Apply for the ÅAS’ Financial Board

The Student Union of Åbo Akademi University (ÅAS) is now looking for a vice-chair for its Financial Board for 2026-2027.

To apply for a position in the Financial Board you need to know Swedish quite well. The administrative language of the Student Union is Swedish.

The Financial Board consists of a Chair, a Vice Chair and four members. The chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Finance Board must be members of the Student Union. As the Vice Chairperson of the Finance Board, you participate in the board’s meetings and activities. The Vice Chairperson also serves as the deputy to the Chairperson of the Finance Board. This role can be effectively carried out alongside full-time studies.

If you have any questions, you can contact the following people:

Chair of the Financial board

Hamish Simpson, edo@studentkaren.fi

Contact person in Vasa
Angelica Loo
angelica.loo@abo.fi

Contact person in Åbo
Emilia Melén
so@studentkaren.fi

The Election Committee has confirmed the results of the 2025 Student Union Council Elections, which took place on 3–6 November. A total of 1033 votes were cast, and despite a record number of candidates, voter turnout was lower than in the previous election in 2023.

At its meeting on 6 November, the Student Union Council Election Committee confirmed the results of the 2025 Student Union Council Election, and drew lots for the candidates who received equal comparison figures. In the 2025 Council Election, 1033 votes were cast, which means that 18,56% of all eligible student union members voted. The voter turnout fell from the previous Council Election in 2023, when the turnout was 23,07%. 

“It’s great to see students getting involved in the Student Union Council Elections, even though voter turnout has gone down. All the Electoral Associations got at least one seat, so the Council will have broad representation. I want to thank everyone who voted and, above all, everyone who stood as a candidate”, says Amanda Byskata, Chair of the Election Committee. 

FNT-listan received the most votes and seven seats in the Council

A total of 107 candidates from eight Electoral Associations ran in the Student Union Council Elections. The new Council consists of 25 Members of the Council and their Deputies. Their term of office is from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027. The new Council will hold its inaugural meeting on 27 November, when it will elect, among other things, the Student Union’s Executive Board for 2026.  

FNT-listan list received the most votes (26.7%) and won seven seats in the new Student Union Council. The second most votes went to Gemensamma Vasa (19.9%), followed by MK-listan (18.0%) in third place – both groups won five seats in the Council. Emilia Melén (De Rättvisa) got the most, 41, personal votes in the election.

“I am grateful for the trust placed in me and for being able to continue working for students and the Student Union. Our Electoral Association De Rättvisa did a fantastic job, and I am delighted to have been able to stand for DRV! Becoming a Member of the Council means a great deal to me, and I will do my very best to represent my fellow students.” says Emilia Melén (DRV), the vote magnet in the Student Union Council Elections.

Election results

The final results are shown below. Persons 1–25 are elected Members of the Student Union Council.

