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Halloped represents the students’ voice in the decision-making – You can be the one to start the domino effect

"If the students are not included in the decision-making process, their voice can easily be forgotten", writes Sanna Kangasniemi. According to her, students’ viewpoints and visions should be seen and heard in the university.

In English Kolumni

TEKSTI Sanna Kangasniemi

In Finnish

What to do if the the quality of food has declined, the weight of the curriculum is too heavy, or the schedule doesn’t match the reality? You can contact a halloped, the student representative in the university administration. Hallopeds do valuable work for a better university and act as student representatives in working groups and administrative bodies.

If the students are not included in the decision-making process, their voice can easily be forgotten. They really are worth listening to — after all, students are the best experts on their studies and everyday life.

Both public universities and foundation universities in Finland are based on an idea of an academic community, and in the community’s core are professors, university staff, and students. This is to make sure that the academic community uses all their know-how when making decisions. These three groups also lead the University of Oulu by representing in different bodies according to the Universities Act and the Regulations of the University of Oulu. Hallopeds are exactly what is needed to ensure that the students’ viewpoints and visions are seen and heard in the university.

As student representatives, hallopeds have the chance to familiarise themselves on how the management of a big scientific institute works. Hallopeds learn meeting and negotiation skills and broaden their own views on decision-making in different administration levels. There are many places where student representation is needed. The University Board of Directors has the highest decision-making powers in the university. Among other things, the Board decides on the essential objectives for actions and finances as well as on the strategy. In addition to the Board of Directors, hallopeds get to represent in the University Collegium, Education Council and Education Management Group, the Faculties’ boards, councils, education committees, and degree program teams. There are also Health and Wellbeing Working Groups, Equality and Diversity Working Groups, and two Restaurant Working Groups.

Hallopeds learn about the University’s quality management and personnel matters as well as education development. The student representative also gets to connect with other representatives in the academic community. Discussing and exchanging views are valuable part of the job.

Besides the internal administrative bodies, the student representatives influence in bodies external to the University of Oulu, such as in the boards of Uniresta Oy, Oulun ylioppilasapu ry (“Student Help Association in Oulu”) and PSOAS, in national FSHS Council and in local Board of Directors of FSHS Unit in Oulu. So, the students’ voice isn’t limited to the university’s walls.

I have myself worked as a student representative on the other side of the dual model, in the university of applied sciences. I participated in decision-making process in internal and external bodies, like campus’s student well-being groups, campus’s study collegium and degree program team. As a student representative, I quickly noticed that not everything is as simple as it seems to students. For example, in the Oulu University of Applied Sciences the need of another study psychologist had been recognised and acknowledged, but it took over a year of lobbying and multiple inquiries and consultations between different bodies to actually make the decision of hiring a study psychologist. The university is run by a huge administrative machine that observes and makes decision which have an effect on, among other things, students’ well-being, education quality, and university’s reputation.

However, I have noticed that even a one small decision can have a domino effect, where one thing or person causes a chain of events. That is why I encourage everyone to apply for halloped: you can be the first domino to cause the change.

There are over 100 student representatives in the administration chosen by OYY’s Executive Board or the Student Council. You can apply for halloped from the beginning of October at halloped.fi.

Translation: Essi Ranta.

Julkaistu 4.10.20191.2.2023

Sanna Kangasniemi

OYY:n sosiaalipoliittinen asiantuntija, jonka mielestä jokainen päivä on mahdollisuus.

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Hi, 5 dualities of getting a PhD

Doctoral studies are unlike regular Bachelor or Master studies. In regular studies, the majority of the time is spent attending courses and taking exams, with the objective of increasing your knowledge and your ability to learn and retain information. On the other hand, in a PhD, you are expected to find information, understand it, make new information, and present it in a concise manner with meaningful conclusions. There is a dual nature in the experience of research aimed at a doctoral degree. The following 5 dualities of PhD studies may shine a light on what you can expect.

In English

TEKSTI Marcelo Goldmann

Still in school but no longer a student

Academic work is done usually at the university. However, you will become an employee, and no longer have student rights, such as the cheapest food at the cafeteria. You will still get a staff discount though, so it’s not too bad. Additionally, if you feel like still socializing at a student level, you will find it very difficult as your PhD will be literally a job, with work times, salary, holidays, etc. Some of your peers might still be frequenting social events, while you may not be able to due to your having to be in the office the next day in the morning.

