Mid-Week Mail, week 10

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WHAT IS MID-WEEK MAIL?

Mid-Week Mail is a bi-monthly news and events e-mail for the international students of the University of Turku. Aside from being an important up-to-date news source concerning Student Union, university and student issues, Mid-Week Mail also gives you current information on different events and activities organised by TYY (the Student Union of the University of Turku), the TYY Committees and other TYY affiliates.

In this mail: 

• TYY WANTS TO SAFEGUARD FREE EDUCATION
• LEGAL ADVICE FOR TYY MEMBERS TUESDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS
• APRILLIROCK – SEARCH FOR ARTISTS
• NYYTI GROUPS STARTING UP
• ESN LANGUAGE EXCHANGE BUDDIES
• COMMITTEE MEETINGS

 TYY WANTS TO SAFEGUARD FREE EDUCATION

The recent debate on free education has not, in TYY’s opinion, proceeded favourably. There have been serious proposals presented on implementing tuition fees for all students studying in Finland, including Finns. TYY is absolutely opposed to tuition fees in all its forms. TYY’s position is also clearly shown in the Student Union political agenda: “Education learning to a degree must be free-of-charge to students.”

Equality and equality-based free education are values that cannot be questioned and, in a civilized welfare state, cannot be crushed.

The National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) and the Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (SAMOK), together with student unions, will hold a major demonstration in Helsinki on Wednesday, 21 April. Read more about it on the Facebook event page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kylla-maksuttomalle-koulutukselle/34252165...

The TYY Committee on Student Affairs will have an open forum for all students on free education on Thursday 22 April. Among others, SYL executive board member for education policy Jukka Vornanen will be speaking at the forum. The forum will be held in Finnish.

The so-called Lehikoinen working group is working on a proposal on tuition fees, headed by a director of the Ministry of Education. The group will publish its report on 18 March and TYY will consider taking measures to defend free education at that time.

Articles in English concerning the tuition fees –issue:

 http://yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/03/government_proposes_1000_euro_tuition_fee_for_students_1503568.html

http://www.hs.fi/english/article/EUR+1000+tuition+fee+proposed+for+highe...

LEGAL ADVICE FOR TYY MEMBERS TUESDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS

TYY offers its members legal advice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

If you have any legal questions concerning, for example, your lease, employment relationship, taxation, inheritance, marriage or domestic partnership, step up and talk to our lawyer or legal aid committee. Legal advice is free of charge to TYY members.

On call hours are held in the office of the TYY Secretary on Social Affairs, Yo-talo A, 1st floor (TYY Office), tel. (02) 2769 614 (reception hours).

Lawyer Petteri Sihvonen:
- On call Tuesdays 18.00-19.00

Legal aid committee:
- On call Wednesdays at 18.00-20.00
- E-mail questions to the committee at oikeusapu@lex.fi

APRILLIROCK – SEARCH FOR ARTISTS

Do you shred a guitar, can you make a violin sing, can you make yourself sing, do your cans produce hot rhythms, does your xylophone create a shady club atmosphere?

TYY Comittee on Cultural Issues is organizing on March 31st @ House of Dance (upstairs of Amarillo) an artist view, which knows no boundaries. Folk, pop, rock, hiphop, etc. Everything goes!! Finnish, Swedish, English, French, Japanese, Latin, etc! Music has no language!! Come on down and show your best and entertain party people!! No prior experience is required, only that your really believe in yourself.

If you are a member of Student Union at Turku University and have found a perfect bunch of co-musicians around you or you walk your own path, expose yourself no later than March 14th to the Committee on Cultural Issues.

Applications to tyy-kulttuurivk@lists.utu.fi or mjauvo@utu.fi  with following information:

 - Name of the artist/band
- Artist/band homepage address (e.g. MySpace) that can be shown on the event poster and elsewhere and where the selectors can get familiar with the fruits of your soul in order to consider You on the stage.
- Music genre
- Band members, instruments and student numbers of Student Union members
- Name, phone number and email address of the contact person

NYYTI GROUPS STARTING UP

Come hang out with us!

Do you want to meet new people? Are you interested in chatting or dabbling in fabric printing with others?

TYY and ÅÅS are organising hangout evenings, during the semester, where everyone is welcome. You can join in on group discussions or chat one-on-one with another and take part in the evening’s theme activity.

Coffee, tea or juice will be served to spur up conversation at the non-alcoholic event.

Spring evenings:
- Tue 30 March, 17.00-20.00, ÅAS: Kåren
- Tue 27 April at 17.00-20.00, TYY: venue to be confirmed

For more information:
- TYY Secretary for Social Affairs Minttu Naarminen tyy-soposihteeri@utu.fi
- TYY Executive Board for social affairs Hannele Karilainen tyy-sopo@utu.fi

ESN LANGUAGE EXCHANGE BUDDIES

Everyone knows that learning a language from books will only teach you half of what you need to know. The real way to get better is to practice, practice and practice! And since a book is so boring to talk to, here's an alternative - a language buddy!

Here's the basic idea: you already know at least one language (like English or Spanish), and you're taking a course in or trying to get better at another language (for example Swedish). And there is someone else out there who already knows the language you want to practice (like Swedish), and wants to practice the language you already know (like Spanish). For both of you to get better, all you need to do to is meet and talk!

Taking part in the exchange is super-duper easy. Just fill out this form at http://users.abo.fi/esn_info/esnform.html and then wait while we pair you up. You both get each other’s e-mail addresses, and then it's entirely up to you how often and where you meet with your language buddy.

For more information:
- ESN at Åbo Akademi esn_info@abo.fi

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

- TYY Committee on Student Affairs, Monday, 15 March at 14.15, Proffan Kellari, big cabinet.
- TYY Committee on Cultural Affairs, Monday, 15 March at 17.00, Kerttulinkatu 15 F 69.
- Meeting on planning the Mexico week on week 15, Thursday, 18 March at 12.00, Turku-sali.
- TYY Committee on Development Cooperation, Monday, 22 March at 09.00, Turku-sali.