Among the dozens of student societies that have been meeting regularly since 2019 as part of the so-called Society Platform, there is one that stands out from the crowd. It is a society of former students and all those who have some connection to MUNI, even if it is just their interest in getting into the faculty libraries.
How did it start?
The association was founded in 2004 and in its beginnings it had a clear goal, which does not leave even today - to build a sense of belonging to Masaryk University, pride in the achievements of the work of teachers, students and alumni in the Czech Republic and beyond the borders of our country. Initially, it had more than 1200 members and great support from the university administration. The society was headed by the then rector, Prof. Fiala, and the committee included other prominent professors, associate professors and heads of university departments. Thanks to the establishment of the Alumni Agenda within the Rector's Office of Masaryk University, topics such as the creation of a database of alumni and communication with them, membership cards and discounts with contractors, the organisation of alumni meetings, the publication of an electronic newsletter, etc. were gradually moved there or directly to individual faculties. The association thus had to look for new forms of activity in the space it had left. It was a very challenging period, but paradoxically it directed the attention of the association not only to alumni and other supporters, but also to current MUNI students.
What are the activities of the association?
Since 2012, the association has been supporting student activities in the form of TGM Grants. Every spring, student collectives apply for financial support for their projects aimed at the development of democracy and civil society. By 2020, out of 105 applications, 29 projects were supported with a total of CZK 330,000. Most of the money comes from membership fees. The minimum amount of the membership fee is 200 CZK and we are happy to thank all those who send us several times more from various places in the Czech Republic and abroad. The projects supported were e.g. the open encyclopedia of law "Iurium Wiki", the festival of digital games "Gamer Pie", the magazine "Re: Views", the forest kindergarten, various conferences, "Green Campus" (waste sorting), "Thursdays without barriers" - a series of screenings for the visually and hearing impaired, "Fulfilling the right of underage patients to the presence of legal representatives", etc.
The history of SAPMU is very varied - from spectacular events such as cooperation on the alumni meeting on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the founding of MU at the Brno Exhibition Centre, cooperation in arranging talks with important personalities of cultural, scientific and social life (e.g. Václav Havel, František Janouch, Alena Wagnerová), various conferences or concerts, to more intimate events such as thematic walks around Brno, visits to interesting places in Brno and its surroundings, tours of the campus of some faculties and the university campus, or the publication of a book of memories of LF graduate Karel Landys "Konvalinka".
Some of the activities were recently attended only by a select group of the most loyal with family members and friends. We have a modest membership base spread across the country and far beyond, with the oldest member being 98 years old. Although dissolution of the association has been discussed several times, there have always been a few determined individuals who have chosen not to give up. A big thank you therefore goes to those whose names will always be associated with the Society. I will name only three of them (the others will forgive me) - Radim Petratur, who invented the whole thing, Tomáš Mozga, to whom the association owes the TGM grants and the time of its greatest boom, and Markéta Soukupová, who was for many years the link between the association and MU.
What are the plans of the association?
We believe that in the coming months we will be able to implement the planned cycles of talks, walks and excursions with the thematic focus of "Our University", "Our Personalities" and "Our Brno Region." We would like to sponsor a meeting of students with the MU Rector every November. We also discussed cooperation with the MU Career Centre and individual faculties. We also see great reserves in the search for and popularisation of successful MU graduates and in cooperation with the University of the Third Age.
We appreciate the support of MU's current management for social activities and very much welcome the possibility of mutual promotion of activities and participation in events within the Social Platform. We are ready to help student societies at any time with advice and by lending our equipment (party tent, camera, projection screen, etc.).
New members from the university administration, MU teachers and staff and of course all alumni of our alma mater would be a great motivation for us to continue our work. Membership fees are used almost exclusively to support student grants or to promote the activities of the association, as can be seen from the transparent account on our website. We will be announcing a new year of TGM student grants in the fall of 2021.
On behalf of the SAPMU Committee Danuše Spáčilová, Chair of the Association
In Brno, 21 June 2021