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The Student Union traditionally hands out roses to a few in the Åbo Akademi Univeristy’s staff that have a high standard on their education or have otherwise inspired and motivated the students in their studies.
Who do you believe deserves a rose? You can nominate any ÅAU staff member. Send us your suggestion, with a motivation. To nominate you simply fill in this form. The deadline for nominations is 31 March.
We student unions say: it is time to stop making it more difficult for students to graduate!
Orpo’s government is proposing a fee of 50 euros for university students applying for an extension to complete their studies. The government’s goal is to raise the level of education in Finland, but at the same time, it is adding new obstacles to students’ graduation. Combined with the cuts to subsistence, adding a fee for applying for an extension only serves to repeat the same old message to students: you are nothing but a burden to society.
The government only justifies its proposal by stating that it would standardize practices across universities and universities of applied sciences and promote the equal treatment of higher education students. However, equality cannot be promoted by making the situation worse. The fee was introduced in universities of applied sciences at a different time and with different justifications.
Genuine equality would be represented by removing the fee from students in universities of applied sciences as well. This begs the question why Orpo’s government did not propose this instead.
The mental image of an eternal student lazing their way through their studies is inaccurate. Almost half of all higher education students work alongside their studies (Eurostudent VIII). At the same time, nearly one third of higher education students suffer from mental health challenges (Finnish Student Health and Wellbeing Survey 2021).
Graduating in target time is not always in the student’s own hands. Students need extensions and apply for them for many different reasons. Students who started their studies during the coronavirus pandemic are in an especially vulnerable position. Significant challenges with study progress can already be observed among them.
Adding a fee for applying for an extension encourages students to choose dropping out of the university despite being close to completing their studies and heading to working life without graduating. At a time of an extensive shortage of experts, can we truly afford to set up more obstacles to graduation?
No impact assessments have been made on the fee either. Orpo’s government is choosing to fumble around blindly while the goal of raising the level of education in Finland gets further and further away.
We student unions say: it is time to stop making it more difficult for students to graduate! The Finnish government can support students graduating through sensible policies that promote wellbeing and subsistence. This reform is not going to help with that.
A completed degree benefits both students and the whole society – whether it is completed in target time or during an extension. It is wrong to punish students for wanting to complete their degrees.
Signatories:
Fanni Mattsson
Chair of the Board of Aalto University Student Union
Antti Kaijansinkko
Chair of the Board of the Student Union of the University of Helsinki
Akseli Immonen
Chair of the Board of the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä
Noora Hakulinen
Chair of the Board of the Student Union of Tampere University
Jonne Kunnas
Chair of the Board of the Student Union of Åbo Akademi University
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.
Nora Möller, who previously worked as The Student Union of ÅAU’s (ÅAS) Real Estate Coordinator, has now also been hired as a substitute Service Expert and Associations’ Expert. Möller will start in her new role on Thursday 1 February 2024.
From Thursday 1 February 2024 you can meet Nora Möller at the service point in Åbo. Möller has previously worked as ÅAS’ Real Estate Coordinator and taken care of, among other things, Tavasthem’s student apartments and the Kåren building. Now she has been hired internally and will continue in her duties as Real Estate Coordinator for ÅAS’ Financial Department while taking on new tasks as Service Expert and Associations’ Expert.
Nora Möller has taken on the task with eagerness and is motivated to serve the student union members at the service point and help ÅAS’ associations with various questions. Although Möller works mainly in Åbo, the ÅAS’ associations in Vasa can also contact her in any association-related matters. All our employees work for the student union members and associations on both campuses.
The opening hours at the service point in Åbo remain the same and Nora Möller will be at the student union members’ service at the service point on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between noon and 3 p.m. at the Kåren building.
The Equality Committee of ÅAU consists of members of the staff and students at the University. There are two student representatives who both have substitutes in case they cannot attend meetings. We are now opening the call for a new substitute.
The committee discusses and takes initiatives regarding all aspects of Equality, Equal treatment and accessibility. The committee is involved in the writing of the Equality Plan and Equal Treatment Plan for ÅAU, as well as the follow up on how the plans are implemented.
The committee works in English and Swedish. All materials are translated and the discussions at the meetings are interpreted. The next time the committee has a meeting is 19 March.
The Student Union seeks a person with an interest in matters regarding equality and accessibility. The representative will be elected by the Student Union Board on Wednesday 28.2.2024. Send your application via abo.fi e-mail to petra@studentkaren.fi before Thursday 22.2.2024 at 23.59. You can include some text about who you are, what you study and why you want to represent the students in the committee!
Contact regarding the assignment and the election of the representative: Students’ Rights Expert Petra Lindblad, petra@studentkaren.fi
Press release
17 January 2024
For immediate release
The Student Union Council of the Student Union of ÅAU (ÅAS) has elected Sandra Österlund as substitute Secretary General. The Presidium and the Student Union Council are looking forward to working with Österlund, and Österlund herself hopes to create positive and meaningful experiences in her position. Österlund starts her work on 1 February 2024 and will stand in for Veera Gustafsson during Gustafsson’s parental leave.
