Bractwo Czapki Studenckiej Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Bractwo Czapki Studenckiej Uniwertystetu Jagiellońskiego (BCS UJ Eng: Fellowship of the Students’ Cap of Jagiellonian University) is a students' cap organizatoin registered and functioning on the Jagiellonian University. It's purpose is promoting to wear the students' cap on the UJ and on other universities of Poland and students' integration interfacutly, interuniversity and internatianal level. Other purpose is cultivation and getting to know students' traditions.
Contents
Couleurs
Motto
"In varietate unitas" (łac. "The unity in the variety") refers to the encouragement that has been expressed since the beginning of the organisation to integrate all students, regardless of their political views, religion, sexuality or membership of other organisations, universities or ethnic and geographical backgrounds. The Fellowship is an apolitical organization and the views of its members are treated as their personal choices.
Cap
It is a velvet cap with eight overlaps. It has a visor and a gold string on its band. Unlike the corporate cap, it is slightly larger and originally has no embroidery. The prototype for sewing the first reactivated student cap in 2009 belonged to Jerzy Michalewski M.D.
Pins
Using pins is a new tradition exported from France and Belgium on the reactivated cap. Only a few of the most important pins were used on pre-war caps, usually with the university emblem. However, the new generation of students has been following on Belgian Calotte and Penne or French Faluche, decorating their caps according to a certain logic.
The triangle formed between the front overlaps is a so-called "sacred" place, where pinning only the stamp of own university, country, Fellowship, organization or faculty is allowed. On the right, clockwise, there is place for the university records. These may be: matter of study, symbols of the faculty or stars de marking each year of study. These are also a contribution of Belgian custom, except that on Belgian caps gold stars mean a completed year of study, silver repeated one, and a fabric of some colour under the star, a change of course of study. Polish stars are slightly larger than the Belgian ones and all are in the same copper colour.
On the left of the sacred part students can pin anything related to their personal history in the Fellowship. These may be pins gained at the Fellowship organized events or from trips to associated organizations, pins indicating functions performed in the Fellowship or similar. Many symbolic pins are brought from Belgium (in occasion of visiting an event or by ordering by post, which happens usually once a year for larger group of fellows). An example of the most popular Belgian pins are so-called hands of friendship (two hands greeting each other), and this pin can only be obtained from someone else as a sign of friendship (one cannot purchase and pin it for self). Usually on the back of the cap and on its top, there is a place where pins related to other trips can appear, as far as any related to personal interests and fascinations. Usually, it is not well seen to put any emblems related to politics or religion following the political and religious neutrality. There is another rule saying that the unbaptized students shouldn't pin anything on the cap and the pin with BCS UJ shield received on the baptism is first one, together with another new pin granted from the godparent. However, these are rather unwritten rules because they are not meant to intimidate students' creativity and expression. Moreover, the main aim of the Fellowship is to encourage students to wear caps rather than promoting own traditions, which are only intended for the closer group of associated members.
Blazon
- ARMS: Azure on Panther with wings, tail, neck and torso of a dragon, climbed, argent; in armament Or, breathing a flame Or, holding in both paws a rector's sceptre Or.
- CREST: On a Wreath of the Colours a Helmet covered with a Student Cap (purpure), two crossed sceptres topped with hop cones Or. Mantled azure doubled argent.
- MOTTO: IN VARIETATE UNITAS.
Current version of the coat of arms was designed in 2018 by a professional heraldry, Robert Fidura. The creation of the official coat of arms, meeting the heraldic requirements, was followed by the issuance of a new official pins of the Fraternity, which are being distributed exclusively to the Members. The BCS flag of the Jagiellonian University was also developed. The flag with proportions 5 to a width of 8, azure blue with a golden (yellow) cross of St. Andrew, on which the coat of arms of the Fellowship is centrally located, golden (yellow) bordered.
Coat of Arms History
- 2009 was the first version and it was was rather a logo, but it had shape of shield and it was created in 2009. According to Kumdo's original idea, in the coat of arms there was the Wawel Dragon (a character from Polish children cartoon "The Kidnapping of Balthazar the Sponge") in a medical, purple cap on his head. Next to him a barrel of beer was located. The medical students’ cap was decorating the shield again. A blue ribbon with ‘BCS’ inscription was on the bottom two peacock feathers, referring to the folklore of Krakow were growing from it.
