Introduction
AGEPoly is the Students’ Association of the EPFL. It has as statutory goals to:
- represent the EPFL’s students and defend the students’ general interests
- inform and consult its members about all the decisions of the EPFL Management that concern them, as well as help students understand their role at the heart of the EPFL
- bring life to the campus
- provide student services to enhance and facilitate campus life
A brief history
The Association was created in 1951 under the name of AGEPUL (General Students’ Association of the EPUL : Polytechnic University of Lausanne). In 1964, the name was transformed into the “General Students’ Association of the EPFL” to match the school’s new name, giving the modern-day acronym: AGEPoly.
In 1983, the AGEPoly developed several projects for relaxation and socializing under the name of Spongiflex. In December of that year, the school provided the association a room in CM. Ideas come, spirits are high, and the project takes shape. As Spongiflex is a “jinx” name acording to Marc Dikôtter, a renaming competition named Spongiflex Commission 83 was launched, and the name of Satellite was chosen as the winner. Since 1985, the Satellite commission, often shortened to Sat, has seen big success in the form of its: weekly concerts, bar, comic book library, backgammon competitions, and even billiards. In 2006, following an audit by KPMG and risks concerning the VAT, the commission is dissolved in favor of the creation of the Association Satellite.
The three poles
AGEPoly is composed of three activity poles, which are all missions: services to students, campus activities, and the students’ representation.
- Services and prevention pole: AGEPoly provides students with services ranging from the sale of clothing and sports equipment at discounted prices, to the provision of various offers (cinema, phones, insurance, restaurants), blood donation, or an online book fair. Since 2020, a position of “prevention manager” also takes responsibility of Polyprev actions, as well as the general theme of harassment on campus.
- Animation and sport pole: the cluster “Animation & Sport” of AGEPoly offers and organizes many events throughout the year. During the entire week before courses start, AGEPoly offers an “integration” for two-hundred new students from the EPFL, whether 1st year or exchange; from the start, the beginning of the School’s Bal and PolyNite welcomes the students; during winter comes PolyNice and the Christmas’s Bal. During the whole year events between the commission’s of AGEPoly, Vivapoly, etc.
- Student representation pole: AGEPoly, as the association of all EPFL students, is the representative of the students with the Management of EPFL and the various central services. To accomplish its mission, AGEPoly appoints some students in the various school committees, forms working groups on specific topics and based on a student group that meets weekly to discuss and take a side on issues and topics of the moment. This weekly meeting is open to all students under the direction of responsible representation of Direction Board of the AGEPoly, elected at the General Assembly.
Structure
The AGEPoly (Students’ General Association of the Polytechnic Federal School of Lausanne) is a private association within the meaning of Articles 60 and following of the Swiss civil code. It has a motto, “students together”, three poles which are missions for the association, a multitude of actions and a Executive Board, consisting of 6 to 14 students, elected at the General Assembly.
It is also composed of multiple teams that are in charge of helping the board in their daily tasks:
- AGEPolytics Team is in charge of representing students and defending their interests. It meets every week to debate, propose new projects or writing position statements
- Animation Team helps organising on-campus events: from PolyNite to Back to Pâques, it is animating the campus all year long!
- Services Team proposes huge events like the Blood Donations or the Ski Sales, but also finds nice partners to get good deals for all the students!
- Prevention team deals with the mental health and well-being of students. It is at the origin of an initiative called PolyPrev which deals with 6 themes (sexualities, drugs, alcohol, work environment, respect, mental health) and proposes many events around these themes. It is also this team that organizes blood donations.
- Sports Team is a lot of events, small and big, to have nice moments around sport. From giant paddle races to curling initiations, it also organise PolySki yearly.
- IT Team manages the IT infrastructure of AGEPoly and its different applications. They also develop new stuff useful for all the students or associations!
- Logistics Team manages AGEPoly’s material all year long. They lend it, repair it, buy it… It’s the good team to get in for good DIY!
- Communication Team manages the social networks of AGEPoly, but also designs all the posters and other stuff necessary to make AGEPoly visible!
- Administration & Commissions Team is a bit of a team to do everything. Help in the comittee budgets, setting ticketing system for AGEPoly’s events, all kinds of training courses, this team helps smoothen AGEPoly internal fonctioning.