KY, TOKYO and TKY announcement: Student unions decide to hold elections for Aalto University Student Union Representative Council

(20.11.2008)

The Student Unions of the Helsinki School of Economics (KY), the University of Art and Design Helsinki (TOKYO) and Helsinki University of Technology (TKY) have in their representative councils decided to hold elections in April 2009 for Aalto University Student Union Representative Council.

The first term of the Aalto University Student Union Representative Council will begin on August 1, 2009 with the establishment of the student union and continue until the end of 2011.
KY, TOKYO and TKY will merge to become the Aalto University Student Union on August 1, 2009 and, in parallel to this, will also continue their activities as separate student unions until the end of 2009.

The representative council is to be appointed already in the spring to allow sufficient time for the Aalto University Student Union to prepare for the launch of its operations in fall 2009. Members of the Aalto University Student Union may then begin using its services from the beginning of 2010, when the three student unions have fully merged.
The motion for spring 2009 elections has been prepared by a team comprised of the representative councils of all three student unions. The draft was accepted by the TKY Representative Council on November 13 and by the TOKYO and KY Representative Councils on November 18.

Further information:
- Noora Jaakkola, TOKYO Chair, tel. 050 404 198
- Katariina Kyckling, KY Chair, tel. 050 566 7017
- Christian Peltonen, TKY Chair, tel. 050 321 2460

Comments from student unions concerning the merge:
- The student unions unanimously agree that the student union of Aalto University has a significant role in student housing and promotes culture by facilitating, organizing and supporting cultural activities. We are currently in the process of creating the best possible preconditions for the new boards to continue the project smoothly and in even closer cooperation with each other from the beginning of the year. The student unions also share the same views concerning the most appropriate organizational chart for the new student union.” comments Christian Peltonen.

- The greatest challenge is to form a student union that provides excellent services for students from the three different academic fields. The three existing student unions, each focusing on a single field, must now be integrated into one multidisciplinary or tridisciplinary student union. The solution may involve a model in which central issues would be handled by, for example, a steering group with representation from the three different fields. According to the letter of intent, the board will also include representation from all three fields. These are important issues for the smaller minority,” summarizes Noora Jaakkola.

- The new student union is an opportunity to break free from old structures and start with a clean slate in defining the new student union’s activities and services. Promoting diversity is central to the new university community, and we hope that the student union will also advance the support and appreciation of different cultures. It is very important to ensure that in addition to a joint student union, art students and economics students also have their own student societies within the new university, just as students of technology have their guilds. On the whole, Aalto University represents an opportunity for us all,” emphasizes Katariina Kyckling.