Corporation (university)
Encyclopedia
Corporation refers to different kinds of student organizations worldwide.

Generally, universities in the various European countries have student organizations called corporations. The name is derived from the Latin corporatio meaning a body or group. There was an earlier type of student organization, called a nation from the Middle Ages, where students from all over Europe at a particular university would unite according to national (actually regional) lines. Today, student organizations in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, and, to a lesser degree, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 are still termed nations, while most of the rest of European universities, the organizations are considered corporations.

Below are short entries on the organizations found at universities on a country-by-country basis. There are also references to longer articles.

Austria

Sharing common roots, Austrian corporations are quite similar to their German counterparts. While Catholic corporations generally are associated with the Christian-conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP
Austrian People's Party
The Austrian People's Party is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Austria. A successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is similar to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in terms of ideology...

) and are generally pro-Austrian, other corporations, especially Burschenschaften, are involved with the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ
Freedom Party of Austria
The Freedom Party of Austria is a political party in Austria. Ideologically, the party is a direct descendant of the German national liberal camp, which dates back to the 1848 revolutions. The FPÖ itself was founded in 1956 as the successor to the short-lived Federation of Independents , which had...

) and can be characterized as German-nationalist organizations.

Belgium

Most Belgian corporations were founded during the last century. In French, they are called ordres, in Dutch studentenvereniging.

Non-exhaustive list of main active corporations :
  • ASMO, Academic Order of Saint Michel, founded in Brussels in 1937
  • Pétase, founded in Brussels in 1958
  • Academic Order of Saint-Louis, founded in Brussels in 1980
  • Vulcania, founded in Brussels in 1921
  • Vulcain, founded in Brussels in 1969
  • Bacchus, founded in Brussels in 1971
  • CDSO, founded in Brussels in 1967
  • ODSL, Order of the Disciples of Saint-Luc, founded in Brussels in 1989
  • Academicus Martini Quinti Ordo, founded Brussels in 1993
  • CDOSA, Saint Aubain, founded in Namur in 1984
  • Bretelle, founded in Namur in 1989
  • Torè, founded in Liège in 1921
  • OGS, Grand Seminar Order, founded in Liège in 1982
  • Emeraude, founded in Liège in 1988
  • Catholique, founded in Ghent in 1880
  • KASK, Koninklijke Antwerpse Studentenkring, founded in Leuven in 1881
  • KMKS, Koninklijke Mechelse Studentenkring, founded in Leuven in 1885
  • Vla-vla, founded in Leuven in 1922
  • ANLO, Academicus Neo Lovaniensis Ordo, founded in Louvain-la-Neuve in 1991
  • ASBO, Academicus Sanctae Barbae Ordo, founded in Louvain-la-Neuve in 1987
  • LSO, Lovaniensis Scientificus Ordo, founded in Louvain-la-Neuve in 1984
  • Neo Lovaniensis Phileasque Ordo, Philéas, founded in Louvain-la-Neuve in 1992
  • OAC, la charrue, founded in Louvain-la-Neuve in 1991
  • OBA, founded in Louvain-la-Neuve in 1992
  • FAMA, Famosa Absurdarum Mulierum Academia, founded in Louvain-la-Neuve in 1988

England

There are very few corporations in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, all of which were founded by students from continental Europe.

Estonia

Corporations in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

 are very much like those in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 though foxes (first-year members) do not wear colours, but a black cap instead. Estonian corporations usually have a circinus
Circinus
The constellation Circinus is a small constellation in the southern sky, first defined in the 18th century. Its name is Latin for compass, referring to the drafting tool used for drawing circles; it should not be confused with Pyxis, a constellation that represents a mariner's...

stitched to their caps, that is, the letters VCFC (an abbreviation for a Latin sentence: Vivat, crescat, floreat corporatio, meaning "Live, grow, prosper together") and the initials of the name of the corporation. Corporations are popular in Estonia. Other student organisations or societies with a lengthy tradition, but without the name, corporation, are also commonly referred to as corporations.

Active corporations and student societies in Estonia:

Male corporations, members of the League of Estonian Corporations
League of Estonian Corporations
League of Estonian Corporations is an organisation that unites all-male academic corporations in Estonia...

:
  • Korp! Vironia, founded in Riga November 26, 1900.
  • Korp! Fraternitas Estica
    Fraternitas Estica
    Fraternitas Estica is an all-male academic corporation at the University of Tartu, Estonia. It was founded in 1907.-External links:...

    , founded in Tartu April 26, 1907.
  • Korp! Sakala, founded in Tartu November 14, 1909.
  • Korp! Ugala
    Korporatsioon Ugala
    Korp! Ugala is a fraternal organization of Estonian higher education students. It was established at the University of Tartu on 10 November, 1913 ....