More money but less money

In Finland, PhD salaries are very fair. However, they can be on average below the salaries offered by private companies. Nevertheless, coming from a student allowance to an actual salary (or grant) is a great upgrade. And speaking of grants, there is a caveat that if there is no salary budgeted for your position, you might have to rely on applying to numerous grants to sustain your work and livelihood. And in general, personal grants are usually not as large as salaries.

Flexible time and overtime

Normally, you will have a large amount of control on how many hours you spend at the office or laboratory and how many hours you spend outside of it. Of course you will have to agree with your Professor on that matter. Some research units like that their researchers do the classic 9-to-5 work, while others allow you to work flexibly as long as you get your results on time. This is a big advantage, as it allows you to balance your work life and personal life effectively. However, this can also lead to long work days and even work weekends, which will of course does not translate to extra pay. The author does not recommend taking work home or working on weekends.

A thankless gratifying endeavour

In the past they said that “great science is built on the shoulders of giants”. Nowadays, research appears to be built on the shoulders of thousands of tiny giants. And your scientific contribution might feel like a speck of dust in a universe of publications. Unless you happen to do some groundbreaking work that is published in a famous international journal, you may feel that your work is unappreciated. However, not only is your work one of those giants on which future researchers will stand, but also there are few things as gratifying as receiving that email that your paper was accepted for publication.

A great job in the future that will be hard to get

Getting a job after graduation is hard for everyone. However, for a PhD graduate, it might be even harder. There are two choices for a PhD graduate: a tenure track career path in Academia or a company job. Both have their pros and cons and their challenges. A tenure track is a pathway to a permanent position at a university, while a company job is self explanatory. Being granted a tenure track position can be very challenging due to the very few positions usually available and the high competition. Additionally, you might need to do a 2-year postdoc before you are even eligible for it. If you decide to go for a company job, you will find yourself with the similar issues regarding offer and competition. Your knowledge at this point will be very specialized so it might be difficult to find a position in a company that fits your expertise. But once you land either a tenure track position or a company job, you will be filled with great satisfaction and new challenges.

Naturally everyone’s experience will be different. Some people will have an easy time and some will have a very hard time. Most will have a combination of ups and downs. However, if you feel lost, you should always have a conversation with your PhD supervisor or advisor, and they will certainly guide you in the right direction.

Edited 26.9.2019 22.15: Clarified wording on tenure track career path and tenure track positions.

Julkaistu 26.9.20191.2.2023

Marcelo Goldmann

A Doctor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Oulu. "Life is like a rubber duckie, you gotta keep it afloat to see its splendor." Instagram: @marcelogman

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Preparing for Crowds at the University – Juvenes Tries Self-checkout Machines, Uniresta Developes Medisiina’s Lunch Lines

If you've ever visited the restaurants at the campuses at noon, you've seen it: the lunch lines are very long. Next year, the amount of people who eat at the Linnanmaa campus grows by several thousand, when Oamk moves there. The Kontinkangas campus' restaurant, Medisiina, has also been crowded. Juvenes is testing self-checkout counters in two of their restaurants, and Uniresta is also considering them.

In English

TEKSTI Helmi Juntunen

KUVAT Helmi Juntunen

In Finnish

Self-checkout has become a common practice in stores and supermarkets. In August, self-checkout machines have arrived in the Linnanmaa campus, in the Juvenes’s restaurants Napa and Foobar.

“The purpose of self-checkout machines is to help with rush hours and to move customer service away from the traditional checkout counters. The main duties of the staff will be guiding and advising”, says the business controller of Juvenes, Fanni Kempas.

Kempas says that the pilot project will be supervised for a few months. After that Juvenes will consider whether they’ll implement self-checkout counters to their other restaurants. According to Kempas, the machines wont fit in all their restaurants due to differences in the way the restaurants work.

Self-checkout lanes have brought with them changes to both the way paying works and the way student status is checked. You pay the food first, and then you gather the food to your plate. Additional portions and desserts need to be paid separately.

The students use the Tuudo app to access the self-checkout machine and proceed to pay their lunch and possible additional items by card – you won’t be able to use cash. Self-checkout lanes are also available to the staff of the university, doctoral students and visitors.

Similar self-checkout solutions with Tuudo have been previously implemented in two student restaurants in the Capital Region, according to Tuudo.

In addition to the self-checkout project, Juvenes begins a project along with researchers of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland with the aim to research the flow of customers and queueing with the use of tracking devices. The goal is to make using the restaurant a smoother experience. The tracking devices used won’t gather data that would make it possible to single out people, so the customers’ right to privacy is not infringed upon.

