Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK sponsors student activities with plain money, because TEK wants to have a visible presence in students’ daily lives and to champion initiatives that can be seen to align with TEK’s values and objectives.
Last year alone, TEK was involved in sponsoring almost one thousand student events. The biggest events, such as teekkari baptisms (teekkarikaste, initiation of first-year tech students), attract thousands of students, while the smallest are attended by a few dozen.
In practice, the sponsorship application process starts with local guild contact persons reaching out to their regional TEK student liaison with a proposal. The student liaison reviews the proposal and makes the decision.
"It is possible, and in fact common, for guilds to get more than one grant per year. We try to keep track and make sure that every guild gets at least something from us. Individuals can also apply for help with organising their events in theory, but the named beneficiary must be an association", explains Vesa Taskinen, TEK’s Student Membership Officer.
It is important for TEK to ensure that all events and associations that it sponsors are environmentally conscious, do not choose their members based on discriminatory criteria such as gender and also cater for non-Finnish-speaking participants.
In other words, student liaisons are TEK’s regional experts who know how to connect with students.
Student liaisons also successfully recruited more than 5,500 new members for TEK last year.
The current student liaisons are listed below in alphabetical order by surname.
We asked each student liaison
- who they are and why they became a student liaison,
- what are the top priorities in their region this year,
- what is the best way for students to get in touch with them, and
- how they spend their spare time, if they have any.
Veera Fristadius, Otaniemi
1. I am a sixth-year student at Aalto University, and I have recently switched to Information Technology for my master’s degree. I have been actively involved in the student union in Otaniemi, and TEK’s role in supporting these activities is hugely important, which is what inspired me to become a student liaison and give TEK an even greater presence in Otaniemi.
2. The situation in Otaniemi is fairly stable at the moment, but the inclusiveness of teekkari culture and student culture in general seems to be high on the agenda. For example, we are launching a new wappu publication called MAYDAY this spring, which will be entirely in English.
3. The best ways to contact me are by searching for @OtaniemiTykki on Telegram or by emailing me at veera.fristadius@tek.fi.
4. I try to always find time for exercising regardless of how busy I am. I also enjoy creative hobbies, such as drawing, crocheting and other crafts.
Simon Hajjar, Lappeenranta
1. I am a fifth-year student of Technology and Engineering Science in Lappeenranta. What originally piqued my interest in becoming a student liaison were my several years of close and fruitful cooperation with TEK and the inspiring union career of my predecessor, Senni Auvinen.
2. The biggest concern among students at LUT University at the moment is the rapidly changing and evolving structure of studies. The university keeps changing, reshuffling and coming up with new specialisations, which is creating extra work for student union representatives and making it more difficult to maintain routine association operations and foster teekkari culture.
3. The best ways to contact me are on Telegram at @SimonHajjar and via email at simon.hajjar@tek.fi.
4. I spend most of my spare time attending to various association business. I currently manage the museum of the PoWi student association (Polytekninen Willimiesklubi), I am on the board of the Teekkari Laulajat male choir and I act as the liaison officer for the PuolueetonTeekkariLiitto union.
Eemil Hukkanen, Jyväskylä
1. I am a fifth-year student of Information and Software Technology, and I am originally from Mäntsälä. I have been involved in association activities for a long time and thought about becoming a student liaison for a while. What particularly drew me to the role was the chance to support student life.
2. A significant change in Jyväskylä this coming autumn will be the launch of new technology programmes in the Faculty of Mathematics and Science as well as a new international Bachelor of Science degree course. I am fascinated to see how the new programmes will slot into Jyväskylä’s teekkari culture and reshape it.
3. The best ways to get in contact with me are on Telegram @eemilhukkanen and by phone.
4. I like playing floorball and going to the gym, and I have just taken up ice fishing this winter. I also enjoy films, video games and cooking.
Jonathan Kivimäki, Vaasa
1. I am a fourth-year student of Information Technology. The chance to combine work and supporting student life was too tempting to pass up, and I feel that being a student liaison allows me to promote the welfare of students in Vaasa while also still pursuing my love of student life, albeit from a slightly different and more challenging perspective.
