Happy Tuesday!

Soon it is the All Saints' Day which in Finland is celebrated on the Saturday in between 31 October and 6 November. It is the "Finnish Halloween".

Traditionally All Saints’ Day is celebrated by remembering people who have passed away by visiting their graves. All Saints’ Day evening is a good time for a stroll along the graveyard paths to marvel at the sea of lighted candles. Although it is a Christian holiday, All Saints’ Day is most commonly celebrated by remembering our loved ones who have been deceased, whether you consider yourself religious or not.

If you want to remember someone who has passed away and is buried elsewhere, you can bring a candle to a specific spot at the cemetery. There’s a designated place for this at every cemetery and it’s easy to find after dark because of all the candles. You can find graveyard candles at every supermarket (they are in white plastic tubs with a gold lid).

Please note that All Saints' day may affect for example bus timetables (usually Sunday's schedule is in use) and shops' opening hours.

Have a nice week!

Kind regards,
Joona Rantala | Coordinator of International Affairs, Joensuu Campus

Advance voting is on! Who will get your vote?

The ISYY Representative Council elections advance voting began yesterday! You have until this Friday 31 October till 2 pm to vote in advance. ISYY members who have registered as attending at UEF by Monday 20 October 2025 have the right to vote in the elections.

Voting is done online in ISYY's electronic election system and you sign in with your UEF credentials. You can vote anywhere with your computer, smartphone or your tablet when it suits you.

After you have voted, you can pick up an overall patch from ISYY office during our opening hours.

How to vote?

All ISYY members, who have registered as a present student in UEF and paid the ISYY membership fee by 20.10.2025 are entitled to vote in these elections! Advance voting will end on 31 October at 2 pm. The voting on the Actual Election Day 6 November will begin at 8 am and will end at 4 pm.

Shortly, the voting in electrical voting system works like this:

1. Go to the electronic voting system
2. Click the logo of the University of Eastern Finland and sign in to the voting using your university user account and password (the same account you use to login to University's intranet or Elearn environment).
3. After a successful sign in, you may be asked for your approval of your personal information transfer. After pushing the ‘Confirm’ button you will be directed automatically to the voting page, and your student id is used to check if you are eligible to vote in this election.
4. Choose your candidate and write their number to the text fiel on the page and follow instructions and lastly confirm your vote by clicking the "Confirm vote" button.

Who to vote for?

Now it is the perfect time to get to know the Candidate Lists and Candidates.

• Combination of the Candidate Lists is published on ISYY website.
• In ISYY Election System you can find the Candidate Gallery and get to know the Candidates a little bit better. Click the link or write address https://isyy-vaalit.uef.fi/ehdokkaat/ to your browser.
• You can watch recordings of Election Panels' via ISYY's YouTube channel.
• The Voting Aid organised by SYL - answer questions and find the perfect candidate for you!
• Campaigning Days for the Candidates on campuses.

The Election Night celebrations take place this year in the ISYY offices in both Joensuu and Kuopio!

Join us on the Election Day 6 November to wait for the results starting at 4 pm! Who will get the most votes? Will the power balances shift between the lists and which new lists will rise to the Council? Which list will have the most votes? Join and you'll be first to hear.

ISYY's Election Night will be held on 6 November starting at 4 pm in ISYY offices. The addresses are:

• Joensuu, Suvantokatu 6
• Kuopio, Yliopistonranta 15 (Lukema)

All ISYY members are warmly welcome to join the occasion!

Apply to ISYY Board 2026!

Are you excited about organisation activities, or passionate about improving student advocacy? Would you like to gain valuable experience for working life and be part of everyday life of The Student Union? Are you interested in significant personal growth as you take the role of an employer for one year? What about promoting students’ welfare on a national level?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, apply for the Student Union’s Executive Board for the year 2026! Application period is 3.11.-17.11.2025.

What does the Board do?