In addition to Foobar and Napa, Juvenes owns two restaurants at the University of Oulu, Foodoo and Kylymä, as well as three cafés, Tellus, Juicebar and Café Hub. All of them are located at the Linnanmaa campus.

Uniresta: Self-checkout Is the Future

In addition to Juvenes, Uniresta has also considered self-checkout counters. Uniresta, which owned by the Student Union and Oulun ylioppilasapu, owns two student restaurants, Kastari at the Linnanmaa campus and Medisiina at the Kontinkangas campus.

“We are looking into it at the moment, but we didn’t want to be in the vanguard. Self-checkout is definitely a thing which divides customers. We’ve received feedback at Kastari that it’s wonderful to have a real person behind the counter”, says CEO Kaija-Liisa Silvennoinen of Uniresta.

Silvennoinen says that ultimately self-checkout machines would be useful. She says they are the future.

“The way I see the advantage of self-checkout is that the staff is freed to serve the customer better, when there is less mechanical work to do”, says Silvennoinen.

Silvennoinen says that the locations of the self-checkout counters would need to be carefully planned.

“In busy places they would help with the peak of the traffic. At first, when people are just learning to use them, it might slow things down a bit. I do believe that Uniresta will eventually have self-checkout counters”, Silvennoinen says.

According to Silvennoinen, more pressing matters to Uniresta would be the development of the lunch line in Kastari and increasing customer capacity, but the university makes the decisions when it comes to facilities.

At the Kontinkangas campus, the restaurant Medisiina has also suffered from congestion. Silvennoinen says that the problem has been acknowledged and solutions have been planned.

“For Medisiina we have a plan to develop the lunch line, but that would require an investment from the university. Uniresta has been active in the matter”, Silvennoinen says.

Uniresta would develop the line in Medisiina to be a single long line, where the staff could work in the middle and the customers would be on the two sides. According to Kaija-Liisa Silvennoinen, the plan is ready to be enacted.

“From the beginning of September, Cafe Galenos at Kontinkangas will offer a take away lunch option. In a similar manner, H2O Campus helps with the situation at Kastari. At least the staff of the university are patrons, which is somewhat helpful”, Silvennoinen says.

University of Oulu’s Head of facility services Arto Haverinen and cadastral surveyor Timo Haverinen said that the need to change Medisiina’s lunch line has been discussed for a while. The lines will be changed next year according to Uniresta’s plan.

More accurate schedule for the project or Kastari’s situation, were things neither could comment on at the moment.

Translation: Helmi Juntunen.

Julkaistu 13.9.20191.2.2023

Helmi Juntunen

Oululainen metamoderni antropologi ja mielten välisen etäisyyden avaruuscowgirl.

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More Choices for a Student Card in Oulu: OYY Terminated Contract with Frank and Made a Deal With Pivo for Electronic Student Card

Things are changing once again when it comes to student cards. This fall University of Oulu's students have a choice between Pivo's, Tuudo's or Frank's student card for their smartphones.

In English Yleinen

TEKSTI Anni Hyypiö

In Finnish

The Student Union of the University of Oulu (OYY) has made a new arrangement regarding the provider for an electronic student card. At the end of summer, OYY has terminated co-operation with Frank Students and has made a contract with Pivo, which is part of OP Financial Group.

Pivo is a mobile app published in 2013 which can be used to pay in online shopping and cash registers as well as send and request money regardless of your own or the reciever’s bank. There is also a digital student card in Pivo which is used in 20 student associations – and now in Oulu as well.

In January students of the University of Oulu also gained access to student ID in the Tuudo mobile app. So from this fall onward students can use either the electronic student card found in Tuudo or Pivo’s card. The nationwide Frank App can still be used even though OYY has terminated their contract.

“Students can use the card under the JOLLA accumulator connection until we have a new register, after which we will confirm for example the student status of University of Oulu’s students using it”, says Frank’s CEO Tiia Lehtola.

Chair of Board Miriam Putula justifies the collaboration with Pivo by the fact that Pivo and Tuudo are different as service providers.

“Tuudo offers a platform for different services which a student needs. Pivo offers student privileges negotiated by Slice in addition to a card. The service concept is quite different, very similar to Frank.”

OYY’s board decided in August that it won’t renew the contract regarding the delivery of a student card with Frank. Putula won’t comment on the contents of the contract with Frank but she says it contained clauses which weren’t beneficial to the Student Union.