    , founded in Tartu November 10, 1913.
  • Korp! Rotalia, founded in Saint Petersburg November 10, 1913.
  • Korp! Fraternitas Liviensis
    Fraternitas Liviensis
    Fraternitas Liviensis is an all-male academic corporation in Estonia. It was established on 28 January 1918.-See also:*List of corporations worldwide*Characterization of German Student Corps...

    , founded in Tartu January 18, 1918.
  • Korp! Leola, founded in Tallinn October 16, 1920.
  • Korp! Revelia, founded in Tartu December 3, 1920.
  • Korp! Tehnola, founded in Tallinn October 23, 1921.
  • Korp! Fraternitas Tartuensis, founded in Tartu March 27, 1929.


Female corporations:
  • Korp! Filiae Patriae, founded in Tartu October 27, 1920.
  • Korp! Indla, founded in Tartu March 7, 1924.
  • Korp! Lembela, founded in Tartu October 24, 1924.
  • Korp! Amicitia, founded in Tartu November 21, 1924.
  • Korp! Sororitas Estoniae, founded in Tallinn February 16, 2011


Other
corporations and student societies:
  • Estonian Students' Society
    Estonian Students' Society
    Estonian Students' Society is the largest and oldest all-male academical student society in Estonia, which is similar to Baltic German student corporations . It was founded in 1870 at the University of Tartu...

    , founded in Tartu April 7, 1870.
  • EÜS Põhjala, founded in Saint Petersburg November 13, 1884.
  • ÜS Liivika, founded in Riga April 21, 1909.
  • Estonian Female Students' Society, founded in Tartu November 14, 1911.
  • EÜS Veljesto, founded in Tartu February 24, 1920.
  • ÜS Raimla, founded in Tartu September 22, 1922.
  • ÜÜ Fraternitas Fennica, founded in Tartu October 22, 1926.
  • Korp! Ave, founded in Tallinn, October 29, 1987.
  • Korp! Arminia Dorpatensis, founded in Tartu October 24, 1850, refounded in Tartu May 2, 1994.

Finland

Corporations in Finland are called in Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...

 osakunta, in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, "nations". The name refers to the historical custom of the continental universities where students usually formed corporations according to their home nations. In Swedish universities, the same practice was followed by the provinces but the name remained. The Finnish version of the name actually is an archaic form of department, and this name was adopted to replace the term "kansakunta" ("nation" in the purely ethnic sense) during the 19th century when the Russian
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...

 government tried to diminish the importance of nations as political organizations.

Earlier, it was traditional for students to belong to the nations of their provinces. Since 1937, students could resign from their nation, but they still had to pay the fee to the nation throughout their time at the university. This compulsory fee was abolished in the 1960s. Nowadays, the nations are a feature peculiar to the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...

, the oldest Finnish university and they concentrate on the student culture. There is also a Swedish-speaking nation, Teknologföreningen
Teknologföreningen
Teknologföreningen is the only student nation at the Aalto University. The only other university in Finland hosting nations is the University of Helsinki. The Aalto University was formed in 2010 by a merger of three universities, before the merger Teknologföreningen was a student corporation of the...

, at Aalto University School of Science and Technology.

In most universities, the primary form of corporation is an association of students majoring in a particular subject. In the universities of technology, these are called guilds.

In addition to the voluntary corporations, every Finnish university student is also required to be a member of the general student corporation of the university, the Student Union (ylioppilaskunta, studentkår), which has the power to levy a membership fee. This corporation also has the legal power to represent the students to the university administration and in all other matters. It also organizes the health care of the students.

France

Corporations in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 are called bureaux des élèves, corporation or, for short, corpo.

Italy

Corporations in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 are called goliardia.

Moreover, in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, there is a corporation of German Catholic students (mostly theologians), the Capitolina, associated with the German CV, and, in Bozen, there is a German-speaking Catholic corporation, the Meinhardia, associated with the Austrian ÖCV.

Japan

In Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, there is the corporation Edo-Rhenania, associated with the German CV.

Furthermore, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 The Japanese student corporation is there, called Ouka. The meaning is Cherry blossom.
The Ouka related with bushido
Bushido
, meaning "Way of the Warrior-Knight", is a Japanese word which is used to describe a uniquely Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and...

 and Tokyo Angling and Country Club.
http://www.nikko-jp.org/english/chuzenji/tokyo_ang.html

Latvia

Corporations in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

 follow traditions similar to those in Germany, however "foxes" (first year members) do not wear colours, but a black cap instead with a circinus stitched to it usually made of silver. Although there are some differences, tradition of the Baltic, to include Latvian corporations is still based on 1812th Jena rules. The Baltic branch of German tradition is distinct to Latvian, Estonian, Polish and some German corporations founded at universities of Tartu and Riga. Their umbrella organizations maintain reciprocal links. Umbrella organization for Latvian student corporations is P!K! (Presidium Convent)and for female corporations S!P!K! Latvian student corporations are closed, life-long organizations and strictly wear 3 colours. During the Soviet occupation corporations were prohibited but they continued to work abroad, among the Latvian refugees in countries like USA, Australia, Sweden and Germany. In Latvia corporations renewed operation after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The first Latvian corporation, Lettonia was founded in 1870 at the University of Tartu
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...

