I became a halloped (a student representative) in supplementary search in 2022. I started as a deputy member in Tampere University’s Education Council and in the faculty council of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Although I was nervous whether my knowledge was enough and I had enough time for these responsibilities, the timing was right, and the tasks were interesting.
In the spring of 2024, I worked in the same administrative bodies as a member. As a deputy member, I quickly realized that the work wasn’t rocket science, but rather it is more based on courage. Working as a halloped takes time, but in return you get valuable advocacy experience and a real opportunity to have an influence on matters regarding the faculty or the whole university community. During the halloped work, you get to know the different people working at the university and you get to represent something bigger than just yourself – the student community as a whole.
In the faculty council of the Faculty of Social Sciences I have been able to actively participate in conversations and the decision-making. Although, by glancing the agendas you might think that the matters in question have nothing to do with the students, it has been a pleasure to see how much the other members of the faculty council have been interested in the matters regarding students. That’s why it’s important that the faculty councils’ halloped positions are filled, and that there are a diverse representation of different degree programmes and students from freshers to more experienced students. This ensures the widest possible representation of the student’s everyday life.
In the Education Council on the other hand, I have been able to focus on the twists and turns of our university’s education. Even though the council itself doesn’t make decisions, it has an important role as a preparatory body for the university’s Academic Board. The Education Council is an amazing place for the students that are interested in the university’s educational matters and developing its future. The meetings are an excellent place to give messages to the faculties and the university’s administration to highlight issues that have a wide impact on students, and which might otherwise have gone unnoticed in the administration.
Although the university community is united, the everyday life a student can still be a total mystery for the university faculty. I believe that the most important task of a halloped is to emphasize the role of students in our university community. No issue regarding students is too small to bring forward to the university’s management – whether it is about teaching schedules, the degree programmes and their admissions criteria or the financial situation of the faculty.
Even if the matters that the university administration handles seem difficult, I don’t regret for a moment that I applied to become a halloped. There is so much help and support available from the administrative bodies’ other members and the chairperson, and from the student union.
Without hallopeds there is no university democracy and without university democracy we have no university community.
Onni Härkönen, halloped in the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Education Council 2023-2024