Student Union revises policies: feminist organisation demands fair student selection methods

The Student Union of University of Jyväskylä JYY has revised its policies. Council of Representatives accepted the revised general policy paper in its meeting on Tuesday. The document describes JYY’s stances in several different topics, such as academic affairs, students’ livelihood and the development of the Jyväskylä area. 

-The opinion on admitting students through open university studies was specified. The student union insists that open university studies should be a viable option for selecting new students only if those studies are offered for free and their duration is no longer than the average time that studying for entrance exams take, says Aleksi Murtojärvi, board member responsible for the policy renewal project. 

Another result of the policy renewal is that the Student Union now defines itself as feminist. However, equality has already been a key value to the Student Union for years and therefore no significant changes are expected. 

-The student union has worked for years towards a time where every student regardless of gender, sexuality, ability, color of skin or other personal features could live a good life free of discrimination. A lot needs to be done still to ensure that universities would be truly equal and accessible to all, tells Council chairperson Nella Heikinmäki. 

In addition to revising policies, the Student Council also discussed and decided on corporate governance guidelines, Student Union rules, development of Ilokivi and the annual report of the year 2019. 

More information

Nella Heikinmäki
The Chairperson of Student Union of JYU
epj@jyy.fi 

Ira Vainikainen
The Chairperson of The Student Union Board for 2020
hpj@jyy.fi
045 137 1964