	Namn	Electorial Association	Amount of votes	Comparison figures
1	Tilde Strömsbäck	FNT-listan	28	276.00
2	Julia Aspholm	GV	35	206.00
3	Isabel Björklöf	MK-listan	16	186.00
4	Kevin Hede	FNT-listan	27	138.00
5	Emilia Melén	DRV	41	128.00
6	Nea Olli	GV	24	103.00
7	Lina Hermansson	MK-listan	14	93.00
8	Walter Törnwall	FNT-listan	27	92.00
9	Anton Gröning	SF-listan	28	76.00
10	Felicia Lindström	FNT-listan	22	69.00
11	Kajsa Glader	GV	23	68.67
12	Artur Ekman	DRV	25	64.00
13	Julia Stenhammar	MK-listan	13	62.00
14	Ronja Eklund	DKL-listan	19	58.00
15	Ida Puskala	FNT-listan	19	55.20
16	Niklas Vaulanen	Rödgröna	23	53.00
17	René Närhi	GV	17	51.50
18	Emilie Jäntti	LSK	21	50.00
19	Tristan Frank	MK-listan	13	46.50
20	Rebecca Ahlskog	FNT-listan	18	46.00
21	Satu Tahko	DRV	23	42.67
22	Emma Vikman	GV	17	41.20
23	Erik Malmström	FNT-listan	16	39.43
24	Lina Kronström	SF-listan	19	38.00
25	Minea Salminen	MK-listan	12	37.20
26	Runa Åberg	FNT-listan	16	34.50
27	Frida Holgers	GV	16	34.33
28	Melina Lindholm	DRV	10	32.00
29	Greta Mäkelä	MK-listan	12	31.00
30	Daniel Kass	FNT-listan	16	30.67
31	Casper Loo	GV	13	29.43
32	Jesper Öhman	DKL-listan	16	29.00
33	Joel Saarinen	FNT-listan	14	27.60
34	Malva Sjöblom	MK-listan	10	26.57
35	Niko Sandberg	Rödgröna	18	26.50
36	Noomi Talvio	GV	9	25.75
37	Sofie Lehtovaara	DRV	8	25.60
38	Antonia Holmberg	SF-listan	16	25.33
39	Svante Södergård	FNT-listan	12	25.09
40	Ronja Fast	LSK	8	25.00
41	Viktoria Björn	MK-listan	9	23.25
42	Simon Sundström	FNT-listan	11	23.00
43	Sonja Niemimaa	GV	7	22.89
44	Svea Välimäki	DRV	6	21.33
45	Lotta Martin	FNT-listan	9	21.23
46	Lotta Nurminen	MK-listan	8	20.67
47	Hope Klemets	GV	7	20.60
48	Robin Rönnback	FNT-listan	7	19.71
49	Linda-Maria Frantz	DKL-listan	12	19.33
50	Hannes Ulfvens	SF-listan	13	19.00
51	Christel Still	GV	6	18.73
52	Axel Bondestam	MK-listan	8	18.60
53	Gustav Johnsson	FNT-listan	7	18.40
54	Rebecca Aherto	DRV	4	18.29
55	Charlotta Ekman	Rödgröna	5	17.67
56	Julia Limnell	FNT-listan	6	17.25
57	Emilia Lervik	GV	6	17.17
58	Dennis Söderling	MK-listan	8	16.91
59	Sabina Olin	LSK	5	16.67
60	Casimir Ruohomaa	FNT-listan	6	16.24
61	Linn Turkki	DRV	4	16.00
62	Oscar Tallberg	GV	5	15.85
63	Max Kaituri	MK-listan	8	15.50
64	Risto Ruohola	FNT-listan	4	15.33
65	Julia Kultti	GV	5	14.71
66	Jasper Paalanen	FNT-listan	3	14.53
67	Rasmus Österlund	DKL-listan	6	14.50
68	Eddie Bäckström	MK-listan	7	14.31
69	Santeri Kylämäki	DRV	4	14.22
70	Liam Söderlund	FNT-listan	3	13.80
71	Johannes Perätalo	GV	5	13.73
72	Samuel Valjus	MK-listan	7	13.29
73	Matti Saarinen	Rödgröna	4	13.25
74	Minea Laakso	FNT-listan	2	13.14
75	Johnny Lindfors	GV	4	12.88
76	Bei Korkiala	DRV	2	12.80
77	Robin Holmström	FNT-listan	2	12.55
78	Anton Åkerman	LSK	5	12.50
79	Tony Bergman	MK-listan	6	12.40
80	Aurora Peurala	GV	3	12.12
81	Saga Kujansivu	FNT-listan	1	12.00
82	Cassandra Ewalds	DRV	1	11.64
83	Aada Järvinen	MK-listan	6	11.63
84	Oliver Söderström	DKL-listan	3	11.60
85	Emilia Grönlund	GV	2	11.44
86	Martin Påwals	MK-listan	6	10.94
87	Oliver Pimenoff	GV	2	10.84
88	Sam Sågfors	Rödgröna	3	10.60
89	Sini Piippo	MK-listan	4	10.33
90	Nora Jakobsson	GV	0	10.30
91	Olivia Landén	LSK	3	10.00
92	Wilma Alho	MK-listan	3	9.79
93	Benjamin Hjelt	DKL-listan	2	9.67
94	Madeleine Lönnqvist	MK-listan	3	9.30
95	Tony Rantanen	MK-listan	3	8.86
96	Robin Seppälä	MK-listan	3	8.45
97	Mi Adolfsson	LSK	3	8.33
98	Jacob Rönnberg	DKL-listan	0	8.29
99	Maria Smeds	MK-listan	2	8.09
100	Valentin Vainio	MK-listan	2	7.75
101	Emilia Degerth	MK-listan	2	7.44
102	Mikael Lehtinen	MK-listan	1	7.15
103	Vilma Sirén	LSK	2	7.14
104	Lucia Stenger	MK-listan	0	6.89
105	Markus Huurinainen	MK-listan	0	6.64
106	Alexander Kruglov	LSK	2	6.25
107	Karin Jyrkänkoski	LSK	1	5.56

