time to promote the school. One needs to appreciate that.
However, such approach has some drawbacks as well. I have
been to many presentations and I am a bit concerned that not
all of the students who participate actually have the needed
skills (PACC Presentation skills course does not help!). Some
people are simply not born for that, they are not attractive
speakers. Moreover, sometimes presenters don’t know a damn
thing about SSE Riga! Nobody checks ambassadors’ knowledge.
What is more, some SSE Riganians have their own “special”
opinion about everything which they are more than willing to
share. Because of the above mentioned reasons it seems that
sometimes the school is not marketed but even oppositely.
One may argue that the easiest way is to criticize. Yes it is,
however, marketing and admission is an important issue for SSE
Riga stakeholders: possible entrants, current students and
graduates. In my opinion, currently there is not enough
attention paid to these issues - marketing and admission
systems should be revised in order for SSE Riga to keep its value
and intellectual potential.
10
By Lazy Bastard
* Ambassador is an SSE Riga student who promotes the school in study fairs, his or her old
school, and similar places by making presentations, distributing material or putting up posters.
O P I N I O N
Are we going to live in our own dorms?
Each year, a lot of new students come to SSER and a big part of them, being non
Riganians, choose living in the dormitories instead of renting a flat or searching for other
living possibilities. In addition to a charming atmosphere and advantages of having many
friends nearby, students inevitably encouter the inconvenience of the distance between
the school and the dorms- it approximately takes 1hr to get from Hipokratu iela (the
place where the dorms of the Medical University are) to our Alma Mater. Mainly due to
this reason the rumor of SSE own dormitories is very vital, yet no one knows all the truth
about this phenomenon.
To reveal the real situation, we have done a short investigation (thanks to Peteris
Krumin!) and the results happened to be rather interesting: SSE Riga owns a 4-flour, 2500
m2 complex in Patversmes street (in Sarkandaugava, about 10min by bus from the
school) which was used as a cheap hotel for industry workers during the soviet period
and was bought by Leif Muten (the previous rector) in 1998 with intentions to
reconstruct it into the dormitories of SSE Riga. Even though it was obvious that the school
did not have enough money to reconstruct the building immediately, it was a real
bargain and now is worth much more than the school paid. The full reconstruction hasn’t
been started until now, except putting on new roof, installing a modern heating system
and assembling plastic windows in 2001.
A quickly-made architectural plan of renovation was prepared last year and it draws a
really attractive picture of the future (hopefully) dorms of SSER: 14 spacey rooms on each
floor, a shower and WC for every two rooms, a kitchen for every five rooms and,
eventually, they are even planning to build a cute canteen there! In addition to that, the
building is situated in a really peaceful place: it is surrounded by natural greenness and
almost no intense traffic can be found around.
Coming back to reality, current situation is far from this pink dream. We had an exclusive
opportunity to have a deeper look at the building. As it can be seen in the pictures, now
it is used as a store of old furniture, various unused equipment, the Drama Club
paraphernalia (they even have a separate room for that) and Student Association goods.
The building probably has not been used for living since the collapse of the USSR, and
there is pretty much to clean and renovate. Although the heating system is working
properly, in winter the temperature reaches only 4 or 5 degrees Celsius and there is
neither cold nor hot water.
The problem is that the amount needed for a full reconstruction equals approximately 1
million Ls. The school does not have such amount, and it would be rather difficult to
attract investors due to the fact that it is not profitable to rent the premises to the students
(would you, for example, like to pay 100Ls per month?). Nevertheless, Mr. Peteris
Krumin! has revealed his idea how to solve this problem: the dormitories can be used as
a cheap hotel for tourists in summer (charging them 15-20 Ls per day) - this would allow
to acquire funds needed to operate the complex in winter, at the same time having
satisfied students which would not need to pay much for living there. Sounds pretty
tempting, doesn’t it?
To sum up, the situation is not a dead-end one. The problem that was recognized mainly
relates to the uncertainty what needs to be done. According to Mr. Peteris, the school
probably would be able to gain money for one floor renovation, and then it would be
possible to renovate the rest of the premises gradually.