In another very early version, the coat of arms represents the Wawel Dragon holding a pint of beer in one paw, which is an inseparable attribute of the student, and in the other one a skull, which together with the Aesculapian/Asclepius staff next to it, is a symbol of medicine (the field of study of the Founders of BCS UJ). The dragon has a student cap on its head in a colour of the Faculty of Medicine. The inscription under the ribbon with feathers remained unchanged. The author of both graphic representations is Kamil Szczupak. Both versions of the first coat of arms were used on plastic pins, which served as the official pin that the newly baptized Members of the Fellowship would receive.
- Version 2011 was one of the unofficial attempts to bring the visual representation closer to the heraldic model. The coat of arms shield is divided into three fields: the sceptre of the Jagiellonian University, the coat of arms of Krakow and the student cap on the bottom. This version has not been adopted in wider use.
- Version 2014, by Zofia Krasińska: the shape of the coat of arms is modelled on the shield of the coat of arms and logotype of the Jagiellonian University. The shield is multi-field, with the arrangement of elements similar to the styles "in the oblique cross". The graphic composition contains a sceptre referring to the Jagiellonian University coat of arms, however, there is only one sceptre that visually intersects with the dragon's wing. The dragon’s head is in the centre of the composition and surrounds an oval shape containing the BCS anagram. This shape refers to the dragon cavern in Cracow, which once housed an inn. Below the anagram there is the snake of Aesculapius, which is a reference to the Faculty of Medicine of the Jagiellonian University. Below of the shield the motto is situated: IN VARIETATE UNITAS. The coat of arms is crowned with a student cap overlapping the shield. It is intended to imitate the function of a coat of arms helmet. From under the cap a cone of hops surrounded by two leaves appears. In the extended version of the coat of arms, hops also turn into labra around the cap.
Couleur
The colours result directly from the blazon of the coat of arms and have a very wide application: flags, gadgets, pins. These are: silver, blue and gold. However, it's worth to mention that BCS UJ as an organization does not use "couleurs" in the corporate sense. According to the tradition of the Jagiellonian University, the caps have the colours of individual faculties.
- Faculty of Law and Administration– black
- Faculty of Medicine – burgundy
- Faculty of Pharmacy – burgundy with navy blue band
- Faculty of Health Sciences – burgundy with black band
- Faculty of Philosophy – silver grey
- Faculty of History – blue
- Faculty of Philology – navy blue
- Faculty of Polish Studies – navy blue with light blue band
- Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science – purple
- Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science – purple with a navy blue band
- Faculty of Chemistry – yellow
- Faculty of Biology – green
- Faculty of Management and Social Communication – brown
- Faculty of International and Political Studies – carmine
- Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology – sand
- Faculty of Geography and Geology – emerald green
- Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in the Humanities (MISH) – silver grey with navy blue band
Anthem
The anthem of the BCS UJ is the song "Breve Regnum" (Latin: "Short Reign"). This is a song of the Cracow medieval students composed in the fifteenth century. The song describes the customs of Cracow students who, during the beanalia festival between 15 and 22 October, used to chose the Students' King and spent their time playing and living in an inverted order. A short reign is a week's of upside down life, after which it is time to return to the established norms.
Organization
Board
The Board consists on five members and is elected in October for a one-year term:
- The Grand Master
- Castellan (pl. kasztelan), the Grand Master deputee
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- Magister Cantandi
Since 2019, only active students of the Jagiellonian University can be members of the Management Board.
Audit Committee
The Fellowship has also 3 members Audit Committee, which is a controlling body and acts as a peer court.
The 2021 investigation on the current Statute restored the possibility of active voting rights for Veterans regarding all positions and passive voting rights to the Audit Committee.
Membership
- Beanus – a candidate to the Fellowship. After expressing their desire to join the association, they choose a godparent(s) who prepare them for baptism and decide when Beanus is ready to become a full member. The right to wear cap is not limited to ordinary members, and even promoted among non-affiliated students, and their decoration is not officially codified, it is traditionally assumed that beani do not pin anything to their cap before baptism.
- Ordinary Member – can only be a student of the Jagiellonian University who has undergone the baptism of BCS UJ, but the Brotherhood allows the baptism of students from outside the University to spread the idea of wearing caps and creating similar fellowships (formal and informal) at other universities.
