University of Helsinki working community against the cuts—a support petition for the students’ occupation

Students’ march-out protest on Thu 5 October – find your way to support

Dear all,

Students are asking the university working community to support students' march-out protest next Thursday. See the message and ways to support below. Thank you for sharing the message with your colleagues.

Best,

The Authors

*** *** ***

University staff, show your solidarity with the students and support the students' march out of the university on 5 October at 15.00 and defend students' rights to livelihood and housing! The interest of the student is your interest too! 

Students Against Cuts will continue the fight against the government's cuts by marching out of lectures, offices, labs and libraries on Thursday 5th of October at 15:00. The demonstration starts before the actual working and study day ends and is part of a nationwide day of action where students across Finland will march out of their institutions. 

We encourage you to support the march out in ways such as: 

- Encourage your students to march out 

- If you have an attendance requirement in your class, give students who march out alternative assignments so that there are no negative consequences to students for asserting their rights 

- If you can take this risk, march out with your students and stand behind their demands 

- Give your lecture outside the lecture hall (teach-out) to the marching students 

After the walkout, we will organise a joint march from the main building of the University of Helsinki and join the Bread, Not Cuts demonstration against cuts for students. 

Raise your voice and join the march-out on 5th of October at 15.00! 

No to cuts for student livelihoods! 

No to cuts for international students! 

No to the destruction of students' mental health! 

More information on Instagram: @toiminnanpaiva @leipaaeileikkauksia @opiskelijatilmanleikkauksia

University management has demanded the students to leave tomorrow ‒ come to the Main Building to show support at 8.45 a.m.!

Dear signatories,

The students at the occupation are asking all their supporters to show up at the occupation tomorrow (Thu 28th) morning at 8.45 a.m.

The University management has told the students that they must leave the occupation for a day starting from 9 a.m., since a private event has reserved the whole old side of the Main Building.

The students have tried to negotiate but the management has remained adamant. Students feel that the management is betraying its expressions of concern and its promises to secure students’ right to protest ‒ especially since a proper public statement from the management against the cuts, immigration policies and tuition fees is still lacking.

If you cannot make it to the Main Building, please consider other ways of showing support, e.g., social media posts and messages to the rectors.

Spread the word!

Best,
The Authors

PS: the petition’s handover event today was successful. See the links and our press release below.

A video recording of the handover: https://www.instagram.com/p/CxsO0G4tynD/ 

HBL article (in Swedish): https://www.hbl.fi/artikel/00f1ba67-8caa-5994-b5f3-cbdd69cb731d 

Article in HS forthcoming.

Press release (unfortunately only in Finnish):

TIEDOTE

Julkaisuvapaa heti.

Helsingin yliopiston työntekijät tukevat opiskelijoiden valtausta – adressi keräsi yli 1000 nimeä

Yli 1000 Helsingin yliopiston työyhteisön jäsentä on allekirjoittanut adressin opiskelijoiden valtauksen vaatimusten puolesta. Adressilla työntekijät vetoavat Helsingin yliopiston rehtoriin ja hallitukseen, että myös nämä tukisivat julkisesti opiskelijoiden vaatimuksia.

Työntekijät luovuttavat adressin Helsingin yliopiston johdolle vallatun yliopiston päärakennuksen aulassa keskiviikkona 27.9. klo 12. Adressia tulee vastaanottamaan yliopiston rehtoria sijaistava vararehtori Kai Nordlund ja yliopiston hallituksen puheenjohtaja Niklas Bruun.

– Yliopiston johto on reagoinut liian vaisusti leikkauspäätöksiin ja kansainvälisiä opiskelijoita kurittavaan maahanmuuttopolitiikkaan. Huolenilmaukset eivät riitä. Kaipaamme suoraselkäistä opiskelijoiden puolustamista ja huonojen päätösten vastustamista, kertoo yliopisto-opettaja Inka Söderström, yksi adressin kirjoittajista.

Opiskelijoiden valtaus alkoi päärakennuksella tiistaina 19.9. ja jatkuu edelleen. Tiistain jälkeen opiskelijoiden protestiliike on levinnyt koko Suomeen ja johtanut yli 20 oppilaitoksen valtaamiseen eri kaupungeissa.

