Press releases

24.9.2018

More than 50 free subevents at the Otaniemi Night of Arts art festival

Press release
Aalto University Student Union
Free for release from 21 Sept 2018

Aalto University Student Union AYY combines forces with student organisations and sets up Otaniemi Night of Arts, an interartistic art festival, on Saturday 6 Oct. The full programme of the free event aimed at all residents of the metropolitan area has now been published.

Otaniemi Night of Arts is a new kind of art festival organised for the first time on the Otaniemi campus of Aalto University. The event, taking place on the first Saturday of October, is characterised by student initiative and a broad conception of art.

The festival consists of more than 50 independent subevents organised by Aalto University students and other members of the Aalto community. The event is coordinated by the Student Union.

“We were delighted with the amount and variety of subevents, which exceeded our expectations,” says Julius Laakkonen, who is in charge of artistic activities on the Board of Aalto University Student Union.

Traditional, experimental and surprising art in the programme

All of the more than 50 events in the Otaniemi Night of Arts programme are free of charge. The first events start at 1.30 in the afternoon, and there is plenty of activity around the campus until the early hours.

The programme includes, for example, music from rap to traditional student choirs, dance, media art – and some more unusual works of art, such as a painting to be collectively coloured in using paintball guns. Many of the subevents, such as the art tapestry and ukulele workshops, are suitable for the whole family.

“The range of the events makes Otaniemi the leading arts district in Espoo, at least for a day. Otaniemi will become the Berlin of Espoo,” announces Luukkanen with a twinkle in his eye.

The detailed programme and schedule of the festival can be found at http://bit.ly/OtaniemenYoOhjelma.

The student community showcases its creativity

Otaniemi Night of Arts is part of Aalto University Student Union’s theme year, the Year of Art.

The purpose of the year is to highlight the collective creativity of Aalto University’s interdisciplinary student community. Hence, the festival is being organised by a combination of students from all Aalto schools as well as several student associations from hobby clubs to subject organisations.

The free event is aimed at all citizens.

“At the Student Union, we see daily that the Aalto community is capable of a multitude of things. I’m excited that we can now invite the whole metropolitan area to get to know the artistic, surprising side of our community,” remarks Luukkanen.

More information and interview requests: Tero Uuttana, Student Advocacy Specialist for ARTS students, 050 520 9439 or tero.uuttana@ayy.fi.

Festival programme and schedule: http://bit.ly/OtaniemenYoOhjelma

Festival website: www.otaniemenyo.fi

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2220457434854832/

17.9.2018

Football player Katarina Naumanen is Aalto Athlete of 2018

Press releases, Sports, Sports Bulletin Leave a comment

Aalto University Student Union (AYY) is presenting football player Katarina Naumanen with the award of Aalto Athlete of 2018. The winner was announced at the Aalto 10km/5km running event on Sunday 16 Sept 2018. Naumanen was not able to attend the event herself but will receive the award from the Student Union at a later point in time.

Naumanen plays football for the women’s league team of Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi (HJK), which is one the most successful teams in Finnish football history. Naumanen plays defence, and additionally coaches the girls’ team of HJK.

Naumanen is also in Finland’s national women’s football team. She played her first international match in February 2014 and, by the end of 2018, she has played a total of 16 international matches.

Naumanen graduated last spring from Aalto University’s Bachelor’s programme in Economics and Business Administration and is presently continuing her master’s level studies.

The AYY Board chooses the Aalto Athlete of the year based on the suggestions made by members of the Student Union. In addition to sports achievements, the selection criteria emphasise academic performance and fair and honest participation in the student community’s activities.

Fellow students gave the following reasons for selecting Naumanen:

“Katarina Naumanen has a phenomenal ability to combine elite sport and studying and to succeed in both sectors. In addition to studying and sports, Katarina has managed to make space in her calendar for taking part in student associations’ activities, too. Kata has been an active member of Nordiska Ekonomie Studerandes Union (NESU) which promotes the collaboration of Nordic economy students, the sports tutoring association EnerKY and the Women of Aalto association. In these associations’ activities, Kata’s sunny and encouraging personality cheers up everyone around her. You rarely hear her moan about anything.

Those who know Kata say she is always ready to participate and to help, whether it is about organising events or completing course assignments.”

Aalto Athlete of the year is an award presented yearly by Aalto University Student Union. The award is presented to an Aalto student who has gained sporting success at national or international level, is successful in their studies, and is fair and honest in their participation in the student community’s activities.

