Frequently Asked Questions

There is no such thing as a stupid question and all questions deserve a response.


We include below a series of questions that we have anticipated or invented, given the wide variety of choice involved in the Alumni and Friends categories.


Notwithstanding, you may always send us further questions to:

execal@ecal.ch

alumni@ecal.ch (email for the sole use of Alumni)

1. What does Alumni mean?

Definition:

Former students of a leading university, belonging to an association.


From the Latin meaning “pupil, disciple”:

- Alumni: masculine plural (noun)

- Alumnae: feminine plural (noun)

- Alumnus: masculine singular (noun)

- Alumna: feminine singular (noun)


ECAL has chosen to use the strictest sense of the term, namely a community of graduates of a higher-education institution (leading and other universities). Some schools use it in a broader sense of the term to refer to all former students (graduates or not) and even students currently studying within a particular institution.


2. WHO IS ENTITLED TO JOIN EXECAL?

Any natural person or corporate entity may, in principle, join EXECAL.

The Association has two membership categories: Alumni and Friends of ECAL.


Former graduate students or Alumni (in Latin) automatically belonged to EXECAL.

They are entitled to basic services free of charge as described under the Minimal category.

They can always pay a membership fee for one of the other categories and enjoy supplementary services/benefits.


Friends include all other profiles:

  • individuals  
  • institutions and companies 
  • ECAL employees (past and present)  
  • former ECAL non-graduate or exchange students  


Membership fees are valid for one year, from the day payment is received.

It is possible to change category when you renew your membership.


3. What do you offer to EXECAL members?

Services offered to ALL (without requiring EXECAL membership)

  • ECAL newsletters via email (on request) 
  • Invitation cards to events (on request) 
  • Online consultation of Yearbooks in PDF 
  • Invitations to ECAL exhibitions in Switzerland and abroad 
  • Invitations to public talks at ECAL 

Services offered to ALUMNI only (free of charge)

  • Membership of private groups on social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn
  • Online access to the Alumni Directory (with personal login codes) 
  • Invitation to the ECAL Book Club and Cinécal 
  • Invitation to EXECAL Meetings 
  • Preferential rates for University Sports Lausanne (category D) . See FAQ 15. to register

Paying services offered to ALUMNI and FRIENDS

  • Access to the Library and Materials Library (advance booking required)
  • Consultation and publication of advertisements under Small Ads 
  • Consultation and publication of advertisements under Jobs & Competitions (reserved for Alumni) 
  • EXECAL Campus smartphone application (available in 2020) 
  • 20% reduction on ECAL publications at certain events and online on ecal-shop.ch
  • Guided tours: graduate exhibition + certain exhibitions at the ELAC Gallery 
  • 1 hard copy of a current year's publication 
  • Various reductions on works published by ECAL 
  • ECAL Xmas Market: invitation for 2 people to the Christmas dinner 
  • Neptun offer (up to 12% discount on IT equipment). See FAQ 4.1.

See PDF brochure describing the different membership categories.

4. What benefits do Alumni receive in particular?

EXECAL offers specific services, benefits and contacts to its members.

In particular, Alumni can use the online Platform (encrypted website areas) to:

  • consult the alumni directory 
  • consult the alumni map
  • publish their own advertisements for other members
  • keep their own personal data up to date (My Profile)
  • receive invitations to networking events 
  • find out about ECAL and EXECAL activities
  • join private groups reserved for Alumni on social networks


While access to the Alumni Directory is available for all Alumni, an annual financial contribution (membership fee) is required from members who want to use the online Small Ads and Jobs & Competitions services.


New graduates receive Optimal benefits free of charge during the year after graduation (from July to late June).

4. 1. Smartphone application

Operational service since October 2020.

Added values of this app:

- Ads: possibility to customise alerts by category (AV, CI, DG, etc.)

- Alumni Directory: possibility to filter by location (try different languages: Brussels and Bruxelles)


Download the app (free of charge) from 

- Apple store 

- Google play store  

or update it to see the new EXECAL section (delete the old version and install the new one). 


Please login with your EXECAL access codes (private email address + password) that you manage from a desktop computer or laptop via www.execal.ch > My Profile.