- Veteran Member – a person who has been baptized and obtained the status of an ordinary member but has graduated.
- Honoris Causa Member – any person who found recognition of the BCS UJ and received an honoris causa cap, which is colored orange, not associated with any faculty. The first member of Honoris Causa is Professor Zdzisław Gajda.
Recurring Events
Cantus
In Polish: karczma. It begins with the formal part, during which the strictly observed order needs to be followed, which is supervised by the Magister Disciplinae nominated only for this occasion. The Board sits at the presidency table and presides over the program. If representatives of other organizations are present at the Cantus, each of them sings their own anthem. The Song of the Semesters is compulsorily sung. Baptisms may take place during the Cantus. The party opens with the solemn singing of Gaudeamus Igitur, while the official part ends with the singing of Breve Regnum (so the BCS UJ anthem is not sung in the first part of the celebration). During the official part, it is forbidden to leave the table or speak without permission of the Magister Discipline.
Emergency
The emergency gathering is an informal meeting, held more often than Cantus. Its goal is to meet and integrate, singing student songs. The name refers to the history of the organization, which was founded by medical students.
Reactivation Party
A several-day event opening the academic year and the next anniversary of the Fraternity’s activity. The name refers to the fact of reactivation of the tradition of wearing student caps and the consecutive edition is numbered in accordance with the years of existence of BCS UJ. Usually, it is an event open not only to students newly admitted to studies, but also to numerous guests from abroad and from associated or not yet associated Polish organizations. It lasts a few days and is usually an opportunity to give lectures about student customs, Cantus, baptisms, a C.I.B.A. event, sightseeing Cracow or the surrounding area, the Monôme march, piwerko (the Zielona Góra name for the popular flank game) or beer-pong games and others.
Juwenalia
During the Cracow Juwenalia festival, BCS UJ organizes its own event under the name of International Days of Students Folklore. This is the largest event in the cap calendar of events. The organization then hosts students and graduates from many European countries (Belgium, France, Italy etc.). These days always have their leitmotif, taken from pop culture (Star Wars, Asterix and Obelix, Disney princesses etc.). Taking advantage of the break in classes, students participate in the Krakow juvenile procession and spend time on integration by listening lectures on students’ folklore or trips that help to cultivate the customs and history of Cracow students.
Ulhan’s Health
Ulhan’s Health (pl. Ułańskie Zdrowie) is a hill located near Krzeszowice, east of Tenczynek. The name of the hill is associated with these uhlans, recovering after the November Uprising patients of the nearby sanatorium/hospital in Krzeszowice spa. When the patients felt a little better, and the wounds did not bother them very much, they went out to a nearby hill to raise a toast to their health. Hence, the place was also called Uhlan’s Health. The Fellowship of the Student Cap continues the uhlan tradition every year, organizing an expedition to Krzeszowice every autumn. At the top, a toast to the uhlans is raised, singing Polish uhlan songs and making a totem made of caps. After conquering the hill, the participants of the trip used to go to a meeting with their mentor – professor Zdzisław Gajda, who used to invite them for refreshments to his house called Castel Gajdolfo in nearby Zabierzów. Since the possession is no longer available, the BCS UJ would meet the Professor for a dinner or pint in Cracow.
Adapt Camp
The adapt camp is an integration trip for new students of the Jagiellonian University, candidates for the Fellowship and all who are interested in its activities. It takes place before the start of classes at the university (in September). The plan of the event usually includes, among others: guided tours of student Cracow, mountain trips, integration by the fire, learning about student songs and customs.
Kudłacze
Kudłacze is an annual spring weekend in the mountains. Initially, the destination was a shelter in Kudłacze, but over time the trip moved to other places in the mountains. English translation of Kudłacze is “Shaggy” so initially the event’s pins were designed with the partucular characters from Scooby Doo cartoon.
Other Recurring Events of the BCS UJ
In the years 2010-2020, Professor Zdzisław Gajda repeatedly invited students to his summer cottage in Zabierzów for Christmas caroling or barbecue. It has also become customary for BCS to organize occasional taverns: Christmas Eve, St. Andrew's divination, Santa Claus, Ides of March. Over time, the tradition of organizing the Autumn and Spring Cantus evolved.
