“They’re just the university and the President’s favorite kids,” “they don’t care what student associations do or want,” “they’re just playing politicians.”
Over the years, I have heard many examples of grumbling about the activities of our Student Union. I admit that I myself have sometimes uttered some of the above statements. Now, however, I’m ending my year as the Chair of that same Student Union, proud of the work we have done during the year and sad to be leaving my desk at the office. How did this happen?
Exactly. I have wondered about this myself over the course of the year. However, I think it all came down to two things. First, the above-mentioned anger and grumbling and the decision to seek change. Second, I was motivated to improve the position of us students at our University, more broadly in Tampere, and even more broadly in society as a whole, and the Student Union board was exactly the place where I could do this advocacy work. So, once I understood the critical role of the Student Union in promoting my interests and those of my fellow students, it was easy to conclude that I wanted to develop its activities in the direction I thought best.
I remember my “election themes” being about boldly conveying students’ messages to city decision-makers during the municipal elections. I remember talking about how the Student Union board should be open to new ideas and initiatives so that we don’t get stuck in a rut. And I remember talking about how we students should be informed about what the Student Union office is actually doing.
Yes, perhaps that is the crux of the matter. In order for each of us to realize, as I did a year and a half ago, that the much-maligned Student Union is actually needed and that it truly defends each and every one of us, we all need to be informed about its activities. My preconceptions and previous swear words have faded away as I have gotten to know our activities inside and out. In hindsight, it is even amusing to remember the criticisms I heard and uttered in guild and club rooms against the Student Union.
Our warm relationship with the University and the President is definitely one of our strengths as a Student Union and the result of our long-term work. However, we have not always been the favorite children in every situation. Striving for cooperation and dialogue are our primary means of influence in every matter. If, even after discussions, attempts are still made to trample on our students’ rights or weaken our position, we are prepared to defend them to the bitter end. It is worth reading our latest statement on the reduction of language teaching, which also received media attention.
In our current board, each of us has a background in our own student associations, many of us for several years. So I think we know something about the wishes and needs of guilds, student associations, and clubs. And these wishes and needs are not forgotten when you regularly drop by for coffee in the guild room or Skellari. Thanks to everyone who has been active in keeping me firmly grounded throughout the year!
And then there is the issue of playing politics. Based on my own experience, this is a criticism that is particularly prevalent among tech students. However, after a year, I am convinced that Student Union activities are indeed political, primarily in terms of student politics, and that is how it should be. The issues that determine our lives and studies as students, such as the level of student financial aid and the number of months of support, or the level of basic funding for Universities, are decided at the political table. So, of course, we must also strive to influence these tables. We tech students are also thought to be as far from politics as possible; the word itself is almost a dirty word in our teekkari culture. Dear fellow tech students, as someone wisely said aloud during the past year, we tech students have a lot of opinions on how student culture, the Student Union, and society as a whole should be developed. So we are inclined to talk about politics, even if we deny it. The Student Union is therefore an excellent place not only to talk but also to move from words to action, both for us tech students and for every other student.
Did I accidentally slip into preaching mode? My apologies, let’s get back to the topic at hand. Over the past year, we have been working hard at the office to improve our external communications. We have been relentless in our social media efforts, compiling monthly news, holding my-days, reporting on the decisions made at our meetings, and even running some IG live events. The equality plan approved in the fall sets a goal that our board’s agendas will be available to all our members in the future. This way, everyone can read about our meeting topics in advance, not just afterwards in the form of a list of decisions. I am proud of the direction we are taking.
I hope that we don’t all have to apply to the Student Union board to find out what the Student Union actually does. (Although thousands of board applicants would be a delightful sight in the fall.) I strongly believe that we should all be able to obtain information about the Student Union’s activities in other ways as well. However, it took me a year as Chair of our board to overcome my preconceptions, and I am so grateful for this year. So, I warmly recommend applying to join the board!
These happy words are a good way to end my last text of the year at the helm of my beloved TREY. Thank you to everyone who has been with me throughout the year! It is time to wistfully give up my desk, my work computer, and my TREY Instagram account and acknowledge that it is time for the next hard-working group to take our Student Union a little further. Development develops, as they say in the guild rooms!