If you are unable to login, check that :

- you have installed the latest application update

- you have selected EXECAL account and not ECAL account

Login Compte EXECAL.png


4. 2. Neptun offer (IT equipment)

Up to 12% discount in principle

Twice a year:

Spring: 12 February - 11 March 2024

Fall: September - October


CONDITIONS

Members of official Swiss university alumni associations (membership must be documented by a certificate issued by EXECAL Office) can usually order from Neptun. However, it is possible that not all offers are available for alumni. Please refer to the respective offer information.

ALL ALUMNI MAY ORDER, as long as the delivery address is in Switzerland or Liechtenstein.The delivery is possible to a Swiss or Liechtenstein address only, the distribution partner does not offer international shipping. 


INSTRUCTIONS

Please follow our reminder, instructions and activation code sent to EXECAL private groups on Facebook and LinkedIn in February and September each year.

Under Staff number/employee number, note: "No number" + indicate your date of birth for the order to be validated.

Request an EXECAL certificate to alumni@ecal.ch and enclose it to your Neptun application. 


TO SEE THE OFFERS

https://www.projektneptun.ch/en/  Click on Offers (top left)

5. What are the access codes (ID + password) used for?

When you log in with your access codes (LOGIN), you can access the online Platform, that means the encrypted areas with services reserved for members.

New: some members will be able to publish their own advertisements.


My Profile

We would be grateful if all members could keep their personal data up to date (email address, postal address, telephone number, position on the map, website and social networks). This is essential if we are to provide a high-quality and reliable Alumni Directory and geographical map.


Alumni Map

Alumni, when they use their ID to log in, will be able to see more precisely where other people are: identity and links (website or Instagram account).

Without this, like the general public, they will be unable to see any details and simply a location tag.


EXECAL Association > Official Documents

The minutes of the General Assemblies are available online for EXECAL members only.


News

All EXECAL members, Alumni and Friends alike, are entitled to publish their own advertisements about exhibitions, events, projects or portraits (articles, interviews, video reports).

Consultation of these advertisements is extended to the general public and consequently visible by all.


Small Ads

Consultation and publication of small ads is reserved to those EXECAL members (Alumni + Friends) who pay a membership fee.


Jobs & Competitions

The consultation and publication of employment opportunities is reserved to those EXECAL members (Alumni + Friends) who pay a membership fee.


Alumni Directory

Consultation of this directory is provided free of charge to all Alumni who automatically become EXECAL members (without the requirement to pay a membership fee). However it is essential to have your access codes!

6. How do I register, obtain and recover my access codes?

ACCOUNT ACTIVATION or REGISTRATION, MEMBERSHIP

Alumni graduated since 2012 are all automatically registered in the directory 

- no need to register again, do not click on New Member !

- initial account activation or if password forgotten : Login > No password or forgotten ? then follow the instructions


Alumni graduated before 2012 were not all registered in the directory

- fill the Alumni online registration form

- access will be open after verification


New members Friends

- fill the Friends online registration form

- access will be open after verification and receipt of payment of the membership fee



CONNECTION TO THE PLATFORM (members-only areas)

New members: once the instructions are received, they simply need to click on Login (in the upper right) and fill in Email (username) and Password to log in.

Alumni already recorded in the Alumni Directory can use the same access codes as before, providing that the username corresponds to a private email address.

NB: it is not possible to use ...@ecal.ch email address (for new graduates who can keep their ...@ecal.ch address until the end of December of their graduation year) or ...@execal.ch as a username address (redirection service that had to be cancelled in October 2018)!!!



ACCESS-CODE RECOVERY

If you have forgotten or lost your codes (username/private email address and password), click on Login > No password or forgotten? then follow the instructions.

Once you have logged in, you can change your password yourself via My Profile (scroll down to the heading Password). However, only the administrator may change the email address as it is an ID/username.



CHANGE OF EMAIL (USERNAME, IDENTIFIER)

If you want to change your username (private email address), please write to us at:

execal@ecal.ch

alumni@ecal.ch (email for the sole use of Alumni)

The email address of the Alumni is also activated in the Alumni Directory. It is therefore important that it is always valid and updated!

7. What is the purpose of the personal space (My profile)?

This personal space is used to collect useful information for the proper processing of registrations and for exchanges of communication related to the life of the Association.


Please check, update and complete your personal data carefully, preferably from a computer to avoid errors.