The Board is responsible for the daily activities of the Student Union together with the employees. In addition to the activities of the sectors, the duties of the Executive Board members are e.g., student advocacy and interest advocacy, representing the Student Union, and being responsible for implementing the action plan.

The Representative Council elects the Board’s Chairperson, Vice Chair and 4-8 members annually. The Representative Council will elect the new Board in their meeting on 27.11.2025.

ISYY Council Meeting today 28 October at 5 pm

ISYY Representative Council will hold a meeting today starting at 5 pm. You are welcome to follow the meeting in classrooms or via the livestream on ISYY's YouTube channel.

In the meeting, the Representative Council will, among other things, decide the amount of ISYY’s membership fee for the 2026–2027 academic year and elect student representatives to administrative bodies, e.g. UEF Board.

The meeting is held in rooms N100 (Natura, Joensuu) and SN200 (Snellmania, Kuopio). The meeting notice can be found on the ISYY website.

Clothes Swap-event in Joensuu

Do you have clothes you don’t wear anymore? This is your chance to give your wardrobe a fresh update!

The Clothes Swap-event will be organized on both campuses in November. Bring a maximum of five (5) clothes you don’t use and exchange them for another piece of clothing. The clothes must be in good condition, since we will not accept broken or dirty clothes. This is a great way to promote sustainability and at the same time meet like-minded people!

At Joensuu campus, the event will be organized at Natura lobby and N101 on Thursday 13 November at 2.30-4.30 pm. 

Save the date and spread the word! 

ISYY's breakfast 11.11.

ISYY’s breakfasts are relaxed and communal events open to all UEF students. Enjoy a nutritious start to your day and meet fellow students! The next breakfast will be held in campus restaurant Aura on 11.11. Registration for the breakfast started today, on 28 October, at 10.00 am. 

Present your ISYY Freshman Bingo by 30 October and join the raffle!

ISYY's Freshman Bingo was organised to kick-start the academic year for our new students. By completing at least one bingo row, first ones got limited edition of ISYY FUKSI overall patches. There's still few patches left in Kuopio!

All those who present the bingo sheet at the ISYY office can leave their contact info to the raffle, where you can win gift cards to a café. We will raffle 10 gift cards (worth of 20,00€) to Kahvila Kaneli.

You can save the bingo sheet to yourself electronically from ISYY website or you can collect a printed bingo sheet from ISYY office. The Freshman Bingo must be completed by 30.11.2025 at 3 pm!

Coffee & Friends

This autumn’s Coffee & Friends starts today on both campuses! The café meets on Tuesdays at Joensuu, 4-6pm at Agora Café.

Coffee & Friends event offers low-threshold hanging out after lectures and the opportunity to meet other students over coffee and a snack. All students of the University of Eastern Finland are welcome to Coffee & Friends. You can come to the café alone or with a friend. In addition, Coffee & Friends has a changing chill programme. Participation in the programme is voluntary and you can come for a while or for the whole time. Participation is free of charge and does not require pre-registration.

Upcoming themes in Coffee & Friends:

• 28.10. Halloween Crafts
• 4.11. Colouring & Board Games
• 11.11. Relaxation (led by UEF Study Psychologists)
• 18.11.

ISYY Club Meetings

All currently listed club meetings (except JEIS meetings) are held weekly in ISYY's club room at ISYY's office located near the city centre (Suvantokatu 6, 80100 Joensuu) except the JEIS meeting. The club meeting list will be updated as new club meeting times and locations are confirmed by the clubs.

More information and a full list of ISYY's clubs in Joensuu can be found on ISYY's webpage:

• MtG (Magic: the Gathering) Guild Mon 3 pm - 8 pm
• Joensuu's Exchange and International Students Mon 5 pm - 6:30 pm
  • On Campus, Aurora-building, room AU102
• LUOMIO! (Literary Arts Club) Tue 6 pm - 8 pm
• JOOJAKU (Japanese Culture Club) Wed 4 pm - 8 pm
• Joensuu Board Gamers meeting Thu 3 pm - 8 pm
• Chess Club Fri 4 pm - 8 pm

All Saints’ Day 1 November – No group exercise classes

Saturday 1 November is All Saints’ Day, so there will be no group exercise classes on this day. Ball game slots and free dance practice sessions can still be reserved normally in the sports calendar.

