TREY is an advocate for their members especially at Tampere University and the city of Tampere, but also on a larger scale in the whole society. The student union has shared policies decided by the Council of Representatives, and advocacy is done in the framework of those policies.
Key topics in our advocacy work include students’ financial aid, students’ housing, students’ healthcare, the quality of teaching and its criteria, lifelong learning, the status of students and international students in the university community, internationalisation, equality and accessibility.
Most of the student union’s advocacy happens out of sight, because often the most productive time for advocacy is when things are in their preparatory stages. In those stages, decision-makers from different quarters are met and proposals are prepared for them. The results have significant effects on the students’ lives. The easiest way to follow the advocacy work is by following our communications channels.
TREY does not do advocacy work alone, but in cooperation with others. The associations and the student representatives nominated by the student union make sure that the students’ voices are heard in decision-making on every level of the administration of the university. Student representatives also do advocacy in various bodies and working groups at our university and in other interest groups.
Work concerning urban advocacy is done in cooperation with the Students’ Union of Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Tamko). Students are advocated for nationally by the National Union of University Students of Finland (SYL), which TREY is a member of. Together and separately the student unions have negotiated support systems and benefits that concern all students. Advocacy work is also done in cooperation with Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland, Akava students, Finnish Union of University Professors, Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers, among many others.
Educational affairs
Educational affairs advocacy (or “kopo” in short in Finnish) covers issues concerning studying, education, the student’s legal protection, as well as the university and its administration. The advocacy in educational affairs promotes the students’ possibilities of flexible and high-quality studies and their possibilities to participate in developing the education at the university. Educational affairs concern every single student’s daily life at Tampere University.
In the student union, the educational affairs advocacy is handled by the specialists and the Executive Board’s educational affairs organisers. Their duty is to ensure that the students’ voices are heard everywhere in the university and that the university staff remember to consider students in their decision-making. You can reach the educational affairs sector via kopo@trey.fi.
Social afffairs
Social affairs (or “sopo” in short in Finnish) handles matters concerning the preconditions of studying, study ability and the well-being of students. These include health, housing, income and questions of equality. The sector also takes care of urban advocacy in matters that concern students. The purpose of the social affairs advocacy and operations is to promote studying conditions to support all kinds of students through different situations in life.
In TREY, social affairs are handled by the student union’s two Specialists in Social Affairs, as well as a varied number of organisers. The social affairs sector aims to provide the students with as good conditions and preconditions as possible to focus on the student’s main job, studying. You can reach the social affairs sector via sopo@trey.fi.
In the social affairs sector, almost all the advocacy work is carried out in cooperation with others. Regular cooperation is done with, for instance, the University, FSHS, Juvenes, TOAS and the City of Tampere. In addition, important cooperation partners are Students’ Union of Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Tamko), the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) and the Finnish Student Sports Federation (OLL).
International affairs
Internationality is a theme that is considered in all student union operations. The task of the student union’s international affairs sector is to make sure that Finnish students have possibilities for internationalisation and that international students are considered in the services of the university and the student union. You can reach the international affairs sector via kv@trey.fi.
Tampere University has annually about a thousand foreign students. About half of them are degree students doing their master’s degree. The degree students study in many different faculties that provide education for a master’s degree or a doctoral degree in English. The other half of the international students are exchange students, who come to Tampere for a term or two. The majority of the exchange students come through the Erasmus program, but there are also people from the university’s bilateral student exchange and a few that have arranged the exchange themselves.
TREY’s international affairs sector works closely together with the international associations and the university’s Centre for International Education. The students’ possibilities for exchange years and intern periods overseas are essential for gaining international experience and improving language skills. Studies completed during exchange are also easily included as a sensible part of the degree. Internationality does not always necessarily mean travelling elsewhere. You can become internationalised in your home university, e.g. with the help of the versatile language studies that are offered. One excellent way of getting to know international students is to become an international tutor – read more about this on the Tutoring-subpage.
The advocacy work of the international affairs sector is linked closely with questions both about educational affairs and social affairs. TREY advocates for free education for students coming from outside the EU/EEA-region, who must pay tuition fees at the moment. In addition, TREY aims to advance the extensive language course offering and Finnish language teaching for exchange students. TREY also believes that the international degree students’ employment opportunities are important, so that as many international experts as possible could be persuaded to stay in the country. The student union also helps the international students in matters concerning housing, insurance, residence permits and health care.
Banner picture: Anriika Kauppi / TT-kamerat