Do you want to help with organising the parade?

We are looking for student volunteers to serve as traffic controllers along the parade route. According to the requirements of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the traffic controllers must be adults who have normal sensory abilities, a driving licence (at least AM121 or B), and hold the Road Safety 1 qualification. The Road Safety 1 qualification can be completed for free through the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (Väylävirasto) learning platform, and the online course takes about an hour. All necessary equipment for the traffic control task, as well as an event-specific briefing, will be provided at the latest on the day of the parade. Sign up by emailing ISYY’s executive board member Emmi Vetikko by Sunday 24 November 2024. Emmi’s email address is emmi.vetikko(at)isyy.fi.

General Assembly of SYL 15.-16.11.

Highest decision-making body of the National Union of the University Students in Finland (SYL) is the General Assembly. It meets once a year in November. SYL members – student unions – each elect their own delegation to decide on the union’s finances in the coming year as well as to elect the board for next year.

The number of members in each delegation and how many votes the delegation has depends on how many members a student union has. ISYY is sending a delegation to the General Assembly of SYL and has 15 votes in the Assembly. ISYY's Chair of the Executive Board, Mirka Nieminen, is a candidate for the SYL Board 2025.

The General Assembly will be held at Espoo Otaniemi on 15–16 November. The General Assembly is typically streamed to SYL's YouTube-channel @sylvideot. 

Notes from interest advocacy, October 2024

• ISYY Board met with the rectors of UEF in Joensuu on 22 October. The main themes discussed were the integration of international students into the Finnish student community and society. Additionally, ISYY highlighted that the facilities for student associations are still insufficient.
• The advocacy sector is currently going through the feedback received during the Smiles and Complaints Week, from which anonymous summaries will be provided to partner organisations. The feedback will also be addressed in stakeholder meetings, including, for instance, restaurant committee meetings.
• In early 2024, an environmental working group was established for ISYY to update its environmental programme. The programme was presented and a preliminary discussion was held at the ISYY Representative Council meeting on 24 October.

KalPa - Sport ice hockey game on Wednesday 13.11.

• The game is in Olvi Areena at 6.30pm and it's for students.
• Student-priced tickets are also available from the kalpa.tmtickets.fi online store, the KalPa office and the restaurant Pelimies.
• On the day of the match, tickets are available from the Olvi Areena door sales point for 7 € / piece.

SYKETTÄ Kuopio 10-year anniversary Badminton tournament on Saturday 23.11. in the Studentia sports hall

The games will start at 9 am at the earliest. The exact game timetable will be announced to the participants before 20 November.

The tournament participation fee is 5 € per person/serie. Payment information will be sent to participants after registration is complete.

There are five series in the tournament (min. 4 and max. 16 participants/series):

• Women's singles and double
• Men singles and double
• Mixed doubles

Registration ends on 14th of November 2024. Enroll via sports calendar (day 23.11.).

The event is alcohol-free and the event follows the safer space guidelines. You don't need to have the SYKETTÄ sticker but you have to be a student or staff member of Savonia or UEF or Uniarts Kuopio campuses.

The tournament is organized in cooperation with Savon Sulka ry.

Volleyball tournament for all student associations at UEF and Savonia on Friday 29.11. at Studentia.

Games start at 8 am at earliest and the tournament ends at 5 pm at latest. The schedule will be specified after the registration ends. Enroll your team by filling out the google form linked down below.

• Preferably, one team per student association, but you can also gather your own team and sign up
• The team size is min 6 and max 12 players
• The team may have no more than 2 players who have played volleyball/beach volleyball at the 1st level or higher before 2020. One of these players may be on the field at a time.
• If the player has played in the 1st series or at a higher level in 2020-2024, the player is unfortunately not allowed to participate in the tournament. You are welcome to be a referee!
• If desired, the team can take one coach in addition to the players.
• The team must have 6 players on the field at all times, of which at least 2 must be female.
• All players participating in the tournament must have a SYKETTÄ sticker.
• Tournament fee is 6 €/team. Payment instructions will be sent to the teams after the end of the registration

Registration ends on 18.11. by midnight and the match schedule will be sent to the team's contact person no later than Wednesday 21.11.

More tips and information

• Instagram: @syketta_kpo
• Facebook: SYKETTÄ – Kuopion korkeakoululiikunta
• TikTok: syketta_kuopio
• Website: SYKETTÄ

Kuopio Campus Library’s customer computers are out of use on 14 November

Due to a maintenance break, the customer computers of Kuopio Campus Library are not available on Thursday 14 November 2024. During the break you can work at Oppari in Canthia.

Invitation to participate in a survey: SINCRONY project

We invite you to participate in a survey that explores the experiences of 18–35-year-olds regarding participation, inclusion, and exclusion in various communities. The survey is part of the Sincrony project, funded by the European Union's Horizon program. The project is led by the University of Bologna in Italy, with a research group from the University of Turku, led by Professor Maija Setälä, participating from Finland.

The aim of the research is to examine people's experiences of belonging to different communities, and related issues of identity and social justice.

You can complete the survey via the following below. Please submit your response by Sunday, November 17th.

Reflection rooms available for the university community on the campuses

Reflection rooms are multicultural premises that are open to all members of the university community. As the name suggests, reflection rooms are spaces where anyone can stop for a while and spend some time in silence. Observing silence is one of the principles of the space. The space should be left clean and tidy for other users.

