News in English

Pirkanmaa MPs back study grant raise
Most of the Members of Parliament from the Pirkanmaa area back raising the study grant. Of the areaÂ’s 18 MPs 17 replied to AviisiÂ’s email poll. They all had a positive attitude towards raising the study grant but especially MPs from government parties were careful with their words when discussing schedules.

The question has caused division inside government parties. A group of young MPs from the Centre Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Swedish PeopleÂ’s Party have signed a budget motion that would bring in the 15 percent raise demanded by student organisations as early as next year. Opposition parties also demand amending student benefits next year.

Moving the Hämeenlinna DTE to Tampere would cost 10 million euros
Moving the Hämeenlinna Department of Teacher Education is being planned in order to cut costs by combining it with the teacher education in Tampere. The Hämeenlinna branch has 5000 square meters of teaching, training, and administrative facilities.

Building the practical training facilities such as the craft workshop and indoor court in Tampere would be expensive. University of Tampere Head of Administration, Timo Lahti estimates that building all the necessary facilities in Tampere would cost 10 million euros.

If the motion on moving the DTE passes at the Ministry of Education, class teacher education will move to Tampere by 2011. The opinions of the departmentÂ’s students have not really been heard yet. According to the Chair for the class teacher students, Katja-Helena Luhtavaara most of the students are against moving the department.

At least ten students from Pirkanmaa nominated in the parliamentary elections
The Pirkanmaa constituency has at least ten student candidates running in the parliamentary elections next March. The Greens have the most student candidates, four, including current MP Oras Tynkkynen.

Temporary accommodation closes: Apartments found for all
All who stayed in the temporary accommodation organised by Tamy have got apartments from TOAS. Their tenancies began 1st October.

Representatives from TOAS, Tamy and, the university, meet on 5th October to discuss how to deal with the accommodation shortage in the future.

“We plan to prepare for next autumn. Personally I will bring out the poor position of foreign degree students," says Tamy’s Secretary for International Affairs, Laura Lalu.

Study grant demonstration starts from Sori Square
On Monday 9th October students of Tampere will march for raising the student grant. The demonstration starts at 1pm from Sori Square and arrives on Central Square at 2pm. The event on Central Square will include speeches by students and Members of Parliament, queuing for soup, and chanting slogans. Those demonstrating will be local student unions and upper secondary students. At the same time, demonstrations will be held in student cities all over Finland.

Email list set up for disabled students
The email list for disabled students acts as a contact, information sharing, and activity planning channel for disabled students at the University of Tampere. The list is for physically disabled, hearing impaired, visually impaired students, and students with learning difficulties, that is, to all kinds of students.

You can subscribe to the list in the same way as to all TamyÂ’s listserv email lists. Subscribe by sending a message to listserv@uta.fi. Leave the message subject blank and write SUBSCRIBE vammaiset Firstname Lastname as the message.

So if John Doe wants to subscribe to the list, he writes SUBSCRIBE vammaiset John Doe.

After you have subscribed to the list, you can send mail to the list to the address vammaiset@uta.fi. More information about the list is available from TamyÂ’s Secretary for Social Welfare Affairs (soposihteeri.tamy@uta.fi).