Ave, Sandum Citizens!
The Office of the Sôgmô has made public the edict establishing the waited Kremlum Sandus State College. The Kremlum Sandus State College was noted in the most recent policy projection for its inclusion of a CIV100 or Civic Engagement for Civilae Citizens course. The establishment of the State College takes place as Sandus sees a renewed interest from outsiders and as five people have expressed interest in becoming Sandum citizens recently, and would thus increase the population of Sandus by 100%. In the upcoming months, Sandus’s population and the activity of its government — possibly to be linked to the activity of future liaisons — will lead to a need for our citizens’ better understanding of Sandus, our Sovereign People’s Philosophy, and the institutions and elements of our government. It is for this reason and for the need of active and engaged citizens that the Office of the Sôgmô has pioneered the Kremlum Sandus State College.
Micronational institutions of education are, however, nothing new. The phenomenon dates back to 2010 with the establishment of St.Charlie’s Free University of Tor Pendente, which soon invigorated many micronations striving for institutions of higher education in their own states. Sandus was, however, not a micronation that strove for this phenomenon. As of yet, no micronational institution of higher education has been created for the same goals as the Sandum State College, which is intended to teach about Sandus to peregrae citizens who are required to be peregrae for one month before they become full citizens or civilae. The State College also focuses on the importance of active and engaged citizens, not just knowledgeable citizens, as explained below.
Kremlum Sandus State College is an institution of higher education promulgated by the most recent edict of the Sôgmô. It is an elementary body as formed by the Office of the Sôgmô’s edict with only a body of professors and a rector for the State College established; the rector is identified as the Sôgmô. Professors are divided into two distinctions: full or tenured professors and associate or non-tenured professors. The edict does not establish a procedure for granting tenure — the security to hold a position and guaranteeing academic freedom –, beside noting that that distinction comes from the Rector; post-tenure reviews happen no more than once a year and the edict implied they are begun by the Rector. Associate professors are professors who have not received tenure and are on a standard probationary period until the Rector, upon the advice of a tenure committee, grants tenure.
Article 2. The mission of the State College is to:
1. teach peregrae or auxiliary citizens the institutions and elements of Sandus;
2. inform peregrae or auxiliary citizens about the Sandum Philosophy;
3. engage peregrae or auxiliary citizens so that they become active civilae or full citizens;
4. inspire research and new perspectives into the institutions and elements of Sandus.
The seal of the State College, seen above, contains the coat of arms of Kremlum Sandus Province, with the head of Athena in the kremlin, and “Kremlum Sandus State College” beneath the shield. The school song is the March of the Frontier Guards, invoking the State College’s role as serving — essentially — as frontier guards by teaching peregrae about their new homeland. The colours of the school are white and gold and graduating regalia is decreed according to the edict.
For peregrae citizens, there exist two possible tracts for which one can pursue — degree or certificate — though it is advised to pursue the degree. The 12-credit degree is created by one to four credit classes and is completed with the CIV100 keystone course, which culminates in a public service project that interests the particular peregro or auxiliary citizen. The degree tract is typically three weeks long and is likely to contain five to eight courses total. Future elective courses will include the History of Sandus, Sandum Philosophy and Culture, Micronational history and Micropatriology, and an introduction to Realism, Libera, and Philia. The certificate tract is awarded to those who desire to take a comprehensive citizenship test of no less than 60 questions and no less than three essay or short answer questions that are related to the Active Citizen project. Students in this tract will be participant to a CIV101c course, “Comprehensive Understanding of the State.” The edict also notes that the Welcome and Farewell marches mark the entering and graduation of a student.
Post-graduate degrees are noted in the edict, but the edict only establishes Maître degrees for micronationalists interested in focusing on micropatriology or on Sandus specifically. This 6-credit degree is completed by one-credit courses, term papers due each week of 3-5 pages in length, a mid-term project due before the end of the third credit, and a Maître thesis paper of no less than 10 pages in length. Future post-graduate degrees may be considered in the future.
Future degrees and areas of specialty may be added as the number of professors may grow in the future.
Some concerns have been raised about how the courses themselves would operate. Though the edict does not establish this and it is left to the purview of the professor, it is likely that each course will be constructed with a syllabus that establishes the course’s schedule, with online lectures found on such places as YouTube, and course readings — all handed out by the professor of the course to the student. Students will, from time to time, be required to write papers, engage in discussions, and communicate with the professor him/herself. In the future, other systems may be utilised for the State College — such as the internet interface Blackboard or Canvas.
— Sôgmô Sörgel
sandus.org 