Happy Tuesday!

Spring semester is coming to an end and people are either heading back home or getting ready for summer activities. Hopefully you've had a wonderful semester and enjoyed your time in Kuopio and at the University of Eastern Finland! If you're staying here for the summer, check out the Finnish summer section at the end of the newsletter.

You are reading the last Weekly Feed of the spring semester, but don't worry - Weekly Feed will be back on 18 August after a little summer break! ISYY offices are also going to be closed for summer, so make sure you visit the office on 10 June at the latest.

Have a nice summer!

Kind regards,
Elina
Coordinator of International Affairs

Registration for the next academic year begins 1 June

Hey continuing student! Registration for the UEF Academic Year 2026–2027 will begin on next Monday 1 June.

Registration periods for the next academic year are:

• Registration for the year 2026–2027 begins on 1 June and ends on 15 September 2026
• Registration ONLY for the spring semester 2027 is 1 November – 15 January

When you register as a present student and you pay the ISYY membership fee at the same time, you’ll get all of our member services also for the next academic year. ISYY membership will help you during your studies, e.g. with our interest advocacy services. Get to know all of our member services by going through our website, and you’ll make to most of your membership!

Save the date: autumn events

Summer is soon here and now it is a good time to save some event dates to your calendar for the autumn 2026! Below you can find a list of events that we already know at the moment. The best way to keep up with our events is to follow our newsletters and our event calendar in our website. The events listed below can be soon found from the event calendar.

• Kuopio Pride 22.8.
• LoveZone Opening of the Academic Year 3.9.
• City Orienteering and After Party 3.9.
• Association Day 23.9.
• Wellbeing Week 28.9-2.10.
• Sports Afternoon 30.9.
• Independence Day Torch Parade 6.12.

Upcoming exceptions in ISYY office opening hours

There will be the following exceptions at our Kuopio office:

• 26.5. open only 1 pm – 3 pm
• 2.–10.6. open only by prior appointment
• 11.6.–2.8. closed

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.

During the first weeks of June ISYY offices are open only by prior appointment. Please book an appointment by contacting the office via phone or email.

ISYY offices will be closed 11.6.–2.8. and the offices are open again on Monday 3 August.

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):

• Thu 28.5. at 5 pm Kärmes (Board Games Club)
• Wed 3.6. at 5 pm Kärmes (Board Games Club)
• Sun 7.6. at 1 pm University Student Bible 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

Summer info

Online class, Bare Yoga Method, is usable for every day in summer. More info in the reservation calendar.

Please visit our website or reservation calendar for up-to-date information on gym opening hours (Snellmania, Studentia and Luola) also Studentia sports hall.

SYKETTÄ memberships for Autumn 2026 and Academic year 2026-2027 are available for purchase on the website shop from 1st of July. You can choose 30-day, Autumn or full-year membership!

SYL blog: The global student mental health crisis and what more we can do in Finland

In recent years, the student mental health crisis has been widely discussed in Finland. These developments are not unique to Finland. Students in higher education around the world suffer from mental health issues: according to various studies, 12–50 per cent of students in higher education around the world will experience mental health issues at least once during their studies.

Read the whole blog via the link below.

Help shape the future of Eastern Finland

What feels promising, worrying, helpful, or challenging in your everyday life in Eastern Finland?

We invite international students to join the University of Eastern Finland’s signal hunting initiative and share their observations about life in the region. We are interested in the kinds of things that affect everyday life and the future of Eastern Finland — including the experiences of international students.

Your observation can be something small: something you have seen, heard, experienced, or wondered about in daily life, studies, work, conversations, social media, services, or local culture. It can be about an opportunity, a challenge, or simply something that feels important.

Every observation helps us build a more diverse picture of Eastern Finland’s future. Your voice matters.

UEF Occupational Health and Safety Committee encourages moderate use of perfumes and fragrances

The Occupational Health and Safety Committee reminds that the use of strong perfumes and fragrances may cause allergic symptoms.

The number of people at the university is large and so is the range of different scents. Please keep in mind that your colleagues, students, fellow students, teachers or customers may be allergic to perfumes and fragrances. A small action can make the everyday life of people around you easier and also the entire university a more comfortable environment for us all. Taking other people into consideration is a matter of small actions.

Read more in Viva Engage.

Campus libraries offer season tickets that can be borrowed for Joensuun Maila and Kuopion Palloseura home games

As part of the cooperation between the university and Joensuun Maila (Finnish baseball) and Kuopion Palloseura (soccer), two season tickets are available for university staff and degree students for Joensuun Maila’s men’s and women’s regular season and playoff home games, as well as two season tickets for Kuopion Palloseura matches. The KuPS season tickets are valid for both the women’s and men’s first teams’ 2026 season matches in the Veikkausliiga and the Briotech National League. Read more in Viva Engage.

Looking for a roommate?

Are you moving into shared housing or looking for someone to fill an empty room? KämppisFinder makes it easy to find a roommate that’s the right fit for you. With the app’s handy filters, you can narrow down potential roommates based on lifestyle, living habits, rental budget, and more.

Download the app and find your new roommate easily!