Activity
New and old traditions
- Who is Tadek? - the ban on asking who Tadek is is one of the oldest traditions of bcS UJ. Just in case, new members are observed not to ask about it. Original tradition.
- Baptism - A beanus who wants to become a legitimate member of the Fellowship, chooses a godparent who prepares him or her for it from several months to a year. However, there have been cases when the preparation period was extended indefinitely and beanus decided to change the parent. When a parent decides that beanus is ready, an exam on knowledge of the student traditions and history of the Fellowship can be organized. Finally, the Baptism happens and it is divided into part of the baptismal task show (which could be dance, singing, tactical or practical task, according to the fantasy of the godparents and the baptized himself), part of the open questions from the room (it is appropriate to ask then: "What are you able to do for the Czapka?") and the baptism itself, during which a new member of the Fellowship must drink a pint of beer from his cap, and then put it on their head. He then receives a pin with the coat of arms of the Fellowship and a pin gifted from the godparent. Any humiliation is forbidden. The newly baptized member wears his/her cap upside down until they hear the Gaudeamus. Mixed tradition.
- Orders - these are formal or informal groups to which members of various organizations may belong. The first order in BCS UJ was secret, so nothing disclosed on this matter. Imported tradition.
- Weddings - if two people decide, they can have a cap wedding. This is an au rebours marriageand breaking it, which is, having any sexual relationship with the married person should result in shaving the heads bald. Some argue that the same principle applies to the child and the godparent. Imported tradition.
- Forbidden to lose the cap -an absolute ban on leaving the hat unattended and treating it as an ordinary headdress. It is, of course, respected by associates, as it is assumed that students who do not practice traditions (not related to the Fellowship) should not be required to follow strict rules, but should be encouraged to wear caps. Whoever finds an unguarded cap can take it and require any task to be done in exchange. The longer the owner is reluctant to recognize that the cap has been lost or to express regret for it, the more difficult the task may await. Usually, one does not robe a cap on shared nights at the place of sleeping. Imported tradition.
- Getting cap dirty - this is one of the oldest traditions of Polish students. When horse-drawn trams ran in Poland, students threw a new cap under their wheels or rails. Later, they cleaned her shoes with her outside. All this so that their headgear does not indicate that they are first-year students. Original tradition.
- Beer "guarding" the cap - one can leave the beer laid on the cap when going to the toilet. Then no one is allowed to take this cap, because it is consideredthat it is taken care of in the right way. Imported tradition.
- Modifying the cap with safety pins, "cockerel"- Pinning the cap from the bottom with the safety pin or stitching it in various ways modifying its shape. Original tradition (from pre-war students).
- Using pins in a codified eay - See: Pins
- Hawa Nagila - Singing and dancing the wedding Jewish song Hawa nagila cheers up the heart and makes the body alive. Original tradition, introduced by Szymon Stankiewicz.
- Izolator Boguchwała - few members of BCS UJ saw a real match of this legendary football team, but most members can only be satisfied with purchasing its scarf or pin. The custom came to the Fellowship together with Łukasz Pryk and has been cultivated for several years. It is also accompanied by singing the calls of the Izolator. Original tradition.
- Coming late for the Cantus - a custom present in the Fellowship since the beginning of its existence, but exceptionally cultivated by some of the Grand Masters. The origin is difficult to determine.
- Singing out of tune - It seems that this is an original tradition, but sources are needed to establish the provenance of this practice.
- Shouting: "Nie, nie, nie, nie!" [no, no, no no] - in this custom of the BCS UJ members lovingly recall all the situations in which Martinus Loch, Magister Latinus, was trying to teach them to sing the Latin canon at 2 am or to emphasize correctly in Latin, but contrary to Polish customs, the call "Meum est propositum". Original custom. -
- Using Latin, not always correctly - pretending to reactivate the Goliard traditions obliges to use phrases such as: Sat Cantandi! Prosit Cantoribus! Prosit Seniori! or Omnes at sedes, but the Gaudeamus or Breve Regnum lyrics translation was never tested for fear of failure of the examinee and the examiner. Mixed tradition.