Distripution of seats by Electoral Association

• FNT-listan 7
• MK-listan 5
• GV 5
• DRV 3
• SF-listan 2
• DKL-listan 1
• Rödgröna 1
• LSK 1

Electoral Association	% of votes	% of seats in the Council
FNT	26,7 %	28 %
GV	19,9 %	20 %
MK-listan	18,0 %	20 %
DRV	12,4 %	12 %
SF-listan	7,4 %	8 %
DKL-listan	5,6 %	4 %
Rödgröna	5,1 %	4 %
LSK	4,8 %	4 %

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For more information, contact
Veera Gustafsson 
Secretary General, ÅAS 
gs@studentkaren.fi 
tel. 02 215 4652

This year, the Student Union Council has decided to donate money to the Ärligt talat chat service.

One of the objectives of the Student Union of Åbo Akademi University (ÅAS) is to promote and advocate for the well-being of students. Therefore, the Student Union Council has decided to donate 1500 € to Ärligt talat – a Finnish-Swedish support chat service that offers free, anonymous and professional counselling with a low threshold for young people and young adults. The initiative to choose Ärligt talat as the recipient of the donation came from the Council group Gemensamma Vasa (GV).

“As most people know, many young people need someone to talk to, while healthcare queues are getting longer and longer. That’s why it feels natural to support an service provider that makes it easier and faster to get the help you need. Supporting Ärligt talat is therefore also a way for us to promote students’ mental health and well-being, which is something we at the Student Union stand for and want to do to give all students in Swedish-speaking Finland a chance to get help more easily when they are struggling,” says Member of the Council Herman Björk (GV), who proposed the Ärligt talat chat service as a donation cause.

Ärligt talat offers low-threshold support every weekday

Ärligt talat is a Finnish-Swedish support chat service for young people aged 13 to 29. Through the chat, young people can anonymously, free of charge and easily get in touch with professional counsellors such as psychologists, sex counsellors and social workers. Ärligt talat chat offers low-threshold support for young people struggling with mental health issues, study stress, relationships, loneliness or life questions. The chat is open from Monday to Friday.

“It takes courage to talk about how you feel, so when you are ready to take that step, help should not be far away. We are very grateful for ÅAS’ donation, which helps us to continue offering anonymous and free counselling by professional counsellors. With us, you can chat directly with a psychologist, without a referral or appointment, regardless of where you are in the country. Students can turn to us in both crises and everyday life – remember that you don’t have to be alone with your thoughts,” says Anna Valkeakari, development coordinator for the Ärligt talat chat service.

ÅAS makes an annual donation to an organisation whose activities are in line with the Student Union’s values. The Student Union Council decides each year on the recipient of the donation. By choosing to support the Ärligt talat chat service this year, ÅAS wants to make a concrete contribution to promoting students’ mental health.

My name is Veera, and I work as the Secretary General of the Student Union of ÅAU (ÅAS). The Secretary General’s tasks include leading the Student Union’s Advocacy Sector. I work closely with the staff and the Board (especially the Chair of the Board), but also with the Presidium of the Representative Council (that is, the Chair and two Vice Chairs), the Executive Director of ÅAS, and external partners such as the Secretary Generals of other student unions. 
Depending on who I’m working with, my role can look a little different – sometimes it’s about developing our activities, and sometimes it’s about putting decisions into action. 

