Check out the open student representative position!
Are you interested in what kind of teaching is organised in your degree programme? Are you able to communicate in Swedish and would like to influence on bilingual matters and education? This is your chance! The Student Union of the University of Helsinki is looking for student representatives for many kinds of representative positions. Read more and check the open positions below!
STEERING GROUPS OF DEGREE PROGRAMMES
Each degree programme at the University of Helsinki has a steering group that supports the director of the degree programme and processes the central issues related to the degree programme’s operation. Two actual and two vice members represent students in each steering group.
The preparation of the curriculum and deciding on the annual teaching schedule are particularly important issues for students to influence: steering groups define the framework for what courses are taught in the schedule, which studies are compulsory for everyone, how much optional studies can be included in degrees, what kind of study material and teaching methods are used on courses and what methods to complete courses each course has. The preparation of the curriculum has began which means you have an opportunity to dive into interesting themes by applying now!
As a member of the steering group, you will get to influence the teaching provided in the degree programme and make students’ voice heard while also forming useful networks. You can also get credits for acting in the steering group. We are looking for student representatives to the ongoing period 1.1.2021-31.12.2022. You can see the open positions at the end of this call.
UNIVERSITY COLLEGIUM
The University Collegium is a multi-member administrative body for the entire University, its members including professors, other University personnel and students from all faculties of the University. The duties of the University Collegium include appointing the Chancellor of the University and the university auditors, confirming the University’s financial statements and annual report and appointing the external members of the University Board. Collegium meets at least twice a year to discuss matters concerning the University.
According to the Universities Act, the administrative language of the University of Helsinki is Finnish, and the faculty councils consequently work mainly in Finnish. However, it is possible to use other languages in the meetings by agreement.
As a member of the University Collegium, you will get to influence the future direction of the entire University, make students’ voice heard and create useful networks all at the same time. You can see the open positions for term 2022-2023 at the end of this call.
FACULTY COUNCILS
Faculty councils are multi-member administrative bodies of the faculties. They are chaired by the deans. The faculty councils’ duties include developing teaching and research at the faculty, controlling quality management, deciding on issues such as degree requirements, teaching schedules and student selection criteria and processing any far-reaching plans and other important matters of principle at the faculty.
According to the Universities Act, the administrative language of the University of Helsinki is Finnish, and the faculty councils consequently work mainly in Finnish. However, it is possible to use other languages in the meetings by agreement.
As a member of a faculty council, you will get to influence the future direction of your faculty and discipline, make students’ voice heard and create useful networks all at the same time. You can see the open positions for term 2022-2023 at the end of this call.
LANGUAGE CENTRE’S COMMITTEE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHING
The committee promotes and supports the planning, implementation and evaluation of teaching at the Language Centre. It plans and organises the Language Centre’s pedagogical training events and seminars. Discussion topics in the committee include current issues related to teaching and particularly language studies at the Language Centre and the University of Helsinki. The committee operates in Finnish. Further information on the committee is available here, for instance: https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/language-centre/teaching-and-research/how-can-students-influence-the-language-centre.
As a student member in the committee, you will bring forward students’ needs, opinions and development proposals concerning language studies and their organisation. If you wish, you can also participate in the planning of training events and seminars together with the personnel. The activities will provide you with general career skills (including cooperation skills, interaction skills, meeting skills and skills related to evaluation and development activities). We are looking for two debuties for the term 1.1.2022-31.12.2023.
SAMARBETSGRUPPEN FÖR DEN TVÅSPRÅKIGA VERKSAMHETEN PÅ CENTRUMCAMPUS
Bilingual campus group for central campus, Samarbetsgruppen för den tvåspråkiga verksamheten på cetnrumcampus, is a co-operation group for bilingual matters in the central campus. It enhances and coordinates Swedish and bilingual matters and education. The group can handle for example students’ possibilities to perform their exams in Swedish or have education in Swedish.
The group is set for four years and the student members for two years. You can apply for the group if you study in the Faculty of Arts, Law, Educational Sciences or Social Sciences or in The Swedish School of Social Sciences. The working language is Swedish. We are looking one actual student representative and two debuty student representatives for the next period 1 January 2022 – 31 December 2023.
