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.

Have a fun May Day! / Hauskaa vappua!

Kind regards,
Elina
Coordinator of International Affairs

ISYY's Vappu 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.

Events at campus

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

Pool event at Kuopio Market Square

• at 5:30 pm Student associations’ greetings
• at 5:45 pm Cleaning of the Velj’mies statue
• at 5:55 pm Announcing two of the ‘Kunniankantaja’
• at 6:05 pm Capping of the Velj’mies statue
• at 6:20 pm Speech by Janina Gunnar, the Chair of the ISYY Representative Council
• at 6:25 pm Immersing of the Professor

Design the cover for the next ISYY Student Calendar and win 100 €!

Does your heart beat for graphic design, drawing or photography? Want fame and fortune? Now it is your chance to shine!

The Student Calendar of ISYY is carried along daily by many students of UEF, and every year we choose the cover design from art made by our students. This way we ensure the calendar looks like us and members of our student community.

Let loose your creative self and win a 100 € gift card to S-Group. Send your design suggestions on 14 May 2026 at the latest. Instructions for the competition and details of the design can be found from ISYY website.

ISYY Representative Council Meeting's Decisions 2/2026

The Representative Council of ISYY held its second meeting of 2026 on Wednesday 15 April.

In its meeting the Representative Council decided, e.g., to approve the financial statements for the financial year 2025, grant discharge from liability for the accounts of the year 2025 and approve the distribution of the SYL General Meeting delegation seats for the years 2026-2027. Also, ISYY Council decided not to establish new comittees.

The next meeting of the ISYY Council is held in the autumn semester.

ISYY Member Survey response time extended, answer and you may win a 50€ gift card for S Group!

Earlier this spring we opened a Member Survey and we have now decided to extend its response time until Sunday 10 May at 23.59. The purpose of the survey is to collect data regarding how familiar (or not) our Student Union is, and how we can improve our services or events. Every response is important!

Filling up the survey takes approx. 10 minutes and it’s anonymous. After finishing the survey, you can leave your contact information via separate form to participate in the raffle. We will raffle a total of eight (8) S Group gift cards, each worth 50€.

Upcoming exceptions in ISYY Kuopio office opening hours

In spring, there will be the following exceptions:

• Tuesday 28 April: open 13–15
• Thursday 30 April (May Eve): CLOSED
• Mon–Fri 11–15 May: CLOSED
• Tuesday 26 May: open 13–15

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.

ISYY club meetings

Check the list of ISYY clubs in Kuopio on our website.

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

• Sun 3.5. at 1 pm University Student Bible Club
• Sun 3.5. at 5 pm Kärmes (Board Games Club)
• Mon 4.5. at 5 pm Kärmes (Board Games Club)

SYKETTÄ Sports Services

SYKETTÄ – Kuopio University Sports offers a comprehensive range of sports services for students and staff of Savonia University of Applied Sciences and the University of Eastern Finland’s Kuopio campus. Please read the SYKETTÄ Kuopio information. You must have a valid SYKETTÄ membership when using sports services!

Read more on the SYKETTÄ Kuopio website and follow SYKETTÄ on social media:

• SYKETTÄ Kuopio webpage
• Facebook: sykettakuopio
• Instagram: @syketta_kpo
• TikTok: syketta_kuopio

May Day schedules of sports facilities

Snellmania

• Thu 30.4. open 8 am–2 pm (you must leave the premises by 2 pm)
• Fri 1.5. and 2.5. closed 

Studentia

• Thu 30.4. open 6.45 am–3 pm (you can enter until 2 pm and you must leave the premises by 3 pm)
• Fri 1.5. closed 

Luola

• SYKETTÄ membership does not allow access 30.4.-1.5. Luola’s café closed 30.4.

Have a nice May Day!

Hi student, respond to the survey on students’ housing preferences!

Finnish Associations of Student Housing Organisations (SOA) and the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) are conducting a survey on higher education students’ housing preferences. The survey examines students’ housing preferences and needs as well as their order of importance when students choose their housing. 

The results of the survey will be used in decisions concerning the future of student housing and in advocacy work on behalf of higher education students. Your answers are valuable and important! A prize draw of S Group gift cards worth €50 is organised for the respondents. 

The survey is open until 17 May!

Course information for 2026–2027 published in Peppi

Information on the courses offered in the academic year 2026–2027 and their scheduling by semester has been published in Peppi’s study guide. More detailed information on teaching, including schedules and classroom locations (course implementations), will be published by the end of July.

UEF library

May Day opening hours at the UEF library

Joensuu and Kuopio campus libraries are open on Thursday 30 April 2026 from 8 am to 2 pm (customer service from 10 am to 2 pm). Both campus libraries are closed on Friday 1 May 2026. On Saturday 2 May, Joensuu campus library is open from 10 am to 2 pm and Kuopio campus library is closed. Kuopio campus library is closed on Saturdays in May. The 24/7 self-study facilities are open despite these exceptions.

Pay your library fees and lighten your summer spirit

Imagine it’s summer. The sun is shining and the lake shimmering when a thought sneaks in: “Wait a second - did I have unpaid fees on UEF Primo?” Worry not! Take care of the payments online or at the library during the spring, and you can spend your summer soaking up the sunshine, without a care in the world!

May Day changes to local bus schedules

May Day brings changes to Vilkku’s schedules:

• On May Day Eve, April 30, services will run according to the normal schedule. Lines 1–35 will also operate evening and night services according to the Friday schedule.
• On May Day, May 1, services will run on the Sunday schedule. Lines 1–35 will also operate evening and night services according to the Friday schedule.

YTHSDigi available on mobile and on desktop

In YTHSDigi, higher education students can take care of their student health matters easily at a time that suits them, with all digital services accessible in one place via a mobile app or a browser on a computer. Starting May 6, the app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. 

To use YTHSDigi, students need Finnish online banking credentials. 

International degree students who may not have Finnish online banking credentials can contact FSHS via the nationwide telephone service. They will have access to all FSHS services through in-person appointments at FSHS service points. 

Afternoon Tunes in Kuopio, in the lobby of Snellmania, Wed 29 April, 2026 at 12:00

Ryhmäpaine presents: Greatest Hits of MOTOWN

Students from Kuopio Conservatory’s vocational education programme perform the biggest Motown soul hits from the 1960s and 1970s. Dancing in the street, Ain’t no mountain high enough, You keep me hangin’ on…

The concert is open to everyone and admission is free. Welcome!

Cultural tastings in spring 2026

City of Kuopio’s cultural institutions celebrated the Kuopio250 anniversary by offering free “Tastings”—unique opportunities to get a glimpse into the daily life, art, and activities of these venues. These events brought culture closer to the public, attracted new audiences and created great experiences. The warm reception from the public and the many requests for more encouraged to continue this successful concept even after the anniversary year.

In 2026, the “Tastings of Culture” series continue: each cultural institution will organize a free event once per season, offering an opportunity to experience, discover and be inspired.

Monthly Sessions is back!

International House Kuopio will host the next Monthly Sessions event on Wednesday, 29 April 2026, from 13:00 to 15:00. The event is free of charge and open to all international customers, students and international residents.

This month’s topic: Work Try‑out in Finland – what does it mean and how can you participate? We will discuss the opportunities offered by a Work Try‑out, including perspectives from the early childhood education sector, in easy Finnish.

• Location: TyöNavigaattori, Asemakatu 7, Kuopio (Pop up space)
• Time: 29 April, 13:00–15:00
• Register

#KPOWEEKINENGLISH by Kuopio city

International Dance Day Rieha, Wed 29.4. at 16.30-21  

• Kuopio City Theatre 
• A new celebration of dance is coming to Kuopio! There will be performances in the lobby and on stage, where everyone can experience dance in their own way: as a spectator, a participant, or a creator. Free admission: at 17.15 Folk Dance Introductory Class and at 19 Dance Day Disco. Free May Day programs: 

Free May Day programs:

• Thu 30.4. at 14-16 May Day Eve for the whole family in the Juankoski Library 
• at 18 May Day Eve in Albatrossi 
• at 18 Kaikumo May Day Music Club in Maxim 
• Fri 1.5. at 9-15 May Day celebrations on Kuopio Market Square 
• at 12 May Day parade of vintage cars from the Car Museum to the market square and the harbor  
• at 13.30-16 A Christian celebration for the whole family at the Harbor Square 

May Day cleaning, Sat 2.5. at 14-16 

• Väinölänniemi Park 
• A trash cleaning event. You can borrow trash cleaning utensils and trash bags from us. Some snacks and patches are available for participating people. Meeting near the tennis courts and the parking lot. Everyone welcome!

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.