And yet, there is no evidence that the dormitories case is being discussed now by the
administration. We sincerely hope that this attitude will change in the near future,
allowing us (or at least near-future SSER students) to enjoy a better life and
highly-motivating living conditions.
SSE Riga owns a 4-flour 2500 m2
complex in Patversmes street
By Milda Tylaite and Marius !emaitis
11
U S
A B O U T
U S
Year 1, Year 1, Year 1… don’t you feel like this is the most frequent word you
meet lately? The Year 1 virus has spread! They’re everywhere: spamming your
emails with advertisements, occupying your favorite seats on the sofas, taking
away Soros and leaving you in the humble W32, attacking you in the
cafeteria with offers to buy cocktails, pies, cookies and various SSE
merchandise. They are the center of attention and nobody cares for the old
and boring faces that have stayed here for a whole year or even more. The
guys at IT support were so stressed by this idea that they even decided not to
include year 1 Lithuanians into the ‘Lit’ mailing list. Calm and steady school
life was suddenly stirred by a flock of newcomers with their own rules and
attitudes.
Dear Year 3, do you remember being called the most intelligent students?
Well, in fact, we, Year 2, do. As well as being looked at the most creative and entrepreneurial ones. And much more. However, now
our society is increased by, it seems, even more studious guys who really DO study hard and creatively from the first week. Or not.
They prepare to presentations for hours, they are already concerned about their EBP (do you still remember it???) report (I certainly
do not), and they are reading, working in groups and trying hard. Nice to see other people working… What concerns EBP projects,
it seems that now our lobby is like a market with screaming “ice cocktails”, our stairwell like billboard with variations of
a)”cookies”; b)”oasis”; C) “other stuff”; and there are other thoughts filling the air like lit+est=lat dictionary, super sexy pants
(actually for them I would like to be in a queue). It is great to find that so diligent people joined our place.
!"#$%&'(!)&*
+%,-.'&/(-&!"#$%&%0(&1)(+0/(-
By the way, what happened to the sacred slogan ‘study hard, party hard’? It seems as if year 1 had fallen under Eric’s charms and
started preparing for the EBP exam three weeks in advance, neglecting most offers to go out and have some fun. Therefore, to keep
the equilibrium in this school, year 2 have sacrificed themselves to the joy of wild party life. If this situation continues, we know
who will be responsible for numerous fails in International Economics and International Finance exams.
The fact is that SSER is a very small community. Therefore, during a year of studies you get to know everyone so well that at the end
of it you literally pray for someone new. Especially the guys! For them it’s kind of like in a marriage, after seeing the same face for a
while most go hunting for someone new (No offense guys! We love you anyway). Single members of this never ever so colorful SSE
society are stimulated to find their darling due to the increased opportunities, and to be honest, straightly using the service of young
entrepreneurs “match makers”(well done!!!). Secondly, new couples are emerging in a rather fast pace (do not remember that when
we were “young”). They fill the old lady SSE full of romantic atmosphere and show that economists are not so
mathematical/logical/busy in matters that concern LOVE. Finally, old couples are rearranging their schedules in order to devote
more time to be together, however, it is quite interesting whether it is due to the cold/hot autumn or due to the protection of (how to
say) their territory. Summarizing every good point, it is a nice time and we feel/hope/need that it should proceed as long as
possible.
Finally someone has taken away the attention from Year2&Year3, and it is not at all a huge loss. Rather a huge gain. Firstly, we are
not bored with the same faces (no offence Year3&4), as there are constantly someone unknown on the spot. New features, new
fashions, new beauties and scandals make being in SSE even more fun. Secondly, as it is already recognized that our society is not
the biggest one, it is always nice to find new people nor yet affected by the typical economical/standard thinking. Dear Year1,
actually you can be thought of as a potential not affected (yet!) tank of ideas; personas wanted to express their view, and to be kept
while others views are expressed. So, WE put YOU on the spotlight; let’s see how you are doing.
