Kategoriat
Student representative to the art council for choosing works of art for the new building, Astra
A student representative is needed for the group that will choose works of art for the outdoor spaces and interior of the new building Astra at the Åbo campus (“the new Gadolinia”).
A competition will be announced in September and the student representative will be a member of the art council that elects works of art among the submitted alternatives. Firstly, artwork for the outdoor spaces will be chosen, later the art for the interior. The planning of the premises and the outdoor areas is important as Astra will contain spaces that all students at the Åbo campus will use.
The Student Union seeks a person with an interest in art and study environment for the role as student representative in the council. The representative will be elected by the Student Union Board on Wednesday 6.9.2023. Send your application via abo.fi e-mail to kansli@studentkaren.fi before Tuesday 5 September 2023 at 11.59 p.m. You can include some text about who you are, what you study and why you want to represent the students in the choosing of art for the new building!
Contact regarding the assignment and the election of the representative: Students’ Rights Expert Petra Lindblad, petra@studentkaren.fi
The Student Union has been publishing the Valpurgis magazine Errores every year since 1933. For 90 years the magazine has been sold, or handed out, almost every 30 April. The archive of magazines at Kåren is large, but mainly analogue.
Thanks to financing from the alumni association the Student Union is able to have someone work with the digitalization of the magazine during the summer. The hopes are not only that the archive will be safer with digitalization, but that the previous editions might be able to be published on the web for everyone to read and enjoy.
Please note that all Errores editions are only available in Swedish.
Press release
8 June 2023
For immediate release
Seniorernas Råd (the seniors’ council) of the Student Union of Åbo Akademi University (ÅAS) annually awards one or more scholarships from Makarna Olins fund. Applicants are required to have held positions within the Student Union or its sub-associations. The size of the scholarship is 2300 euros per month, for a total period of 38 months.
Scholarship recipients
At its meeting 26 May 2023, Seniorernas Råd has decided that this year’s scholarships will be given to:
Melanie Rydgren (FPV, health sciences) for the thesis “Green caring – Digital health services role in climate-friendly welfare practices”, 13 months.
Rasmus Marjanen (FHPT, general history) for the thesis “Modern-Day Veterans. Historical developments in veteran identity among Finnish and Swedish peacekeeping- and crisis management personnel from 1956 onwards”, 12 months.
Nina Nyman (FHPT, gender studies) for the thesis “From Online Activism to Archival Activism – Ethical Care and Aftercare of the #metoo-action #dammenbrister”, 8 months.
Carl-Gustaf Stenvall (FNT, cell biology) for the thesis ”A link between world”: Cytoplasmic keratins and nuclear lamines in proliferation and cancer of colon epithelial cells”, 5 months.
Questions can be directed to
Veera Gustafsson
Secretary General
02 215 4652
gs@studentkaren.fi
The Student Union’s service points are closed during summer.
The service point in Åbo will be closed for the summer between 18 May and 28 August 2023.
The service point in Vasa will be closed between 16 May to 3 September 2023.
If you have errands to any of the service points or any questions, please contact kansli@studentkaren.fi (Åbo) or havtornen@studentkaren.fi (Vasa), and we can help you!
The Student Union Council has budgeted 5,000 euros for 2023 intended for project funds. You can read about the board’s decision down below.
When distributing these funds, the Board decided to consider the following criteria: Projects that promote student union community, sustainable development, well-being, the association’s activities, or the inclusion of international students.
To the Board’s delight, many applications were received, and the funds have now been distributed according to the principles above. The big question is, what have funds been granted for in practice?
Of the applications received, the Board has prioritized projects that also benefit other students in addition to the association’s own members. In this case, it has been about everything from various acquisitions and events to themed days and record recordings. In between, funds have been granted for renovation of a cabin, updating of the association website and for flags and marshal ribbons. As the share of money is limited, excursions and annual parties have been de-prioritized this time with reference to continuous activities and other sponsorship opportunities.
The Student Union wants to develop safer spaces at all events and in everyday activities and has therefore developed the policy for safer spaces.
The Student Union Council at Åbo Akademi University approved the Safer Space Policy at the meeting 7/22. The policy assumes everyone’s right to their own space, personal integrity, and the right to be heard and understood. The model for the safer space policy describes the process of individual and shared responsibility. The principles outline fundamental social rules that make sure everyone can feel safe and taken care of in all situations. The Student Union wishes that these principles are considered during all events and operations with associations and students. Safer spaces benefit everyone.
In case you are ever in a situation where you feel uncomfortable during an event and you feel that you cannot solve the issue by yourself, we urge you to contact the event organizers.
Safer Space Policy – The Student Union of Åbo Akademi University (ÅAS)
- Respect the mental integrity and bodily autonomy of others.
- Remember that you do not know another person’s boundaries unless you ask them.
- Never touch anyone without their consent.
- You have a right to ask for your own personal space.
- Never ridicule, taut, disregard, or humiliate anyone.
- Abstain from commenting on someone’s looks, gossiping, or maintaining stereotypes.
- Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.
- Listen – do not make assumptions.
- Do not make assumptions based on looks or behavior. Never assume someone’s sexual orientation, gender, nationality, religious beliefs, social values, socioeconomic background, or health.
- Give space for others to join the conversation. Treat sensitive topics with respect.