Curious about cricket?

Come join us for a fun and active afternoon at Tapionkatu field! This event is open to all students and staff – no prior experience needed. You’ll get to learn the basics, try out the sport, and even join a friendly match if you’d like. Karelia students will guide you through the rules and gameplay.

No enrollments needed. Participation in the event does not require a SYKETTÄ sticker!

Where? Tapionkatu field

When? On 29.10., from 15:30 to 17:30

What to bring? Comfortable sportswear and shoes

Are you looking for a workout buddy?

The Workout Buddy service is offered by SYKETTÄ university sports for higher education students who want to be physically active and are looking for someone to exercise with. The goal of the service is to connect students who share similar interests in different types of sports and activities.

In the Workout Buddy application, you can tell us what kinds of sports interest you and what kind of exercise companion you’re looking for. We’ll contact you once we’ve found a suitable match. You don’t need to have an active SYKETTÄ membership to take part in the Workout Buddy service.

By filling out the workout buddy application, we’ll help you find the right exercise partner for you!

Student and Learning Services’ customer service desks on both campuses (Joensuu at Aurora) are closed Tue 28 October and Wed 29 October 2025

You can still reach customer service during their phone service open hours Mon-Fri 12 PM to 2 PM.

You can find the Student and Learning Services' opening hours and instructions on how make an appointment on their page in Kamu.

Bachelor’s and Master’s students: If your study right is ending on 31.12.2025 and you need an extension to finish your degree, you need to apply for it now

Check the end date of your study right in Peppi. If your study right ends on 31.12.2025 and you need to apply for extension, you need to fill out the application during October. Separate reminders on this will not be send. Check the end date of your study right in Peppi on the Study datas-tab.

November exchange application period is open!

In November, students may apply for exchanges during AY 2065/27. Application period is open from 1-17 Nov 2025.

Included in the application period are bilateral exchanges, ISEP exchange, and north2north program. More information about applying is in Kamu’s calls for applications.

More information about student exchange options is in Kamu’s Study Abroad pages.

Apply and see the world!

Degree student: remember to pay Kela fee 

The fee must be paid by all students who are completing a degree at a Finnish institution of higher education and have registered as attending for the term in question.

• Use the OmaKela e-service to pay the healthcare fee. In October 2025, Kela will send a letter to students who have registered as attending for the autumn term but have not yet paid the healthcare fee.
• The healthcare fee is 35.60€ per term.
• The due date for the autumn term is 15 November, if you register as attending by 30 September.
• If you cannot use OmaKela for instance because you do not have Finnish banking credentials, please pay the fee to Kela as a bank transfer.

Welcome to try Under water rugby!

Joensuun Urheilusukeltajat organizes a beginner introduction in Under water rugby. Participant needs to be able to swim 200m without rest and know how to dive to atleast 2m depth and be at least 13 years of age.

For the introduction you need to bring your own swimming suit. You also need basic diving gear, the need for these you can indicate in the question form below. Besides the introduction there are free coached training sessions on saturdays for free for half a year.

Where: Joensuu vesikko

When: November 1st Saturday (16.00-17.40)

More information: Leevi Laasonen (leevi.laasonen@hotmail.com, 0440668733)

Let’s meet in the lobby, and then head on to the pool. In the beginning, we shall go through the rules and share the spare equipment.

Curling season in Joensuu is all set to begin!

We have a course, Curlingkoulu, for beginners starting today! It is organized on October 28, 30 & November 2. After the course, you can easily join the local league starting in November. Come by yourself or gather a group of friends and get excited about curling!