By Phoebe and Rachel (Y2)
12
U S
A B O U T
U S
As far as SSE newcomers are concerned, we are small and still grey fishes trying to settle our new lives and even change elder
generation. Actually not so old..! Apart harassing first weeks, sleepless nights and tiring deadlines ex-Y1 students managed to
overcome many boundaries and consign their position to us, inexperienced and still tentative Y1 guys, usually treated as
‘fuxies’(persons not already worth of all SSE student rights). Therefore Y2 are considered as the best and pretty fresh source where
everyone can ask stupid questions as usually or reasonable advice not only on scholar matters..!
So what we (new fux’s generation) really think about Y2 students? That was a great concern INSIDER staff was curious about. And as
always two raw girls talked too much and got an assignment to find out all necessary answers. After short research it was found that
Y2 were not so pigheaded as it’s supposed to be
To start with, the most popular description of Y2 students is that these guys are really active and sometimes even crazy people. Do
you remember the parties we had recently?
Hmm…we can almost remember them… Y2 students are always ready to suggest us new ways how to spend boring evenings and
more deserving Y1 students can even get a permission to party in their flats (regrettably, they can’t foresee police coming)! It’s a
great experience for Y1 as the majority of us are squeezed in the dorms where parties usually finish with appearance of our strict
ladies. Furthermore, Y2 students let us feel like at home! They even offer their flats’ floors for exhausted Y1 students after long
‘walks’ through Riga’s night pubs. Moreover, some of newcomers have come from different countries and are not aware of Riga
particularly well. Some of them have never been in such a big city before; consequently Y2 have tried to do their best showing Riga
from the best and most attractive side What is more surprisingly, single Y1 persons claimed having extremely splendid intimacies
with particular Y2 students. It’s still unclear how deep these relations are…Yet these persons gave the best evaluation of Y2 in terms
!"#$%&'(!)&2
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of affability and kindness! Isn’t it curious a bit? The time will show…
As the logo of SSE sounds ‘study hard, party hard’ it seems that majority of Y2 students usually deny the first part of this slogan! To
tell the truth, many of them tried to convince that all achievements they had ever made were obtained due to their great talents as
opposed to hard work. This confused us greatly as far as first weeks signified lots of work will have to be done and SSE is not the
right place for lazybones. But maybe it is, because many Y2 students made an impression of being pretty indifferent to studies due
to ongoing parties they can’t miss. Some of Y1 even mentioned they’d never like to be similar to Y2 in terms of drinking so much.
It’s obviously that Y2 guys have tough stomachs where a great amount of ‘energetic drinks’ might be spilled in (and sometimes of
course spilled out) Newcomers have also noticed that some persons of Y2 are lording over Y1 or even Y3 and create their separated
‘republics’ where other nationalities are rarely seen. Does it really mean a
friendship between brother-lands?
We mean that different nationalities students should party hard together
more frequently not only spend time working in teams.
To sum up, we do really like most of Y2 students and feel thankful of what
they have done, are doing, and probably will do. But who knows what
opinion newcomers will have after baptizing which will be held quite soon.
So be aware our Dear Y2 students!
P.S. The authors greatly apologize for ignoring Y3 students, but people please
show up that we could all at least know who you are! Suppose we should
mention that this goes not for all Y3 students, however, for most of them.
By Sigita Juodeikyte & Inga "imaite (Y1)
13
A C T I V I T I E S
Summer Symposium
This time the major sports event of the year, SS 2005, took place in good old Vecupe, which once again
was chosen to bear the load of our barbarian tribes willing to be victorious and drunk.
As usually, many of the contestants departed to the campsite already on Friday to enjoy more of the nature and the company of each other.
Needless to say, many of those did not have any competitive advantage in comparison to the freshly disembarked troops of the sporty SSER
students on Saturday morning.
The weather was quite fine, the coldish morning only helped the ones who had spent
Friday night partying to regain their consciousness and to get ready for the competition.
