Ode to partying

Parties are anything but a burden – they produce wellbeing and support study progress. In this blog post, members of HYY’s Board Venla Lehtinen and Sanni Nieminen defend partying.

Society has created an image of students as a group of rowdy people who party and booze without progressing in their studies. We party, drink and hang out to such an extent that courses remain secondary. Partying students who live on benefits are, at the very least, amoral individuals. This is not true!

In reality, loneliness and feeling like an outsider are among the main reasons behind possible delays in studies, as studies may become overwhelmingly strenuous without a strong support network and friends. There would be no student community without parties that bring students together. Students’ own social circles would be confined to small cliques and study or group work clubs. Partying prevents loneliness, and attachment to the student community actually helps with study progress.

For many, starting their studies at a university is a turning point in their life. They may have moved to a new city to start their studies, formed new social circles and begun to build an independent life as an adult. Many also create long-lasting friendships and relationships during their studies. Even if they have been accepted to their dream field of study, friends may still be more important than the studies themselves for new students. The fear of being left out may also be a strong factor for students during their studies. For this reason, various student events and building communality are vital.

Partying students build communality. Communality is also the Student Union’s goal: we want to achieve a community where people look after and genuinely care for one another. Despite this, one in three students does not feel like they are a part of any study-related group (Finnish Student Health and Wellbeing Survey 2024). According to the survey on higher education students’ loneliness, half of all students experience harmful loneliness. According to the survey, students would like more opportunities to get to know other students. Parties and student events provide moments for building a community and creating support networks. It is thus important to value the fact that students can and may have full lives – including parties and communities.

In addition to helping with attachment to the community, partying has many other positive effects, which often seem to be overshadowed by the negatives associated with substance use. According to Docent in Sociology Antti Maunu, who has specialised in partying, the role of partying is emphasised in Finland because we have less and less time to spend with each other. This makes special moments like parties meaningful. When we party, we pay attention to happy things, success and milestones, which creates a sense of meaning. We forget everyday worries, and our stress levels go down.

We students will continue to party, as we should. We will not apologise for being seen and heard in the streets with our overalls on and glitter on our face – after all, we are an important part of a vibrant city. We do not need moral lectures – give us partying peace!

Best wishes for May Day,

Venla Lehtinen
Member of the Board in charge of educational policy

Sanni Nieminen
Member of the Board in charge of events

Declaration of partying peace

Wednesday, society willing,

is the graceful May Day celebration of our student culture and community;

and thus is declared a peaceful party time to all, by advising

everyone to rejoice as befits this celebration

and to behave in an otherwise loud and lively manner,

because whosoever breaks this partying peace and violates the May Day celebrations

by any kind of silencing attempts or improper behaviour

shall under aggravating circumstances be guilty of violating the partying peace.

Finally, a joyous May Day period

is wished to all inhabitants of the city!