Activity in Poland
The Fellowship set its own goals as to serve only fun, unlike numerous student organizations, which activities could be used by students to build a professional career. However, there were always attempts to organize students’ entertainment in wider meaning than merely meetings in pubs. The founders especially criticized the fact that student caps were being ordered by Student Governments, taken out only for official celebrations, and after them stored until the next occasion. The Fellowship has always encouraged people to wear caps every day, referring mainly to the pre-war tradition. Despite this, one of the first opportunities to put on a cap outside the party was to lay flowers on the grave of Queen Jadwiga on May 12, 2010. Your people wearing student caps were also invited to guard at the Oak of Freedom on the anniversaries of Sonderaktion Krakau. In 2011, the students made a walk to the Kosciuszko Mound. Occasionally, trips to museums (Museum of Pharmacy, Museum of the Home Army), opera, cinema, theatre (especially the Groteska Theatre) or Krakow air raid shelters were also organized, on the initiative of individual members of the BCS UJ. Blood donation is also quite popular among the members. Students or veterans proudly put on a cap while donating blood. Other interesting initiatives include morsing, to which encouraged cap students attract more colleagues.
In 2020 and 2021, together with Professor Gajda, a group of cap students went to the Rakowicki Cemetery to clean the graves of medical professors and light candles on them. Also volunteering for Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity or going together for Pol'and'Rock Festival, formerly known as Woodstock Festival Poland has been very popupar.
International Students Life
Veterans' Activity
In 2019, one of the founders, Kasper "Pumba", took over the collection of student memorabilia to take care of the Museum of Student Traditions.
In 2018 and 2019, two informal meetings of veteran members were held. They did not take on the character of cyclical events or organized activities. The COVID-19 pandemic has thwarted plans to hold a veteran banquet similar to a jubilee banquet.
On 25.09.2021, the planned first WeterranSka Inn was organized.
Also in 2021, in December, Kasper "Pumba" funded the pandemic pins Hic habitat felicitas, modeled on the Roman relief.
History
The organization was initially established as an informal initiative of two medical students: Kasper "Pumba" and Tadeusz "Kumdo" 20.08.2009. The students, inspired by lectures on the history of medicine conducted by Prof. Zdzisław Gajda and his book On Copernicus Street and personal contacts with Belgian organizations, decided to set up a similar organization in Poland. With time, they discovered that caps in Poland were very commonly worn by students not associated with any organizations and belonged to common university customs. A newly admitted student used to order a cap at the caps maker who was producing it following each university pattern. The student’s cap had a gold string on its band (opposed to silver strings belonging to junior high school students).
Kasper and Tadek had intention to reactivate the cap, which meant the restoration of the custom of wearing it with some modifications taken from France and Belgium. Among other things, numerous pins were added to the hat than it was wore in the past, the purpose of which was to record student life: both the official course of studies and participation in student (and cap) events.
In As Tadek says: I saw that the cap itself is not that important, but it is accompanied by the values of student folklore, e.g. singing songs, passing pins on caps or cultivating certain customs. The owner of such a headdress had marked on it, where and what he was studying, and thanks to cap feasts he had the opportunity to meet interesting people from other faculties.
Boards
2009
Grand Master – Tadeusz Hessel
Castellan – Kasper Krawet
Magister Bibendi – Paweł Nawrot
Treasurer – Urszula Kasprzyk
PR – Małgorzata Lurzyńska
Magister Disciplinae – Jakub Nawrot
2011/2013
Grand Master: Magdalena Bryła
Castellan: Anna Maria Kuźma
Treasurer: Zofia Krasińska
Secretary: Roksana Kidawa
Magister Cantandi: Paweł Mucha
2013/2014
Grand Master: Magdalena Bryła
Castellan: Anna Maria Kuźma
Treasurer: Julia Jurczuk
Secretary: Stefan Bocheński
Magister Cantandi: Kasper Krawet
2014/2015
Grand Master: Grażyna Malinowska
Castellan: Mateusz Tomczyk
Treasurer: Alicja Barć
Secretary: Paula Dybowska
Magister Cantandi: Tomasz Krok
2015/2016
Grand Master: Paweł Mucha
Castellan: Maciej Małecki
Treasurer: Monika Kwater
Secretary: Patryk Gujda
Magister Cantandi: Maciej Solon