 (then Dorpat). It combined beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

, commercium songs, and academic fencing
Academic fencing
Academic fencing or Mensur is the traditional kind of fencing practiced by some student corporations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and to a minor extent in Kosovo, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Flanders.- Technique :Modern academic fencing, the "mensur," is neither a duel nor a sport...

 traditions of German corporations with Latvian nationalism and a strong emphasis on Latvian culture. The first women's corporation, Daugaviete, was founded in 1921 at the University of Latvia
University of Latvia
University of Latvia is a university located in Riga, Latvia. Being established in 1919, University of Latvia is the biggest university in the Baltic states.-History:...

. As of 2004, Latvia has 23 male and 12 female corporations, with about 10,000 members in total.

Active student corporations in Latvia:
  • Lettonia, http://www.lettonia.lv/, founded in Tartu February 19, 1870.
  • Fraternitas Arctica founded in Riga November 7, 1880.
  • Selonija founded in Riga November 24, 1880.
  • Lettgallia founded in Tartu February 8, 1899.
  • Talavija founded in Riga December 14, 1900.
  • Fraternitas Lettica founded in Moscow October 20, 1902.
  • Latvia founded in Tartu February 17, 1917.
  • Ventonia founded in Tartu November 21, 1917.
  • Tervetia, http://www.tervetia.lv/, founded in Riga April 30, 1922.
  • Beveronija founded in Riga May 4, 1922.
  • Philyronia founded in Liepaia (Libau) July 7, 1924.
  • Fraternitas Metropolitana founded in Riga October 6, 1924.
  • Fraternitas Vesthardiana founded in Riga October 8, 1924.
  • Fraternitas Academica founded in Riga February 4, 1925.
  • Fraternitas Lataviensis founded in Riga September 16, 1926.
  • Patria founded in Riga September 20, 1926.
  • Fraternitas Livonica founded in Riga October 29, 1926.
  • Vendia founded in Riga March 20, 1927.
  • Lacuania founded in Riga December 7, 1927.
  • Fraternitas Imantica founded in Pinneberg February 18, 1947.
  • Gersicania founded in Pinneberg March 14, 1947.
  • Fraternitas Cursica founded in Pinneberg May 7, 1947.
  • Fraternitas Vanenica
    Fraternitas Vanenica
    Fraternitas Vanenica is Latvian all-male student fraternity which was founded in Munich, Germany on June 20, 1947. It is the youngest Latvian student fraternity.- Overview :...

     founded in Munich June 20, 1947.

Lithuania

Active Lithuanian corporations:
  • Korp! Fraternitas Lithuanica, founded November 28, 1908
  • T.L.S. Korp! Neo-Lithuania, founded November 11, 1922
  • Korp!Vytis & ASD, established October 16, 1924
  • Korp!Gaja, founded 1928
  • Korp!Plienas, founded February 23, 1931
  • Korp!Tilia, founded November 7, 1989
  • Korp!Tautito, founded September 15, 1993
  • Corp! RePublica, established September 2, 2001

Poland

Corporations in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 mostly follow traditions similar to those in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, however "fuxes" (first year members) do not wear full colours. The first Polish corporation, Konwent Polonia, was established in 1828 by the Polish students of the University of Dorpat
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...

. The second and third oldest corporations were established by the Polish students of the Riga Technical University
Riga Technical University
Riga Technical University is located in Riga, Latvia.- Riga Polytechnical Institute, 1862-1918 :...

: Arkonia (1879) and Welecja (1883). There were more than one hundred corporations in Poland between 1918 and 1939. During communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

 in Poland (1944-1989), corporations were forbidden. Today about fifteen corporations continue to be active in Poland, at the universities in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

, Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

, Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...

, Wrocław, Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

 and Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....


Netherlands

The oldest corporation in the Netherlands, Vindicat atque Polit, was established in the Dutch city of Groningen on 4 February 1815, other corporations were established in the cities of Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...

, Leiden, Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....

, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

, Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

, Eindhoven and Wageningen
Wageningen
' is a municipality and a historical town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specializes in life sciences. The city has 37,414 inhabitants , of which many thousands are students...

.

During the first half of the 19th century, it was very common for every student to join such a corporation (or corps in Dutch). At the beginning of the 20th century, more types of student associations were established, and many had a religious basis.

During World War II, all corpora (Latin plural of corps) not willing to subscribe to the new German law that Jewish students no longer could become member of non-commercial unions, the corpora either closed-down or became clandestine organizations. During the 1970s, most of the corporations started to enroll women as fully accepted members. Now, corporations and other student associations are widespread in the Netherlands.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK