Happy Tuesday!

The ultimate student holiday is here! It’s time to grab your overalls (and your high school graduation cap) and head for a May Day -themed picnic among other festive students. May Day is usually considered as a holiday celebrating workers, but in Finland it is truly taken over by higher education students with their carnival traditions.

30th April is the day for student celebrations - there’s usually a student cavalcade and traffic is closed so students can parade through the city waving student organisation flags and sporting their student organisation overalls and high school graduation caps.

The traditional vappu picnic feast includes delicacies such as a sugar-coated doughnut (munkki) and funnel cake (tippaleipä), which is coated with powdered sugar. To wash all the sugar down Finns usually drink sima - a sweet, sparkling low-alcoholic beverage which is made by fermenting honey, sugar, water and lemon. Traditional sima also includes a few raisins. You can read more about Finnish vappu food from This is Finland -website.

Have a fun May Day! / Hauskaa vappua!

Exceptions to ISYY office opening hours

ISYY offices are closed Wed-Thu 30.4.-1.5. due to May Day. Offices are open again normally on Monday 5 May.

In equipment loans, if the return date falls on a day when the office is closed, the loan period is automatically extended to the next day when the office is open.

Representative Council Meeting Decisions 2/2025

The Representative Council of the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY) held its second meeting of 2025 on Wednesday 9 April. The meeting minutes were published on Wednesday 16 April in Finnish in the Documents section under the Representative Council folder on ISYY’s website, but you can read the summarised version of the decisions in English on ISYY's website linked below.

The next meeting of the ISYY Council is held on 15 May 2025.

What will the ISYY's Student Calendar for the next Academic Year look like?

The Student Calendar of ISYY is carried along daily by many students of UEF. Next autumn your design might be the cover of our popular calendar!

Does your heart beat for graphic design, drawing or photography? Want fame and fortune? Now it is your chance to shine! Let loose your creative self and win a 100€ gift card to S-Group. The competition ends 15.5.2025.

Instructions for the competition and details of the design can be found from ISYY website.

Soon, the entire music world will gather around TV screens to watch the Eurovision 2025 final broadcast, which will air live from Switzerland on Saturday 17 May! 

This time, you don't have to watch the performances alone: ISYY is organizing a top-notch viewing party for its students in both Kuopio and Joensuu. So gather your friends and Eurovision spirit, and come spend a fantastic Eurovision night with us in Kuopio: Kulttuuriareena 44, Kauppakatu 44, 70100 Kuopio at 9.00 PM. We especially want to promote this event to our international students, as music is a wonderful way to bring people together. 

During the Eurovision night, we will cheer for our favorite performers. There will be a chance to play Eurovision Bingo, with prizes for the lucky winners. We will also provide yummy snacks, and you are also welcome to bring your own food. However, please leave alcoholic beverages at home, as the event is alcohol-free.

Please register for the event on KideApp so that the event organizers can prepare the necessary amount of food and other activities.

What: Eurovision Viewing Party

Where: Kulttuuriareena 44, Kauppakatu 44, 70100 Kuopio

When: Sat 17 May at 9.00 PM - Sun 18 May at 2.00 AM

Cost: The event is free for ISYY members

What to bring: Snacks if you wish

ISYY club meetings

ISYY clubs' meetings at Lukema (ISYY office in Studentia, C door):

• Tue 29.4. at 5 pm Kärmes (board game club)
• Sun 4.5. at 1 pm UEF Student Bible Club

ISYY's Vappu (May Day) Eve programme!

Vappu is the biggest celebration of the year for Finnish students. On Vappu Eve, 30 April, you can attend ISYY's Vappu traditions on both campuses. ISYY gathers all university students to celebrate Vappu together with our old traditions.

Timetable

At Campus:

• 1 pm Cleaning of the Tooth at Studentia (organised by Dentina ry)
• 2 pm Rite of the Scholastic Passage, SN100 (organised by ISYY’s Wihkimysylimystö)

Pool event at the Kuopio Market Square:

• 5:30 pm Student associations’ greetings
• 5:45 Cleaning of the Velj’mies statue
• 5:55pm Announcing two of the ‘Kunniankantaja’
• 6:05 Capping of the Velj’mies statue
• 6:20 Vappu Speech of the Student Union (Miika Hiltunen, Vice Chair of the Executive Board)
• 6:25 Immersing of the Professor

Get the ISYY lyre for your Student Cap!

Did you know that you can purchase a lyre of the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY) to your Student Cap to symbolise your own university community?

Vappu (May Day) is already next week and in Finland it is a tradition that students wear their student caps on Vappu Eve and Vappu Day. The standard lyre that can be seen in most of the Finnish Student Caps is a symbol for the Mariculation Examination but also a symbol of the Student Union of the University of Helsinki. There is also own lyres to symbolise, e.g. the Vocational Upper Secondary Qualification or the International Baccalaureate.

Student Unions has their own lyres that symbolises the university community. A university student can purchase the lyre for their Student Cap to replace the old lyre.

A lyre costs only 5,00 € and they are sold from ISYY offices, welcome!