The teams showed a lot of creativity in naming themselves. Mortal Combinat,
Bliezeejbelzeejs, Goodstaffsons… Yes, this time even the local staff and their spouses
took part in the action! Doesn’t it say a lot about the scope of the event! Yes, it does! The
Summer Symposium 2005 has involved 14 teams, formed out of approximately 350
people! This is the right direction to move, friends! We are a learning organization and
what we should learn from past experiences is that the Summer Symposium gives us an
opportunity to show courage, to test our guts, our aptitude in sports (and our organism
endurance in terms of pro mils), and, what is more important, it allows us to test
ourselves and our friends in extreme situations! Will a friend give a helping hand? Will
he or she be reliable on the pitch? The answers to all these questions can be given
during the operations in the name of faith and freedom… erm… won’t do that anymore,
too pathetic…
Having just been accepted to the SSER family, entrepreneurial Y1 students instantly
applied their knowledge gained throughout the EBP course to the real-life situation and
speculated with snacks (shashlik, bakery, apples) and souvenirs with SSER symbols.
To finally touch upon sports, the following disciplines were presented: football, volleyball,
basketball, Frisbee, rope pulling and Tautas Bumba. But there also was one extra competition, symbolically called Literball, which was the
closing contest of the evening (maybe there was one more - for sleeping places in cottages, since there were quite few of them).
Yes, this time even
the local staff and
their spouses took
part in the action!
Even though football was, as usually, a parody of the real one (no goalkeepers, 10 meter long pitch,
some ‘fishing’ going on in the corners, due to nets around the goal), the emotions were as real as my
fingers typing this article at the very moment. The balls driven by strong and determined feet of the
footballers (no misunderstanding here, please) tended to fly in all directions, and many volunteers
were running from place to place fetching those leather missiles. Unfortunately, some of them (not feet
or volunteers) were left in the forests of Vecupe for good.
The volleyball duels between triple male + la femme teams were just as interesting to watch, because our many-sided students were
successful in spectacular way of playing this game as well. In addition to that, some really talented players have emerged from the ranks of
the freshmen! The emotional pressure was so intense, that a fight almost happened between a player and a spectator! Of course, it is clear
that we all stand for our beloved team, sometimes it is even worth to blame the referee (‘soap’ stuff), but we are to respect the rules of the
game, nothing is to be done about it.
Moreover, the atmosphere on the basketball ground was even more incandescent! Blood and sweat (maybe also tears hidden from the sight
of the author) dominated there. Massive male bodies rushed from one end to another gripping the precious ball with aggressiveness and
dexterity and aiming at basketball nets (actually, with almost no nets on). The shots were not as precise, as the players wanted them to be
(the final score fluctuated somewhere around 10 points per team), but the desire to get points was worth screaming and applauding from
the sides of the battlefield.
Frisbee throwers made magic with those ‘flying dishes’. They danced, and flew, and ran, and fetched the plastic pancake (I never knew how
it is called other than Frisbee, so I’m trying to use some fantasy)… Well, enough, not to go deeper into the jungle of my own metaphors.
14
A C T I V I T I E S
Tautas Bumba seemed to be quite a lively performance, for the shouts of the male teammates supporting their female comrades could be
heard far beyond the bounds of the scene. Many nails were broken in this violent and senseless game! And those heartless men just stood
and watched them suffer…Oh, that pathos again… I quit writing.
The evening rain made rope pulling impossible. Musclemen were disappointed; others
did not give a damn. Late in the evening all the participants gathered under the main
roof of the camping place. Literball was about to start! The public was shy at first, but
after an inspiring example presented by Kaspars The Sports.com, and his associates,
crowds rocketed towards the start line of the distance! The complicated route was
overcome even twice by some of the most sturdy or reckless (or both) ‘sportsmen/women’!
After this breathtaking extreme sports discipline, when every glass of champagne, vodka
and every bottle of beer prepared for the contest were drunk up, there came the moment
of celebration! The winners of SS 2005 were announced – “Bottomline” – who received a
real tangible prize – the Summer Symposium Winners’ Cup! “3 Milijonai” took the
second position; the third place was given to “But Who Cares Anyway”.
The party held afterwards was lead by a DJ from Y1, who did his job well… Still, the one who did his job really well (I can already see how
you nod your head while reading this) is our Sports Committee chairman Mr. Kaspars Osis! Thanks to him and his helpmates’ efforts all the
terrific action was made possible.
Let us all remember those unforgettable couple of days and see you all there same time next year!
By Artjoms Kobahidze
15
A P A R T M E N T S
The Scary
Tales in the
Basement
of Fun
The flat outline: Lithuanian flat in !arlotes iela (15 min from school).
