Service expert in Åbo – what does that mean?

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

During the summer, Kåren has been renovated with a focus on accessibility and modernization of technology. Now, Kåren is more physically accessible – there is a platform lift in the newly renovated front yard and an elevator between the first and second floors.

Kåren is used for annual parties, concerts, theater, seminars, and many other events aimed at the members and associations of the Student Union of Åbo Akademi University. It is an important goal that everyone should be able to participate in the events that are organized.

Both the rentable Marlirummet and the gym Roddis have also been refurbished during the summer with new paint and soundproofing for a more pleasant atmosphere.

The renovation was made possible in part by a significant grant that the Student Union received from Fastighetsstiftelsen för Svenska kulturfonden.

Kåren’s renovation also coincides with the Student Union celebrating 100 years on its own lot. On September 22, 1925, the Student Union signed the deed for the property on Tavastgatan 22. For a full 100 years, the Student Union has had its own house to take care of and has worked to ensure that it is a place where all students can feel welcome and that the house belongs to them. This is something the Student Union continues to do – hopefully for at least another 100 years.

Whether you are heading to Kåren for lunch or to attend an event, we hope you feel welcome to join in!

The Tore and Herdis Modeen Foundation provides one or more travel grants for members of the Student Union of Åbo Akademi University who wish to improve their knowledge of French or German without being language students.

The Modeens wanted to encourage students to go abroad to learn languages and culture alongside their studies and therefore wanted to create opportunities for stays abroad.

The amount of the scholarship is 5000 € and can be awarded to one or more members of the student union.

Who is eligible?

The scholarship is aimed at members of the Student Union of Åbo Akademi University and can be used for, among other things, the following:

• exchange studies (excluding language students)
• internship abroad
• student exchange
• study visits
• all activities related to the applicant’s studies that can be expected to improve the applicant’s language skills in the language in question.

Associations cannot apply for this grant. Students majoring in German or French cannot apply for the grant and students majoring in other languages will not be given priority. However, minor studies in languages are considered as a merit.

The travel grant can be used, for example, to cover the costs of travel, accommodation, tuition fees for participation in language courses or excursions, but not for meals or daily allowances.

Apply for the Modeen travel grant

Applications are made using the following form. The deadline for applications is 30 March 2025 at 11.59 p.m. The applicant should attach a free-form application, a description of the trip, the purpose of the trip and the budget to the application by the deadline.

The grant received will be reported within 12 months. If the report is not received by the deadline, you cannot apply again next year and you may have to repay the grant.
Any questions can be addressed to the Secretary General of ÅAS at gs@studentkaren.fi.

During the fall, ÅAS will offer sexual counseling to all members of the Student Union. You can either come to an appointment (on site at Kåren or remotely) or you can send in a completely anonymous question.

Sexual counseling can, for example, be questions or concerns about sex, relationships, the body, sexual health, questions about identity or something else.
Both big and small questions are welcome.

My name is Nora Möller and I offer sexual health counseling. I have a special interest in norms, religion, culture and LGBTIQA+ issues. Your questions don’t need to be related to these areas.
I have professional confidentiality.

We can meet in person at Kåren or as a distance meeting. We meet about 1-2 times, 45 minutes per meeting and you don’t need to live in Turku. Counseling is free of charge.

You can also submit a completely anonymous question through this link. The link is also found on ÅAS’ Instagram. The answers are usually published every two weeks on Fridays.

If you have a question you would prefer not to be published, you can send it to the email below. Only you will receive a reply, but you will not be anonymous.

If you want to book an appointment or have questions, please use the following e-mail.
E-mail: nora.moller@abo.fi.

The Student Union seeks an Editor-in-Chief to write the traditional Student Union Walpurgis journal Errores S:tae Valpurgis together with an editorial staff. The journal will be released 30 April 2024.

Editor-in-Chief is in charge of the editorial staff’s work and is responsible for coordinating the making of the journal, such as the economy, the contents of the journal etc. The Student Union chooses the Editor-in-Chief. The editorial staff will be chosen based on the Editor-in-Chief’s suggestions at a later time.

The editorial staff will get an honorary which originates from two thirds of the possible economical surplus that the journal will generate.

The Student Union provides an interesting and challenging position of trust in a youthful and creative working environment. Desired abilities for the position as Editor-in-Chief include creativity, stress resilience, accuracy, efficiency, being systematic and the ability to cooperate.

Applications should be sent to kansli@studentkaren.fi by 4 March 2024 at midnight.

For more information, please contact service expert Nora Möller (kansli@studentkaren.fi).

Note that Errores is usually published in Swedish.

The Student Union of Åbo Akademi University Board, at its constitutive meeting on December 15, 2023, has decided on the distribution of responsibilities within the board members for the operational year 2024.

The responsibilities of the board members in Åbo (4) are divided as follows:

• Niko Sandberg: Higher education policy (national issues, student affairs)
• Oscar Björkell: Social policy (national issues, well-being, equality, city relations)
• Amanda Byskata: International affairs and communication (communication, international affairs, business collaborations)
• Emilia Melén: Student culture (events & special associations, tutor and freshmen activities)

The responsibilities of the board members in Vasa (3) are divided as follows:

• Julia Michelsson: Student traditions (events & student associations, tutor and freshmen activities, business collaboration)
• Jan Welroos: Higher education policy (student affairs, International affairs)
• Sini Eriksson: Communication (city relations)

The interview questions for ÅAS’ Board and Student Union Council’s Presidium have now been published.

The Student Union Council will interview candidates for ÅAS’ Board, the Finance Department and the Presidium on Monday, 4 December, i.e., the evening before the 1/24 Council meeting.

Because the Student Union’s official operative language is Swedish, most of the questions are published in Swedish. Not every question will be disclosed beforehand, meaning that each candidate will be asked some surprise questions during the interview.

You can take a look at the questions in the Swedish version of this news article.

Do you want to coordinate and organize one of the most traditional events in Åbo? We are now looking for a coordinator of Shrove Tuesday!

Shrove Tuesday( a.k.a Fastlaskiainen) falls on February 20th 2024. As coordinator, you will have the opportunity to develop the event even further as you will oversee the overall coordination of the event. The assignment demands the ability to cooperate and take initiative, the ability to organize and good stress management skills. The coordinator will receive an fee of 500 euros. The job requires knowledge of Swedish and preferably Finnish.

The application can be sent to evenemang-abo@studentkaren.fi. Deadline for application is on 26 November. The Board of the Student Union will select a suitable candidate on 29 November, and the newly elected coordinator will begin working on the coordination of Shrove Tuesday immediately.