Mid-Week Mail, week 19

UNIVERSITIES ACT AND FINICAL AID REFORM UP FRONT IN THE EXECUTIVE BOAR CHAIR'S VAPPU SPEECH

Around 1,000 people gathered at the Art Museum hill once again on a sunny Vappu eve to put on their white graduation caps. TYY Executive Board Chair Jukka Vornanen gave the traditional Vappu speech, taking a position on the current Universities Act proposal that is in contradiction with the objectives of autonomy, the original set purpose of the act. He demanded that the Constitutional Law Committee take contradiction into consideration in its own legal procedures and, in the future, secure the constitutional freedom of the sciences.

Vornanen spoke about the ongoing reform of financial aid and that it is pointless to try and get full-time from studies without any additional funding and an even raise in financial aid. The increase of support by tearing up a €500 bill in pieces and gluing it back together again is, according to Vornanen's speech, merely an illusion.

The whole Vappu speech is available (in Finnish) at http://tyy.fi/ajankohtaista/2009/635

TYY TAKES POSITION ON NEW ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURES OF THE NEW UNIVERSITY

The TYY Executive Board approved an official statement concerning the administration of the faculties at the new university. Part of the issues that have been dealt with in the statement will be marked in the new administrative regulations but a large part of them will probably, in any case, be a subordinate of the faculties' own decision-making. Consequently, the statement has been directed on the one hand to those who are drafting the Board Regulations, and on the other hand as a support to student representatives in university administration working in the faculties. Meetings of the faculties' student representatives in university administration and the TYY academic affairs sector worked as an incentive for the statement.

The statement demands that there would also be strong administrative bodies based on collegiality alongside department superiors at the university in the future. Moreover, there are specific proposals being presented about which matters the collegial bodies should decide on at the least and which ones would be suitable for the department superiors to decide on.

More information is available form TYY Secretary for Academic Affairs Tomi Nyström, tel. (02) 276 9613, tyy-koposihteeri@utu.fi

SEARCH FOR STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES FOR UNIVERSITY OF TURKU BOARD

The search for student representatives for University of Turku Board for a term beginning 1 January 2010 has begun. The student representative can be a member of the Student Union of the University of Turku or Turku School of Economics and who has the right to study at either one of these two universities or any other student that has membership with the Student Union.

Taken into consideration are, e.g., the student's previous experience with university administration, motivation and commitment to the task at hand as well as self-initiative and presentation skills. Student representatives are required to report regularly to the Student Union.
Free-form, signed applications along with a CV, addressed to the Student Union of the University of Turku, must be submitted by Friday, 15 May 2009, no later than 12.00. Applications may be submitted at the TYY Service Desk or sent by post to Rehtorinpellonkatu 4 A, 20500 Turku (with "Hakemus: Yliopiston hallitus" marked on the envelope). Applications can also be sent by e-mail to tyy-kanslia@utu.fi.

The selection committee of the new TYY Student Union Council will convene during week 21 to process the applications. The best candidates, based on their applications, will be called for interviews during week 22. Based on the applications and interviews, the selection committee will give its proposal to the new Student Union Council who will make the final decision at its organisational meeting on 5 August 2009.

More information: TYY-TUKY Consortium Project Secretary Tuomo Liljenbäck tel (02) 276 9613, ttlilj@utu.fi.

FINANCIAL AID BOARD HAS OPEN POSITION

The University of Turku Financial Aid Board is now searching for a student member.

Free-form applications addressed to the Student Union of the University of Turku must be submitted by Friday, 8 May 2009, no later than 12.00. Applications may be submitted at the TYY Service Desk or sent by post to Rehtorinpellonkatu 4 A, 20500.

For further information visit http://tyy.fi/ajankohtaista/2009/611 or contact TYY Secretary for Social Affairs Minttu Naarminen, tel. (02) 276 9614, tyy-soposihteeri@utu.fi.

VOTE FOR TEACHER AND COURSE OF THE YEAR

University of Turku students and staff are being asked to give their proposals for teacher and course of 2009. A proposal must be sent by at least two students, a TYY sub-organisation, at least two staff members or by a university unit. The proposals must be submitted to the Student Union by 1 June.