- Listen and learn. Take in new information, people, and points of view without prejudice.
- Treat new situations as an opportunity to learn and evolve.
- Apologize if you have treated someone badly, be it either on purpose or by mistake.
- Be respectful.
The Student Union of Åbo Akademi University is an organisation that follows the safer space policy. This means that all activity within the organisation follows these principles. The principles are meant to create a sense of safety and understanding for all students within our student community. The principles are in place to remind everyone of respecting the boundaries of others and to call everyone to scrutinize their own behavior and be aware of areas where they can intervene to create a safer space.
The Student Union values equality, respect, and a safe space for everyone. The safer space policy is designed with the following values in mind:
- The right to be yourself and express yourself however you want to.
- The right to your own personal space.
- Respectful conversations.
- A safer environment for everyone.
- Zero tolerance for harassment or discrimination of any sort.
- Individual and collective responsibility.
How the Safer Space Policy looks in practice.
- We give each other space to be ourselves and express ourselves freely.
- We give each other physical space. We respect the personal space and physical boundaries of others.
- We do not make assumptions and instead ask respectful and polite questions. We should never assume someone’s gender, ethnicity, sexuality, relationship, level of education, political leanings, language, culture, health, or other personal characteristics.
- We should not make assumptions about anyone based on these characteristics.
- We make efforts to have a culture of respect when conversing. We do this by listening when another speaks, we let each other feel heard, and we do not make personal attacks.
- We do not use degrading language. We do not use racist, sexist, or ableist terminology in either serious or joking manners.
- If something has gone badly, we apologize and do better next time.
- We protect each other and look out for each other’s safety in all circumstances.
- We intervene when we observe something inappropriate happening, either by ourselves or with the help of someone else.
- When we remark upon problematic behavior, we do it respectfully and constructively.
- The Student Union does not tolerate any harassment or discrimination of any sort. The victims of harassment and/or discrimination are met with support and are always taken seriously.
- The communication for what issues can be taken to the harassment contact persons is clear both internally and externally.
- In case you are accused of inappropriate or bad behavior, you take the criticism to heart and make sure to do better in the future.
We all have a collective responsibility to act according to these principles and values. A safer space is achievable when the principles are followed. Nobody is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, but we can always learn from these mistakes.
Fees for student representatives in the ÅAU administration the academic year 2022–2023
The Student Union Board has on it’s meeting 10/23 decided on the size of the fee and what groups are eligible for the fee.
ÅAU has a sum per year that can be used as fees for students elected by the Student Union to act as student representatives in the governing bodies at the university. The Student Union Board decides which groups are included in the payment of fees. The fees are paid once a year, in the end of the academic year. All student representatives will receive information via e-mail on what information to provide for the payment to be made. If you have any questions, please ask the Students’ Rights Expert Petra Lindblad who is responsible for the administration: petra@studentkaren.fi.
The Student Union Board has decided that the fee for the academic year 2022–2023 is 23 euros per meeting. Governing bodies like the faculty boards are included in the decision as well as committees and working groups. The Equality Committee for ÅAU is the only group for now that works in both Swedish and English and has international students as representatives.
Press release
19 April 2023
For immediate release
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 14 roses. This is the 28th year in a row that ÅAS observes ÅAU’s staff by handing out diplomas and roses for good work.
Nicolina Nordman, Pia Ahlback, Katja Sandqvist och Casimir Ruohomaa (Foto: Amanda Byskata)
This year these people were awarded roses
Pia Ahlbäck
Jannika Backholm
Marina Bendtsen
Kim-Erik Berts
Anders Brink
Linda Eriksson
Mikaela Heikkilä
Brita Jung
Mikael Kurula
Jonas Lagerström
Jutta Rosenberg
Katja Sandqvist
Kim Strandberg
Björn Vikström
Questions can be directed to
Nicolina Nordman
Chair of the Board,
The Student Union of ÅAU
+358 50 401 3524
so@studentkaren.fi
Marina Bendtsen och Lina Sjöberg
Every year, the Student Union of Åbo Akademi University celebrates its annual ball on the weekend closest to 18 February, which is the birthday of the university’s founder Per Brahe. The annual ball of 2024 will be celebrated on 17 February in Åbo.
The Annual Ball Coordinator works closely with the Student Union’s Board and staff to coordinate the preparations for the annual ball.
The Board of the Student Union has announced the position of Annual Ball Coordinator as vacant. Furthermore, the Board has determined a remuneration of 500 euros for the elected coordinator. The coordinator will be elected by the Board on 26 April.
If you became interested, please send your application to Board Member Amanda Byskata, samarbete@studentkaren.fi
The deadline for applications is 24 April at 11.59 p.m.
The new deadline for applications to faculty councils is moved to 11 April.
Under the application time we unfortunately did not get enough applications. Applications that we have already received are still valid, and those who have already applied don’t need to apply again.
Faculty councils are responsible for development of education in faculties, decide on education and teaching plans, confirm structure of examination and learning goals for degrees. Faculty councils of FPV and FSEJ have 5 student representatives, and 5 deputies. Faculty councils of FNT and FHPT have 4 student representatives, and 4 deputies.
Students elected for the posts need to know Swedish quite well, as the administrative language of Åbo Akademi University is Swedish