Together with the Board and the Council 

As the title suggests, I act as secretary in many of the Student Union’s bodies, for example during Board and Representative Council meetings. The Council meets around eight times a year and decides on the major matters of the organisation, such as the budget and action plan, and appoints student representatives to various bodies within Åbo Akademi University. 
The Board meets every other week (except during the summer and Christmas holidays) and makes more day-to-day decisions – for example, choosing the Fastlaskiainen coordinator, organising events, or deciding who represents ÅAS at different occasions. 
Together with the Chair of the Council and the Chair of the Board, I make sure that decisions are carried out. 

 Budgets, Grants, and Balance 

In addition to administrative tasks, I’m also responsible for financial follow-up. I handle grant applications, support the Board with corporate partnerships, and make sure each month that we stay within the budget set by the Council. 
I also help the Board with financial matters, such as event budgeting or planning new purchases. 

 Strategy Work and Development 

In 2025, one of the Secretary General’s key tasks has been to update ÅAS’s strategy. In this process, my role has been to gather input, listen to different opinions, and weave them together into a shared vision..The strategy is one of our most important documents – it guides nearly everything we do in our everyday work through our values and long-term goals. 

Excel, History, and a Love for Numbers 

Besides all that, I really enjoy working with Excel and data! Over my years at ÅAS, I’ve worked a lot on collecting and analysing data to understand how our organisation has developed – for instance, when it comes to scholarships: how has their size changed over the past 20 years? 
I also love digging into old minutes and annual reports to see what ÅAS used to be like and how we’ve evolved over time. 

You can contact me about almost anything! And if I don’t know the answer, I’ll help you find the right person who does.  

My name is Amanda, and welcome to a look into my everyday life as a Service Expert here in beautiful Vaasa. 

ÅAS operates in two cities – Åbo and Vasa – and we have Service Experts in both locations. Our jobs are quite similar, but at the same time, they each have their own unique sides. As Service Experts, we’re here for our student union members – to answer questions and take care of our service points. 

The best part of my job is the close contact I have with students and our associations here in Vaasa. 

What does a typical week look like?

My work is a wonderful mix of different tasks and can vary quite a lot from week to week. The most consistent part, however, is our service point, which I keep open twice a week. You can stop by if you want to buy student union items such as overall patches, ribbons, or student cap lyre, or if you need a sticker for your student card. 

A large part of my work also involves answering emails and managing our facilities in Havtornen. In addition to the ÅAS office, Havtornen also includes a living room and a sauna, which we rent out to students, our associations, and even outside guests. As a student union member, you get a discount when booking these spaces – highly recommended! 

I handle all the practical aspects of the rentals and make sure our spaces stay clean and in good condition. 

Other responsibilities

In addition to these tasks, I also manage our starter packages, which we rent out to exchange students. The starter kit includes things like a duvet, pillow, pot, glass, plate, and cutlery – and I take care of the inventory. This means I get to both welcome our exchange students when they arrive in Finland and wave them off when they head home. 

I also serve as one of ÅAS’s two harassment contact persons and am available for students who have experienced harassment, inappropriate treatment, bullying, or other difficult situations. I also meet with associations and their boards to provide training on preventive work and how to handle such situations at their events. 

I listen, help put thoughts into words, and support students in figuring out how to move forward. As a harassment contact person, I’m bound by confidentiality, and it’s always up to the person who reaches out to decide what steps to take next. 

That little extra

During my years here in Havtornen, I’ve also had the chance to do some exciting things – organizing a 15th-anniversary celebration for Havtornen, creating a timeline (photo wall) in the elevator corridor, updating the Havtornen website, and contributing as one of the writers for ÅAS’s history book Vårdträdet X! 

As a Service Expert, I’m here to help you – our student union members and our special associations. I’m happiest when students or board members drop by Havtornen to take care of an errand or just to chat for a bit. 

If the door to our office here in Havtornen is open, you’re always welcome to come in and say hi – so please, stop by! 