ALUMNI + FRIENDS

  • Email: correct spelling (period, dash,...). The email address is also used as an identifier/username. So you cannot change it yourself (ask to execal@ecal.ch). For Alumni, it is also activated in the Alumni Directory. It is therefore important that it is always valid and updated!
  • Telephone: mention the country code +41.... (for strictly internal use only, not listed in the Alumni Directory)
  • Postal mailing address: necessary for sending invitation cards (on request) and/or the Yearbook (a service of the paying membership categories). For strictly internal use only, not listed in the Alumni Directory.
  • Biography: text to introduce yourself, add additional websites
  • Preferences: to receive or not the newsletters and/or printed invitation cards

ALUMNI

  • Degree(s), year(s) : choose the right degree and year... (avoid doing it with a smartphone)
  • Picture of profile: your portrait or a photo of a project, illustration, etc.
  • Location on the map: beware of homonyms, choose the right country! For some localities outside the West, the country's writing prevails (e.g.: Kobe in Japan must be registered in Japanese)
  • Website + Social Networks: copy/paste the website link http://... otherwise the URL link will not be activated!!!


See the General Terms and Conditions.

8. Why and how do I pay membership fees?

Although EXECAL is closely related to ECAL which supports it in many ways, it is a non-profit association which must find its own resources. This is why we ask our members for a financial contribution through our membership fees. Thank you in advance for your invaluable support.


Membership fees are valid for one year, from the day payment is received.

It is possible to change category when you renew your membership.


New graduates receive Optimal benefits free of charge during the year after graduation (from July to late June).


Accepted payment methods

  • E-banking, bank transfer (in Switzerland and abroad 
  • Payment by BV (pink payment slip, in Switzerland) 

See Becoming a Member, Benefits > Registration


It is not possible to pay by online services such as PayPal given that this method is too expensive and requires too much monitoring for a small organisation like EXECAL.

9. How do I renew or change my membership category?

You can change category or renew your membership as follows:

Login > My profile > Membership categories > Edit > choose the category.


Then proceed to payment.

Your membership fees are valid for one year, upon receipt of payment.

10. How do I publish an advertisement?

All advertisements must concern or be directed to EXECAL members, particularly Alumni.

You can edit your advertisement up until the point when the administrator publishes it (see ☆ up left). Once it is published, if you wish to edit it, you will need to ask the administrator at: execal@ecal.ch

The right arrow sign ➼ means that the advertisement is permanent. You can go back at any time.


NEWS

All EXECAL members may consult advertisements and publish their own news in this area:

  • Exhibitions & Events (talks, festivals, fairs, etc.) 
  • Projects & Portraits (press reviews, interviews, awards)

Alumni are invited to promote themselves or pass on information that might interest other members. This area can also be read by general public.


SMALL ADS

This area is reserved to those EXECAL members (Alumni + Friends) who pay a membership fee:

  • For rent  
  • For sale  
  • I am looking for 
  • Special offers (area reserved to the administrator) 

Active members may consult and publish their own small ads relating to co-working spaces, a workshop/studio to let, equipment for rent or for sale or even equipment/services required.

Only the administrator may publish a special offer, depending on the tickets for sale or possible future agreements with institutions and companies (for example, discounts).


JOBS & COMPETITIONS

Only Alumni members who pay a membership fee may consult and publish advertisements for:

  • Jobs 
  • Internships 
  • Competitions, residencies 
  • Assistance & support 

The Alumni have invested time, effort and money in achieving their Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees. Consequently, they naturally expect, as qualified professionals, to be remunerated for their work (internships and jobs).

Friends members and external advertisers cannot access this section to preserve the confidentiality of advertisers and protect their projects from competitors.


MODERATION SYSTEM

To guarantee a quality service and prevent this platform from becoming a hodgepodge, all advertisements published by members will be moderated by the administrator.


SEND IN AN ADVERTISEMENT

If you cannot publish your small ads or job offers yourself, please send us your full advertisements (assignment, profile required, period, remuneration, deadline, contact, email, telephone) to: execal@ecal.ch

NB: advertisements published on this Platform are intended for Alumni (former graduate students) and NOT for current students. In this case, you should send your advertisements to ecal@ecal.ch. They will appear on the ECAL intranet, visible only to ECAL students.