Happy statistics: 6 people, all pure Lithuanians: 4 girls vs. 2 guys; 5
year2 vs. 1 year1; 3 Vilnius vs. 3 Kaunas; 3 old livers (Asta, Egle R.,
me) vs. 3 new (Milda T., Vilius, Tomas); 3 trying to quit smoking vs. 3
non-smokers; 1 couple vs. 5 TAs.
3 rooms, few furniture: 1 bed (absolutely enough) and 2 desks; 5
laptops, however (SSE, you see); 10 alarm clocks (you see, again).
And most importantly, of course: 5 big parties, police having fun in
2 of them (could those be bad? )… + unknown large number of
annoyed neighbors. And (most importantly)2 : 3 fails in total. Let me
see, 3 fails < 5 parties : you can say that we are only studying and
partying, but we are good kids, you know, we are trying to live
according to the slogan of the school.
Milda T.: a newcomer to our
flat. They say that her home is
where her heart is. She says she
finally found such a place.
Egliukas: They say she has an
unbreakable routine. We say some
of her phrases, such as “How cool”
and “How cruel” was caught by
other inhabitants of the flat also.
Me: they ask who’s the boss I
say – me (joking). Accountable for
accounting, flat’s-micro-finance&
stuff of !arlote’s flat... and also a
representative to the press, as you
see.
Asta: a master of remaining
positive. Made me smile in the
mornings by using ‘check if the
teeth are good’ tactics. Sweet
and kindhearted. Salsa, Spanish
and Deutsch rules, “ai pofik”
also.
Vilius: They say he has a female
soul in male body. True: he’s a
perfume expert, very kindhearted
(according to Asta) and devotes
even 17 hours for his beauty sleep
sometimes. Da pochui man and
mister Snob.
Tomas: The one year one +
additional year1 girls usually.
Enthusiastic not only about studies
So let me begin… First, we live in a quite scary place: there
is always a plentitude of tramps all around our home:
sleeping in the bus stop, coming to take food from our
rubbish container, tripping back and forth through our house.
We have a morgue in our street, so a person with a little bit
weaker nerves or a little bit more vivid imagination might
find it quite difficult to come back home. Moreover, the old
house we go through every day is really very very old and
unfriendly. Once we found a pile of bricks on the pavement
that definitely felt from the house. We could only celebrate
not being killed by those, praying not to be loaded with them
in the future… and guess when we will find a pile of bricks
(a little bit bigger than that previous) instead of that amazing
house. What can I add? A factory in front of our house is also
quite suspicious. Sometimes it starts spreading some
disgustingly sweet smell. And once when journalists came to
photo it we thought that it most probably unallowably
pollutes environment and waited for some horn starting to
grow, for example, from our buts. To continue the scary tale,
one could tell you about our scary day. It all started when
Asta let two strangely looking guys into our house and later
saw that they were carrying out a TV to their car. We thought
16
we will be robbed next and started creating a plan of
actions…
Anyhow, the life inside our flat is rather pleasant and
peaceful. We had some quarrels that ended with locks put
into the doors of one room, some pedantic habits were
supplanted, we used to wash in a shower without curtains
(thus flooding all bath after each going into it and making
people who liked walking only with their socks desperate).
In spite of all these things, life in our flat is perfect: the flat is
hot in winter and cold in summer, there is enough place for
us all and even our guests (especially in my and Asta’s room),
our queues to the shower are short, we never shout, bite or
bang each other (Asta kicked me only once- with the knee
into my head), we rarely cook, we have weeks of duty, so it’s
most often clean in our flat and we have an i... (hech, let this
remain a secret for the wide public…). Kind of boring? Listen
further…
~ December 1: moving in. A small party was held on the
very first day celebrating Egle’s birthday and, of course, our
first day at new home with a cake and wine. However,
sleeping on the bare ground wasn’t that pleasant at all. Just
don’t think we were so drunk not to be able to reach our
A P A R T M E N T S
beds. There were no beds at first! And it really hurt in the
morning. Yes, it is good for your backbones to sleep on firm
surfaces and so on. But it’s especially cruel for your neck
when you are not used to sleeping on your back. However,
we experienced that you can learn it quick in order not to
look strangely convulsed at school.
exams, one party during Finance (yes yes, you can only
dream about it, Tomas, this year).