2016/2017
Grand Master: Maciej Małecki
Castellan: Monika Kwater
Treasurer: Paulina Tomżyńska
Secretary: Łukasz Ciepły
Magister Cantandi: Łukasz Pryk
2017/2018
Grand Master: Damian Zych
Castellan: Weronika Manista
Treasurer: Natalia Stachura
Secretary: Zuzanna Żmuda
Magister Cantandi: Kamila Dziewońska
2018/2019
Grand Master: Damian Zych
Castellan: Michał Gumułka
Treasurer: Bartłomiej Olajossy
Secretary: Zuzanna Żmuda
Magister Cantandi: Artur Czajkowski
2019/2020
Grand Master: Michał Gumułka
Castellan: Patrycja Karauda
Treasurer: Natalia Ciesielska
Secretary: Paulina Kozioł
Magister Cantandi: Daniel Zgliński
2020/2021
Grand Master: Patrycja Karauda
Castellan: Wiktor Sobol
Treasurer: Artur Czajkowski
Secretary: Paulina Kozioł
Magister Cantandi: John Graff-Warburton
2021/2022
Grand Master: Bartłomiej Olajossy
Castellan: Wiktor Sobol
Treasurer: Artur Czajkowski
Secretary: John Graff-Warburton
Magister Cantandi: Mateusz Żurek
Chronology
2009
March. Tadek and Kasper are chatting during a lecture of medical imaging. They are discussing a book of their medical history professor's Zdzisław Gajda where they learn that the Polish student caps once existed. Tadek associates this with the Belgian penne and calotte he met in Besançon and Ransart. Tadek and Kasper spend a lot of time discussing with Professor Gajda, during with they outline the idea of the organization. Initially, they think about making it a circle of the history of medicine. Over time, the idea of making it a brotherhood matures.
20 August 2009 - the date of establishment of the Brotherhood of the Student Cap. In addition to wearing caps, student folklore is important: integration, singing, exchanging pins, camaraderie. The Students Cap operates as part of the Jagiellonian University Medical College. Many students from all faculties purchase their own caps.
The Brotherhood of the Student Cap appointed its first Board, which originated from the Collegium Medicum of the Jagiellonian University. The idea of wearing a cap is supported by the then chairman of the Student Government, Adam Ryś, who also buys his own cap and is wearing it during university ceremonies.
2010
28 January 2010 - the first Cantus of the Czapka.
28 April 2010 - Scientific conference at the Faculty of History (Roberto Martinez del Rio from Museo Internacional del Estudiante is the only one international lecturer).
12 May 2010 - laying flowers at the grave of Queen Jadwiga (caps students as an organization are invited and the Student Government wears caps).
1 October 2010 - Czapka Reactivation Party. International Cantus: Gaudeamus takes place, students take part in the inauguration of the academic year and the procession from Collegium Maius to Auditorium Maximum. In the Didactic and Congress Centre at St. Lazarus Street there are lectures on student folklore: Christobalt Mitrugno, Roberto Martinez del Rio, Frederic Widart and Kasper Krawet.
The Brotherhood meets quite spontaneously. Most of the members are people from CM UJ, but the meetings are organized in inclusive to gather as many people as possible.
2011
This year there are several Cantus parties, the second Reactivation, St. Andrew's and Christmas Eve Cantus, the so-called Emergency, which are informal meetings, where one can meet students in caps, drink with them and sing together. The Brotherhood also organizes a trip to the Kosciuszko Mound and a visit to the Museum of Medicine. Once again, guests from Belgium come for the Reactivation and Juwenalia. Contact is established with the Salia Silesia corporation from Opole (guests from Opole come to Cracow for Juwenalia and Cracow students revisit them in May). Students discover the Buda Club in University of Agriculture dorm Bratniak at Czapski Street. They meet Mr. Andrzej Pawłowski, who as a young student created the cabaret Pod Budą together with Bohdan Smoleń and Zenon Laskowik. Students gathered around the Brotherhood are trying to write a statute together, according to which in June 2011 a board consisting of representatives of all available departments and a central board are elected. The position of the Grand Master is taken over by Magdalena Bryła “Kasztanka”, who has so far been very active in organizing events together with Anna Maria Kuźma.
In 2011, Czapka begins to appear in the media: in the Coffee or Tea, a Polish breakfat television program and on the MMKrakow.pl portal. Czapka participates for the first time in the University Memorial Day, performing a guard under the oak of freedom near to Collegium Novum building. The Cap also joins the C.I.B.A. committee (Comité International de la Bonne Ambience). The BCS representation goes to the Banquet of European Traditions in Strasbourg.