Sandra Österlund, who was elected as the substitute Secretary General of ÅAS, is from Jakobstad and has a wide range of working experience and good knowledge of student unions’ work. Österlund is experienced in event planning, has studied sociology and has worked as a Service Expert at the Student Union. Kajsa Viitamäki, Chair of the Student Union Council, says that the qualities emphasized in the recruitment process were leadership, knowledge of financial management and experience of student unions’ advocacy work.
– Choosing Sandra Österlund as substitute Secretary General was based on her good leadership skills and extensive knowledge of the Student Union. The Presidium and the Student Union Council look forward to working with Österlund, says Viitamäki.
Österlund is very grateful for the Student Union Council’s confidence in her as Secretary General, and at the same time, she feels inspired to together with the Board and the Student Union Council to create positive and meaningful experiences for both those who work at ÅAS and the members of the Student Union.
– Being able to lead and contribute to the success of the organisation will be an exciting challenge and a valuable experience. I look forward to working together with the elected representatives and continuing the work together with ÅAS’ knowledgeable staff!” says Österlund about her new position.
For more information
Kajsa Viitamäki
Chair of the Student Union Council
Åbo Akademis Studentkår
fo@studentkaren.fi
+358 50 356 4611
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)
ÅAS is now looking for a Secretary General for a temporary parental leave position from 1 February 2024, or as agreed. The location of the position is Åbo. The duration of the position is approximately one year.
Please note that in order to apply for the job, you need to be proficient in Swedish as the Student Union’s official operative language is Swedish.
You can find more information about the position in the news article in Swedish.
Press release
5 December 2023
For immediate release
The newly elected Student Union Council has today elected the Board and the Presidium for the year 2024. In the coming year, the Student Union’s activities will be led by a Chair of the Board who wants to work for students’ finances and well-being, and a Chair of the Student Union Council who will put focus on careful and respectful decision-making.
At its inaugural meeting on Tuesday 5 December 2023, the Student Union Council elected the Board and Council Presidium for the year 2024. The new Board consists of the Chair and seven Board members, of which the Chair and four Board members will work in Åbo, and three Board members will be in Vasa. In addition, a Vice Chair, a member, and two expert members for the ÅAS’ Financial Board were also elected.
Jonne Kunnas, who was elected as Chair of the Board for the coming year, is a pharmacist student at Åbo Akademi University. Kunnas has previously been a member of the Student Union Council, has been active in associations, and influenced in a trade union’s student association. Kunnas has a clear picture of what he wants to work for as the Chair of the Board of ÅAS.
– In my opinion, the Student Union should strive hard for a more stable financial situation for students, sufficient mental health care, and do long-term work for wellbeing and the quality of education. Within the Student Union, we should continue the work to ensure equal and appropriate operations in Vasa and Åbo. The Student Union’s members should get the best possible services for their membership fee, Kunnas says.
Amanda Byskata was elected as Vice Chair of the board. Niko Sandberg, Oscar Björkell, Emilia Melén, Jan Welroos, Julia Michelsson and Sini Eriksson were elected as Board members. Welroos, Michelsson and Eriksson will work in the ÅAS’ student union building Havtornen in Vasa, while Byskata, Sandberg, Björkell and Melén will work in the student union building Kåren in Åbo.
The new Chair of the Student Union Council emphasises the importance of careful and respectful decision-making
Kajsa Viitamäki (Rödgröna listan) was elected as the Chair of the Student Union Council. Viitamäki has been Vice Chair and responsible for social policy in the ÅAS’ Board in 2023, and will now continue her work within the Student Union as Chair of the highest decision-making body of ÅAS.
– I want to lead an active and committed Council where decision-making is done with care and respect for different perspectives, Viitamäki states.
The rest of the Presidium consists of First Vice President Jens Sabel (FNT-listan) and Second Vice President Angelica Loo (Gemensamma Vasa).
Max Lydman was elected as Vice Chair of the ÅAS’ Financial Board and Felix Nygård as a student member. Jarkko Kaplin and Riina Forsman will continue as Expert members. The Financial Board manages the Student Union’s properties and investments.
For more information
Veera Gustafsson
Secretary General
tfn. 02 215 4652
gs@studentkaren.fi
Call for a student representative to the VOAS board for 2024–2025.
The Student Union elects one member to the board of the student housing foundation in Vasa, VOAS (Vaasan opiskelija-asuntosäätiö). The board is elected for 2024–2025. The student representative will be elected by the Student Union Council at their meeting 4 November 2023.
More information about VOAS is found on their website. The working language is Finnish. Applicants need a level of Finnish that enables them to read materials and take part in discussions.
The board member will receive an attendance fee per meeting, the VOAS fee is about 180 euros. It is possible to attend the meetings per Zoom when needed. The representative needs to be in close contact with the Student Union, and follow the Student Union’s values and policy paper.
Apply the latest 4 December at noon. Sent the application via your abo.fi-address to kansli@studentkaren.fi. Tell us who you are, why you are interested in becoming a member of the VOAS board and why you think you could represent the students well.
Contact person regarding the election is ÅAS’ Students’ Rights Expert Petra Lindblad, petra@studentkaren.fi.