“We want to offer students as wide an array of services as possible and there were obstacles concerning that.”

After the contract with Frank has ended OYY will order new plastic student cards from Antenna. An ordered and operational Frank’s plastic student card can still be used as usual.

Pivo’s digital card has been in use for a few years in Tampere Student Union and beginning this August in The Student Union of the University of Vaasa as well. In Pivo’s app and website are also listed The Student Union of Lappeenranta University of Technology (LTKY) and The Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY), although LTKY’s own website lists Frank as a student card provider and ISYY’s Frank and Pivo.

Oulu Student Magazine told about the upheaval of electronic students cards in the start of the year. You can read the story (in Finnish only) here.

Pivo and Slice to Co-operate

Pivo itself has had announcing to do in the late summer. Pivo and Slice, which was founded in the Satakunta region, announced their collaboration 7th of August.

Business owner Matti Rusila says that in principle the collaboration means that Slice can offer student benefits which it has negotiated to the organizations that have signed a contract with Pivo. Additionally, the organizations which used to be users of Slice’s own student card now came under Pivo’s card.

“Slice’s strength are benefits, we on the other hand have a big platform. Thus collaboration is a good choice.”

How does Pivo benefit from the collaboration? According to Matti Rusila Pivo wants to offer their card as widely as possible and be a significant actor in the market. Because student card market is — according to Rusila — quite fragmented, Slice and Pivo discovered that joining forces would be reasonable.

How Are You Doing, Frank?

But what’s going on with Frank Students? Frank was a pioneer of digital student cards in Finland: Frank App was launched three years ago. Although the idea of a digital card was thought of as progressive and good, the app got critiqued because of ads and various issues in using it.

Oulu Student Magazine talked about the critique in a story published earlier this year. One of the targets of critique was that the digital card needed to be paid for.

Frank App’s digital student card has again been available for free starting from the 25th of June. Now Frank’s digital card is free with or without Danske Bank’s plastic card with a payment feature. A new perk is also that the student gets a free five-year international ISIC student ID (worth 16 euros). When ordered from Frank, just the plastic card without the collaboration with Danske Bank costs 16,10 euros plus the delivery fee.

Earlier investment in developing the service is visible in Frank’s earnings. In the end of the fiscal year 2018, the equity ratio was negative 68 percent. Revenue was 952,000 euros last year and the profit was negative by 362,000 euros. That is, however, a fair rise compared to the year 2017 when the profit was negative by 674,000 euros.

Frank’s CEO Tiia Lehtola says last years numbers were what was aimed at.

“It’s a fact that there are big investments in the backround, growth requires investment. Starting from 2016, we have invested in the development of our digital service. In last year’s numbers, the operating profit, earnings and net sales excluding non-recurring items got better. It’s always an open question how to increase the slope of growth and we have open discussions concerning it.”

Now Frank is on the path which it wants to be on, Lehtola says.

“The early year’s results have been good. We are on the path we have planned and desired.”

When it comes to universities of applied sciences, Frank is currently only collaborating with the Student Union of Police University College (PolAmk) and the Student Union of Åland University of Applied Sciences. Others have terminated their contract.

“Of course we are sorry that student unions have not seen the added value in our service which we can provide. We would obviously want to be the one student unions choose because we believe that we are building additional value for student unions and we can work even better than before in recruitment of members in the future. We think collaboration between student unions is very important and that’s why we also develop new services for them – in addition to individual students”, Tiia Lehtola says.

Lehtola wishes that the organizations which have already terminated their collaboration would become interested in Frank’s services again: namely, the company would like to support the the recruitment of new members. When talking about new services aimed at organizations, Lehtola mentions communication related to student council election, which is aimed at student unions and will be piloted with Aalto University Student Union (AYY). In addition to this there will be “something cool” in store for subject societies.

“We’ll tell more about it when the time is right.”

SYL Not Intending to Sell

Frank is owned by travel agency Kilroy and the national student associations National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL), University of Applied Sciences Students in Finland (SAMOK), The Union of Upper Secondary School Students (SLL) and National Union of Vocational Students in Finland (SAKKI). With the sales made in 2017, Fank now owns the majority of Kilroy.

But what is the situation like for SYL, if their member student unions decide to give up Frank? Should student unions be owners in the future? After all, student unions of Oulu, Vaasa and Tampere are still owners of Frank through National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL). Tampere is different when compared to others in the fact that Frank was not used there in the first place. The higher education in Tampere didn’t take part in Frank or Lyyra, which preceded Frank.