This year. The first Lithuanian party on the first week of the
study year was just amazing. Those first year Lithuanian
students are not bad at all, you know. The flat was swinging.
Still, when I saw a huge speaker from the school carried into
our flat I got a little bit nervous. My guesses about the arrival
of police were confirmed sooner than I thought. Police left
only when 3 people were left in the flat, even some
inhabitants went out. And it was only about 12 o’clock! The
company moved to Ganu. That night police was quick. So
the party was continued in a park. Some more bad
~1 next month. How could I forget to mention…!? Our flat
has another peculiarity – it is a basement (meaning partly
underground). So, if you went past our home, your legs
would be at the same level with our eyes. Not that
impressive yet? Imagine, how would you live under such
conditions if you had no curtains, jalousie or other things
covering your windows (boys hanged their suits later there).
Hmmm, how could I best call such conditions… – a reality
show! Yes, at first it was kind of timid walking, taking your
things, changing your clothes, dancing or singing when you
want. We got used to. In fact, it’s more interesting to watch
people passing by when only look at the wall of the factory
in front of our house, which would be our normal view
through the window. Moreover, like in every real reality
show, people had different preferences – some liked Asta,
some liked Milda J. (previous inhabitant), some liked me.
Still neither of us felt a lack of attention, believe me. Nice
(usually) conversation with our fans could, in fact, happen at
any part of the day… I somehow miss those nice days of
fame…
~January 22. The first party was explosive celebrating Ignas
(year3) and my birthdays. We thought it was impossible… 70
people came to our modest accommodation! 7 nationalities:
Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, French, Swedish, Afghan,
and Russian. Songs, dances, guitar, table football, funny
photo session, talks, drinks, talks, drinks until the morning…
or until the police came. It’s good we had Natasha (year3).
They even let us finish the party after talking with her, we
only had to make the music not so loud as it was before. Still
our parties have another advantage: our flat is located in a
strategically good place – 2 Latvijas Balzams shops are
surrounding it from both sides. Moreover, we had a
water-pipe at our place once, we had twister, and we always
have dj Vilius. 3 parties followed that year: parties after
Winged words
consequences
of the party: my name written in the policeman’s notebook
and broken boot of Asta’s car after carrying the speaker...
For those in dorms: don’t be afraid – the same is waiting for
you also.
For those at their parents: do you think the pancakes of your
mother are better than this?
For those in other student flats: Wanna exchange the flats?
Hmm, eee, uuu… maybe, nope.;)
By Dovil! Rink"nait!
Karlis Smits
It looked so clear yesterday…
There was a blank moment in my head.
Chris Goddard (PACC Contracts)
ASSUME = Ass U and ME
When shit hits a fan, everybody is covered.
OK? (300 times per lecture)
Unfortunately, if you are into teaching, you can
In any model you would be given that government is irrational.
only get drunk during weekends.
Perhaps we shouldn’t throw out everything we learned about
PPP?
17
F E E L I N G S
Making love
with school
Studying is like a love affair – at first
you are thrilled by it and expect so
much out of it, then you engage in it
and try doing well so hard; after some
time you get bored by it. Till finally you
score, forget it, and start another
course.
But betrayal is still far away, as the love
affair of 2005 has just started, with 200
old and 120 newly
admitted lovers. Of
course, studies will never
(hopefully) replace your
girlfriend or boyfriend, but
one can really sense the
joyful buzz lingering in the
school’s air. From one
point of view, getting back
to school is a lifestyle
change after the summer
filled with different
adventures (camping,
swimming, and sitting in
front of PC from 8 a.m. till
5 p.m. during your
internship), and as a new
car, or a new pair of shoes,
it makes us feel happier for
at least two weeks. From
another side, school has
changed too, if compared to
the after-Financial
Economics season in last
spring– we have freshly
No
made year 1.
kiss, rarely have good and tasty ending,
but are essential to build valuable
experience), socializing with “cool”
guys from Year 2 and 3 (which is even
more tasty than a first kiss, for “cool”
guys, of course), and partying. Sure,
this enthusiasm could be an outcome
of being afraid to be left behind during
this adaptation period at SSER. But,
more likely at this time school is simply
a source of FUN for the newcomers. It
is fun to do something new with new
friends in a big city. In fact, more
relaxed attitude towards school is
something all of us
healthier to think that university, your
study friends, and even every new
course simply gives you a different
perspective to look at life. So take it
cool, and there will be no need to
doubt if “this school is a right choice
for me” and get depressed then you
understand that formulas, advanced
math and all these numbers actually
su*k a bit.
