The Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland
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The Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland
Mon Nov 17 12:00:00 2025
The Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland does not support the planned move to bring forward the orientation period, which aims to prepare students for the start of their studies, to August. Since the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year, UEF's educational services have been discussing bringing forward the orientation period to August. Currently, orientation begins in the first week of September. Those responsible for education (KOVA) conducted a survey at the faculty and vice-dean level, which revealed that two faculties opposed the change, one had a conflicting position, and only one supported bringing it forward. The university continued the discussion, referring the matter to the education management team for discussion.
In June 2025, the education management team decided to bring forward the joint orientation and offer pre-orientation and tutor training in the spring. In the autumn, the matter was discussed in the Development Committees of Education of the faculties, where students were heard for the first time at a meaningful level. ISYY was informed of the matter in September, and the subsequent discussions (16/9, 16/10 and 28/10) continued without any new consultation of the student perspective by the university. ISYY is disappointed that it has not been given a proper hearing. The views of individual student representatives cannot be considered sufficient preparation in such a far-reaching matter, as ISYY is the only body that represents all of the university's more than 14,000 students. The university appears to have surveyed everyone's opinions except the students themselves.
ISYY has actively surveyed students' views by collecting comments from subject associations and tutors. There is no indication that new students, tutors, or students active in the Student Union would have wanted this change. It is also unclear who would actually benefit from the change.
It is also noteworthy that teachers who have discussed the matter with an ISYY representative do not understand the reasons for the change in orientation or generally support it. Bringing forward the orientation has been justified by the need to give teachers research leave during the academic year. In ISYY's opinion, this justification does not stand up to critical scrutiny. If the academic year is to be extended, this can be done by extending the teaching periods in December or after May Day.
ISYY has also previously opposed bringing forward the orientation due to the unavailability of student housing. Student housing companies generally draw up new rental agreements to start on September 1 and cannot guarantee that students will be able to move into their new campus city before the first day of the month. This is not just a matter of scheduling, but ISYY wants students to have the basic necessities for studying and living in place before they can begin their studies.
– The university has not provided any reasonable justification for bringing forward the orientation. Instead, this would be yet another source of stress for both new students and tutors, on top of finding accommodation, securing a livelihood, scheduling studies, and juggling with summer jobs, says Chair of the ISYY Executive Board Emilia Enroth.
The process reveals the holding onto apparent student participation rather than genuine involvement, which undermines trust between students and the university. The issue is not just about the practical implementation of orientation, but about how the university listens to its students in meaningful decision-making processes. The university needs to reevaluate how it will ensure genuine student participation in the future from the outset, rather than after decisions have been made.
Jaana Sivula, Vice Chair of the Executive Board, Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY), vpj(at)isyy.fi, tel. +358 44 576 8401
Emilia Kivikoski, Member of the Executive Board, Social Affairs, Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY), emilia.kivikoski(at)isyy.fi