Secretary General Eero Manninen says SYL hasn’t discussed their ownership. Thus, there is no known intention of selling.

Even though SAMOK, which represents university of applied sciences students, is selling their share, Manninen says that the rest of the owning organizations have committed to their ownership.

He deems the choices made by student unions to give up co-operation to be regrettable. Still, the conversation with both Vaasa and Oulu has been good and constructive, he says.

“I got the impression that the possibility for co-operation in the future hasn’t been completely ruled out.”

“In a way I’d hope that people would understand the uniqueness of Frank. At least in the European countries that I am aware of, Frank is the only one in which student organizations are in a major arena, owning and making decisions. Seeing the value of that in student unions and the field of higher education would be great. But that is not enough in the modern world: there needs to be, obviously, a service students enjoy to use.”

Frank has garnered criticism from students in both App Store and Google Play and also at the SYL General Assembly last November. The General Assembly is the highest governing body of SYL, which gathers once a year, and to which every member of the union sends their delegation to decide the union’s course of action for the next year as well as economical questions and to choose the board for the coming year.

Eero Manninen says that last fall was hard. He understands why there was so much criticism, though.

“In hindsight, too many things were done in too short of a time. I get the discontent: the service wasn’t working as well as it should have. We went through the feedback together with Frank and the student unions. This year has been going smoothly. We hope that things will stay that way.”

Manninen says the criticism Frank got in the General Assembly was sudden, and that SYL hadn’t prepared for it. The conversation could have gone better, Manninen estimates.

“The conversation didn’t go deeper into ownership, the way things worked and the fact that the digital card wasn’t free were the points of discontent.”

Frank Opening for All

At the moment, students must be a part of a student organization co-operating with Frank to get their student card. This is changing, possibly even during this fall, Tiia Lehtola says.

Frank is currently preparing a second path for students to get Frank’s card, whether they are a member of a student organization, or if their organization is co-operating with Frank or not.

Lehtola won’t tell the launching date as of now.

“We’ll communicate when the matter becomes topical. The development of products is cyclical. But the initial schedule is that it would be in use this fall.”

Lehtola says that the change will be made in stages: this means the service won’t most likely be open to all students at the same time.

Will Pivo offer their student card in other ways than through an organization in the future?

“The confirmation of student status could be obtained in other ways that from organizations. We’ve thought that the fairest way is to co-operate with the organizations, which means offering the card to members of the organization,” Matti Rusila says.

The Future Looks Positive

The opening of student information records has opened a new kind of market for student cards.

Now that the card market is going through changes, why should organizations even own a single student card?

Eero Manninen, Secretary general of SYL, has many reasons for that. One the most important reasons hasn’t changed in these years of turmoil.

“The basic principle remains unchanged: the fact that we get to be a part of developing and telling our wishes to the largest company offering student ID. Getting up to date service which takes into account the wishes of students has a value of its own.”

Of course there is a possibility to make money by owning Frank, Manninen says.

“If we could get a hold of that market in a big way and go international, it would be a huge source of revenue. It’s been thought about ever since Frank was founded. Many commercial partners see it as a very significant added value that the national student organizations are a part of the company. The student organizations’ input is crucial to the other owner, Kilroy, as well.

With so many card providers and the option for both organizations and students to choose between a multitude of choices, why would they choose Frank of all the options?

Tiia Lehtola has a list of advantages. There’s integration with online shopping, ease of use and collaboration with ISIC to name a few.

A major selling point are the offered benefits, which means various student discounts: on Monday 19th of August, a quick search yields a trip to Thailand with as much as 70 percent discount, a student ticket to see the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (8 euros) and a 25 percent discount in sportswear shop Stadium.

Local advantages for anyone who’s not from Helsinki are relatively scarce.

“We have focused on national benefits because we serve secondary and higher education students on a national level, and on known brands, because we have deemed them to interest students. But we also want to increase the offering of local benefits. Local benefits are at the moment free to enter our service”, Lehtola says.

Is going international still in the plans for Frank?

“It’s still a possible scenario for the future. We are investigating and having conversations of the matter. No decisions have been made.”

Where will Frank be in five years, Tiia Lehtola?

“Frank is a service for every Finnish student, or students studying in Finland. We have come to the situation that every student can find the benefits we offer. Our collaboration with ISIC has gone really well in Finland and we’ll see whether there is something to offer on an international level – I can see at least these things in my crystal ball. We’ll see what other developments there will be in the field.”