If you think all these ideas are a kind of
bullsh*t, look at the eyes of most
vanishing species of SSER – Year 3. I
guess many of them are
, that make you sick, just to get a
one denies that passing the courses
motivation after all
shiny diploma is also a source of
It would be far too optimistic to say
that this generation is somewhat more
special and better than the previous
ones: there is only one detail which
makes them special – they are NEW.
Still optimistic that they have just
started a new phase in their lives which
will dramatically change their future,
Year 1 is contaminated with a healthy
doze of enthusiasm in doing anything.
Just look around and you will see how
eagerly they are participating in first
team meetings (which, as well as first
18
could learn from flower children (in
other words, get high in school). No
one denies that passing the courses,
that make you sick, just to get a shiny
diploma is also a source of motivation
after all. No one also states that trying
to shine out yourself through top
scoring, competing to death with your
course mates just to convince everyone
that you are superb black-suited future
businessman doesn’t inspire one to
strive for perfection. However, it is
envious that juniors still have some fun
and different time to spend before
plunging into promising but boring
labor market of the Baltics. Enthusiasm
– this is what makes life spin a bit
faster. But as well as money, in the long
run it has zero effect. Unless we
change our expectations and take it all
easier. Maybe then the SSER “love
affairs” will leave us something more
than “scoring”.
By Levi I Tolsty
T R I C K Y
Q U E S T I O N
According to the encyclopedia,
Llullaillaco is a stratovolcano at
the border of Argentina and Chile.
Sergej
Y3: (The best answer)
It could be some Aztec stuff,
either a town, or a god or
something. It sounds very
similar to Aztec names.
But still, what
is Llullaillaco?
Olga
Y2: Th
at’s a s
tupid
questio
n, you
m
ust hav
made
e
it whe
n you
were
drunk,
Edgars
.
Giedre
Tomas
Y3: Bl... Once
more… It might mean
“a
stupid question”. Or ma
ybe
it’s the sister of Eiko. But
most likely it is
“Baleika” in Spanish.
Y2: It’s b
aby talk
,
like whe
n baby
is saying
somethin
g. Mayb
e some
kind of
a toy wh
ich
you twis
t.
Kestutis
Y2: The ending is
ing
Eiko… And the beginn
e
Lun
is
it
So
is Liunia?..
and Eiko maybe. They
are twins.
Siga
Y1: It should be
a
strange person
from
other school w
hich looks
similar to Julia
and
Eiko.
ta
Malgoza
g
in
th
e
m
e
Y1: It’s so
ia. It is th
n
o
d to Est
connecte
y
ian gu
an Eston
name of
h.
il
ry ch dis
who is ve
Lelde
Y2: It is
a Russia
n
“Matrio
shka” an
d also
might b
e a keba
b.
Andrejs
kind of
It’s
Y2:
d you need
foo
c
cifi
spe
And usually
it.
do
to
s
egg
it’s not boiled but raw
eggs.
Martins
a
name of
Y1: It’s a
n
a
m
o
sw
girl-sport
famous in
which is
n.
the javeli
Ramojus
new kind
Y1: It is a
l
il we wil
of cockta
.
n
o
g so
be sellin
Liva
Y1: It’s like some kind
of
freaky abbreviation wh
ich
means something about
a
Student Association Par
ty
committee.
Agate
Y1: Liuli
aliaika is
importa
very
nt to me
. It’s the
of my li
sense
fe. I truly
believe
do every
in
it and
thing in
a way th
harmon
at it is in
y with th
at. It’s sa
word an
cred
d I am n
ot allow
ed
to repea
t it.
