Student Union
TREY – What’s that?
All students at Finnish universities are organised into student unions. The student union duties are provided by law, and their purpose is to represent students, promote their interests and offer them services. The student unions are independent from the universities, but they work in close cooperation with them.
The Student Union of Tampere University (TREY) promotes the interests of all 19,000 students in Tampere University. TREY does advocacy work, supports student associations, offers services and builds the community. The Universities Act defines the student union’s duties to liaise with and on behalf of its members and to promote their societal, social and intellectual aspirations and those relating to studies and the status of students in society. TREY carries out its legal duties on all campuses of Tampere University.
Advocacy!
TREY has the task of ensuring that the students’ voices are heard at the University and elsewhere in society. Advocacy refers to taking part in all decision-making that impacts students, including the quality of education, income, healthcare services, housing and equality in the community. International students are considered in all advocacy work, and the internationalisation of Finnish students is supported at the same time. The aim of our work is the all-encompassing well-being of the students.
In addition to TREY, advocacy work is done by student associations and student representatives. Guilds and subject associations do important work on the degree programme level by furthering the well-being of the students in their field. Student representatives are coordinated by TREY. TREY also works closely with Tamko, the Students’ Union of Tampere University of Applied Sciences, on advocacy matters that concern both Tampere Universities.
Services!
TREY’s specialists provide counselling and help for members and associations on all matters regarding studying and student life and other problematic situations. You may contact the specialists confidentially if you have problems with your studies, income or housing, among others. The specialists’ contact information can be found on TREY’s website. The Specialists in Educational Affairs help you with questions regarding your studies and legal protection. If you have any study-related problems, you can contact the Student Union by email at kopo-help@trey.fi. The Specialists in Social Affairs help you with questions regarding income, housing, well-being and equality. The Specialist in International Affairs answers questions regarding international studies and internationalisation and supports international students here in the student union. You can also email help@trey.fi with general questions and requests for help.
TREY provides students with various rental services to facilitate and cheer up our everyday lives. For example, you can rent a toolkit for renovation, board games for game nights, a kyykkä set to train for the world championship or a Finnish baseball set to try out our national sport. The rental services also include the van rental, run in cooperation with Tampereen Teekkarien Moottorikerho (Tampere University Motoring Club). Rent the van at an inexpensive price to help with your move! All student union members also have access to free legal counselling from the international law firm Magnusson Law.
International students can also rent the Starting Kit from ESN INTO and ESN FINT (depending on your study campus). This includes pots and pans, cutlery etc. In short, some things to get you going when you arrive in Finland. Read more about the Starting Kit and other rental services on TREY’s website!
Student card!
Your student card is the symbol of your membership which benefits you in Tampere, all over Finland and even internationally. The student card entitles you to hundreds of student discounts that will help you save a pretty penny. Find out more information on the student discounts on the Opiskelijan Tampere (Students’ Tampere) website.
At Tampere University, the student card has many other features as well. It serves as the access key on your main study campus, including computer labs and sports facilities. In the university libraries, you can use your student card to borrow material and print documents. Use your card actively!
When you have ordered your student card and it is ready to be picked up, you can do so at one of TREY’s service offices in Hervanta or city centre. You can also have your student card delivered to the TLK (Tampereen Lääketieteen Kandidaattiseura ry) office on the Kauppi campus.
The mobile student card, Tuudo, is a great addition to the physical card. See TREY’s website for information on how to order your student card and get familiar with the mobile student card Tuudo.
Advocacy outside of the university!
TREY does not only do advocacy work inside the university walls. The students of Tampere University form a significant group of people who have an impact on decision-making locally in Tampere, as well as nationally. The local student associations also do a lot of national and international advocacy in a myriad ways.
TREY and Tamko do urban advocacy together under Group 35 000. The group’s objective is to make Tampere an even better city for students and to influence all decisions that have an effect on students here.
On the national level, TREY is part of the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL). SYL is the advocacy group of university students with the task of bringing the students’ perspective into societal discussion. SYL promotes students’ well-being and makes efforts to improve their status in the university communities both on the national and international levels. Current issues include students’ income and housing, the development and resources of universities, student mobility as well as student healthcare and FSHS. Every degree student is a member of SYL through their student union. Therefore, it forms a significant group of people influencing Finland’s future.
Operatives
Council of Representatives
The elected Council of Representatives is the highest decision-making body in the student union. TREY’s Council of Representatives includes 49 members, and it generally meets once a month during the academic year. The council decides on the direction of TREY’s finances and activities. In practice, the council decides where the membership fees will be used. Therefore, the council’s decisions affect every university student’s life.
Council elections are held every two years. Each student union member is eligible to vote and run as a candidate in the elections. The next council elections will be held in the autumn of 2024 – read more on TREY’s website! The candidate nomination is open from 12 August to 29 September. Run, vote, discuss or listen. The most important thing is that you influence our common issues.
Executive Board
The Council of Representatives appoints the Executive Board for the Student Union on an annual basis. The Executive Board runs the student union activities for one calendar year at a time. The Executive Board manages the student union’s daily activities, represents the student union in public and prepares decision-making. TREY’s Executive Board has weekly meetings and reports regularly to the council. Led by the Chairperson, a 10-member board is responsible for TREY’s daily activities in 2024 – you’ll already meet some of them during orientation! In 2024, the Chair of TREY’s Executive Board is Noora Hakulinen (puheenjohtaja@trey.fi) and the Secretary General is Adam Zeidan (paasihteeri@trey.fi).
Staff
Along with the Executive Board, TREY’s activities are run by a group of staff members. They are paid specialists whose task is to assist the board, draft matters and take care of the continuity of the student union activities over the terms of office of the council and the board. Specialists of different fields support you if you encounter difficulties during your studies with issues such as the completion of studies, housing arrangements or matters of equality. Don’t hesitate to contact the student union if you need support. Help is always available!
If you are looking for individual contact information, see TREY’s website. TREY’s website has the most up-to-date information on the student union.