The Biological Subject Council (BÄR) is a non-profit section association within the Uppsala teknolog- och naturvetarkår (UTN). Strictly speaking, there is a distinction between a section and a section association: BÄR is a section association within UTN that represents the BIO section (natural scientists in biology), which in turn represents UTN members studying bachelor’s and master’s programmes in biology, as well as the master’s programme in applied biotechnology. This can be confusing, and in practice the terms section and section association are often used interchangeably (as in this text).
The key point to know is that in UTN documents, minutes, and similar official contexts, BIO is often mentioned rather than BÄR. In practice, however, they are the same. For example, if a protocol notes that the chairperson of BIO was present, this includes the chairperson of BÄR, since it is the same person.
BÄR was founded in 1973 and currently has just over 200 members. The section has a large number of elected officials who work to ensure the section can carry out its mission. All officials are elected by simple majority at the annual meeting in December, with their one-year term beginning at the start of the new year. All positions are important for the section’s work, but below is a brief overview of the most central parts of BÄR.
The board is the highest decision-making body in BÄR. It consists of eight positions:
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Head of information
Head of Study-Social Environment
Head of education
Board Member
You can read more about who currently holds each board position, the responsibilities of each role, and contact details for all board members below.
The board’s main task is to ensure that the section’s work runs smoothly and that members’ voices and opinions are heard. The board — and indeed all elected officials within BÄR — must operate within the framework of the section’s statutes, which you can find under the Noticeboard tab.
The BÄR president is primarily responsible for BÄR's operations. They ensure that the business plan is followed and that the organization effectively represents the will of all members, and acts as the signatory together with the treasurer.
The president calls, and leads, association- and board meetings. The president also writes agendas for these. BÄR's president primarily supports the board and committees, but also delegates relevant work to them. The presidentship involves a lot of contact, mainly via email, with for example other elected representatives, IBG and UTN.
The president also sits on both the GBVF board and the president's Council. The president's Council is where UTN's section presidents meet and discuss the general situation. The meetings take place once a month and it is not a requirement, but strongly recommended to attend them. GBVF's task is to appoint VälCom, and the majority of the mandatory work on this takes place in October and November.
Instagram: @barforande
The BÄR board vice-president is the president's right-hand, taking over the presidents's responsibilities if they are unable to fulfill them. For example, the vice-president is responsible for holding meetings if the president is unable to attend. If needed, the vice-president takes over the main responsibility for BÄR. Otherwise, the vice president is expected to support the remaining members of the board in their work.
The Vice is also responsible for venue booking for BÄR's events as well as responsible for planning the candidate seating which is organized during the spring semester, and for the pedagogical prize Pekpinnen which is awarded in the autumn. The chemistry and math study sessions are also organized by the vice. However, all of this is done in collaboration with the rest of the board. The vice-president is traditionally a member of the GBVF board, same as the president.
The treasurer manages BÄR's finances. The position primarily involves financial work such as accounting, budgeting, declarations, payment of invoices and payments to, among others, committees or other board members who have made their own expenses. Applying for grants from UTN and final accounts are also the treasurer’s responsibilities. The treasurer keeps track of the section's merch and is responsible for ordering merch when supplies need to be replenished or new products are to be ordered. Furthermore, the treasurer is responsible for collecting BÄR:s mail at IBG:s office. Together with the president, the treasurer acts as the association's signatory.
The position involves a lot of contact with the other treasures or financially responsible within committees and other sections. The treasurer is also in contact with the auditor for the audit report. In addition to their position on the board, the treasurer also sits on UTN's treasurer's council.
The secretary of the board is responsible for keeping minutes at board-, association- and general meetings. They ensure clarity and consistent language in documents and ensure that all decisions made are recorded and that minutes are signed and archived. The secretary is also responsible for the membership register in eBas and Orbi. In addition, the secretary, just like the rest of the board, relieves other board members when necessary and participates in the general work of the board.
The Head of Information updates members of BÄR about relevant information. Most often this concerns meetings, various events, or information from UTN and the university. The information is spread primarily via Facebook, Instagram, and Orbi, but also through, for example, the section's website or posters. It is also the Head of Information’s task to moderate the Uppsala Biology Students Facebook page so that only relevant things are published, and to ensure that the website is kept updated.
The Head of Study-social Environment is responsible for both the physical and psychological study environment, and is a representative on UTN's student social committee and on the Board. They are the Student Safety Representative and also attend course representative meetings, and are responsible for ensuring that each BÄR event has a Safety Host. If students feel that they have been treated poorly or have been subjected to discrimination, this can be reported to the Head of Study-Social Environment who will take the matter forward in an appropriate manner based on the situation.
The Head of Study-Social Environment also bears the responsibility to represent the BIO section at UTN’s StuU-meetings, to ensure BÄR receives a grant. It is also their responsibility to update Stabben, where old exams are to be uploaded regularly.
Head of Education is an important position for the section's study monitoring and works to ensure that the education maintains high quality and standards. The BÄR Head of Education represents the section in UTN’s Education Committee and attends grant-qualifying academic monitoring meetings. The Head of Education also helps organize KUB (course evaluation battle), which is arranged once per semester by UTN.
One of the main responsibilities is, together with IBG, to organize course representative meetings twice per semester, where biology students have the opportunity to share their opinions about their education and contribute to improving it in real-time. Students who have questions or feedback related to educational matters are always welcome to contact the Head of Education for support and guidance.
The role of the Board Member is to relieve other board members and take on tasks when necessary, as well as to bring opinions and ideas to meetings. The Board Member is also responsible, in collaboration with Akademiska hus, for ensuring that the hay meadow outside the museum is mowed with a scythe once a year at the end of the summer.