Christian
(Exchange):
It’s
probably a
Latvian
word. It mea
ns “I’m
hungry”.
19
Gossips
They say that not all sseriganians are
party animals whatever image of the
school the Insider tries to create.
They say that during summertime
mature Latvian women missed Priit
Y2.
They say Katja (Y3) has fallen in love
with Slava. The way she looks at him,
talks to him... And of course that
jealousy in her eyes when Slava talks
not to her in the lecture...
They say that exchange students who
attend Research Methods are writting
down so much because they simply
want to find later in Google what
were others laughing about!
They say that Slava has a very good
reason why Y3 should not choose
quantitative thesis topics - Doom 3.
It is said that Olga (Y2) and Edgars
Sprogis (Y2) used to put on in the
same diapers in the childhood.
"Ma olen voodis metsik" works really
great on Estonian girls.
Olga's (Y1) electronic gadget is not a
mini-size computer, it's just one of
those larger cell phones.
They say that Ignas V. (Y1) is confident
he'll be a top performer during his
studies. The first top score will
undoubtedly be 200 points from EBP.
They say that world's destiny depends
on Mykantas(Y2). More precisely, on
certain services he performs on
Andrius(Y2).
Latvian and Estonian girls said that
they will never ever date Mindaugas
(Y2). Even if he really really wanted!
They say that Priit and Paulius (both
Y2) like to have a walk from the old
town without pants.
They say that Marius R. Y1 is a proof
that Jesus can also use modern
technology...
They say that Milda T (Y2) should not
be allowed to drive to keep people
save, at least Karolis R. (Y2) thinks so.
They say that Andis (Y2) takes shower
four times a day, or maybe four times
a month.
They say that Ignas Y1 is better at
scoring, but not top scoring, at least
during SS.
They say that Antanas Y2 fell in love,
and finally it's not a computer...
They say that this year Spanish guys
are as good in getting somebody in
bed as getting in fight.
They say Lithuanian and Estonian
parties were so cool Latvians forgot to
do parties at all.
...THE END
They say that someone told me that
Gediminas Siuskus has set his eye on
Egle Blozyte. To prove that he invited
her to go for a "walk" to town centre...
They say that during one party
Sigita(Y1) and Andrius(Y2) kissed not
only because they were both from
Plunge...
They say Inga(Y1) wrote the gossip
above, because she is just jealous.
They say that Harro(Y1) prefers to be
called Harra-Kiri.
They say that two Estonian Y1 students
founded the Estonian Gay Community
at Summer Symposium.
They say that Jelena (Y2) has joined
Investment Fund only to have a tea
and food somewhere outside school’s
cafeteria.
They say that one Y1 Estonian was lost
while searching for a boomerang in
the woods next to the dorms and
people can still hear him knocking
there.
They say that some Y1 boys want to
look like female (it is not enough that
Y1 mostly consists of girls). For
example, Aleksandrs Tarvids (Y1) is
wearing a head-band on his long hair.
They say that Ignas Y1 favorite
sentence in Estonian is "Mulle
meeldivad ikka veel mehed aa",
translation "I like the way you say aa".
They say that IT support is opening a
new dancing department with Anatolij
Krivkin (Y2) in charge. The
introductory presentation was given
during the Green’s party.
They say that Margus Y2 enjoyed the
Green Party very much. You cannot
even imagine how much.
They say that people saw Harro Y1 and
Mikk Y3 walking hand-in-hand after
the Green Party. Isn't it sweet.
Y1 says EBP means “Endless bulls*it
pages”.
Picture of the month
They say that Jevgenia Y1 is addicted
to sending weird text messages during
math lectures.
They say that Eiko Y2 is the slowest
person to ask information from.
They say that Gatis Y2 likes to grab at
girls butts when they are walking by
him in a club. Mostly he doesn't make
it!
They say that Kalvi Y1 is very good at
drawing pictures in other people's
math note books during the lectures.
It was summer and it was hot. Kart
Sein was there on a lonely gray couch.
"Oh look!" cried Ned ...and the
kingdom was his forever
A bottle of champagne goes to the
Student Association president