Eero Manninen, secretary general of SYL, feels positive about Frank’s future.

“We will see what the future has in store. Frank has a good product and the ideas for development are good stuff. Let’s hope that we’ll get things off the ground and that it would be a profitable business in the future and the national number one actor in the field in the future as well.”

But if SYL would end up selling their share, who would be making the decision? Eero Manninen considers this scenario to be highly unlikely but he estimates that, depending on the situation, the decision would be made either by SYL’s board or in an additional General Assembly.

“But I would hope, since it’s a business decision, that it would be something else altogether than a decision of organizational politics.”

Translation: Helmi Juntunen.

Julkaistu 11.9.20191.2.2023

Anni Hyypiö

Oulun ylioppilaslehden entinen päätoimittaja. Twitter: @AnniHyypio

Lue lisää:

“I can’t solve almost anything, but at least I can point to who to bother” – Bruno Gioia Sandler Learns from Struggles and Doesn’t Tire of Obstacles

The president of the umbrella guild of the Faculty of Education Bruno Gioia Sandler went from an outsider to the centre of action. To him surpassing obstacles is so obvious that when you ask him why he fights, the answer is simple: Because I can.

In English

TEKSTI Iida Putkonen

KUVAT Elina Korpi

In Finnish.

Bruno Gioia Sandler was not supposed to end up in Oulu, let alone stay here.

However, when he was studying marketing and business abroad, he met Jenni from Finland.

“You could say I came here for love.”

Five years after coming to Finland, Gioia Sandler is still in Oulu. The reason he stayed was finding a field that felt like his own, even after a rocky start.

The first time Gioia Sandler felt like an outsider was the day of the entrance exam.

“I saw all these young Finnish people and all their markers and their mind maps, and I was there, an older guy with two pens.“

The feeling of foreignness didn not end even when he got accepted into the University. Gioia Sandler was the only international freshman in OLO ry, the organization for students of educational sciences, and the freshman guide didn not have an English word in it.

The struggle did not discourage Gioia Sandler, instead it fed his desire to make an impact.

From personal to the battlefield

“I have a utopian world in my head, and I try to work for that”, Gioia Sandler says.

In the utopia people work for common good and everyone can have an impact, not just the people who have the right cards in their hands.

Personally Gioia Sandler feels like he was dealt a good hand, and that makes it his responsibility to act.

After facing inequality as an international student, Gioia Sandler wanted to improve the situation of everyone facing the same issues at University. In his second year he joined OLO’s board and attacked an issue familiar to him: language.

“If there is no non-Finnish person, you might not even notice something isn’t available in English”, Gioia Sandler says.

Soon the desire to change things grew and Gioia Sandler ran for the Student Council, edari. To his surprise, he was elected.

As a member of the council Gioia Sandler wanted to make international students’ experiences heard, but he was the one who saw things he had been blind to.

“Before then I didn’t have contact with students from other faculties or programs. Edari showed me that all the students are suffering from really similar things”, he says.

These days Gioia Sandler is making an impact in the umbrella guild of the Faculty of Education, Kaski ry, as a founding member and the current president. He says fellow students come to him with their problems. Despite his busy schedule, he does not mind, instead, it makes him happy.

“In my first year I felt like I had struggles one after another and didn’t have someone I could talk to or get advice from. That’s why I’m humbled that people come to me.”

Gioia Sandler wants to stress that regardless of his visible role, he has not been alone, and that there have been a lot of people supporting him and fighting along.

“I hate this picture of the hero. Some people have asked me how do you do it. It’s not just me, there are a lot of people who have been on board”, he says.

Even though he will not agree to being a hero, the president is glad to help.

“I can’t solve almost anything, but at least I can point to who to bother.”

Teaching is a way to make an impact

Before studying intercultural teaching, Gioia Sandler studied mechanical engineering, car mechanics, and business and marketing in Spain. Despite multiple different fields, he did not find the right fit.

Teaching was at no point Gioia Sandler’s first choice or dream career – quite the opposite in fact. Where his classmates tell stories of wanting to be teachers ever since they were kids, the thought of becoming one did not hit Gioia Sandler until later in life.

“For me teachers have been a bit the enemy all my life. I’ve struggled with many teachers”, he says.

Bad experiences with teachers did, however, make Gioia Sandler think about the responsibilities of a teacher, both negative and positive ones.

“I understood teachers affect what the world will turn out like. That’s when something clicked in my head and said ‘this could be my thing.’”

