Happy Tuesday!

The roads are starting to freeze slowly and become slippery. Here are some useful tips for staying upright on icy roads:

• Check to see if the soles of your shoes are suitable for walking on slippery surfaces. The soles should not be completely flat and hard, but rather have a rubbery feel with some texture.
• If you don’t have winter-ready shoes, you can purchase slip-on shoe spikes to attach on your shoes. The studs should not be worn indoors since they scratch the floors, so remember to take them off your shoes when you go to the supermarket, for example.
• Now that you have proper footwear, it’s time to learn to walk like a penguin! In order to avoid falling down on icy roads, lean forwards and keep your weight on the foot you’re putting forward. If this works for penguins with slippery feet, it works for humans as well!
• NB! Black ice is a thing in Finland - the roads can be super slippery even though they don’t look icy (you can still see the asphalt through the ice, hence the name).
• Read more tips from Liikenneturva.

Have a nice week!

Kind regards,
Elina
Coordinator of International Affairs and Administration

Exceptions in opening hours of ISYY Kuopio office and Christmas break

ISYY office in Kuopio will have shortened opening hours from Thursday 20 November till the end of the year:

• Mon: 1pm - 3pm
• Tue: 1pm - 3pm
• Wed: 12(noon) - 4pm
• Thu: 1pm - 3pm
• Fri: closed

This year the offices are open for the last time on Wednesday 10 December. (Survival Packages can still be returned to offices until 17 December. Renters will get an email with instructions for returning the package later.) The offices will be open again in January.

ISYY Council meetings 7/2025 and 1/2026–2027 on Thu 27 November

ISYY Council will hold their meetings on Thursday 27 November at 4 pm in classrooms N100 (Joensuu) and SN200 (Kuopio). The current ISYY Council will first hold its meeting 7/2025 at 4 pm and right after it the newly elected Council 2026–2027 will hold its formative meeting.

At the meeting 7/2025 the ISYY Council will decide ISYY’s action plan and budget for 2026, decide whether to accept ISYY’s new communications strategy and whether to establish a new position of Physical Activity Counsellor for Joensuu SYKETTÄ sport services.

In the formative meeting 1/2026–2027 the new ISYY Council will name the following positions and bodies for the year 2026: Chairpersons for the ISYY Council, ISYY Executive Board, Chairpersons for the Committees of the Chairpersons for both campuses.

Welcome to follow the meetings in the classrooms or via stream on ISYY’s YouTube channel!

Take a break – Wellbeing pop-up event 4.12.

Take a break – Wellbeing pop-up event in the lobby of Carelia on the Joensuu campus and in the lobby of Snellmania on the Kuopio campus on Tuesday 2 December 2025, at 11:00-13:00.

Feeling the end-of-semester rush? Drop by for a moment of calm! Our pop-up event brings you wellbeing workshops and creative activities hosted by student associations.

Brought to you by UEF Student and Learning Services, ISYY, FSHS – as well as Varpu-project in Joensuu. Drop by, relax, and take a moment for yourself!

Hobby Buddy service: buddies for these hobbies wanted

ISYY's Hobby Buddy serivice connects students with one another based on shared interest and hobbies. The service is for all students of the University of Eastern Finland who want to make new friends through common hobbies and interests. Right now we have people looking for one ot more hobby buddies in Kuopio for e.g. following activities: music and band activities, cosplay, latin dances, escape room games, poetry, nature and forest trips.

Fill out the application on our website and we’ll get in touch when the matching hobby buddy is found. Note! If you are looking for a friend to exercise with, please check out the Sport Buddy service of SYKETTÄ.

ISYY's breakfast 9.12.

ISYY’s breakfasts are relaxed and communal events open to all UEF students. Enjoy a nutritious start to your day and meet fellow students! This autumn’s last breakfast will be held in campus restaurant Snellmania on 9.12.

Registration for the breakfast starts on 25 November at 10.00 am in Kide.app.

ISYY club meetings

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

• Tue 25.11. at 5 pm Kärmes (board game club)
• Mon 1.12. at 5 pm Kärmes (board game club)
• Sun 6.12. at 1 pm UEF 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. Read more on the SYKETTÄ Kuopio website and follow SYKETTÄ on social media:

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

Opening hours of Kuopio campus restaurants for Christmas and New Year 2025

Registration for language studies!

Registration for language and communication courses for spring semester opens December 1st. You can find the courses included in your degree in your PSP or in the study guide, register in Peppi through you PSP. Check out also the new Minor subject in Finnish: Minor Subject in Finnish as a Second Language.

Registration for the 3rd period ends on 4.1.2026 and later in the spring the registration for courses starting in the 4th period ends on 1.3. or later, depending on when the course starts. Read the further information of each course unit carefully!

Welcome to our language courses!

UEF libraries closed on 27 November 2025

Campus Libraries and KUH Medical Library are closed on Thursday 27 November 2025 due to Staff Development Day. The 24/7 self-study facilities of Campus Libraries are open despite the exception.

Study psychologists’ telephone consultation hours in November and December 2025

For the remainder of the year, the study psychologists offer telephone consultation hours. You can send a call request via text message, and the study psychologist will contact you during the consultation hours. Please include your full name and student number in the message. You may also call the study psychologist yourself during the consultation hours. If the line is busy, please call only once – the study psychologist will return your call as soon as possible.

Coffee & Friends

On Tuesday 25 November the Coffee & Friends programme includes a Christmas party, after which the cafés will pause for the Christmas break. Coffee & Friends meets at 3-5pm at Lukema in Kuopio and at 4-6pm at Agora Café in Joensuu.

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.

The Coffee & Friends will continue in the spring semester, and the schedule will be published on ISYY’s website next year.

Sustainability Studies Network

Sustainability studies network is a collaborative teaching network of 11 Finnish higher education institutions. The network is multidisciplinary. It offers courses related to environment and sustainability. The courses are open for all degree, doctoral and exchange students of the member higher education institutions. A student may choose courses based on their own interest from the course listing. There are courses available both in Finnish and in English. A student has an opportunity to broaden their knowledge on environmental and sustainability themes by studying courses through the network.

The call for applications is open until 30 November 2025.

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.