2. Focusing more on activities aimed at different study specialisations and actively promoting teekkari culture are high on the agenda in Vaasa.
3. The best ways to get in contact with me are on Telegram @Jonathankojo and by email.
4. I have been into motorcycles ever since I was old enough to ride a moped, and I took up scuba diving a couple of years ago. I also enjoy a wide variety of other sports, such as climbing and running. Video games and volunteering are also close to my heart.
Jani Norrby, Turku
1. I am a fourth-year student of Biomedical Engineering and Health Technology, majoring in neuroimaging. I became interested in the work of student liaisons after serving as TEK’s student representative on the council.
2. This year in Turku is still about re-establishing routines. The expansion of the technology side has calmed down a little, and new associations are no longer popping up every year. Our cooperation with associations representing mathematics and natural sciences students has also got off to a brilliant start.
3. I can usually be found on campus! I spend more or less all day every day in either Agora or ICT-City. Otherwise, I can be reached on Telegram (@turuntykki) for simple queries or by email for more complex issues.
4. I rediscovered reading last year and hope to find more time for it this year. I also enjoy outdoor kyykkä and playing around with electronics in the electronics lab!
Sara Parkkinen, Oulu
1. I am a fourth-year student of Environmental Engineering. I decided to become a student liaison after spending a year as a guild contact person for the board. Equality and fairness are important to me, which is why I feel at home in my new role as TEK’s student liaison.
2. This year marks an important anniversary in Oulu, which is being celebrated by at least students of Process Engineering and Industrial Engineering and Management. Rumour has it that this year’s Wappu festivities will also be bigger and better than ever before.
3. The best and fastest way to get in touch with me is by searching for @OulunTykki on Telegram. I can also be contacted via email.
4. My current hobbies include student activities, but I have been a volunteer firefighter in the past and hope to rejoin the brigade later this year.
Bryn Sloan, Helsinki
1. I am a fourth-year student of Computer Science on the Kumpula campus. I saw the position of TEK’s student liaison advertised two years ago, and student association activities as a job sounded like a dream come true. The possibility of networking and having influence beyond a single association is what particularly attracted me to the role!
2. At the very top of the agenda at the University of Helsinki is the selling off of several university buildings. This has a huge impact on association events, even though our facilities in Kumpula are not affected. Good relations with the various associations of the student union will be more important than ever especially this autumn.
3. The best ways to contact me are via email at bryn.sloan@tek.fi or by searching for @Kumpulantykki on Telegram. I can often be found in Gurula on the Kumpula campus or at TEK’s checkpoints during the student union’s orienteering events!
4. I spend most of my spare time attending events or enjoying the company of my friends or partner. I am often the one to start songs at sitz parties (sitsit) and represent at annual galas (vuosijuhlat). For relaxation I play D&D or other video games.
Kaisa Vornanen, Tampere
1. I am a newly graduated Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Tampere, and this is my second year as TEK’s student liaison here. I jumped at the chance to promote the wonderful student culture that we have in Tampere from a slightly different angle as a representative of TEK!
2. Many of the guilds and clubs on the Hervanta campus have been able to reclaim space for their activities now that the renovation of the Sähkötalo building has progressed, which is great news! We are looking forward to another brilliant year of student events in Tampere!
3. The best ways to get in contact with me are on Telegram at @vornanen and in person on campus.
4. I enjoy ice swimming, reading and playing ball games, especially football. I have also recently rediscovered knitting!
What is a ‘tykki’?
‘Tykki’ is the Finnish nickname of the student liaisons of Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK. The abbreviation comes from the Finnish word ‘teekkariyhdysmies’ (tech student liaison). This word first appeared in TEK’s vocabulary in the 2000s when it replaced the previous title of ‘korkeakouluyhdysmies’ (university liaison). Tech student liaisons became known as student liaisons in 2017.
If you know more about the beginnings of university liaison activities or when the word ‘teekkariyhdysmies’ was first coined, let us know by contacting TEK-lehti@tek.fi, and we will share the information with others.