2012
The year begins with an attempt to make elections, still according to the representatives of each department and the three-member Presidium (Grand Master, Castellan, Treasurer). The caps visits Belgium in February. In March, there is a second attempt to call elections. In March, Czapka also goes for the first time to the shelter in Kudłacze, where it celebrates the third year of its existence. In March, the Ides of March event is also introduced for the first time, during which members symbolically "kill" the Grand Master. Work on the statute is ongoing. The permanent events of the Cap are: Juwenalia, Cap Visits the World, inauguration of the academic year and Reactivation Party. Czapka again visits Salia Silesia in Opole, faluche in Lille, guests of the Ordre de la Bretelle during the holidays. Traditionally, it participates in the European Banquet in Strasbourg. In October, elections are held, and the organization resigns from the idea of representatives of individual departments, but an audit commission is established.
2013
The Buda Club resumes its activity after a long renovation and its refurbishing changes. Its board is also changing and Mr. Andrzej Pawłowski is no longer directly responsible for its functioning, but he remains a friend of Czapka. In addition to all the regular events of the Cap, students go to Ułańskie Zdrowie in Krzeszowice and to professor Gajda's summer cottage in Zabierzów. The number of emergency meetings is increasing.
2014
Summer barbecue at Professor Zdzisław Gajda's venue in Zabierzów is added to the Czapka calendar.
Czapka organizes a trip to the Home Army Museum, carolling together at Collegium Novum together with Independent Students' Association.
It is also the jubilee year of the Jagiellonian University. On 14 May the students wearing caps participate in a university concert at the Krakow Philharmonic, which is the oratorio, Carmina Burana. The concert is attended by m.in Rector of the Jagiellonian University, Prof. Wojciech Nowak.
2015
Le Monôme, a new custom straight from France was introduced during the Juwenalia.
A bonfire in the Wolski Forest is also a new yearly event beginning of this year. During it, the students would burn notes after passed examps.
2016
The year opens with an interesting event, which is New Year's Eve with a Cap, i.e. the January Emergency in Stary Port pub. Emergency meetings are held there regularly once a month or two. The cap is organizing Adapt Camp in the Chemists' Cottage in the Beskid Żywiecki. The same year, members of the Brotherhood organize a joint trip to the Krakow Opera for the performance of Orpheus and Eurydice and to the cinema for the film Fantastic Beasts and How to Find Them. For the first time, the Santa Claus emergency event is organized, which from now is added permanently to the calendar of Cap events. The Cap meets the Brotherhood of the Yellow Scarf from Zielona Góra. It is an organization associated with the Students Circle of Culture Animators, which specializes in organizing the game of piwerko or flanks. The informal customs of BCS UJ are enriched by Hawa Nagila (singing and dancing) and cheering for the Izolator Boguchwała football team.
2017
In April, Cerle Marie Haps (Calotte) visits the Czapka in Cracow. Representatives of Czapka visit Zielona Góra and the Brotherhood of the Yellow Scarf for the first time. Czapka organizes an Adapt Camp in STT Lasek. There is also the so-called Great Recruitment, i.e. a series of meetings at individual faculties, combined with the promotion of wearing caps, Students Government contributes to buy them at a reduced price. The Czapka begins to propagate the idea of good PR. The Board notes that the current cultural or integration activities of the Brotherhood are not sufficiently emphasized in it, so they make efforts to ensure that the Brotherhood's fanpage changes this perception. Innovations of the Management Board: Zuza "Rana" Żmuda introduces the hashtag #DobryPR and improves the image of the organization in social media.
