Upcoming events
October 3. LYY’s 47th Annual Ball @Hotel Pohjanhovi
Next week, we will celebrate our beloved student union’s 47-year journey as an advocate for students. This year, the celebration will take place at Hotel Pohjanhovi, right on the banks of the Kemijoki River, next to the iconic Jätkänkynttilä Bridge!
So, get your finest evening attire out of the closet, get into the celebratory spirit, and join us for an evening filled with academic traditions, festive speeches, and shared moments!
The Representative Council
Greetings from the Representative Council meeting 5/2026
The Representative Council held its 5/2026 meeting on Thursday, September 10. The following decisions were made at the meeting:
- The supplemental budget for 2026 was approved
- It was decided not to nominate a LYY candidate for the SYL Executive Board for 2027
- The LYY delegation to the SYL General Assembly, to be held in Espoo in November, was elected. The Representative Council authorized the delegation to issue a statement regarding the General Assembly materials. See the minutes for the delegation’s composition.
The minutes of the meeting will be published shortly in the material archive of our website at: https://lyy.fi/en/material-archive/repco/
Advocacy
Comments on the City of Rovaniemi’s Tourism Program and the Draft Bill on the Tourism Tax
LYY has published two statements: one on Rovaniemi’s tourism programme and another on the draft legislation concerning a tourism tax.
In our statements, we highlight concerns about the availability of housing in Rovaniemi and propose the establishment of a register for short-term rentals. Read the full statements on LYY’s website.
Additional Search for Student Representatives in Administration
The additional search for student representatives in administration—or “halloped”, as they’re known—is now open. Come join us and have a say in the university’s decision-making. Learn more about the additional application round and the halloped positions through our communication channels!
Past events
September 3. Quest for LYYra @University of Lapland
We organized an event for new students where they had the chance to get to know the University of Lapland’s subject associations through a checkpoint race. The event included an evening program featuring speeches by University Rector Syväjärvi and (v)COB Kaarnivuo, as well as a freshman initiation ceremony hosted by SG Tuppi, at the end of which the freshmen attached flake cockades to their caps.
September 7: University of Lapland Academic Year Opening Ceremony
The ceremony was held on Monday, September 7, in Fellman Hall. The event began with an opening parade, in which BM Aho and BM Mykkänen served as standard bearers and (v)COB Kaarnivuo as the flag bearer. The ceremony featured music and speeches by Antti Syväjärvi, Rector of the University of Lapland; Atte Jääskeläinen, Executive Director of Sitra; and Inari Turkia, Chair of the LYY Executive Board. In her speech, COB Turkia emphasized the importance of free education in Finnish society. “Finnish society cannot place any more financial pressure on a group of people who are meant to build and maintain a sustainable society for all of us in the future.”
September 8: Interdisciplinary Football Cup
We organized our first-ever interdisciplinary football cup, featuring teams from Artikla, KB, KTK, and a joint team from Remburssi, Erasmus, and TAO. KTK was crowned the tournament champion, defeating Artikla 4–0 in the final. With this victory, KTK took possession of the rotating trophy, which it will hold until next fall.
September 9: LYY’s Fresher’s Coffee Hour
The Executive Board served coffee and buns to new students and helped them become even more familiar with the student union’s activities.
September 22: LYY Gives Blood—Donation
LYY, in collaboration with the Sustainability Committee and the Oulu Blood Service, organized a subject association blood drive challenge at the university on September 22, coordinated by BM Aho. The event attracted many participants. The winning subject association will be announced separately.
Other
Greetings from SYL Fall Seminar
Our office team participated in SYL’s two-day fall seminar in Turku on September 17–18. At the seminar, we once again had the opportunity to meet and network with representatives from other Finnish student unions. The seminar included presentations by candidates for SYL’s 2027 Executive Board, a political overview with an emphasis on next spring’s parliamentary elections, as well as a wide range of training sessions and discussions. Our specialists, in turn, received valuable peer support from colleagues of other student unions. We thoroughly enjoyed the seminar and its evening program—thank you to the organizers, SYL, and the other student unions!
September 9: Visit by LYY’s SYL Sponsor, Vilma Sippola
Our SYL Sponsor, Vilma Sippola, a member of SYL’s Executive Board, visited us in Rovaniemi. We went over the news from early fall together, and Vilma presented the materials from SYL’s General Assembly to us.
Representing at the Fresher’s races
During September, we participated as checkpoint hosts at the freshman orientation checkpoint races organised by Artikla, TAO, subject associations of the Faculty of Education, and subject associations of the Faculty of Social Sciences. In addition, LYY hosted a checkpoint at the Faculty of Social Sciences Bar Crawl. Thank you to the event organizers!