Amanda Ehn
Service Expert in Vasa
havtornen@studentkaren.fi

As a Communications Specialist at the Student Union of ÅAU (ÅAS), I am responsible for ÅAS’ communication, i.e. everything from newsletters to social media, photography and website development. I work closely with the Board and Staff to support them in creating content themselves. Proof reading texts is therefore also part of my weekly tasks.

It is important that everyday communication runs smoothly

The Board is the public face of ÅAS and makes most of the social media posts very independently, but if you are thinking of applying to the Board and are not comfortable with social media yourself, there is no need to worry; at the beginning of the year, I hold training sessions for the Board so that everyone has the time and opportunity to learn everything from the basics. I will also teach the Board to use WordPress and publish content on the website!

I am also in charge of ÅAS’ internal communication and have held training sessions on, among other things, how Teams and Outlook are used within the organisation, so that everyone has the same opportunities to participate in discussions regardless of location or if they for example have chosen to work remotely on a particular day.

Creating content requires time and planning

The Board is responsible for the Student Union’s day-to-day external communications, which is why we hold weekly communications meetings that all Members of the Board and Staff are invited to attend. At these meetings, we go through the plans for the upcoming posts on social media and on the website, and plan how future content will be realised and created – i.e. who does what, what kind of photos or videos are needed, and when they should be taken or filmed. ÅAS already has a fairly broad collection of different kind of tools that come in handy in content creating, such as a digital system camera, ring light, a stabilising gimbal for phones, and now, as the newest addition, a set of wireless microphones have arrived in both Vasa and Åbo to improve the sound quality of our videos.

For larger events and projects, it is then my turn to take the lead and design material for different communications channels. When the new Board gathers together for the first time, I take photos that I then post on the ÅAS website and a contact poster. I usually take photos of the entire Board at the same time, and it is also possible to take other photos, for example, to send to the media houses with press releases. I enjoy graphic design and have in recent years designed the animals on the Fastlaskiainen (Shrove Tuesday event) overall patches on a drawing tablet. Designing printed material and online guides is also part of my job, so I get to use almost the entire range of Adobe programmes in my work.

Accessibility and inclusion matter

The Student Union’s content must be accessible and inclusive, so these themes are always part of the training sessions I hold. I not only train new Members of the Board, but have also held training courses for Staff, ÅAS’ associations and Student Union Council Members, among others. Accessibility is something I am passionate about and have studied a lot, so it is something I actively promote in my work.

In recent years, ÅAS has become almost entirely bilingual in its communication, and we emphasise that all our members should have equal opportunity to access the information we share on our communications channels. This applies not only to different languages such as Swedish and English, which are the languages ÅAS communicates in, but also to writing and speaking in plain language, using short sentences (which I admit I could improve on myself) and sharing the same information on multiple channels, as not all our members are in social media and may not be reached by the information there.

Different areas of expertise can be combined in the work

As a Communications Specialist at the Student Union of ÅAU, I have been project manager for the acquisition of a new website. My studies in Computer Science came in handy in this project as I facilitated the entire planning process. It was also helpful in communication with the service providers. The project was, of course, carried out in close collaboration with the Board and Staff, who helped by participating in workshops I organised to restructure the navigation bar and by rewriting content in plain language, among other things.

Overall, my job is very diverse and rewarding, and there is always something new to learn and to develop.

Mari Frelander
Communications Specialist
The Student Union of ÅAU

I am employed at the student union as an expert in higher education policy, student social benefits, well-being, and student rights. My job is to support union members, associations, elected representatives of ÅAS, and student representatives in the ÅAU administration. I have held the title of student representative since the job descriptions for ÅAS employees were updated a few years ago. We initially considered calling me an “advocacy expert,” but fortunately decided that sounded too complicated and dry. The title Students’ Rights Expert is more descriptive; I hope it signals that “yes, you as a student should get in touch, and I am happy to help.”

ÅAS advocacy work

ÅAS’s mission is to make students’ everyday lives as good as possible. We, the employees, are here to support the union board and the student council. I work closely with the union board by providing background information on student health, accessibility issues, and national regulations related to education. We often write texts together or make plans for campaigns.

