News in English

Students have poor knowledge of Finnish

Finnish students master their own mother tongue poorly. Most Departments at the University of Tampere only include one compulsory Finnish course in their curricula. While this course should cover how to write academic papers, most of the time is spent on revising basic grammar such as compound word and comma rules.

One of the reasons for the current state of things is the 1995 renovation of the distribution of lesson hours which dropped the number of weekly lesson hours in Finnish language in senior secondary schools from eight to six. Finnish language skills are also affected by the increased use of colloquial expressions in the media and the influence of English.

Tamy membership fee may rise

The Tamy membership fee is likely to rise with 2 euros the next academic year. The fee would come up to 79 euros. The biggest reason for the rise are staff expenses. Tamy employees received a salary raise this autumn and Tamy has established a new Secretariat position. The biggest addition to expenses comes from employing the Aviisi editorial staff from now onwards all year, when they previously have not been employed during the summer months.

If the Council of Representatives decides to accept the budget draft made by the Board of Executives, 17 issues of Aviisi will be published next year, which means one issue more than before.

Crediting of studies abroad difficult at the final stage of studies

Students who come back from student exchange close to their graduation often encounter problems when returning to the University of Tampere.
"The foreign university may not have any studies to offer to exchange students who have studied for four or five years, since these students have completed all of their intermediate studies and possibly parts of their advanced studies, as well," informs Laura Lalu, Tamy Secretary for International Affairs. Courses taken in foreign universities can be credited at Tampere only if the corresponding courses have not yet been completed.

Particular problems may occur if you plan to write your masterÂ’s thesis abroad while still planning to graduate from the University of Tampere. Theses have different qualifications in different countries - in some countries a thesis is still a mere book summary.

Economic autonomy of universities likely to increase

The Council of State motions that the economic autonomy of universities increase from the beginning of next year on. In the future, universities would have the possibility to own property.
Universities would also be entitled to receive and autonomously decide the use of donations from foundations and private communities.
"The lack of economic autonomy harms the possibilities of universities to succeed in their core duties: research and research-based teaching," comments the work group established by the Finnish Council of University Rectors.
Universities will remain state universities. Currently, only the University of Helsinki and Ã…bo Akademi University are entitled to own property.

SYL campaigns for tuition-free education

The National Union of Students in Finland, SYL, will organize a theme day for tuition-free education on the 28th November. The purpose of the theme day is to campaign for tuition-free education particularly for students who come from countries outside of the EU and the EEA.
"The tuition fees for students from countries outside of the EU are not a problem only for these students. The theme day is a good time to remember that you cannot take anything for granted and that tuition fees may concern everyone in the future," reminds Mikko Koskinen, member of the Board of the National Union of Students in Finland.

At Tampere, the Tamy Executive Board and International Affairs Sector will be ready to answer questions at the university on the theme day. For more information, see: www.maksutonkoulutus.fi.

FSHS poster competition against soft drinks

FSHS and the Student Unions of the universities of Tampere are organizing a poster and slogan competition with the theme "Water is an alternative". The purpose of the competition is to reduce the daily consumption of soft drinks and juices, since tooth cavitations have become more common among students.

"University and Polytechnic level students drink a lot of soft drinks that promote tooth decay. You have to be aware that also light products erode the teeth and also fatten when used extensively.
The health of young generations has gone to the gutter, especially when it comes to teeth," reports Niina Kiviaho, Tamy Secretary for Social Affairs.

The poster must inspire people to drink water when they are thirsty. The best posters will be presented at FSHS, where you can vote for your favourite. The winners will receive a financial reward. All posters must be submitted by 12th January 2007. For more information, please contact: annukka.vuorinen@yths.fi.

Translations: Reija Kontio