Press release
Free for publishing: 15 Nov 2012
The Aalto University Student Union (AYY) awarded the International Deed of the Year prize to SIK International under the Electrical engineering guild. In addition a special mention was awarded to Aalto International Coalition and the authors of the open letter to student organizations.
SIK International was awarded for its outstanding efforts to integrate international students into the student community. It has organized a great variety of activities and provided the students a comprehensive set of information in English. It is also remarkable that a balanced mix of Finnish and international students have been involved in organizing these activities.
Aalto International Coalition was awarded a special mention for a great step forward in fixing the underrepresentation of international students in decision-making. The coalition formed by international students managed to get two seats in the representative council. The representatives have been able to work despite language barriers thanks to interprets provided by AYY.
Bernardo Clementino and Andrei Kalesnik were also awarded a special mention for the open letter they wrote to student organizations. They collected 184 signatures from international students and managed to raise a lively discussion on how international students could become involved in student organizations.
With the award, AYY wants to draw attention to the importance of high-quality internationalisation for Aalto students. International students must have an opportunity to participate in the activities of the academic community at all levels.
The prizes will be awarded at the international sitsit dinner party on 15 November 2012.
Aalto University Student Union AYY is the service and advocacy organisation for approximately 15,000 Aalto University students. AYY acts as the advocate of its members in academic and social affairs, in particular.
Further information:
Hanna Sauli, Specialist, International Affairs. international@ayy.fi, tel. 050 520 9446.