The Measures to Improve Uniarts Helsinki campaign collected 34 suggestions – now we will refine the ideas and take action
Last autumn, the rector initiated a campaign titled Measures to Improve Uniarts Helsinki with the aim of collecting students’ views and experiences on how the university could use its resources – including the time and competence of students and staff, facilities, instruments, technologies and systems – more efficiently, and then implementing some of their ideas in practice. Read a news article about the launch of the campaign.
Suggestions will be further developed in 2024
The campaign led to a total of 34 suggestions from 27 students. Some students submitted several suggestions, and some of the ideas that were submitted as one single suggestion contained several measures. Some of the suggestions concern a specific academy, while others concern the whole Uniarts Helsinki at large.
Out of these suggestions, 17 of them have now been selected for further development and five for partial further development. The measures will be promoted in 2024, within the given resources at the university and the academies. News on the results will be communicated later this year.
All those who submitted a suggestion received written feedback and a small prize as thanks for their participation. Some of the students will also be offered hourly-paid wages if they agree to take part in refining their suggestion further.
In addition to this campaign, students were also asked to send feedback about facilities in connection with the facilities survey in May 2023. You can read about the changes and improvements that were made based on the facilities survey on the Students’ Uniarts website. Read the related news article.
Decisions on suggestions that will be developed further
Fragrance-free Uniarts Helsinki
We will raise people’s awareness on the downsides of fragrances through communication.
Giving doctoral students the rights to book meeting rooms
We will expand doctoral students’ booking rights if it is technically possible.
More sustainable travelling
When further developing the Travel Policy, we will deliberate whether it is necessary to introduce flight quotas to Uniarts Helsinki. The university already has a good renewed travel policy that instructs the community to reduce their flying.
Report on inaccessibility in studies
We will start development work with the facilities and academic affairs teams and look into what kinds of inaccessibility-related experiences students have, for example in the context of facilities.
Better use and visibility of doctoral education within the university and among the public
The academic affairs will start development work, especially in relation to facility-related solutions, planning of teaching and its connection to doctoral candidates.
Gender-neutral toilets at the Sibelius Academy
The suggestion was carried out by the facilities team in the Nervanderinkatu building on the Töölö campus in January 2024. The new signage for the Helsinki Music Centre is currently being designed, and the changes will be made later this spring. Gender-neutrality has already been taken into consideration in the toilets of the R Building. The aim is to also organise a workshop/training seminar concerning gender for all teachers.
Confirmation system for facility reservations
We will look into whether it is technically possible to make this happen through system development.
More comfortable office pods to the Theatre Academy Tori
We will add this to our list of things to develop, but measures will probably take place in 2025, when Tori will be developed as a whole.
Study facilities on the Töölö campus and small things to improve everyday life
The facilities team will look into the possibility of adding work facilities in the N Building so that students would have a space for completing their written study assignments. We will look into the possibility of adding more coat racks in the R Building and improving the features of the hallway kitchens.
Improving communication and the sense of community and a discrimination-related discussion series/course
The university has made efforts to provide clearer communication in 2023, and the work will continue in 2024. The HR team will look into the suggestion of organising a discussion series or a course as part of its staff training selection.
Making Peppi more user-friendly
We will try to make Peppi more user-friendly as part of the technical development of Peppi.
Music stands to classrooms that are used on a queue basis in the N Building
We will carry out this suggestion.
Quota for international students in entrance exams and clearer terms for tuition fee waivers
These perspectives will be included in the further development of annual tuition fees.
Free online course materials for all
We will discuss this further as part of the national digivision development work.
Renewing ways to complete studies and eliminating practices that hamper studies
The new curricula, which will enter into force in autumn 2024, aim to solve some of the challenges that students have experienced. The intention has been, for example, to increase the range of alternative completion methods and Moodle courses.
Cooperation with the Sibelius Academy’s study module in music and movement as part of the master’s studies in dance/theatre pedagogy at the Theatre Academy
We will look into the matter in 2024.
Improving the use of the Agora Hall in the M Building and making the room more pleasant
New furniture has been ordered, and a plan to make the room more pleasant has been made.
Suggestions selected for partial further development
Maximising international contacts and funding
Uniarts Helsinki already sends applications for various open calls and participates in the activities of international networks. We will look into the possibility of arranging campus visits at Uniarts Helsinki for the parents of international students.
Expanding the possibilities of using the facilities on the Töölö campus
We will continue developing the facilities in the campus development team.
Development of mentorship activities
We will look into alternative ways to develop the university’s various mentorship systems as a whole in 2024.
A discussion series about the multidisciplinary practices in the arts within Uniarts Helsinki
We will look into the matter in 2024.
Use of the sauna on the Töölö campus
The facilities team and the Sibelius Academy dean will look into the possibility of using the sauna, considering the current resources.