University of the Arts Student Union

The University of the Arts Student Union (ArtSU) is the community and interest and service organisation for students at Uniarts Helsinki. All bachelor’s and master’s degree students at Uniarts Helsinki are automatically its members. Doctoral students and exchange students are also welcome to join the student union, and the total number of members in ArtSU is about 1,700.

ArtSU an own organization, public body, independent from the university (of coure we´re doing lots of cooperation) but all the things in student union are decided by the students (the representative council, which uses the highest decision-making power, is elected next time in November). In addition to that the student union has a few employees. Every student has to pay a membership fee for the student union and these are used to finance the activities of ArtSU.

 

The University of the Arts Student Union, ArtSU, is:

Students’ voice at the university. We work to ensure the best possible quality of education at the University of Arts, the wellbeing of students and the just, fair and equitable treatment of students both in teaching and administration. We meet regularly with the rectors and other university leadership concerning current matters and weekly select student representatives for different administrative organs from recruitment groups and cafeteria committees to academy boards and the board of Uniarts.

Community across academies and a builder of communality. We organize different kind of events, train tutors and give project grants for students’ projects (anything from football trainings to interdisciplinary art projects). Our basic values are equity, equality, diversity, anti-racism, gender sensitivity, accessibility, education and internationality. We want to build community where community where everyone can feel welcome, appreciated and like they belong.

Advocator for art and art students in society. We speak out about the importance of art in societal discussion, influencing the status of art and artists’ and improving the art field. The Student Union also maintains the Space for Free Arts in Sörnäinen, a space that every Uniarts student can book for own artistic projects (see more information on vapaantaiteentila.fi)

 

In the Student Union, decisions are made by:

The representative council. The Representative Council is a 15-member body elected by the members of the Student Union and exercising the highest decision-making power of the Student Union. The Representative Council decides on, among other things, the Student Union’s budget, membership fee and action plan and elects the Student Union Board and Secretary General as well as student members of the Uniarts Helsinki Board and University Collegium. Read more about the Representative Council here (link).

Executive Board. The Executive Board leads the every day affairs ArtSU. In practice, the board is responsible for the Plan of Work for the year, arranging events, speaking on behalf of the union, representing the union and making sure the interests of art students are advanced. The Board is chosen for a calendar year by the Representative Council. More information about the Board here (link).

Employees. In addition to the students, the student union has a few salaried employees. Their contact information can be found here (link).

 

The University of the Arts Student Union was established on 1 January 2013 when the student unions of the Academy of Fine Arts, Sibelius Academy and Theatre Academy merged together. ArtSU is a member of the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL), which is the cooperation organization of all student unions in Finland. Through SYL, ArtSU exerts its influence on educational and social politics concerning students in Finland. We welcome all Uniarts Helsinki students to join the student union activities!