Leikkauksia, lukukausimaksujen korotusta ja maahanmuuttopolitiikkaa vastaan

Opiskelijat vastustavat valtauksilla Suomen hallituksen suunnitelmia leikata asumistuesta ja muusta opiskelijoiden toimeentulosta, kuten opintorahasta, sekä korottaa kansainvälisten opiskelijoiden lukukausimaksuja. He vaativat myös opiskelijoiden mielenterveyspalveluiden turvaamista sekä yliopiston asettumista julkisesti opiskelijoiden vaatimusten taakse.

Adressin allekirjoittaneiden joukossa on muun muassa professoreita, hallinnon työntekijöitä, tutkijoita ja lehtoreita. Allekirjoittajat korostavat adressin kommenteissa, että opiskelijoiden tulisi pystyä keskittymään opintoihin ilman huolta toimeentulosta sekä nostavat esiin ristiriidan valmistumistavoitteiden ja opiskelun edellytyksiä heikentävien lakimuutosten välillä. Työntekijät vastustavat rasismia sekä hallituksen maahanmuuttopolitiikassa että yliopiston sisällä.

Sosiaali- ja kulttuuriantropologian professori Sarah Green perustelee allekirjoitustaan seuraavasti:

– Hallituksen linjaukset ovat ristiriitaisia: Ensinnäkin ne vaativat opiskelijoita valmistumaan tietyssä aikaraamissa, mutta samaan aikaan heikentävät asumisen tukia ja muita tukia, mikä pakottaa opiskelijoita työskentelemään pidempiä päiviä ja heikentää heidän mahdollisuuksiaan valmistua ajallaan. Toiseksi maahanmuuttopolitiikka on lyhytnäköistä: Suomi tarvitsee enemmän maahanmuuttajia, ei vähemmän. Näistä linjauksista puuttuu logiikka ja oikeudenmukaisuus.

– Yliopistoa ei ole ilman opiskelijoita. Jos emme turvaa heidän toimeentuloaan, hyvinvointiaan ja tasa-arvoisia mahdollisuuksiaan kotimaasta riippumatta, myöskään tutkimuksella ja innovaatioilla ei ole tulevaisuutta, perustelee elintarvike- ja ravitsemustieteiden professori Maijaliisa Erkkola.

The petition’s handover is on Wednesday at 12.00 pm – help us reach 1000 names before that!

Dear signatories,

The University of Helsinki working community’s support petition for the students occupation protest will be handed over to the management on tomorrow Wednesday Sep 27 at 12.00 pm. Join us for the handover event at the occupation (University Main Building, lobby of the main entrance on Senaatintori).

Vice Rector Kai Nordlund and Chair of the Board Niklas Bruun come to personally receive the petition (the Rector is absent due to traveling abroad). We will also send a press release about the petition and the handover event. The students are asked to deliver a comment speech in the event.

Today is the last day to sign the petition. We are now at 1000 names. Could you help us reach well over 1000 signatories? Please share the petition to your colleagues at the University via appropriate channels. Thank you!

Best wishes,

The Authors

Thank you for supporting the students’ occupation protest! What happens next?

Dear all,

The petition has already showed the broad support for the students’ occupation protest among the University of Helsinki working community. We have received over 500 signatures during the first day. Thank for signing and sharing!

We are collecting names at least until early days of next week. So, you still have time to share the petition. We will hand out the petition to the university management during next week.

Greetings from the students at the occupation: they have warmly welcomed the support that the petition has indicated. They are inviting all the working community members to the ‘housewarming’ party they are organizing tonight at the occupation from 18.00 onwards. There will be artists playing during the evening. The students encourage all supporters to visit the occupation through the weekend. You can follow the program at the occupation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opiskelijatleikkauksiavastaan/

Have a nice weekend,

The authors of the petition

Thank you for supporting the students’ occupation protest! What happens next?

Dear all,

The petition has already showed the broad support for the students’ occupation protest among the University of Helsinki working community. We have received over 500 signatures during the first day. Thank for signing and sharing!

We are collecting names at least until early days of next week. So, you still have time to share the petition. We will hand out the petition to the university management during next week.

Greetings from the students at the occupation: they have warmly welcomed the support that the petition has indicated. They are inviting all the working community members to the ‘housewarming’ party they are organizing tonight at the occupation from 18.00 onwards. There will be artists playing during the evening. The students encourage all supporters to visit the occupation through the weekend. You can follow the program at the occupation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opiskelijatleikkauksiavastaan/

Have a nice weekend,

The authors of the petition

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