Rite of Scholastic Passage 

Greetings to you, University of Eastern Finland student of the Kuopio campus! We hereby announce, that you’ve been invited to the Rite of Scholastic Passage, held on May Day’s Eve on the 30th of April.

A ceremony most secretive and solemn, the Rite of Scholastic Passage is counted among the most long-standing traditions in the academic history of Kuopio as well as among the most unique May Day celebrations in the entire nation. Afterwards, the initiated are granted an authentic KYY ribbon for their graduation caps as recognition of their achievement in pursuing higher knowledge.

For reasons of practicality, the participants are instructed to arrive in good time, starting at 1:30 pm via main entrance of the Snellmania building. Register for the event in advance using the below.

Mayday! May Day, Vappu is here!

"Vappu, 1st of May is known as a festival for students and workers. For Finnish students, the festival has been familiar since childhood, when Vappu included balloons, streamers and donuts. Now, as University students, we are all excited to put on our overalls and celebrate together."

Our international sector's Executive Board members Kristiina Oinonen and Piritta Pennanen wrote a blog post for our international students who might not be that familiar with Finnish vappu yet. Read the whole post on ISYY's website.

Come to the closing event of the spring group exercise season in the first week of May

Mon 5.5. group classes at Studentia

• 16.05- 17.00 Core
• 17.10 -18.05 Pump
• 18.15 - 19.00 Body overhaul45’

Wed 7.5. Spinning maraton at Kunnonsali

• 18.00-20.30

Thu 8.5. group classes at Snellmania

• 16.15-17.45 90’ Functional training 90’
• 17.45-18.15 Body overhaul30´

There are extra shifts for ball sports at Studentian in May.

Due to enormous popularity, we are organizing a second Partyspinning class on May Day Eve, April 30th, from 11.05 am to 12:00 pm.

It will feature exactly the same energetic program as the earlier class!

This additional class is especially for those who couldn't register for the 10.00 am class. Our goal is to offer as many people as possible the chance to participate in the Vappu spirit by cycling along to the same excellent program.

Please note that if both classes are full, SYKETTÄ staff reserves the right to remove participants who have booked a spot in both classes. This is to ensure that as many people as possible can enjoy Partyspinning and its fast-paced program.

Registration for the class begins on April 29th at 11.05 am through the booking calendar. You can join with all valid SYKETTÄ stickers.

Running School

The running school will be organized for SYKETTÄ members again in May!
The course starts with a lecture on Monday, May 5th, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Savonia Microkatu campus.

Practices will take place:

• on Thursday, May 8th, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm  
• on Mondays, May 12th, 19th and 26th, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.

The running school costs €30/person with a SYKETTÄ sticker. Registration for the running school opens on April 7th, via the booking calendar. 

The course offerings for 2025-2026 are available – the aim is to support timely planning of studies

The basic information on the courses offered in the academic year 2025–2026 has been compiled by faculty and is now available on Kamu. The service is new, and the purpose is to assist students in planning their studies for the next academic year earlier than in previous years.

The course offerings website includes courses offered by faculty.

Graduating soon? Open thesis?

Have you noticed that the every year the UEF Library raffles off a grant worth EUR100 among UEF students who have made their master’s thesis publicly available?

The University of Eastern Finland is committed to supporting the principles of open science and research, and strongly recommends Master’s theses to be published with Open Access.

Sign up by submitting this electronic form once your master’s thesis has been published online.

Library Language Cafés

The Library Language Cafés are open, relaxed events where you can practice speaking Finnish in a comfortable atmosphere. When you strike up a conversation, it’s easy to get to know new people and cultures. Of course, you can also participate just by listening!

Library staff will also take part in the games and conversations and collect ideas for future gatherings.

So come along, bring a relaxed attitude and a smile. You can take your whole family with you if you like. Coffee and tea available!

The events are free of charge, and need no signing up. Welcome!

Neulamäki Library Language Café:

• Juontotie 6, 70150, Kuopio
• Tuesdays 5PM – 6PM
• Apr. 29th, May 27th.

AG League Of Legends OSM 2025

Prove your strength! The League of Legends OSM 2025 is here! Compete in Finland's largest League of Legends student tournament and earn your cut of the 1000€ prize pool!

The games will be streamed and casted on AG Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aaltogamers

WHEN: Qualifiers - Saturday, 17.5 / Finals - Saturday, 24.5
WHERE: Online Qualifiers, AG Discord & Live Finals, Otaniemi

Rules and more info on the official tournament page: https://osm.aaltogamers.fi/ All skill levels welcome, but note that all team members must be university/AMK students or recent graduates (graduated after 1.1.2024).

Register with your full team here: https://aaltogamers.fi/link/osmsignup

More information about the event will be posted on Aalto Gamers Telegram
(http://aaltogamers.fi/link/telegram) & Discord
(https://discord.com/invite/QKcst3UBdB)!

Weekly Feed is the English language newsletter of the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY). You are receiving this letter in your email because you are a member of ISYY and are studying at Kuopio 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.