Apply to become the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä’s (JYY) President of the Student Union, Vice President, Chair of the Board or member of the Board for 2025!
Apply for the positions of trust by Monday 18.11.2024 at 4pm from here.
Duties of the Chair of the Board and the members
Members of the Board participate in the activity of their sectors alongside the staff. Members of JYY’s Board participate, for example, in their sector’s working groups, organize events, and do planning and development work. The Chair of the Board leads the Board’s activity.
Familiarize yourself more in depth with the Board’s work, daily life and the sectors of responsibility in the Board applicant’s guide. (Take note, that this is the Finnish version of the guide. An English language version is in the works.)
JYY’s Board is a working board, which is primarily expected to be available as support for the paid staff of JYY on weekdays during office hours. On average, JYY’s activities take up about five to seven hours a day for board members, with an emphasis between 9am-3pm, but the weekly hours vary significantly. In addition, the board members will at times have to be available at evening hours, for example, for representative duties, in organizing JYY’s events and for working with the Council. Although most of the board work takes place during weekdays, some events require availability over the weekend. The board work also includes some travelling, for example to seminars of the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) and to Student Union network meetings.
A requirement for successful board work is commitment to the aforementioned practises. Members of the Board are paid a reward. For a member of the Board the reward is 7000 euros per year and for the Chair of the Board 13 200 euros per year, divided for the months of activity.
In addition to being a working board, JYY’s Board also directs and develops JYY’s activities based on the policies determined by the Council and takes care of other rule-based tasks.
In addition to the Chair, the Board is composed of nine other board members. Each board member is designated their own sector of responsibility, which in 2025 are:
- academic affairs
- social affairs
- international affairs
- municipal policy
- communications
- associations
- events and culture
- corporate cooperation
- tutoring and new students
In addition to the sectors of responsibility, the Board divides the responsibilities for other tasks and projects among themselves. The official decision of the organisation of the sectors and the so called “side-cases” is made by the Board of 2025 in their organisation meeting.
Duties of the President and Vice President of the Student Union
The highest decision-making power of JYY is held by a 41-member Council of Representatives selected in the Council elections, which is led by the President of the Student Union.
The President of the Student Union leads and coordinates the Council’s activity together with the Vice President of the Student Union. The chairpersons cooperate closely with the Board of the Student Union and staff.
The duties of the President of the Student Union include, for example, to chair the Council meetings, prepare the Council’s meeting items together with the Executive Director, plan the Council’s communication, represent the Student Union towards different stakeholders together with the Board and to supervise that the Student Union strictly adheres to the current rules and regulations. The President and Vice President also initially act as the chairs of the general and special selection committees annually by a manner of decision; typically, the duty to chair the general selection committee has been one of the duties of the Vice President.
Application process, negotiations and selection
The Council has in its meeting on 24.10 decided of the principles for the application and selection process of JYY’s positions of trust.
If you are interested in applying for JYY’s positions of trust, it is recommended, that before applying, you contact one of the Council groups (https://jyy.fi/en/get-involved/the-council-of-representatives/council-groups/), so that you have a chance to get the support of a Council group in the negotiations as well as an opportunity to have a discussion on the application process with the group beforehand.
Application process
The application period for the President and Vice President of the Student Union as well as the Chair of the Board and board members for 2025 is open until Monday 18.11.2024 at 4pm.
According to the rules of the Student Union, every member of JYY can apply for JYY’s Board, and the candidates of the 2023 Council elections who are members of JYY can apply for the Student Union’s chairperson positions. JYY’s Board is elected in accordance with the Equality act’s obligation of equality (609/1986, Act on Equality between women and men) under section 4 a § 2.
JYY’s positions of trust are applied to on a Webropol-form, through which the applicant sends in their application and CV.
Those interested in JYY’s positions of trust are held an open event on Thursday 7.11 at 6pm, at the University library in the Student Lounge space. More information on the applied positions and the application process is given at the event and questions will be answered.
More information for those interested in JYY’s Board duties is given by Executive Director Teemu Vasama.
Content of the applications
Those applying for President or Vice President of the Student Union
Those applying for the President of the Student Union must answer the following questions in their application:
- Applicant’s short introduction
- Why would you be the right person for the President or Vice President of the Student Union?