Learn more:

• www.kamppisfinder.fi
• Instagram: @kamppisfinder
• Facebook: @kämppisfinder

Welcome to a concert at Snellmania lobby on Weds 27 May 2026 at 12:00!

The Iitu Apell Trio offers indie gems and captivating moments. The performance is an intimate and inspiring experience in which music and stories create a deep, soulful moment. The band performs a versatile selection of songs, ranging from delicate, poetic pieces to classics made for the biggest stages.

Line-up:

• Iitu Apell, vocalist
• Roope Pelkonen, acoustic guitar and piano
• Heikki Haataja, cajón and percussion

The concert is part of the cultural collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland and the City of Kuopio.

#KPOWEEKINENGLISH

Bird watching trip to Pilppa, Wed 27.5. at 8-11

• Parking lot at the end of Pilpantie road, Pilpantie 160
• We’ll walk to Vuorilampi Lake and the surrounding old forest to listen to songbirds. The walk will cover about 4–5 km, depending on how many birds we hear. Please wear weather-appropriate clothing and shoes. Read more.
• Free admission.

Neighborhood Events: Puijonlaakso, Wed 27.5. at 17-19

• Sammakkolampi Recreation Area, Sammakkolammentie
• A feel-good outdoor event where people can spend time together and catch up in a relaxed atmosphere. The program includes orchestral music performances by Wanhat Torvet, 4H youth, and Bun Church. Free admission.

Free admission for students to Riisa, Sun 31.5. at 11-15

• Riisa, Karjalankatu 1
• Free admission for students to the Museum of the Orthodox Church in Finland on the last Sunday of the month.

International House Kuopio – Monthly Sessions

Monthly Sessions is a relaxed and open meeting place for anyone who wants to practice Finnish, network, and find support for their career path in Finland. Each event features companies, experts, or regional actors giving expert presentations. 

Next Monthly Sessions event will be held on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 1 pm. 

• Topic: The importance of Finnish language skills in the workplace, with guest speaker Teija Vuontisjärvi from Servica Oy
• Location: TyöNavigaattori, Asemakatu 7, Kuopio (pop-up space)
• Register for the event via this link: Monthly sessions. Please register early, as space is limited.

Midsummer

Midsummer (‘juhannus’ in Finnish) in Finland is truly a magical experience - Finns call Midsummer night “the nightless night” as the sun does not set at all and it is light throughout the night, even in southern Finland. Midsummer is celebrated at the end of June and the eve is always on a Friday (between 19.6 and 26.6) - and this year Midsummer Eve is on Friday 19 June. As every holiday in Finland, Midsummer is celebrated on both Midsummer Eve and Midsummer Day. 

Many Finns spend their Midsummer at a cabin where they can swim in a lake, go to sauna and eat grilled food (that would be mostly sausages). There is also a very specific sauna tradition that many foreigners might find a bit odd - Finns use a bouquet made out of leafy birch branches in the sauna to gently whip themselves with. The birch “bouquet” is called ‘vasta’ or ‘vitsa’, depending on the region you come from. 

Bonfires are also an essential part of a Finnish Midsummer, especially in Eastern Finland. According to a pagan tradition, the Midsummer bonfire, ‘juhannuskokko’, was burned to symbolically cast away evil spirits and enhance light and increase the fertility of both crops and people. 

Midsummer celebration includes many magical traditions and beliefs. There are various Midsummer spells from the olden days that people still do nowadays, either seriously or just as a fun tradition. The spells are most often used to foretell/predict love-related affairs, such as finding your future spouse or increasing fertility. 

Here are a few Midsummer spells for you to try: 

• To see your future husband or wife in your dreams, you need to pick 7 different flowers or herbs from 7 different meadows (in silence) and put them under your pillow for the night.
• You can look into a well or into a pond at night to see your future spouse.
• If you hear a cuckoo on Midsummer night, you can count how many years you have to wait until you meet your future spouse by counting how many times the cuckoo sings.
• If you roll around naked in a dewy meadow on Midsummer night, your future spouse will enter your life during the ongoing year. 

Have a magical Midsummer! / Taianomaista Juhannusta!

Surviving Finnish summer

Even though Finland is all about the postcard-worthy winter wonderland, summer in the nordic countries can also be a rather exotic experience. If you thought the mid-winter darkness would never cease, well guess what - now it’s sunlight (almost) around the clock! Here are some tips and tricks for a hassle-free summer in Finland:

• Finnish summer is all about the midnight sun, so find ways to enjoy it! Go for a nighttime swim or a stroll.
• Buy blackout curtains or a sleep mask if the sunlight bothers you at night. If you don’t feel like buying these items, you can attach a black sheet on your window. 
• Two words: mosquito repellent. You can find this in literally every store as a spray, roll-on, burner and even an electronic device that gives you a mosquito-free personal bubble. 
• Watch out for snakes if you pick berries in a forest. The only poisonous snake in Finland is viper. You can wear rubber boots to prevent bites and if you want to be extra careful, get a snake bite kit (‘kyypakkaus’) from a pharmacy. The medicine helps with viper bite’s symptoms, but you still need to visit a doctor if you get bitten. Also, after you leave a forest, check your body for ticks!
• Although Finland isn’t as hot as Southern countries, use sunblock here too.
• Remember to drink lots of water during hot days.

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.