Statement
AYY’s representative council
For immediate release

In the fall of 2015, after the statement given by TEK’s teekkari committee, there was a lot of discussion at Otaniemi regarding whether the teekkarihymni should have its words revised. The discussions did not lead to a formal stance on the issue, but it was seen best to let everyone sing the song in the manner of their choosing.

At the guilds, the singing of the teekkarihymni started its shift a few years ago, when the new first year students have been taught the song with the new words. Several different ways to sing the song have already begun to emerge. Some older students might sing it with the old words out of habit, naturally.

The teekkarihymni was worded most likely in the 19th century, when the word ”neekeri” was a common word to denote a person of a dark skin tone. The societal meaning of the word has shifted with the times, however, which forces pressure to change the song as well.

AYY does not condone racism or racist activities in any form. The teekkarihymni is not meant to be racist, and it should not encourage the people singing it to act in a racist manner. The teekkarihymni is clearly a product of its time, and like all cultures, the teekkari culture develops and shifts with the times. The original words should not be erased from history altogether.

The view of the AYY Representative Council is that the words of the teekkarihymni do not reflect the values of the Student Union in their current format. The council recommends that associations in the Aalto community and other communities will take note of this in their activities. In addition, the council recommends that singers of the song will replace the word ”neekeri” with a different word of their choosing in the future.

The Representative Council had the statement in its agenda in meeting 11/2016 on the 4th of November 2016

More information:

Pietu Roisko, Chairperson of the AYY Representative Council pietu.roisko@ayy.fi, 040 512 0386