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During the autumn enrollment ceremony, two deserving teachers at Åbo Akademi Universty are awarded the titles of Teacher of the Year or Educational Visionary of the Year.
Do you have a teacher who excels in teaching, is inspiring, pedagogical, present, and knowledgeable? If so, suggest them for Teacher of the Year!
Have you collaborated with staff or had a teacher who inspires, encourages innovation, is student-centered, and innovative? Nominate that person for Educational Visionary of the Year!
Submit a well-motivated nomination here by June 4 at 12 p.m.
The Student Union of ÅAU (ÅAS) traditionally hands out diplomas and roses to those in the staff of ÅAU that the students want to thank for their input, educational skills and for meeting the students with empathy and as individuals.
The students of ÅAU got to nominate staff and attach a short descriptive motivation of why they think the person deserves a rose. The Student Union Board has taken the motivations into consideration while deciding the recipients of a rose.
Empathetic and encouraging guidance and feedback had an important role in the nominations. Taking the mental well-being of students in consideration and the positive effects of the possibility to flexible studies, were some of the reasons why students decided to nominate lecturers. Even educational skills of the staff, and the ability to create a good learning environment, were especially appreciated according to the nominations.
The Student Union Board has decided to hand out 15 roses as well as one bonus rose. This is the 29th year in a row that ÅAS observes ÅAU’s staff by handing out diplomas and roses for good work.
Ilia Gugenishvili, Emilia Melén and Jonne Kunnas
This year the following people were awarded roses
Ann-Sofie Smeds Nylund
Camilla Svens-Liavåg
Klas Backholm
Maria Björkmark
Bodil Haagensen
Roland Nylund
Anki Stenkull-Aura
Anna Schmidt
Ann-Catrin Östman
Mikael von Numers
Eva Henriksson
Jan-Erik Lönnqvist
Nanuli Silagadze
Jaana Aaltonen
Ilia Gugenishvili
This year the Executive Board elected to award an extra bonus rose to a person from outside the Åbo Akademi University staff, that students wished to thank.
Leif Jahn
Employed by Kårkaféerna
Questions can be directed to
Jonne Kunnas
Chair of the Executive Board
The Student Union of Åbo Akademi University
+358 50 401 3524
so@studentkaren.fi
Julia Michelsson, Sini Eriksson, Camilla Svens-Liavåg and Jan Welroos
During the last weeks’ frame negotiations, the government decided to make cuts to students’ income. The largest cut directly affecting students is the shift from general housing allowance to a form of housing supplement.
- From general housing allowance to housing supplement
To save money, students are being moved from the general housing allowance to a form of housing supplement. This means that when the change takes effect, you as a student will no longer receive the general housing allowance. The new housing supplement will likely be linked to the student allowance. The size of the new housing supplement is still being looked into, but it will likely decrease from the current level. Details are still unclear. The matter is further discussed in the working group for the total reform of student allowance at the Ministry of Education and Culture. The Student Union will inform as soon as more details become available. The change will take effect on August 1st 2025. - Tax increases – Value Added Tax (VAT)
The Orpo government has also chosen to increase certain taxes. The increase that affects students the most is an increase in the VAT. Goods and services with a 24% VAT will be raised to 25.5%. This means that most everyday services will become slightly more expensive, such as barber visits and fuel. The VAT on medicines and groceries will not be increased for now. The change is planned to take effect no later than September 1st 2024. - Increases in healthcare fees
Some fees within public healthcare will be increased. This applies to the healthcare services of wellbeing services counties. If you have prescription medication, the deductible for medications will be increased from €50 to €70 per year. At the same time, fees for doctor visits will also be raised. The extent of the increased fees is still unclear. The fees will be raised during the autumn of 2024.
The government’s decisions will hit students hard. The Student Union will keep you updated on the decisions being made. The Student Union is also working together with other student unions and the National Union of University Students in Finland to try to prevent the total dismantling of students’ basic security.
The Student Union of ÅAU (ÅAS) is looking for a new Member of the Board for August–December 2024.
Please note that in order to apply for the ÅAS’ Board, you need to be proficient in Swedish as it is the Student Union’s official operative language.
You can find more information about applying for the position in the Swedish version of this news article.
The Student Union of ÅAU continues to work for the climate as the backyard of the Kåren building will be transformed into a root vegetable garden in collaboration with Kårkaféerna.
As a part of the Student Union of Åbo Akademi University’s (ÅAS) environmental plan to combat climate change, both the Student Union and Kårkaféerna have made significant efforts to promote locally produced food. To continue working for the environment, the backyard of the Kåren building will be transformed into a garden where root vegetables will be cultivated. Based on the results of Kårkaféerna’s customer questionnaire, the focus will primarily be on locally produced beetroots.
The Student Union is committed to environmental efforts in both campuses, therefore the terrace of the Havtornen building in Vasa will be converted into a fishing pier. Rumor has it that fish fingers are very popular at Academill, and ÅAS aims to compete in the local fish finger market and secure its share of the profit.
In the near future, ÅAS will recruit both gardeners and fishermen. Both the Student Union and Kårkaféerna hope that as many as possible will apply for these sought-after positions.
This news article is ÅAS’ this year’s April fool’s joke, and was made in collaboration with Kårkaféerna.
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.
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