Despite his utopian idealism Gioia Sandler aims to find concrete tools to make a change. For him, teaching is one of these tools: a way to affect his environment.

“You see a lot going on in the news and it feels the world is collapsing and things are out of our hands. Maybe that’s why I continue with what I can have an impact on. I try to bring that fight to the field I have”, he explains.

Failing is the greatest lesson

The path has not always been easy or rewarding, but to Gioia Sandler the most important lesson is to be found in difficult times.

“It might suck and it’s gonna be painful but you can take something out of it.”

To Gioia Sandler the biggest lesson at University has been how to deal with difficulties and get over them.

“Most of the time I’m crashing against the walls and getting frustrated.”

What if the wall will not budge?

Well, then you back up a bit and go in again, faster the second time. You can also try with a friend or try a different angle. And if all else fails, bring a big hammer, Gioia Sandler says.

There are rewarding times too. Gioia Sandler thinks the best is seeing how his own battles have helped others. He thinks that there have been big improvements in taking international students into account.

“I almost got a tear in my eye when I saw that everything in the new OLO freshman guide was bilingual”, he says.

Only five years ago Gioia Sandler was alone, without the needed info or connections. Now thanks to him the new students have it a bit easier.

And even if most students will not see the change, Gioia Sandler does not mind.

“Maybe there is only one student, who it matters to. But thinking that when do something for a minority, it might give them hope.”

Bruno Gioia Sandler, what advice would you give to people starting their studies?
1. “Be active. University is a safe place to practise. If you cannot participate, at least support those who do. Build more than you destroy. ”
2. “Get to know yourself by leaving your comfort zone. By knowing yourself you’ll notice when you need to take a step back, and you will not burn out.”
3. “If you do not know, ask. More experienced people will gladly help. Try to lean on others when you need to.”
4. “Don’t care about Jodel.”

Who?

Bruno Gioia Sandler

» 31 years old.
» 5th year intercultural teacher education student.
» Lives in Oulu with his girlfriend.
» Born in Argentina, raised in Spain and has lived all over.
» The president of Kaski ry and a member of the Student Council of the Student Union of the University of Oulu.
» Fluent in Spanish and English, speaks a little bit of Finnish and French.
» Was granted the University’s Equality and Diversity Award in 2018.
» Hobbies include bike polo, cycling, reading and skiing during winter.
» Favourite Finnish word is ‘pistorasia’.
» If he could time travel, he would get involved in student organizations in his freshman year.

Julkaistu 29.8.20191.2.2023

Iida Putkonen

Oulun ylioppilaslehden entinen päätoimittaja. Tiedeviestinnän maisteri ja glögin ympärivuotinen kuluttaja. Etsii revontulia, riippumattoja ja juuri oikeita sanoja.

Lue lisää:

How I Survived My Freshman Year: an International Student’s Perspective

Hello there, my international freshman friend, and welcome to the University of Oulu! If you feel a bit lost or overwhelmed at the moment, then this reading is meant for you. I am going to reveal my experience as a freshman at the University of Oulu, both the positive aspects as well as the negative ones. Of course, you are going to have your personal and unique experience which will differ from mine, but I hope that you will still find at least some interesting bits.

In English

TEKSTI Anca M. Catana

KUVAT Anni Hyypiö

Apartment hunt

It is July 2016 and I have just received my acceptance letter. Of course, I am over the moon! Right away I have to face challenge number one: finding a place to stay in Oulu. Naturally, as any other student, I applied for a student apartment.

What I did not know was that by the time I made my application, most of the students who had been accepted or were studying already in Oulu had made their applications before me and therefore were in front of me in the queue. Moreover, I made the mistake of asking for a studio, which is the most demanded type of apartment, and also the least available. It came as no surprise that a few days before the beginning of the semester, I was still ‘homeless’.

Luckily, there is a plan B: search for a private apartment. I found my freshman apartment in the Toppila area. Toppila seemed at first like a great location, just 3.5 kilometres from the University. The new apartment itself was really cool: there was a sauna and a swimming pool in the basement. However, there also was a view of the chimneys from the nearby power plant, and the rent was almost twice as much as the one of a student apartment. Moreover, to get to the campus area, I had to switch buses, and they usually overflowed with people. The trip took 40 minutes, if lucky. So, nope, living in Toppila and taking the bus to school has not been the best experience.

Where is the list?

