Organisations guide

The University of Oulu offers a wide range of different student organizations, which can primarily be divided into subject societies and interest societies. Subject societies are for students of a specific field of study, and usually only students majoring or minoring in those fields can join. Interest societies, on the other hand, are groups that bring together people with shared interests, regardless of their field of study.

For example, Kultu ry is the subject society for cultural anthropology, archeology and literature. You can join Kultu if you’re a student in any of these fields. Meteli ry is an interest society for archeology students, but anyone at the University of Oulu who’s interested in archeology can join.

In addition to subject societies, there are also multiple multidisciplinary umbrella guilds or “roof guilds”. These guilds are often faculty-specific, such as Oulun Luonnontieteilijät (OLuT), which is the umbrella guild for all natural science subject societies, organizing activities for all natural science students. Some large subject societies can also be considered umbrella guilds, such as Finanssi ry.

Almost all organizations operating within the university and among students are a part of the Student Union of the University of Oulu, or OYY. You can view all subject societies and interest societies operating within OYY here: https://www.oyy.fi/en/community/student-societies/

Browse through the subject societies by faculty and find your major. You can join this society!

Browse through interest societies based on various themes. Join an interest society that interests you!

Support services offered to students by the University of Oulu: https://www.oulu.fi/en/for-students/supporting-your-studies-and-contact-information-for-students

International House Oulu offers general counsel for those planning on moving to Oulu or to those who have relocated to Oulu from abroad. If students have questions that cannot be answered by their own institution’s services, they can visit International House Oulu and ask for advice. International House Oulu also organizes events for networking, employment and meeting people, such as the monthly Networking and Board Games events and other diverse activities. Here you can find the website of International House Oulu, where you can find contact information, tips, and resources on topics such as studying Finnish, leisure activities, job searching, upcoming events, and articles. You can also read Talent Stories about others who have moved to Oulu. https://oulu.com/en/international-house-oulu/

Villa Victor offers free Finnish language courses for all residents of Oulu. They also organize community events and offer mentoring services. The mentoring program at Villa Victor is aimed at highly educated immigrants who already have some knowledge of the Finnish language. https://www.ouka.fi/en/villa-victor

Bloom ry, Oulu is an organization that creates activities and networking opportunities for the international residents of Oulu. They have organized various events in collaboration with International House Oulu, in addition to their independent events. https://www.instagram.com/bloomoulu/

The Oulu Event Calendar lists all current events happening in Oulu. https://tapahtumat.munoulu.fi/en-FI

The VisitOulu-website lists almost all attractions and sights in Oulu. https://visitoulu.fi/en/

In general, the InfoFinland website is very useful, as it provides a wide range of information and resources about cities in Finland in general. https://www.infofinland.fi/en

Currently, the contact information of students, especially exchange students, cannot be directly shared with student organizations without the students’ consent. Therefore, organizations must contact international students independently. Programme directors are in charge of contacting international students within their respective programmes. Therefore, the best way of contacting international students is to send an email to them through the programme directors. In the emails, student organizations can share links to mailing lists, social media accounts, communication groups and invitations to possible upcoming events or meetings.

Here is an example of an email that can be sent to international students:

Hello and welcome to the University of Oulu. We are *student society name* and we are reaching out to you because you have the right to join our student society as a member. Our society is the organization for all students in UniOulu studying *fields of study here* and we organize different events for our members and take care of our field’s student advocacy. Here is how to become a member: *instructions or a link here*. Here you can follow us on social media: *links or social media handles here* and here you can join our email-mailing list to get news on what is going on in our society: *link to mailing list here* 

If you have your own communication groups or upcoming events for international students, they should also be mentioned in the email. Additionally, if your student society has a representative for international students or an international student tutor, their contact information should also be shared in the message. 

How to find the programme directors for your field of study:

Note! To be able to open the Excel file, you must be logged into the University of Oulu network either through eduroam on campus or a VPN service.

Log in to the university intranet with your O365 credentials at patio.oulu.fi and follow this path: Services and instructions – Education services – Education planning – Appointment of programme director and scroll to the bottom of the page. Click on the text Programmes and Programme Directors. This will open an Excel file that lists the directors for all programmes at the university. Send them an email using the firstname.lastname@oulu.fi form.

