You can now apply to become a board member, chairperson, vice chairperson or chair of the board of the Student Union JYY for 2024.
Apply for the positions by Novemer 27th 2023 at 4 pm via this link.
Chair of the board and members of the board
JYY’s board is a working board, which is expected to be available for JYY’s activities and to support the office staff during office hours.
Members of the board participate in their sector’s work alongside JYY’s staff. For example, board members take part in working groups, organize events and work to develop JYY.
On average, JYY’s activities take up between five to seven hours a day for board members, with an emphasis between 9 am – 3 pm. In addition, the board must be available at later times to represent JYY, to help organize events, and to work with the representatives council. The weekly hours vary significantly.
Even though most of the board work takes place during weekdays, some events also require being available on weekends. The board work contains traveling.
A requirement for successful board work is commitment to the aforementioned practices. Members of the board are given a reward of 7000€ per year, and the chair of the board 12 000€ per year.
In addition to being a working board, JYY’s board also directs JYY’s activities based on the policies determined by the representatives’ council, as well as taking care of the rule-based tasks.
Each board member has a sector they are responsible for, and the sectors in 2024 are the following:
- Culture and events
- Associations
- Sustainable development
- Communications
- Social policy
- Academic Affairs
- International Affairs
- Municipal policy
- Financial Affairs
In addition to these sectors, the board will divide responsibilities of other tasks and project amongst themselves. The official decision on the sectors will be made by the 2024 board in its first meeting.
Chairperson and vice chairperson of the Student Union
The highest decision-making power in JYY is held by the 41-member representatives council, which is elected every two years.The council is lead by the student union’s chairperson.
The chair of the student union leads and coordinates the council’s work along with the vice chair. The chair and vice chair work closely with the JYY board and staff.
Part of the chairperson’s tasks is also being the chair of the meetings of the council, preparing the decision-issues of meetings with the executive director, and making sure that the student union is adhering to its current rules and regulations.
Application process, negotiations and selection
The representatives’ council has decided on the principles of the selection process in its meeting on October 26th 2023.
If you are interested in applying for these positions, it is recommended that you contact one of the council groups, so that you can have their support in the negotiations.
Application process
The application period is open until Monday 27th of November at 4 pm.
Any JYY member can apply for the board, and any member who was a candidate in the 2023 representatives’ council election can apply to become JYY’s chairperson or vice chairperson. In choosing the members of the board, JYY adheres to the requirements of the Equality Act.
The applications are sent through a Webropol-form.
A Teams-event will be organized for all interested applicants on Monday 20th of November at 6-7pm, in which there will be information about the process and the positions, and you can ask questions. Register for the Teams-event here.
More info about the board positions is given by Executive Director Teemu Vasama.
Content of the applications
Those applying for chairperson or vice chairperson of the Student Union
Those applying to be chairperson or vice chairperson should answer the following questions in their application:
- Short introduction
- Why would you be the right person to be chair or vice chair of the student union?
- How would you develop the decision-making and activities of the representatives’ council?
- The chairperson and vice chairperson work closely with the board and JYY staff. Give examples of how you would develop the cooperation, especially with the board.
- The chairperson and vice chairperson coordinate the work of the representatives’ council, which consists of different group and people with different opinions. How would you maintain a constructive culture of discussion and support high-quality decision-making?
In addition, please prepare to give a short speech (max. 3 minutes) in the interview, which you would give in the university’s opening ceremony for the semester 2024-2025.
Those applying for chair of the board
Those applying to be chair of the board should answer the following questions in their application:
- Short introcution
- What motivates you to apply for chair of the board?
- Describe your strengths and weaknesses as a leader. What kind of leadership experience or training do you have?
- How do you motivate people around you?
- The board works alongside JYY’s staff. At the same time, the board leads the entirety of JYY and manages the rule-based tasks. How would you balance between these roles that the board has?
- The chair of the board is the supervisor of the executive director and CEO. How would you advance the well-being of your subordinates and support them?
Those applying to be members of the board
Those applying to be a member of the board should answer the following questions in their application (emphasize the sectors you are applying for):
- Short introduction
- What motivates you to apply for the board?
- What sectors are you primarily applying for? What sectors are your secondary interests? (Please note that each member will be responsible for only one sector, but you can apply for several.) Why would you be a good choice for these sectors?
- How would you describe yourself as a team player and member of the board?
Negotiations
The negotiations are held on December 4th at 4 pm at Ilokivi.
The negotiations begin with the interviews of the applicants at 4:30 pm. The event is open for all and will be streamed (the stream will not remain available after the negotiations.)
After the interviews, negotiatiors named by the council groups will begin negotiations. The negotiations are led by the Chairperson of the Student Union Arttu Laaksonen. Each council group has had the chance to name two negotiators.
The result of the negotiation will be given to the applicants after the negotiations. The negotiation result will be the initial proposal in the representatives’ council’s meeting.
Selection
The chairperson and vice chairperson of the student union, as well as the chair of the board and members of the board, will be selected by the representatives’ council in its meeting on December 5th.
New board and chairpersons of the student union
The chair of the board and chairperson of the Student Union will be invited to meet the student union’s leadership on December 7th. The selected board will be trained for their tasks on December 8th – December 18th, after which the training continues on January 8th 2024.
The new chairperson and vice chairperson will be trained for their tasks on December 11th.
If there are changes to the schedule, applicants and council groups will be informed.
More info about the board and JYY:
Konsta Tarnanen
Chair of the Board
konsta.tarnanen@jyy.fi
Teemu Vasama
Executive Director
teemu.vasama@jyy.fi
More info about the representatives’ council and selection process:
Arttu Laaksonen
Chairperson of the Student Union
epj@jyy.fi