Tamko is students’ voice – opinions are considered
The year 2022 started in exceptional circumstances. We saw each other through remote connections during the first months but fortunately the authorities started to remove the COVID-19 restrictions during the spring. For the first time in several years, we had the chance to organise a proper May Day for students.
The student union celebrated its 110-year history in supervision of students’ interests. The anniversary year was visible in blogs, student overall badges, events and naturally a party for over 300 persons.
At the beginning of the year, a new and motivated board and council started their work at Tamko. We continued our close cooperation with TAMK’s presidents and staff. We learnt to know the new Vice President for Education Sanna Wesanko and Vice President for RDI Ari Sivula.
In the autumn, we organised orientation days on campus for the first time since 2019. Together with Tamko’s office and tutors, we made sure that new students had the information they needed and became members of the community. We organised diverse events in the autumn and tried to create communality on campuses after the long remote period.
Tamko had its council elections in the autumn. It was however difficult to recruit candidates after the prolonged remote studies. The council had remained distant for many. We tried to be as visible as possible on campuses and encouraged students to stand as candidates and vote.
The council elections are a cornerstone of student democracy and thus it is important to make students interested in them.
We prepared for the coming parliamentary elections together with the Student Union of Tampere University (TREY). We made a parliamentary elections programme based on the programmes of the National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (SAMOK) and the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL). We already met some candidates in the autumn and discussed our objectives with them. The advocacy work has to be started early enough.
Tamko is considered valuable and well-informed both inside Tampere University of Applied Sciences and Tampere Universities. We actively participated in Tampere University of Applied Sciences’ working groups and had an influence in the working groups on quality management and sustainable development as well as student counselling team and many others.
We are students’ voice at Tampere University of Applied Sciences. Our opinions are considered and listened.
Tamko had publicity in the Finnish student union sector when its Chairperson Joonas Soukkio was elected SAMOK’s chairperson for 2023. Soukkio was the second SAMOK’s chairperson in row from Tamko. Linda Vallenius followed Soukkio as Tamko’s chairperson in 2023.
Text: Joonas Soukkio, Chairperson, Students’ Union of Tampere University of Applied Sciences in 2022
Editing: TAMK Communications
Photo: Kati Tuomisto