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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.
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.
On Tuesday 5 December The Student Union Council will decide who will be elected to the Student Union Board, and other positions.
You can read the candidates’ applications in the Swedish version of this news article.
We have now opened the application period for the Student Union’s Financial Board!
For more information, read the news article in Swedish, or contact Lina (sopo-vasa@studentkaren.fi) or Kajsa (sopo-abo@studentkaren.fi).
N.B. In order to apply, you need to be proficient in Swedish as the Student Union’s official language is Swedish. For the time being, ÅAS is unfortunately unable to translate all the operations to English.
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.
The Student Union Council has decided to make a donation to All Our Children that promotes equality for children and young people, and works on eradicating racism and discrimination.
The Student Union of Åbo Akademi University (ÅAS) has always strived to be an inclusive and safe place for all students, regardless of their background or experiences. This year, when ÅAS’ presidium considered which organisation to donate to, All Our Children was an obvious recommendation. All Our Children is an organisation devoted to promoting equality for children and young people, with a special focus on eradicating racism and discrimination.
– We are determined to not only talk about the fact that everyone is welcome in our organisation, but to also work for it actively. Racism and discrimination have no place in our society, and not in our student union. We cannot stand idly by when we see disturbing news about racism in our government, or anywhere else in society. We must act and try to resolve the situation, says the Chair of the Student Union Council, Ines Latvala.
The Student Union is here for all students, regardless of their background, and ÅAS strives to create a community where everyone can feel included and welcome. Active work in condemning and eradicating racism is not only right, but a necessity. ÅAS stands side by side with organisations such as All Our Children in the fight against racism and discrimination. By donating to their work, the Student Union of ÅAU hopes to be able to contribute to a better and more inclusive future for everyone.
Together, we can make real difference and show that racism has no place in either our operations or in society.
The Student Union of ÅAU (ÅAS) is looking for a new Board for 2024. The Board uses the administrative and executive power of the Student Union, and the new Board will be elected on 5 December 2023 at the Student Union Council’s meeting.
Please note that in order to apply for the ÅAS’ Board, you need to be proficient in Swedish as the Student Union’s official operative language is Swedish. For the time being, ÅAS is unfortunately unable to translate all its operations to English.
You can find more information about applying for the Student Union Board in the news article in Swedish.
Any questions? Contact us
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding the Board’s work or applying for the positions. You can visit us at our offices in Kåren (Åbo) and in Havtornen (Vasa) during the Service Point’s opening hours, or send us an email.
Person responsible for Board elections in Vasa
Lina Sjöberg, sopo-vasa@studentkaren.fi
Person responsible for Board elections in Åbo
Kajsa Viitamäki, sopo-abo@studentkaren.fi