Sign ups: joensuuncurling@gmail.com

November Market 7.-8.11.2025

The traditional Marrasmarkkinat (November Market) will take place at Joensuu Market Square from Friday to Saturday, November 7.–8.2025.

Opening hours:
Friday: 7 AM – 6 PM
Saturday: 7 AM – 4 PM

Participate in the QueerMieli project’s survey on study information systems and the respect for the right to self-identify within higher education

One of the most frequently raised concerns by LGBTQIA+ students in the QueerMieli project relates to study information systems used in Finnish higher education institutions (such as Peppi and Sisu), where the registered name and gender may not match how the student wishes to be addressed in everyday situations. Changing this information within the systems is often difficult or even impossible, resulting e.g., in students being frequently misgendered or misnamed in teaching settings. This may cause problems also among students, who have a name form or legal sex marker that differs from the alternatives recognized in the Finnish population data system.

The project is now conducting an anonymous survey to collect students’ experiences with the study information systems and the respect for the right to self-identify. The goal is to gather data to support advocacy work on this issue. We welcome responses especially from those directly affected by these problems. The survey is open until 9 November and can be completed in Finnish, Swedish or English.

Pinnalla -project: Survey of Womens' Skills in Swimming

With this survey, we collect information about the swimming skills of immigrant and immigrant-background women and their children, as well as their experiences of learning to swim.

The survey is part of the Pinnalla Project and will help develop the activities of the Finnish Multicultural Sports Federation, FIMU ry. The purpose of collecting this data is to provide better opportunities for learning swimming skills and improving water safety, especially for immigrant and immigrant-background women and their families. We will also share the findings with municipal sports services as well as the Ministry of Education and Culture. By gaining more knowledge about the swimming skills of immigrant-background women and children, we can promote equality and diversity in aquatic activities nationwide.

The survey is open until Sunday, November 2, 2025.

Answer the survey here

International student: Share your insights for our study on work life content on social media!

We are a research group from the University of Helsinki, and we are interested in social media content related to work life. We would like to hear about the kinds of work-related accounts you follow, as well as your thoughts and perspectives on their content.

We’re also looking into accounts that address work life from the perspective of neurodiversity or high sensitivity.

If you follow any such content on any social media platform, please click the link below to take our survey. We would greatly appreciate your response!

Taking the survey is completely voluntary. The questionnaire includes a link to the research privacy notice and contact details in case you have any questions about the study. Respondents must be 18 years of age or older.

On behalf of the research group, Emma Nortio, Postdoctoral researcher, Social psychology, University of Helsinki

AaltoGamers CS2 Masters 2025 is here!

Gather a team of friends and get ready to compete against the best teams in the Finnish student Counter Strike scene for your share of the 800€ prize pool!

TEAM SIGN-UP HERE

(Deadline on. 17.11. OR when 32 teams have signed up)

• Qualifiers - Saturday 22.11.
• Finals - Saturday 29.11.
• Aalto Gamers Discord
• Streamed on twitch.tv/aaltogamers

Rules and more info on our website. All skill levels are welcome, but note that 3 out of 5 players are required to be university (or AMK) students!

Psst, You can look for teammates on our Discord!

Weekly Feed is the English language newsletter of the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY). You are receiving this letter on your email because you are a member of ISYY and are studying at Joensuu campus or because you have joined the mailing list yourself. 

Weekly Feed provides you with current information on matters related to the Student Union, UEF or other organisations close to students, such as FSHS. In addition, the newsletter provides you with information on events taking place at campus or the campus city.

Weekly Feed is published on Tuesdays during the academic year, with the exception of holidays and a few other days. If you do not want to receive the newsletter anymore, you can unsubscribe the letter via the unsubscription link  located on the top of the letter. 

You will find more information on ISYY's newsletters  and data protection on ISYY's website.