Reflection rooms are available for the university community during the opening hours of the main doors of the buildings. There is a reserved/free sign on the door of the reflection rooms. The rooms cannot be booked in advance.

Hangout and gaming on November 18th from 5pm to 9pm!

Looking for a casual evening with good company and fun games? Join us for a laid-back evening in Snellmania’s lobby with board games, bingo, and other fun activities! This is the perfect chance to meet new people, and enjoy an evening of games and snacks – completely free!

The event is organized especially for Hyeena, Retikka, Serveri and ESN KISA international students, also Finns are very welcome to join! Register to the event via Webropol linked below.

Event calendar

• Tue 12.11. at 15:00 Coffee & Friends at Lukema
• Thu 14.11. at 17:00 Puijonlaakso Library Language Café (Mailatie 2)
• Thu 14.11. at 17:30 Hyvät Kuvat movie Tie sydämeen at Kino Kuvakukko (Vuorikatu 27)
• Thu 14.11. at 19-22 Fiesta Latina -salsa evening at Maxim (Haapaniemenkatu 34), free entry
• Sat 16.11. at 12-16 Cristmas season's opening at market square (Tulliportinkatu 31), free event
• Tue 19.11. at 15:00 Coffee & Friends at Lukema
• Thu 21.11. at 17:30 Hyvät Kuvat movie Civil War at Kino Kuvakukko (Vuorikatu 27)
• Tue 26.11. at 15:00 Coffee & Friends at Lukema
• Tue 26.11. at 17:00 Neulamäki Library Language Café (Juontotie 6)
• Thu 28.11. at 17:30 Hyvät Kuvat movie La chimera - Sielujen aarteet at Kino Kuvakukko (Vuorikatu 27)
• Thu 5.12. at 17:30 Hyvät Kuvat movie All of us strangers Kino Kuvakukko (Vuorikatu 27)
• Fri 6.12. ISYY's Independence Day Torch Parade
• Thu 12.12. at 17:00 Puijonlaakso Library Language Café (Mailatie 2)

ISYY Clubs' meetings at Lukema (Studentia, C door)

• Sun 17.11. at 13-15 UEF Student Bible Club
• Wed 20.11. starting at 17:00 Lautapelikerho Kärmes (board game club)
• Sun 24.11. at 13-15 UEF Student Bible Club
• Tue 26.11. starting at 17:00 Lautapelikerho Kärmes (board game club)

Wellness corner by ISYY

Have you noticed that you feel tired all the time in autumn and in the beginning of winter? The lack of sunlight may cause moodiness, tiredness, as well as cravings of carbohydrates and sugar (so all of your sugar binges are not necessarily stress-related). Then how can you help yourself to mentally cope with the darkness? Here are a few tips or you can read more about the topic from here or here.

• Bright light lamps provide artificial sunlight which helps your body to create less melatonin so you feel more energetic. The best time to enjoy a “bright light bath” is in the morning right after you wake up. There is one bright light in public use in Studentia’s chapel.
• UEF has two Study Psychologists and Campus Pastors who provide mental health care for students if you feel like you need to talk to someone.
• Exercising helps to boost your mood! Fresh air wakes you up so instead of exercising indoors all the time, a short stay outdoors might cheer you up.
• You can boost your brain’s serotonin (the feel-good hormone) levels by eating foods that contain high levels of tryptophan, such as eggs, cheese, soybeans or dark chocolate. (In conclusion, eating chocolate is good for you!)
• Remember to take a vitamin D–supplement! Living in the north, you need to take your sunlight in the form of a vitamin supplement in order to stay healthy. Some studies suggest that taking a zinc dietary supplement regularly may boost your immune system.
• Meet your friends - if you can’t meet them physically, you can always call them! You can also go to ISYY and UEF’s Coffee & Friends meetings on Tuesdays, attend ISYY’s club meetings in Kuopio,  or check out ISYY’s Hobby Buddy. 
• The darkness might also mess up your sleep schedule. Sunlight (and the lack of it) normally works as an internal cue for your brain to either wake up or fall asleep, but during the dark months in the north you might need to pay more attention to your sleeping patterns. If you have trouble falling asleep, you could try for example taking a hot shower in the evening, or reducing screen time a few hours before going to bed.
• Pro tip: sometimes taking a nap can save the day.

Advertise your event in ISYY's newsletter Weekly Feed

If you would like to have something featured in the Weekly Feed, please send a short (max. 500 characters including spaces), informative description of the event/activity in English to either kv.kuopio@isyy.fi (Kuopio events) or kv.joensuu@isyy.fi (Joensuu events).

Please include at least the following information: date, time, place, admission fee and the event website/link for more information. If you want to include pictures, the optimal size is 270 x 270 px.

Weekly Feed is the English language newsletter of the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY). You are receiving this letter on your email because you are a member of ISYY and are studying at Kuopio campus or because you have joined the mailing list yourself.

Weekly Feed provides you with current information on matters related to the Student Union, UEF or other organisations close to students, such as FSHS. In addition, the newsletter provides you with information on events taking place at campus or the campus city.

Weekly Feed is published on Tuesdays during the academic year, with the exception of holidays and a few other days. If you do not want to receive the newsletter anymore, you can unsubscribe the letter via the link ("Click here to unsubscribe") located on the bottom of the letter.

You will find more information on ISYY's newsletters (Weekly Feed) and data protection on ISYY's website.