More information: Lauri Seppäläinen, Board member of Aalto University Student Union lauri.seppalainen@ayy.fi

13.5.2018

AYY handed the Flower Day compliment to Museum Director Susanna Pettersson

Press releases, Student Union Leave a comment

News Bulletin
For Immediate Release

The Aalto University Student Union handed the Flower Day compliment to the Ateneum art museum Director Susanna Pettersson on the 13th of May 2018.

During the year 2018 the Student Union is celebrating the Year of Art. The aim is to bring art into the spotlight in many ways, and to enhance students’ comfort, well-being and to help them have enough strength to study. Art is very prominent in the Aalto community this year because the School of Art and Design will be moving to their new facilities in Otaniemi during the fall.

The receiver of the Flower Day compliment was chosen with the Year of Art in mind. Susanna Pettersson has been involved in enhancing the visibility of art in Finnish society and is a member of the Aalto University Board.

Pettersson is currently acting as Director of the Ateneum art museum. Her previous tasks include director of the Finnish Institute in London, board member at the visual art center Frame, directorial tasks at several cultural institutions including the Alvar Aalto foundation, the Alvar Aalto museum and several tasks at the Valtion Taidemuseo (National Art Museum) which preceded the Finnish National Gallery.

In addition, Pettersson has been a member in several evaluation groups, committees and steering groups at the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education. She is a docent of museology at the University of Jyväskylä, and acts as a guest lecturer at for example the Reinwardt Academy in Amsterdam.

Pettersson received the Flower Day compliment in the Ateneum art museum in Helsinki on Saturday, the 12th of May. On Sunday, the 13th of May, a video of Petterson receiving the compliment was shown in Servin Mökki at Otaniemi, as a part of the Flower Day celebrations that everyone interested was welcome to join in.

History of the Flower Day compliment

The Flower Day compliment used to be a spring greeting to Helsinki from teekkari students who have moved to Otaniemi. The first Flower Day compliment was given to Eero Rydman, incumbent Lord Mayor of Helsinki at the time, on the 13th of May 1956.

Now, the point of the compliment is to direct the gaze of political officials to current affairs or affairs that students think are important like education, living, mass transportation, research or national defence. The message has been handed, among others, to the President of the Republic, several ministers, members of parliament and other societal influencers.

The Flower Day compliment of May 13th 2018 in its entirety:

(Read an English translation of the compliment under the photo.)

The Flower Day compliment

Dear museum Director and Board member Petterson!

The surest sign of spring, the Flower Day message, is here again, even more magnificent than before. From the cradle of art, Otaniemi, we deliver thee this traditional message, the 66th Flower Day compliment.

Our grand dreams come true when technology and business finally meet the valuable art. The campus community blooms and we shall enjoy the fruits together.

We can finally be true, multidisciplinary creators and we shall understand how art lights up our world. This understanding remains with us throughout our lives and opens up new possibilities. We wish that each Aalto student can challenge their own creativity and also test their own limits in the scientific community.

Student benefits, street art and joint artistic ventures keep the spark of youthful inspiration going strong. We hold it dear to our hearts that the Finnish art community embraces our students with open arms, further strengthening the passion for art.

Thus, this year, we have the Year of Arts – a noble aim to make art easier to approach in all of its forms. The students shall be awaken to see the creativity in our community and the campus shall celebrate our collective prowess. The collaboration with Aalto University is important to our community. This year, we can express ourselves and show our art to the world when we gather together to celebrate the Otaniemi Night of the Arts.

It’s never easy when the times are changing, there are always some troubles along the way. Let’s make sure art continues to have a place in our community in the future. Otaniemi is the best place to study and live.

In Ateneum
On Flower Day 2018

More info
Campus section chairperson Aino Hautala
+358 44 255 0934, aino.hautala@ayy.fi

25.4.2018

Opinion: Swedish is one of Aalto University’s three languages

Educational Policy, Press releases, Statements and Contentions, Student Union, Trusteeship Leave a comment

For release 25th of April 2018

The Aalto University Student Union AYY and Teknologföreningen TF are worried for the position of Swedish-speaking students at Aalto University. AYYs theme for 2018 has been well-being and equality, and the language issue is essential. TF has long upheld discussion regarding these matters in meetings with the university management, and there have been promises to tackle the problems.

According to feedback we’ve received, Swedish-speaking students encounter challenges both in everyday teaching situations and when consulting administrative services. For example, updating and maintaining Swedish study related information on the web is often neglected, and study counseling is not always available in Swedish. Being forced to discuss such matters in a non-native language causes an inconvenient situation for the student. The language an exam should be determined by a simple choice made on WebOodi, but in practice this often requires some negotiation, which puts the student in an uncomfortable position.