2018
The year begins with the Cap Carnival Ball at DS Nawojka. In February, the Belgian Calotte organization is hosted in Krakow and there is an Emergency event with them. In April, Łukasz Pryk organizes for the first time Depositio Beanorum as a separate event open to everyone (previously baptisms were held during the Cantus, which extended their duration or occasionally during private meetings, so not everyone had the opportunity to participate in them). At the time of baptism, a wooden goat is used and a symbolic punitive blow with a book is given in the event of an incorrect answer to the baptismal question. Also in April, the Czapka goes to Zielona Góra, where it gives a lecture entitled Student cap as a sign of a real student. Adapt Camp is organized in Kasinka Mała and after its completion, an Emergency Adapt in Nawojka is organized to finalize the integration of its participants with other members of the Brotherhood. Once again, the Depositio Beanorum is organized (in October) in the Stary Port tavern. In November, Czapka again organizes the Great Recruitment, setting up its stand at various faculties, thanks to cooperation with the Faculty Councils of the Student Government. In December, the first meeting of the old Czapka member (Veterans) takes place at The Artefakt Cafe. This year, Czapka announces a weekend in Kudłacze, but for organizational reasons, the venue is replaced by Gorczańska Chata at the last minute. Since then, Kudłacze has become the conventional name of a winter or spring integration weekend in a mountain shelter. Innovations of the Management Board: Bartek "Kucharz" Olajossy introduces a file with the incomes and expenses of the organization available online.
2019
Second gathering of the veterans takes place in February. Also in February, in Żaczek club, Czapka organizes singing event. This year, thanks to the fact that one of the veterans, Agnieszka ‘Avis’ works in the Groteska theater, the Brotherhood benefits from discounts on tickets to the spectacles, which are happily used. Czapkas go to the Star Diaries, Miser, Master and Margaret and other performances for children and adults. "Kudłacze" weekend takes place in the Lubogoszcz shelter. On 6 April 2019, a banquet is held on the occasion of 10 years of the Student Cap Brotherhood in the Bon Ami restaurant. The Czapka hosts friends from Polish and abroad, including Frederic Widart, Prof. Zdzisław Gajda, Mr. Andrzej Pawłowski, Józef Chorąży, the cap maker. Kasper "Pumba" mints a medal depicting Tadeusz Boy Żeleński in a student cap on this occasion. The author of the project is Natalia ‘Szynka’ Ciesielska. The medal on behalf of the Brotherhood is awarded to selected current and former members of the Brotherhood as well as persons meritorious for it. The Brotherhood is decorating Kasper and Tadek with honoris causa caps.
2020
The COVID-19 pandemic persists, and most events are being cancelled. The Fellowship organizes several screenings of films online with the possibility of commenting or playing on line. There is one lecture about Polish student customs and the history of Flemish students organized by Academia Studentica.
2021
Despite the bans on gatherings due to RESTRICTIONS related to COVID-19, several "top secret" events are taking place: a bonfire, emergency rooms. For most of the year, however, the meetings are held online. In October, a new Management Board is elected, which after the pandemic organizes more and more ordinary live events: emergency rooms, inns, Uhlan Health, etc. New initiatives of board members are emerging: lively activity in social media (setting up Instagram, regular posts on Facebook) and competitions for new verses of cap songs. The Management Board also issues a postcard for Christmas, the author of which is Natalia Lisowska. In November, together with Professor Gaja, the Capers clean up the graves of deceased professors of medicine at the Rakowicki Cemetery.
2022
The Board continues its activities. This year, for the first time, there is an emmergency on the occasion of St. Patrick (but the Ides of March are not held). Kudłacze takes place again on Kudłacze venue. In February, the war in Ukraine escalates and many of the capgoers help on an ongoing basis in organizing humanitarian aid (arranging dormitories, organizing a gift warehouse, etc.).
A group of three visits Zielona Góra in April.
Associated organizations
A list of organizations hosting BCS UJ or being hosted by it in alphabetial order.
Academia Studentica
AFA - Amicale des Faluchards Alsaciens
Bractwo Czapki Studenckiej Animus
Bractwo Żółtego Szalika
Cercle Psycho de Louvain-la-Neuve
Cerebri Hilares Opifices
C.I.B.A.
Faluche dijonnaise
Faluche Sciences Dijon
FAMA : Famosa Absurdarum Mulierum Academia
Goliardia Perugia - Griphonatus Goliardiae Perusinae
International Museum of the Student
La Confrérie de L'Ordre de la Bretelle
Museo Internacional del Estudiante
Ordre de la Calotte Montoise
Ordre Rabelaisien de Belgique
Salia Silesia
Supremus Ordo Lacedaemoniorum Ellenicus
Supremus Ordo Taurini Cornus atque Pedemontanus
Tuna Medicina Murcia
