News in English

Student meal prices may rise considerably

If things go really badly, a student meal may end up costing four euros.

The background for this is the following tricky question: who owns the university real estate? The current owner is Senaattikiinteistöt which is a state-owned company to whom universities pay rent. However, student restaurants have been allowed to function without paying rent.

Now the EU is about to interfere with the position of state-owned companies, which it considers to contradict competition legislation. For this reason, Senaattikiinteistöt will be converted into a limited company.

As a limited company, Senaattikiinteistöt would no longer be able to let student restaurants function in their premises for free.

Pertti Liljeroos, the managing director of Juvenes (which is owned by student unions), estimates that a student meal might end up costing four euros instead of 2, 35 euros if the restaurants have to pay full rent.

“Last year we sold 900.000 student meals. I’m afraid the figure might even drop to 600.000 if the prices rise a lot", says Liljeroos.

He also points out that this is the worst case scenario and is not the most likely thing to happen. So far nothing is sure.

“It took a lot of work to get the financial support for student meals to where it is today, and no-one should destabilize the situation", says Jorma Heikkilä from Kela.

Electronic exams available for everyone

Since the beginning of the year, all departments have has access to the electronic exam system, aka Exam Aquarium.

“We prefer to speak of electronic exams now, because we have had to rethink the whole system", says Sami Hautakangas, Data System Manager.

Twenty exams are currently available for electronic examination. If you want to take an exam that is not on the list, it is best to talk to the teaching staff responsible for that exam.

All exams cannot be added to the electronic system. For example mathematical formulas are impossible to make with the current system.

The plan is to enable students to take summer exams electronically. There is room for approximately a hundred new exams in the electronic system.

For more information, see: http://www.uta.fi/hyper/otk/oppimisalustat/tenttis.php

Too much taxation on study grants

The number of students who got too much study grant was ten percent higher in year 2006 than it was the previous year.

"This increase reflects the fact that students are working more during their studies and that their income limits have been obsolete", says Ilpo Lahtinen, Kela´s Study Grant Group Benefits Manager.

A lot of people who have to return their grants are paying too much in taxes without even noticing it. Most students have paid ten percent taxes for their study grant, but have to return the full amount of money.

Kela cannot get the taxes back, because the taxation process for the year 2006 has been completed. But if you mark the extra taxes in your filled-in tax form in the spring, the tax authorities will compensate for them in the taxation for year 2007.

In 2007, extra study grants must be returned during March. Otherwise you will have to pay a 15 percent interest.

Floor renovations at Herrainpuisto

"It dampens the holiday mood to have drag everything out of a ready decorated flat for a renovation that will take two days - and no compensation. I managed to get some of my things into the bathroom, but everything else I have to take out."

This is how Hanna Poikolainen felt before the holiday week. She lives in Herrainpuisto. The broken plastic carpeting in her flat and in approximately twenty other flats will be replaced in the near future. The tenants have found ToasÂ’ way of handling the renovation strange for a long time.

"We were just given the information that we have to move out of our flats for a few days. What is strange is that they donÂ’t renovate the floors in the flats when new tenants are moving in. That way it would be less trouble. The problem with the carpet is an aesthetic one, and I could live with it", explains Poikolainen.

Pasi Mäkinen, Toas Property Manager, says that the floors could have been renovated when new residents were moving in. However, this would have taken a long time and the guarantee on the plastic carpets might have expired.

Mäkinen wants to point out that Toas tried to arrange a suitable time for the renovation with all the tenants so that nobody would have to go through too much trouble. Also, nobody has to sleep outdoors during the renovation. Toas will provide emergency accommodation if necessary. So far, it has not been necessary.

"WeÂ’ve asked the tenants when the renovation would fit their schedules, and most of the work can be done when the tenants are away from home anyway. This is why we feel the renovation isnÂ’t causing enough trouble to warrant compensation."

Niina Kiviaho, Tamy Secretary for Social Welfare Affairs agrees with the tenants in Herrainpuisto and thinks it would be reasonable to pay some kind of compensation for having to move out and drag furniture back and forth.

"Even if it is just for a few days, Toas could compensate the studentsÂ’ trouble somehow. A small reduction of the rent would give a better image of Toas as a landlord", says Kiviaho.

City of Tampere to defend Näty

Mayor Timo P. Nieminen has sent the Minister for Education a statement where he defends the independency of Näty, the Department of Acting at the University of Tampere.

The statement of the City of Tampere emphasizes “the extra value gained through organising acting education in more than one independent study unit". The statement also points out that in Sweden, acting education is available in four study units.

The statement is a response to the Ministry of EducationÂ’s plans of making Näty, the Department of Acting at the University of Tampere, a part of a potential art university. This would mean transferring the department to Helsinki.

Both students and staff at Näty have been strongly against the change. There has also been a lot of criticism of the way the change was planned without consulting all parties involved.

Tamy raised fees for services

In the beginning of March, Tamy raised many fees and pawns for its services. The raises are not big since they are mainly aimed to facilitate transactions at the Tamy office.

The former prices had been directly converted from marks. Now the prices have been rounded up to the next round figure. For example, the price of a student card went from 2.5 euros to three euros and the pawn payment for the lorry went from 33 to 40 euros. The pawns for the drill, tool kit, dishes and the kyykkä game set rose to 20 euros.

Only major students to become social workers

Only a student majoring in social work can become a qualified social worker in the new degree structure. Since the transition period from the old degree structure finishes in July, the possibility for a degree that enables minor students to become qualified social workers will also end in July. Some of the social work minor students have studied social work until February this year without knowing about the impending change.

"This is a legal protection problem. Instructions have been changed and information has been given late. Changes are possible as long as people are given enough time to prepare. This schedule is unreasonable considering student’s studies, graduation, degrees and situation in life", says Johanna Hidén, Tamy Secretary for Academic Affairs.

Previously also minor students could graduate as qualified social workers if they had completed basic, intermediate and advanced studies in social work and written a combination thesis acceptable both for social work and their major subject. A combination thesis has been possible for students who are majoring in subjects closely related to social work. The combination thesis is not possible in the new degree structure because a MasterÂ’s Degree at the Faculty of Social Sciences involves only major subject studies.

"Advanced studies have replaced minor subject studies. It is not in the best interest of the department to provide minor subject students with the same education as major subject students and not get credit for their degrees. Also, the main responsibility lies with the graduation of major students", says Leena Sulkanen, Administrative Coordinator at the Faculty of Social Sciences.

The Faculty of Social Sciences knew about the change in the structure of minor studies already in 2005. Sulkanen has informed students during orientation studies and during information opportunities for potential new students.

"If people had thought about completing their qualifications and it turns out they cannot do it in a year, it means they have got the information too late. But on the other hand, what would information given earlier have changed? I would like to point out that nobody should imagine they can complete a minor subjectÂ’s studies just like that", says Sulkanen.

Nevertheless, old students and some of the staff were informed of the situation only this year.

Translations: Reija Kontio