The end of August finally came and after my 40-minute bus ride to the University, I arrived at the orientation days, eager to meet my new classmates. The way I was used to before moving to Finland, was that as soon as the entrance results are announced, you get public lists with the names of the accepted and rejected students, and a detailed account of their entrance scores. I desperately looked for that list before the beginning of the school year, but it was nowhere to be found. I wanted to know how well (or bad) I stood compared to my classmates.

Instead, we were simply announced that we must follow our ‘tutor’, who could be seen holding a board with the name of our studying program. During the following months I came to understand the advantage of not being aware of those entrance score hierarchies: it did not influence the group dynamic. From the very start, there was no ‘best in class’ nor the ‘weakest one’. Moreover, since all the scores on the papers and exams were confidential, this hierarchy never even came to exist.

And that is, as I later understood, one of the main principles of the Finnish education system. I felt relieved that I did not have to bear the pressure of getting the maximum scores anymore, because it did not matter anyway. You still need good scores if you plan to take a PhD someday, though. The downside to keeping the entrance score results hidden is a lack of transparency and being prone to mistakes that might pass unnoticed.

On the second day of orientation, being finally with my classmates and our tutors, who turned out to be second year students from the same program, everyone was smiling and full of enthusiasm as we were playing games – and then it hit me: a huge wave of information about everything hit me!

During the following days of orientation, we were fed with tons of information, most of which took weeks if not months to process. I assume that is the case with everybody, but it felt more complicated for an international student who had no idea what was supposed to be going on. I heard something about ‘guilds’, about how it is crucial to have your overalls, and spend tens of hours sewing patches on them, and so much more.

Communities are there for you

First, I learned about the many student hobby clubs, or guilds. There was a guild for everything: from scouts and hunters to choir and metalheads. Besides these clubs, there were other committees and commissions and organisations, dozens of them. Remember the essential overalls? I found out that they actually represent the many different student societies, that is why they come in so many different colours. The student societies are different from the hobby clubs, because they are composed of students studying the same program and are creating a bridge between them and their faculty. I might say that now, starting my fourth year, I finally have an idea which one is doing what.

But wait! There is more. Besides all the guilds, there are some tens of other groups and clubs and activities; some for the University of Oulu students, some for all students in the region, some for everyone. Bottom line, it is impossible not to find a group that has the same interests as you, the only trick is finding a common language.

Technology is your ally

The second chunk of information that I had to quickly digest during my orientation was the one regarding the actual studying process. It is better to get familiar with all the apps, websites, cards, stickers, and gadgets that are available around the University as fast as possible, because they do make a huge impact on saving time and improving productivity. My favourites are the laptop vendors and the Tuudo app. Sidenote: Unfortunately, you cannot borrow a laptop using Tuudo, you need our student card for that. Vice versa, the student card will not work for getting lunch from the new self-service checkout, you need your Tuudo QR code for that. And the 24/7 access card to the University premises is a totally different card.

So yes, it does get a bit confusing at times.

Guard yourself with coffee

After the orientation period, the actual lectures started, and little by little I began to get a grip on what was going on. On one hand, it took me some time to get used to having my lunch at 11:45 instead of afternoon, or writing informal emails to our teachers and other staff members, but on the other hand, calling teachers by their first names made my life much easier since I am terrible with names anyway, and serving coffee ten times a day was a delight for a coffee lover like me.

The night is dark and home is behind

Another important thing that I learned is that students’ well-being is important in Finland. Stress is probably part of any student’s life and being an international student does not make it any easier.Homesickness, dark long nights, freezing temperatures, cultural shocks, language barriers, unexpected financial or health issues, and many other factors can take a toll on your studies. However, you are encouraged to seek help. For example, you can get general and mental helpfrom the students’ clinic which is located right next to the University, you can get an emergency loan from the Student Union (OYY), you can make friends among other international students who might face the same challenges as you do, and you can connect with the local community of people from your home country.

Overall (ha!), my freshman year was an interesting experience. I faced many challenges as an international student, and my adaptability came in hand during the fast shifting situations, but I cannot deny that I enjoyed it. The main things that I would do differently are doing more independent research before the beginning of the studies and taking part in more student events. Other than that, my studies went (almost) smoothly, and my knowledge and worldview expanded a lot, and for that I am happy that I chose to come here.

So, my fellow international students, I hope that you too will make the most out of your time spent at the University of Oulu, and you will overcome the challenges ahead.

Julkaistu 29.8.20191.2.2023

Anca M. Catana

Education student, theater enthusiast, nature lover. Curious, spontaneous and ambitious, open for new challenges.