SVENSKA VERKSAMHETNÄMNDEN
The Board for the Development of Swedish Affairs and Teaching, Svenska verksamhetsnämnden, focuses on Swedish-language affairs and their promotion at the University. The board develops and gives statements on Swedish-language teaching and activities at the University as well as participates in the coordination of Swedish-language higher education at the national level. The board also develops the cooperation between the University of Helsinki and the other higher education institutions in the related alliance (Hanken School of Economics and Arcada). The operations of the board are regulated by the Universities Act. The rector or vice rector selected from among Swedish-language professors serves as the chair of the committee.
The University Board appoints the members of the board for four-year terms, with student representatives having two-year terms. The board has representatives from all faculties at the University, the Swedish School of Social Science, cooperation universities and institutes, and students. We are looking for one vice student member for the board for the term 1 January 2022–31 December 2023.
TVEX-SAMARBETSGRUPPEN
The University of Helsinki is the only University in Finland to offer bilingual degrees, known as tvex degrees (page in Swedish), from the Swedish ‘tvåspråkig examen’. The cooperation group supports cooperation related to bilingual degrees over faculty boundaries as well as shares good practices. The group meets around four times in an academic year.
The group has representatives from the Viikki, Kumpula and City Centre campuses. We are looking for two student representatives studying in tvex programmes from the Viikki and Kumpula for the cooperation group. The student representative from Viikki should study biology, agricultural sciences, environmental and food economics, environmental sciences or molecular sciences in a tvex bachelor’s programme. The representative from Kumpula should study chemistry or physical sciences in a tvex bachelor’s programme. The applicants must also be students registered for attendance.
UNA EUROPA’S STUDENT BOARD
Una Europa is a European university alliance connecting eight European universities. The mission of Una Europa is to create a European inter-university environment that combines high-quality research, international learning and innovative, critical thinking.
The student members will take part in Una Europa’s working groups, organise Una Europa’s student congress and communicate about Una Europa’s operation and the opportunities it offers to the students of their own University. The Board’s working language is English, which means that fluency in English is a requirement for serving on Una Europa’s Student Board. For this reason, we are requesting that you write your application in English. We are looking for one debuty for term 1.8.2021-31.7.2023.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES?
You must be registered for attendance at the University of Helsinki. No special skills are required – having the desire to learn and the motivation to act as a student representative is of primary importance. Thoroughly reading the meeting material before the meeting, asking for the opinions of – depending on the situation – either your fellow students or subject organisation on the issues on the meeting agenda and speaking up at the meeting itself are quite enough to be successful in the position. The Student Union also trains the selected student representatives in administration and provides support and its expertise for their work in University administration.
Here are some specific criteria related to each open position:
The steering groups of degree programmes: You must have a justified connection to the degree programme whose steering group you are applying for (e.g. a study right or the intention to complete studies in the programme).
University Collegium: You must be registered for attendance in the faculty whose representative you are applying to become, and you may only be employed by the University if your working hours are a maximum of 50 per cent of normal working hours and your contract lasts a maximum of 6 months.
Faculty councils: You must be registered for attendance in the faculty whose representative you are applying to become, and you may only be employed by the University if your working hours are a maximum of 50 per cent of normal working hours and your contract lasts a maximum of 6 months.
Samarbetsgruppen för den tvåspråkiga verksamheten på centrumcampus: you must be registered for attendance at the faculty of Arts, Law, Educational Science or Social Science or in the Swedish School of Social Sciences. You can communicate in Swedish.
Svenska verksamhetsnämnden: You can communicate in Swedish
Tvex-samarbetsgruppen: You study in a bilingual degree programme in Viikki or in Kumpula.
UNA Europa’s Student Board: You can communicate fluently in English.
HOW DO I APPLY TO BECOME A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE?
Applications should be submitted at beta.halloped.fi by 6 February 2022 by 11:59pm.
Your application does not need to be long. In the application, state at least your current major or degree programme and study track as well as your student number (The student number is only used to verify your attendance status. The information will be deleted after it has been verified.) Check above the position-specific criteria that should be indicated in the application. The Student Union considers the following as advantages:
- Motivation and commitment to serve in the position
- Previous experience of acting as a student representative in administration, as a study advisor or in some other position related to student advocacy work
- Connection to other students and student organizations
The Student Union hopes to see applications from representatives of different genders and people in different stages of their studies from diverse backgrounds. We assume you to be available for the positions of both an actual member and a vice member. The Student Union strives to consider different disciplines’ representation when making the selections.