- As the Chair of the Council, how would you develop the Council’s decision-making and activity?
- The chairpersons of the Student Union work in cooperation with the Student Union’s Board and staff. Give an example of how you would develop the cooperation especially with the Board.
- The chairpersons of the Student Union coordinate the activity of a Council that is made of different groups, actual and deputy members as well as of representatives with diverse views. How do you maintain a constructive discussion culture and support high-quality decision-making?
In addition, prepare to hold a speech of maximum of three minutes at the interview, that you would hold at the 2025-2026 opening ceremony of the University of Jyväskylä.
Those applying for Chair of the Board
Those applying for Chair of the Board must answer the following questions in their application:
- Applicant’s short introduction
- What motivated you to apply for Chair of the Board?
- Describe which strengths and aspects of development you have as a leader? What type of leadership experience or training do you have?
- How do you motivate the people around you?
- The Board of JYY works most of the weekdays supporting the paid staff on JYY’s actual activity. However, at the same time, JYY’s Board leads the entire organisation and takes care of tasks regulated by the rules. How do you balance between different roles that the Board has in JYY?
- The Chair of JYY’s Board also acts as the supervisor to the Executive Director and the CEO. How do you promote the wellbeing of your staff and support their success at work?
In addition, prepare to bring your own proposal on the composition of the Board for 2025 based on the candidate’s applications and interviews. The composition proposal is brough to the negotiators at the beginning of the negotiations.
Those applying to be members of the Board
Those applying for board member positions must in a free-form application answer the following questions (add emphasis on the sectors which you are applying for):
- Applicant’s short introduction
- What motivated you to apply for the Board of JYY?
- Which sector are you primarily applying to? What other sectors are you interested in? (Take into account, that each Board member is responsible for one sector, but for the organisation of the Board, you may apply for multiple sectors at once.) Why do you see yourself as a good fit for these sectors?
- During the Board year in JYY, you will work a lot in cooperation with the Board members as well as others. How would you describe yourself as a team player and a member of the Board?
Interviews and negotiations
All applicants for the positions of trust are interviewed at the Student Union house Ilokivi, on Tuesday 26.11 beginning at 5pm. The event is open for everyone, and it is possible to follow along on a livestream (the video will not be available afterwards). Before the interviews begin, the interview and negotiations process in its entirety is gone over with the candidates.
The day after the interviews on 27.11, negotiations will be held at the Student Union house Ilokivi beginning at 5pm. The negotiators named by the Council groups will negotiate on the composition of the chairpersons and Board of the Student Union to be selected. The President of the Student Union Hilma Hintikka chairs the negotiations, to which each of the 2024-2025 Council groups has had a chance to set forward two negotiators. In addition, the applicants for the Chair of the Board have a chance to present their view on the composition of the selected Board.
Applicants will be informed of the result after the negotiations end. The result of the negotiations acts as the main proposal at the closing meeting of the Council on Thursday 28.11.
Selection
In their organization meeting on Thursday 28.11, the Council selects the President and Vice President of the Student Union as well as the Board including the Chair of the Board. The selection takes place according to the rules of the Student Union.
New Board and chairpersons of the Student Union
The Chair of the Board and the President of the Student Union are invited to meet the management of the Student Union on Wednesday 4.12. The selected Board is trained for their duties between 2.-16.12.2024, of which especially 9.-16.12 the Board should be available on weekdays approximately between 9am-4pm. After this, the training resumes again on Tuesday 7.1.2025 on weekdays between 9am-4pm, when the term of the new Board begins.
The new chairpersons of the Student Union are trained for their duties during December 2024.
If there are changes to the training schedules before the selection, the changes will be informed to the Council groups and to the applicants.
Applications
On the Webropol-form by 18.11. at 4pm: https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/C39CC28706E87DC2
More information on the Board and JYY’s activities
Akseli Immonen
Chair of the Board
hpj@jyy.fi
Teemu Vasama
Executive Director
teemu.vasama@jyy.fi
More information on the Council of Representatives and the selection process
Hilma Hintikka
President of the Student Union
epj@jyy.fi