Direct link to the website: https://patio.oulu.fi/en/user/login?destination=/fi/palvelut-ja-ohjeet/koulutuksen-palvelut/koulutuksen-suunnittelu/tutkinto-ohjelman-vastuuhenkilon

When communicating with international students, it’s beneficial to aim for the clearest possible language. It’s understandable that not all communication can be fully translated due to the limited resources, but it is important to translate at least the main points of every message.

The dictionary accompanying this int. manual is a great tool to help with such translation tasks.  It contains translations for various events, places and other student terminology often used in organizational communication.

Translating organization websites into English is a great help for an international student arriving in Finland. The websites might be the first source of information about university organization language accessibility that immediately creates a more welcoming environment for international students. Translating websites can be a demanding task, but it’s worth the effort, even if you tackle it one small section at a time. When communicating, mention “in English below” at the beginning of the message if there is a translated version of the Finnish text underneath.

When organizing events for international students, it’s important to consider how the event’s theme will be understood by the target audience. For example, themes like “majokänkky” (mayo pizza) or “Kummeli” (a finnish comedy crew) at parties or sittnings (sitsit) will most likely not be easily understood by the international attendees, which could discourage participation. It’s much more suitable to choose a theme that is internationally recognized and known. Some themes might also seem offensive from the perspective of other cultures, so it’s essential to practice discretion when selecting a theme.

It is also essential to consider the participation of international students in the event’s activities. For example, the instructions for orienteering events or “appros” (bar hopping events) should be available in English and should include an explanation of the basic idea of the event. This helps the international students who haven’t attended similar events before to better understand the concept. At sittnings, the songbook should also include songs in English, so that international students have a chance to suggest songs themselves.

When registering for events, such as sittnings, it is advisable to directly ask which languages the registering person speaks/understands. Language proficiency shouldn’t be assumed; it’s better to inquire directly if there is any uncertainty.

In the communication for all events, it is advisable to clearly state which language the event is held in. A language label can be helpful in this regard. Here’s an example:

• English | ENG = The event will be held only in English
• Finnish | FI = The event will be held only in Finnish
• Finnish & English | FI&ENG = The event will be held in both languages (E.g. sittnings and parties that are hosted both in Finnish and English should be marked with the FI&ENG language label.)

Common barriers to international students’ participation in events can be avoided through the following measures. Removing or reducing the entry fee makes it easier for students to attend, especially when international students are uncertain whether an event is intended for them or if it will be something they’d enjoy. It is advisable to involve an international student in the planning process of events targeted at international students. This helps ensure that the event is suitable for them.

If there are no familiar faces at an event, the threshold for participation is higher. Therefore, the event should have an assigned contact person for international students or an “event tutor” that works as a connecting link to the other event attendees. Another option is to organize events together with international organizations. The most important thing is for international students to integrate into the student community. In the event information, remember to also mention whether the event is meant only for the members of your subject society.

The students at the University Oulu have diverse opportunities to gain international experience during their studies. International skills are in high demand in the job market, so it’s important to encourage students to actively participate in international activities. This section of the manual will introduce some of the international services provided by the university. It’s especially useful to highlight these options to new students who are just starting their studies.

Going on an exchange is a good opportunity to develop international skills in your own field of study. All degree programmes offered by the University of Oulu have exchange programmes. Students can go on an exchange after completing their first year of studies. You can find further information about applying for an exchange here: https://www.oulu.fi/en/for-students/student-exchange

Here you can see the exchange destinations available in different degree programmes (requires sign-in with your HAKA credentials): https://saas.solenovo.fi/solemove/disp/2_/en/public/nop/nop/nop

The University of Oulu is a part of the European University UNIC. UNIC offers its students remote course options in all of its ally universities in addition to exchange programmes. You can browse course options here: https://public.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/sl/unic/Pages/UNIC-Opened-Courses-List.aspx

At Café Lingua, students can develop their language skills together with international and Finnish students. By participating in Café Lingua, students can also gain study credits. Further instructions here: https://www.oulu.fi/en/students/completing-studies/languages-and-communication/discover-your-way-study-languages/cafe-lingua

Tutors and mentors are being sought to help international students integrate into the university community. The recruitment usually takes place at the beginning of the year, with additional rounds in the fall. Tutors and mentors are paid for their work, and depending on the study faculty, it may also be possible to earn study credits. Further information at the university website.