Land under our feet

In this blog post, our secretary general, Paula Karhunen, provides background for the secretary general’s proposal for HYY’s budget for 2026. Processing the budget begins with the secretary general’s proposal to the Board’s Financial Committee.

Before moving forward, we need to address the elephant the size of student houses in the city centre.

In March 2025, I stated that HYY will land on its feet despite the debt that property finances is in. Today, 13 November, after the decisions made by HYY’s Representative Council, we should now feel this land under our feet. If not now, we should definitely feel it once the overall arrangements made to take care of the debt have been concluded and the Student Union is free of debt. This morning, everyone may not feel like HYY has landed on its feet. Several things can be true at the same time, and all emotions are permitted.

HYY is avoiding bankruptcy and getting out of debt despite having started from a situation in which our business ID had more debt than assets. The Student Union will retain all income from membership fees, a building of our own and profitable business activities. For the first time in years, HYY has prospects for the future of its finances, and we can feel a moderate amount of joy for this. The Representative Council, which has been processing financial worst-case scenarios all year, has the right to feel relieved and proud for leaving the Student Union to the next council members in a better state than it was in at the start of its term. Operating finances has the income from membership fees at its disposal, retains the power to decide on its use, has its own building and may still receive profit distribution from its assets some day.

At the same time, nothing can negate the sadness caused by having to part with the Old Student House and New Student House. The student houses have served as homes away from home, as spaces for culture and education, spending time together and partying out of the rain and as free space where students have been able to just hang out. Some of our alumni have probably woken up to this morning feeling shocked at the news that were confirmed late last night. HYY and Ylva did all we could for years to retain the Old Student House and New Student House in particular, but it was not enough. We are sure that the events of the past decade will be analysed for a long time both in the media and in HYY’s own histories. However, we now have the chance to continue to foster student culture, education, meetings, the creation of new political ideas and the execution of our statutory duties at Domus Gaudium, a building on the edge of the city centre (but still within the 00100 postal code area). I am not saying this to claim that it would not be okay to feel pissed right now – it is okay to feel like an elephant the size of a city block being crushed under the weight of 150 years.

HYY’s activities will change next year, but the Student Union remains. Familiar things such as the allocation of premises by students, autonomy, the selection of student representatives in administration and deciding on the level of the membership fee will continue on. In the future, too, the Representative Council will, through HYY’s budget, get to decide on how the membership fee is used and how the societal, social and intellectual aspirations of students are promoted as well as to monitor how the Student Union carries out its statutory duties. In the future, too, the secretary general will submit their budget proposal to the Financial Committee by 15 November, in accordance with the Administrative Regulation. The end of the world is not here after all.

As the secretary general, I want to thank everyone who has been there to support the Student Union during this difficult time. The consortium led by the University of Helsinki to buy the Old Student House and the support shown by the mayor of Helsinki towards the Old Student House and student culture (HS, 11 November 2025) show a deep understanding of the history of the Old Student House, its importance to the history of Finland and the purpose of the building. Striving to retain the building for future student generations instead of lecturing the Student Union is a sign of a deeply cultured character, and I have read these comments with a feeling of humble gratitude. I would be very glad if the Old Student House really ended up under the foundation’s ownership.

What does the most anticipated (secretary general’s) budget proposal include?

• No changes are being proposed to the membership fee
• A moderate deficit caused by non-recurring items
• Expenses allocated to the move
• Small cuts (no member services are proposed to be abolished)

Cuts to the budget of HYY’s operating finances have already been made in 2023, 2024 and 2025 when Ylva was unable to distribute profits to HYY. The large increase in the membership fee last year was based on the goal of balancing the budget of HYY’s operating finances with the internal loan that was taken against premises.

When drafting the budget for 2026, our main goal has been to facilitate a controlled change caused by the reduction in premises at the Student Union’s disposal. HYY’s Central Office and the organisations operating under HYY will primarily move to Domus Gaudium and the library building in the Domus area in late spring 2026. The current plan is not to take out any internal loans next year. HYY will stay on rent at the New Student House for at least half a year and at the Old Student House for a year. During the negotiations, Keva has agreed to meet us halfway on the rental level. The internal rent of Domus Gaudium will be moderated on commercial and other grounds for the duration of concluding the overall arrangements. As a result, the changes caused by the changes in premises will not have an impact on the membership fee, and no increases are being proposed to the membership fee.

In the secretary general’s proposal, HYY’s budget has a deficit. Deficits have usually been covered by income recognition from HYY’s contingency fund. However, with the contingency fund at 0 euros, the deficit will be covered by HYY’s own savings. It is possible for the budget to have a deficit, which is caused in full by costs related to the move and the New Student House that will no longer exist by 2027. Our goal is to have budgetary equilibrium in 2027.

In addition to the new allocation of premises and the move, HYY is preparing for an organisational change within both operating finances and the group structure. Caution in personnel policy continues. The secretary general’s budget proposal also accounts for the proposal on Ylioppilaslehti’s future made by the working group charting options for the magazine’s future. Under the proposal, Ylioppilaslehti would move to the same model used by other student magazines: it would be part of HYY’s organisation instead of a separate limited company in order to reduce administrative costs. If the Representative Council wants to preserve Ylioppilaslehti, funds for this will be found.

The biggest change for organisations is the proposed solution on grants for organisations, which would be in the style of ‘premises or grants’. Under this model, organisations could choose whether they want the Student Union to provide them with premises or a grant. People in positions of trust in HYY would be responsible for defining the model in more detail.

Even though the situation is sad and the change big, the secretary general’s budget proposal will enable HYY to welcome new freshers to the University community in Helsinki next year, too. Our biggest investment in communality next year will be crowning the Havis Amanda statue on our turn on May Day. In advocacy work, our biggest project will be starting work on preparing for the parliamentary elections. We will also continue to influence matters at the University, in the city and on the national level. Next year, we will naturally also select new student representatives in administration, participate in university administration at all levels and closely cooperate with parties including SYL, the City of Helsinki, the FSHS and Hoas. As stated in its Strategy, the Student Union is a defender of the biosphere, and the secretary general’s proposal accounts for development cooperation and the calculation of our carbon footprint.

Someone may now well ask where the aforementioned feet are. From the secretary general’s point of view, they are in the income from membership fees that we get to decide ourselves, in our autonomy and in the execution of our statutory duties. Where the feet are exactly and how exactly the statutory duties will be carried out will remain at the discretion of the people serving HYY in positions of trust. To this end, the Representative Council will be deciding on the implementation plan of HYY’s Strategy for 2026 and HYY’s budget for 2026 at the end of the year.  The Student Union’s journey will continue.

Paula Karhunen
Secretary General