I am involved as the Student Union contact in ÅAU’s Equality Committee and Crisis Support Group, and I also participate in meetings on student well-being and in collaborative groups with the Student Health Care Services.

Decision-making at ÅAU

One of my tasks is to handle the practical aspects of electing student representatives to various groups within ÅAU. I also organize training for the student representatives and answer their questions so that they can influence ÅAU’s decision-making as effectively as possible. The contact and communication between ÅAS and the student representatives is important so that we are all aware of what is being planned and decided at ÅAU. Especially now, when major changes may occur in education and course offerings, it is a priority to maintain close contact with everyone involved in the work.

How the Students’ Rights Expert can support individual students

I assist individual students in problem situations, for example, by finding out which rules apply to courses and examinations at ÅAU or which organizations can support international students. I often participate as a support person for students in meetings with ÅAU staff regarding, for example, suspicions of plagiarism or violations of the rules of conduct. My role is always to view matters from the students’ perspective and to ensure that students’ rights are upheld. This applies both if a course teacher has not followed the ÅAU rules and if a student has not followed the ÅAU rules.

What happens if I get in contact with the Students’ Rights Expert?

It is up to you what happens! I am happy to listen to what you are thinking about and answer questions or provide information, or provide contact details. If you do not want that, we will never take a question further to anyone else. All emails and everything we discuss are confidential.

Petra Lindblad
Students’ Rights Expert at ÅAS
petra@studentkaren.fi

Since the Student Union operates in both Åbo and Vasa, there is also a service expert in both cities. As a service expert, I am here to help with all kinds of matters that Student Union members may have. Three days a week, we have the service point at Kåren . You can come there to get answers to questions or buy union merchandise such as overall patches, ribbons, or student cap lyre.

Common questions that the Student Union members might have are about the membership and what it entails, i.e., what benefits you get. These include inexpensive student lunches, discounts on public transportation, and various forms of counseling.

Other questions are about associations and where they can arrange meetings or parties, and which spaces at Kåren you can use (spoiler: all spaces on the second floor can be booked for meetings and exercise completely free of charge, and for parties you pay no rent, only for food and drinks).

If you are a member of an student association, you can book items for annual parties or other festive celebrations via ÅAS – like a schnapps bell, the Finnish flag or a marshal rod. I am also happy to help with association matters. If your association wants to update its statutes, I will gladly read through the statutes and brainstorm ideas with you on how to improv them, or to simply be an extra pair of eyes.

As a service expert, I am here to help you as a Student Union member or part of one of the student associations. You are very welcome to contact me if you have any questions!

Service expert in Åbo,
Nora Möller

Voting for the Student Union Council Election 2025 is now open! The voting is done electronically and you can vote at any time until Thursday 6 November at 3 pm. Click here to vote. You log in with your ÅAU username and password.

When you have voted you can also reward yourself with a free election overall patch, which you can pick up from the service points at Kåren or Havtornen! You do not need to prove that you have voted to get an overall patch.

If you do not already know which candidate you want to vote for, there is an election compass to help you choose the right candidate. You can find the election compass here.

If you want to be one of the first people to know the results in the election, you can participate in the election night event on Thursday 6 November at 6 pm in the lunch room at Kåren.

You can find all information on the election here. 

It’s time for the International Students’ Survey! Your answers provide valuable information as to how ÅAS can improve and develop – and by answering the survey you also get a chance to win a 15€ gift card!

In this survey, you can share your thoughts on how you have experienced both your studies and also your student life outside of them! The point of this survey is to hear your thoughts on how we could improve YOUR student life. There are leading questions where you have the possibility to elaborate on your experiences or thoughts – all of which are very important to us.

Your answers provide valuable information as to how we, the Student Union, can improve and develop!

As a part of the survey, we are raffling off 5 gift cards to the K-stores, worth 15€ each. To participate in the raffle, just leave your abo-email address at the end of the survey. Your answers will remain anonymous, even if you choose to participate in the raffle!