11. What do the subjects codes in the ads mean?

You can choose one or several different subject codes for your advertisements (News, Small Ads, Jobs & Competitions) to add further information and create a notification system in the future EXECAL Campus application (available in 2020):


All      : concerns all art and design subjects

AV     : Visual Arts, Fine Arts

CI      : Cinema, Film Studies

CV     : Visual communications (including Art Direction)

DG    : Graphic Design

DI      : Industrial and Product Design

MID   : Media & Interaction Design

PH     : Photography

Other : other subjects (literature, music, theatre, dance, etc.)


For ease of reading, the French original codes are not translated : AV = Arts visuels, CV = Communication visuelle, etc.

12. Why is the Alumni Directory reserved for Alumni only?

Out of respect for privacy and under data protection, the Alumni Directory is only accessible to peers (other alumni).


The directory comprises, as a minimum, the following data:

  • First Name + Last Name 
  • Year(s) – degree code(s) = 1st degree, 2nd degree at ECAL 
  • Email address 


Other data provided by alumni themselves, according to their choice in the personal space My Profile:

  • Picture 
  • Personal website 
  • Instagram profile 
  • Facebook profile 
  • LinkedIn profile 
  • Twitter profile 
  • Vimeo profile 


Neither postal mailing addresses nor telephone numbers appear in the directory.


The directory contains the complete list of alumni since 2013. Before this date, the list is incomplete.


If EXECAL Friends wished to have access to this directory, the association should, in all instances, consult the Alumni and discuss the issue. In any case, the Association is not willing to extend access to their data against their wishes.

See the General Terms and Conditions.

13. What degrees to the codes (BA-AV...) relate to?

These degree codes appear in the Alumni Directory and provide information about the degree(s) awarded to the alumni by ECAL:


BA-AV          : Bachelor’s in Fine Arts

BA-CI           : Bachelor’s in Film Studies

BA-DG         : Bachelor’s in Graphic Design

BA-DI           : Bachelor’s in Industrial Design

BA-MID        : Bachelor’s in Media & Interaction Design

BA-PH          : Bachelor’s in Photography


EPG-CV        : Postgraduate studies in Visual Communication (from 2004 to 2008)

EPG-DI         : Postgraduate studies in Industrial Design (from 2004 to 2008)


MA-AD          : Master’s in Art Direction (from 2011 to 2017)

MA-AV          : Master’s in Fine Arts

MA-CI           : Master’s in Film Studies

MA-DP          : Master’s in Product Design

MA-PH          : Master’s in Photography

MA-TD          : Master’s in Type Design


MAS-DLC     : Master’s in Advanced Studies, Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship

MAS-DRDI    : Master’s in Advanced Studies, Design Research for Design Innovation (EPFL-ECAL Lab)


ECBA            : diplomas awarded by the Ecole cantonale des beaux-arts de Lausanne (prior to 1986)

14. How does the map work?

Under My Profile, Alumni are invited to indicate their 

  • Location : temporary or permanent (internship, continuing education, residency, etc.) 
  • Website and/or Instagram profile : specify http://... for the link to be activated!!!

Anyone who has entered their location can be seen on the geographical map on the home page. They can modify this field at any time by updating their data under My Profile. 


Alumni, when they use their access codes to log in, will be able to see more precisely where other people are:

  • first name + last name 
  • place of residence
  • links (website and/or Instagram account) 


Friends and the general public will be unable to see any details other than a location tag.


This map is designed to facilitate exchanges between alumni, to track their movements and, in the long term to create a world network with regional branches.

15. How does the EXECAL Committee operate?

According to the Articles of Association (Art. 9), the Committee, elected by the General Assembly for two years with the opportunity to be re-elected, comprises a minimum of 5 members and a maximum of 9.


Also, under the same Articles of Association (Art. 10), the Committee enjoys the following powers:

  • to implement decisions taken by the General Assembly  
  • to manage the Association’s routine affairs  
  • to convene ordinary and extraordinary General Assemblies  
  • to convene Auditors  
  • to appoint working groups  
  • to represent the Association to third parties  
  • to award prizes, when necessary.  


Protocol for the election of new Committee member(s), adopted at the General Assembly of 2 October 2018:

  • The Committee launches a call for applications, where necessary 
  • Applicants send a letter of motivation 
  • The Committee examines and validates the applications 
  • The Committee announces the new member(s) at the General Assembly 


Currently, the Committee is composed of 6 members (see EXECAL Association > Committee, Statutes)

The Committee meets, in principle, twice a year to develop and monitor projects.