Aalto has three working languages: Finnish, Swedish and English, enabling everyone to flexibly take part in all daily activities at the University. Following the agreed-upon guidelines and policies is important, in order for students speaking a minority language to have equal opportunity in education and efficient legal security.

If you feel like your student rights are not being fulfilled as they should, there are three options:

Talk to the teacher in charge of the course.
Talk to the student representatives, association study affairs responsibles or to the AYY advocacy experts. AYY, student representatives and study study affairs responsibles work together: the student union carries out advocacy in the scope of all of Aalto and supports the student representatives. The best answers on questions of a specific field of expertise can be found from the staff members in charge of student representatives and from study affairs representatives. Advocacy pertaining to Swedish-speaking students in Aalto is carried out especially by TF.
You can also contact the head of the degree program or the head of learning services of your school. You should also talk to your co-students, since the problem might concern several students.

More information:

Suvi Vendelin, study policy correspondent of the AYY Board, suvi.vendelin@ayy.fi, 0407524692

Victor Granlund, vice chairman of the board, Teknologföreningen, viceordforande@tf.fi, 045 1381738

Minna Mäkitalo, Specialist (Academic Affairs), minna.makitalo@ayy.fi, 050 520 9438

6.3.2018

STUDENT HEALTHCARE CHANGES DUE TO THE SOTE REFORM

Press releases, Social Policy, Students Leave a comment

Release of the National union of university students in Finland (SYL) 5.3.2018

The legislation concerning the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) and its operations will change as part of the overall reform of social services and healthcare in 2020. The legislation on student healthcare is only being prepared now and the details of it will be confirmed in June 2018. However, based on information in the media, we can deduce the following:

The access to FSHS’s services will be widened to encompass students at universities of applied sciences (UAS), including students studying for a UAS Master’s degree.
Foreign students without degree rights will be excluded from the FSHS’s services.
The healthcare fee will be increased from 54 euros to 75 euros. At the same time, all FSHS’s client fees will be abandoned.
With the Sote reform, healthcare legislation will be streamlined. As a part of this process, the tasks of student healthcare will also be changed. This means that there will be less specialist medical care provided at FSHS.

However, the fact that specialist medical services such as gynaecologists and dermatologists will no longer be provided does not mean that students no longer will receive treatment for such. General practitioners can provide many of the services currently provided by FSHS. If a student needs the services of a specialist, FSHS will direct the student to specialist services.

The information we comment on here is based on the draft legislation as of now and there might still be changes to the draft.

—

Following people in Aalto university student union answer student queries and provide other informatio if necessary

Lauri Jurvanen, Specialist student advocy lauri.jurvanen@ayy.fi +358 50 520 9418

Lauri Seppäläinen, board member, lauri.seppalainen@ayy.fi +358 40 651 5656

30.11.2017

AYY selected the board for 2018 – Noora Vänttinen becomes the Chairperson

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Aalto University Student Union

Press release 30.11.2017

For immediate release

The Council of Aalto University Student Union (AYY) selected the Board for the Student Union for the year 2018 in its meeting on Wednesday, the 29th of November. The Council chose Noora Vänttinen, Master’s student at the School of Electrical Engineering as the new Chair of Board. Vänttinen has worked in the AYY board in 2017, handling communications, the brand, museum and archives. Previously Vänttinen has worked with the Tempaus 2016 project, among others.

The other nine (9) members of the board are:

Tapio Hautamäki, SCI

Mikael Liimatainen, ELEC

Suvi Vendelin, ARTS

Emma Savela, ARTS

Lauri Seppäläinen, SCI

Noora Tanska, SCI

Hilja Korhonen, CHEM

Mikhael Koufos, BIZ

Julius Luukkanen, SCI

During the coming year, AYY will focus on issues such as ARTS students’ move to Otaniemi, planning of the new student centre, and the wellbeing of students. “It’s going to be quite a year full of cooperation that will build a basis for an even tighter Aalto community,” Vänttinen says.

The term of the Board will begin in January and last a calendar year. The new Board will organise itself in its first meeting.

The Student Union of Aalto University, AYY, is a service and advocacy organisation for around 15,000 students of Aalto University. AYY acts as the advocate of the interests of its members, particularly in education policy and study-social matters.

Further information:

Noora Vänttinen, hallituksen puheenjohtaja, noora.vanttinen@ayy.fi