Further information on acting in the steering group of a degree programme and the call for applications is given by
Marianna Suokas
Specialist for Higher Education Policy
0503255202
marianna.suokas(at)hyy.fi
STEERING GROUPS
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
Bachelor’s Programme in Forest Sciences: 2 deputies
Master’s Programme in Agricultural Sciences: 1 deputy
Master’s Programme in Food Economy and Consumption: 1 deputy
Master’s Programme in Food Sciences: 1 deputy
Master’s Programme in Forest Sciences: 2 deputies
Master’s Programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology: 1 debuty
Master’s Programme in Human Nutrition and Food Behaviour: 2 deputies
FACULTY OF ARTS
Bachelor’s Programme in Art Studies: 1 deputy
Bachelor’s Programme in History: 1 debuty
Master’s Programme in Area and Cultural Studies: 1 debuty
Master’s Programme in Art Studies: 1 debuty
Master’s Programme in Cultural Heritage: 2 deputies
Master’s Programme in English Studies: 1 debuty
Master’s Programme in Finnish and Finno-Ugrian Languages and Cultures: 1 debuty
Master’s Programme in Intercultural Encounters: 1 deputies
Master’s Programme in Literary Studies: 1 deputies
Master’s Programme in Russian Studies: 1 actual member, 2 deputies
Master’s Programme in Scandinavian Languages and Literature: 2 deputies
Master’s Programme in Translation and Interpreting: 2 deputies
FACULTY OF BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Bachelor’s programme in Biology: 2 deputies
Master’s Programme in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: 2 debuties
Master’s Programme in Genetics and Molecular Biosciences: 1 debuty
Master’s Programme in Integrative Plant Sciences: 1 debuty
Master’s Programme in Neuroscience: 2 deputies
Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability: 2 debuties
FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE
Master’s Programme in Education: 1 member, 1 debuty
FACULTY OF LAW
Bachelor’s Programme in Law: 1 member, 2 debuties
Master’s Programme in International Business Law: 2 debuties
Master’s Programme in Law: 1 debuty
FACULTY OF MEDICINE
Bachelor’s Programme in Logopedics: 1 member, 1 deputy
Degree Programme in Medicine: 1 member, 1 debuty
Master’s programme in Translational Medicine: 1 deputy
FACULTY OF PHARMACY
Master’s Programme in Pharamceutical Research, Development and Safety: 1 deputy
FACULTY OF SCIENCE
Bachelor’s Programme in Chemistry: 2 deputies
Master’s Programme in Chemistry and Molecular Sciences: 1 member and 2 deputies
Master’s Programme in Computer Science: 1 deputy
Master’s Programme in Data Science: 1 deputy
Master’s Programme in Geography: 1 member and 2 deputies
Master’s Programme in Geology and Geophysics: 1 deputy
Master’s Programme in Materials Research: 1 deputy
Master’s Programme in Mathematics and Statistics: 2 debuties
Master’s Programme for Teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry: 1 deputy
Master’s Programme in Theoretical and Computational Methods: 1 deputy
Master’s Programme in Urban Studies and Planning: 2 deputies
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
Bachelor’s Programme in Politics, Media and Communication: 1 debuty
Master’s Programme in Contemporary Societies: 1 deputy
Master’s Programme in Gloabal Politics and Communication: 1 member and 1 debuty
Master’s Programme in Social and Health Research and Management: 2 deputies
Master’s Programme in Society and Change: 2 deputies
FACULTY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
Bachelor’s Programme in Veterinary Medicine:
1 debuty
UNIVERSITY COLLEGIUM
Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences: 1 debuty
Faculty of Theology: 1 debuty
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: 1 debuty
FACULTY COUNCILS
Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry: 2 debuties
Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences: 1 member, 5 debuties
Faculty of Law: 1 member, 1 debuty
Faculty of Pharmacy: 1 member, 3 debuties
Faculty of Theology: 2 debuties
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: 1 debuty
OTHER UNIVERSITY’S ORGANS
Language Centre’s Teaching Development Group: 2 debuties
Una Europa’s Student Board: 1 debuty
Samarbetsgruppen för den tvåspråkiga verksamheten på centrumcampus: 1 member, 2 debuties
Svenska verksamhetsnämden: 1 debuty
Tvex-samarbetsgruppen: 1 member from Viikki, 1 member from Kumpula