16. Lausanne university sports accessible to ECAL Alumni

The Lausanne University Sports (Sports Universitaires Lausanne, SUL) offer a variety of physical activities and sports to members of the community of the University and the Ecole polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in the fantastic setting of the Dorigny University Sports Centre.


This sports service extends its offer to other categories of public, including ECAL Alumni, which are part of category D.


RATES

  • Semester: CHF 200.-
  • Year: CHF 350.- 


CARD VALIDITY

  • Semester cards: 1 September → to 28 February or 1 February → 30 September
  • Annual card: 1 September → 30 September of the following year


Conditions of access and participation

These guidelines define the conditions of access and participation in Lausanne University Sports.


Activities from A to Z

Find all the activities in alphabetical order, from Afterworkout to Zumba.


REGISTRATION

By arrangement with the SUL, you can register with the UNIL-EPFL Sports Service, with proof:

  • either a copy of your diploma obtained at ECAL
  • either your ECAL card indicating "ECAL Alumni" (contact the ECAL Secretariat to obtain this mention)

Photo : UNIL
17. How do I access the ECAL Library?

The Library is reserved for the ECAL community: students, assistants, professors, staff and EXECAL members (Alumni and Friends). However, upon request, persons outside ECAL may consult the documents on site.


Opening hours

Monday - Friday : 8:30 - 17:30 (non-stop)

Closed during the academic holidays (from mid-July to mid-September, one week in October, Christmas holidays, one week in February, the week after Easter).


Contact

yoo-mi.steffen@ecal.ch (Head Librarian)

Tél. :  +41 (0)21 316 99 40


Remote access

Online pubic access catalogue to search the Library's documents.

Discover the Library's resources via Instagram.

Photo : ECAL/Calypso Mahieu
18. How do I access the Material Library?

The Material Library is located in a closed room inside the Library.

Access is restricted to ECAL students, assistants, professors and staff, as well as to EXECAL members.


Unlike the Library, which is open at fixed hours, the Material Library has variable opening hours. It is therefore imperative to call 021 316 99 40 to check its availability.


Objects (samples, items) from the Material Library and contact information for suppliers are registered in the Library's open public access catalogue :

> Several criteria > Category : MAT > Search

ECAL/Calypso Mahieu
19. How does ECAL Book Club work?

The ECAL Book Club is a platform for exchange and sharing knowledge about art books in the broadest sense. This event normally takes place twice a year at the Library at 6 pm.


Guests alternate between students and alumni who made a publication or were responsible for its graphic design.


Contact : yoo-mi.steffen@ecal.ch (Head Librarian)


#10 - Jelly Luise (Jelena Schuhmacher) invites Sanja Grozdanic (Krass Journal)

Monday 16 March 2020: CANCELLED


#9 - Hélène Becquelin, Meili Gernet (Maou)

Monday 11 March 2019


#8 - Eurostandard (Ali-Eddine Abdelkhalek, Pierrick Brégeon, Clément Rouzaud)

Monday 15 October 2018


#7 - Raphaël Verona, Thomas Rousset, Charles Nègre

Thursday 29 March 2018


#6 - Federico Barbon invited Matteo Cremonesi

Thursday 30 November 2017


#5 - Julien Gremaud invited Thomas Koenig and Myriam Ziehli

Monday 10 October 2016


#4 - Amaury Hamon, Matthieu Huegi, Nicolas Polli & Simon Mager

Monday 14 March 2016


#3 - Florine Bonaventure, Jennifer Niederhauser Schlup, Philippe Karrer

Monday 14 December 2015


#2 - Marina Caneve, Younès Kouche, Mind Purithat Thongphubal

Monday 27 April 2015


#1 - Nicolas Faure "Goodbye Manhattan"

Monday 8 December 2014


ECAL/Charlotte Favre
20. How does ECAL Cineclub work?

The Cinécal is a platform for meetings and exchanges around cinema.

It is also a place where students can propose projects such as parties, masterclasses, screenings etc...

Welcome, authenticity and mutual aid form the heart of the cinema that we wish to share.

See also: Facebook


On behalf of ECAL Cinéclub:

  1. Ilù Seydoux (student in Bachelor Film studies, 3rd year): ilu.seydoux@ecal.ch
  2. Naïla Ebinger (student in Bachelor Film studies, 2nd year): naila.ebinger@ecal.ch