University of Helsinki Half a percent cut threatens the historical student traditions of the University of Helsinki: “The weak fall on the road to life”

Helsinki|university of Helsinki

Helsinki the university’s student union (HYY) is planning cuts to its organizational journal support. HYY’s CFO has proposed the abolition of all support.

Association journals refer to journals made by students themselves, which often deal with topics related to the activities and industry of their subject organization in a personal way. Classic topics include student parties, gossip, parades, and events in your own discipline.

According to HYY’s latest budget, EUR 20,000 per year has been distributed from the student union’s budget. It is about 0.5 percent of HYY’s total budget of EUR 3.8 million.

Many subsidiaries cover the printing costs of their free distribution magazines with these grants, as there are few advertisers due to the small print run. The abolition of leaf support would not apply Student magazine, funded separately from the NGO Journal Support.

Helsinki editor-in-chief of Poleemi magazine for students of political history at the university John Helin says the association magazines have risen to unite against the abolition of aid. He has an oblique stack of arguments in favor of continuing to support NGO magazines.

“Association magazines reinforce students’ identities, community, traditions, and polyphony, ”he begins.

“In addition, NGO magazines offer meaningful activities for many who do not otherwise participate in traditional student events, for example.”

According to Helin, the role of Poleemi magazine has only been emphasized during the coronavirus pandemic, when it has otherwise been difficult to engage students in community. A hundred copies of the polemic are published four times a year.

“These magazines are important places to learn work life skills and make acquaintances within the university.”

According to Helin, the abolition of NGO subsidies would probably mean running out of paper. Then the activity should be transferred to the internet. And then the magazines would have to compete for student time against some giants, for example. That would eventually lead to the fading of long-standing traditions, Helin speculates.

“For example, the pigeons’ journal of the theologians has been published since 1853.”

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“Association magazines strengthen students’ identity, community, traditions, and polyphony.”

HYY’s Chairman of the Board Jessika Isomeri says the government will make a groundbreaking proposal for NGO magazine support as part of the budget on November 18th. The matter will then be discussed at a meeting of the House of Representatives on 14 December.

For the time being, there is only a proposal from the Finance Board on the table, which proposes the abolition of support.

“I still can’t anticipate the government’s bottom line,” Isomeri says.

Isomeri says that HYY is not cutting its overall budget, but that there will be pressure to save due to rising costs. For example, there are the Representative Council elections, which incur additional costs. Savings have been planned for many things other than organizational magazines.

Poleemin editor-in-chief Helin says he understands the austerity pressure to some extent but hopes that more thoughtful progress could be made on NGO support. Too abrupt measures are too severe blows on volunteer-spinning magazines. The activities of many marriages would be in danger of ending.

“I don’t think this kind of‘ weak collapse on the road to life ’policy makes sense,” Helin says.

President Isomeri says he is personally on the same line. However, the decision is common to the government and ultimately to the House of Representatives.

“Personally, I do not hope that all organization magazine support will be abolished.”