More information:
http://tyy.fi/news/2009/622 (teacher of the year)
http://tyy.fi/news/2009/623 (course of the year)

APPLY FOR ESN PROJECT SECRETARY FOR AUTUMN 2009

Do you want a fun and educational way to get internationalised here in Turku and make new friends from around the world?

TYY is searching for one or two Erasmus Student Network (ESN) project secretaries to lead the activities of the TYY ESN division for autumn 2009. This includes diverse free-time activities, such as excursions, fitness, cultural events and parties for University of Turku international students. Local Finnish and international students may also participate in local internationalisation through ESN activities.

The ESN project secretary position pays E400. The position can, if desired, be shared between two persons, so that each will be paid E200. Make a note in your application if you would like to work alone or share the work.

The project secretary or secretaries will:
- plan TYY ESN activities every six months together with the board member or Secretary for International Affairs
- organise planned events with active members of the TYY ESN division
- be responsible for ESN division finances
- answer the e-mails and online questionnaires concerning TYY ESN activities of international students and ESN International
- maintain the ESN webpages
- update ESN activity via Turku Student Newspaper, ESN and tyy-esnaktiivit e-mail lists and the ESN notice board
- contact and cooperate with other Finnish ESN divisions and partake in the National Platform, Annual General Meeting as well as Nordic Network Meeting events
- present ESN division activity and recruit new active members at, e.g., international student info markets, Finnish and local students returning form abroad as well as international tutor seminars
- report regularly to the Executive Board on TYY ESN activity
The application deadline is Monday, 11 May at 12.00. Applications must be made out to the TYY Executive Board and submitted at the TYY Service Desk (Rehtorinpellonkatu 4 A, 20500 Turku) or by e-mail to tyy-kanslia@utu.fi.

Check out the ESN division homepage at www.esntyy.eu.

COME AND TEST YOUR PHYSICAL FITNESS FOR SPRING!

There will be a Cooper test organised at Paavo Nurmi Stadium on Wednesday, 13 May at 13.00. Come and measure your peak at the temple of Turku running. The fun is free however may be postponed if there bad weather. Sign up by Monday, 11 May at muusiv@utu.fi.

SONGS TO COME HOME TO -- TYY CHOIR SPRING CONCERT

The Student Union Choir of the University of Turku (TYYn kuoro) will perform at the Old Academy Building (Akatemiatalo, Rothoviuksenkatu 2) on Saturday, 9 May. Built around a river theme, the concert titled "Songs to Come Home To" (Lauluja kotoa, in Finnish) will introduce songs from Mikko Heiniö, Lauri Mäntysaari, Ilona Korhonen, Erkki Nurminen, Henryk Gòrecki and Michael Tippett.

The concert starts at 18.00 and tickets (students €5.00, others €12.00) can be bought at the Academy Building before the concert or in advance from choir members or at the TYY Service Desk. For more details, please contact tiedottaja@tyynkuoro.fi or visit the choir's website at www.tyynkuoro.fi.

INTERNATIONAL SECTOR UPDATE

TYY Secretary for International Affairs spent the beginning of the week in Oulu, at the spring conference of the international administration of the higher education institutes. Issues discussed in workshops, seminars and lectures included for example student mobility, local student internationalisation, Erasmus Mundus programmes and the tuition fee trial.

TYY Committee on International Affairs has made two official statements for the Student Village Foundation (TYS). In one of these statements the Committee was criticising the raising of the office fees for those who live at TYS for less than a year. In its other statement the Committee demanded for a possibility to make rental contracts starting from the middle of August, which would be important especially for international students.

In a third official statement TYY demanded that in case there are free appartments, TYS would give the keys for new tenants already on the last week of August, even though their contracts would start at the beginning of September. This would shorten the queues at TYS Office on the first week of September, as well as solve the problem of finding accommodation for the last days of August. Getting the keys in advance has been possible before, but TYS has decided to give up this service next autumn.

TYY COMMITTEE MEETINGS

TYY Commitee on Student Affairs, 6 May at 18.15, Proffan kellari cabinet room
TYY Commitee on Develompnet Cooperation, 7 May at 12.00, Turku-sali
TYY Commitee on Sub-Organisations at 7 May at 18.00, Itäinen Pitkäkatu 13 B 21