Roles marked with an asterisk (*) belong to the osakuntaneuvosto (osakunta council)

Roles within Wiipurilainen Osakunta:

Kuraattori *

The Kuraattori leads osakunta activity, enforces osakunta rules and regulations, and maintains external relations. The kuraattori maintains WiO’s external relations by participating in events hosted by the University of Helsinki and other associated organisations. The Kuraattori belongs to the osakuntaneuvosto (osakunta council) and acts as its chairperson. The Kuraattori organises meetings of the osakuntaneuovosto and prepares the meeting agenda together with the sihteeri. As part of their role, the kuraattori also belongs to the councils of Seniores Wiburgeneses, Wiipurilaisen Osakunnan Stipendisäätiö and YOAS, and also represents the osakunta at OYV meetings. In these meetings, the role of the kuraattori is to protect the interests of the osakunta and to act as a liaison between WiO and these organisations.

Varakuraattori *

The varakuraattori takes over the role of the kuraattori when they are unavailable. When the kuraattori is unavailable, the varakuraattori takes care of all of their responsibilities, activities and appearances. The varakuraattori ensures osakunta affairs are managed well and lightens the load of the kuraattori by handling projects as required. The varakuraattori participates in osakunta activity at all levels and ensures everything is running smoothly. As the chairperson of the asuntolatoimikunta, the varakuraattori is in charge of apartment applications and duties related to osakunta apartments. 

Taloudenhoitaja * (2 year position)

The job of the taloudenhoitaja is to take care of WiO’s daily cash flow and to plan, together with the osakuntaneuovosto, use of money by the osakunta in the long term. The taloudenhoitaja prepares budgets, takes care of accounting and makes financial statements. The osakunta finances are fairly straightforward, and we try to keep accounting as simple as possible. Therefore the taloudenhoitaja does not necessarily need to have accounting experience, although knowledge of the basics is certainly helpful. Accounting however can be managed with common sense, and the most important role of the taloudenhoitaja is to keep various slips and notes in order, and to take care of applying for grants and paying bills on time. Diligence is more important that accounting skills. The taloudenhoitaja is a member of the osakuntaneuovosto. 

Sihteeri *

The sihteeri keeps the minutes at meetings of the Osakunta and osakuntaneuovosto, of which they are also a member. The sihteeri is WiO’s primary person of contact, responsible for mail and maintaining relationships with other osakunnat and organisations. The sihteeri has to right to sign on behalf of the osakunta..

Isäntä *

The isännät (plural of isäntä, there are usually two), along with their helper apuisännät, perform a number of jobs to keep osakunta activities running smoothly. The isännät ensure that someone is on duty in the osakunta rooms during the weekly keskiviikko kahvi events that WiO is on call (about every third week). They are in charge of setting up furniture before events such as meetings, as well as clearing things away afterwards. At parties, they take care of table service and serving of drinks, and help out the emännät wherever possible. Isännät belong to both the osakuntaneuvosto and ohjelmatoimikunta. 

Emäntä *

The emännät (plural of emäntä, there are usually two), along with their helper apuemännät, are responsible for working in the kitchen during different osakunta events including meetings, kuraattorinvaihtokaronkka and virkailijanvaihtokaronkka parties, sillis brunches, seniori meals, Christmas parties and other events organised together with the kuraattori, toiminnanohjaaja and tapahtumanjärjestäjä. The emännät are responsible for menu planning, budgeting, procuring ingredients,  preparation of meals and cleaning up afterwards. The emmännät are responsible for making sure things are taken care of, providing guidance and making decisions regarding how the kitchen is run. The emmännät are members of the osakuntaneuvosto and ohjelmatoimikunta. Sometimes the emännät organise join projects with other Domus Gaudium osakunta emmännät as well as the emmännät from Östra Finlands Nation. 

Toiminnanohjaaja *

The job of the toiminnanohjaaja is to plan, market, and host various Osakunta activities. While cultural activities are the responsibility of the kultuurisihteeri, and sports the responsibility of the urheilusihteeri, the toiminnanohjaaja organises general fun activities. Over the years, the toiminnanohjaaja has organised, for example, excursions to the Arabia, Hartwall and Fazer factories. Events might include a trip to Heureka or go-karting. In addition to general excursions and trips, the toiminnanohjaaja is responsible for annual events such as the yearly christmas party and the themed party in spring. The toiminnanohjaaja has free rein to organise parties, taking into account the events of the other Domus Gaudium osakunnat and the aim not to overwhelm members with events. The toiminnanohjaaja has one of the core positions in the osakunta, thus this role includes a few additional responsibilities; they are a member of the osakuntaneuvosto, and chairperson of the ohjelmatoimikunta. The ohjelmatoimikunta assists the toiminnanohjaaja with everything, both for planning of events and their implementation. The toiminnanohjaaja also works with toiminnanohjaajat from the other Domus Gaudium osakunnat. There’s always a great opportunity to get to know others while doing work that crosses osakunta boundaries!

Ulkoasiainneuvos *

The ulkoasiainneuvos belongs to the osakuntaneuvosto and is the chairperson of the ulkoasiaintoimikunta. Along with the ulkoasiainsihteeri and ulkoasiaintoimikunta, they are in charge of maintaining our Friendships with organisations in Sweden and Estonia, as well as helping non-Finnish students to discover and settle in at WiO.

Koulutusneuvos *

The tasks of the koulutusneuvos include acting as chairperson of the koulutustoimikunta as well as sitting on the osakuntaneuvosto. The koulutusneuvos organises meetings of the koulutustoimikunta, plans their activity, delegates tasks and ensures they are completed. The main work of the koulutustoimikunta is centred on presenting the osakunta and the University of Helsinki to high school students in the WiO home region. This means that they organise the yearly abi-info tour in January, where osakunta members present The University of Helsinki and WiO to high schools in Southern Karelia. In autumn they organise HETEKA-päivä, a day when abiturientit (students in their last year of highschool) come by bus for a day trip to Helsinki in order to see the University and Wiipurilainen Osakunta. 

Tiedotusneuvos *

The tiedotusneuvos belongs to the osakuntaneuvosto and acts as chairperson of the tiedotustoimikunta. The job of the tiedotusneuvos is to ensure clear and effective communication within the osakunta and externally. This is not a solo job, with the tiedotustoimikunta helping to maintain and update the osakunta webpage, post on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok), write the tiistaitiedote information bulletins shared with the osakunta email list on Tuesdays, and update information boards in Domus Gaudium. The tiedotustoimikunta also helps to develop and improve osakunta communication. 

Huoneistoneuvos *

The huoneistoneuvos belongs to the osakuntaneuvosto and participates in their meetings. The huoneistoneuvos belongs to the Huoneistoimikunta, known as HTK. HTK is a group of representatives from Domus Gaudium osakunnat as well as other groups making use of the osakunta rooms, whose purpose is to take care of the rooms and make day-to-day purchases as well as larger purchases for the benefit of all. The huoneistoneuvos acts as a go-between for the osakunta (including osakuntaneuvosto) and HTK. The huoneistoneuvos participates in HTK meetings once a month during semesters, and also takes on one of HTK’s roles (which rotate yearly between the three Domus Gaudium osakunnat): puheenjohtaja (chairperson), varapuheenjohtaja (deputy chairperson) and taloudenhoitaja (treasurer).

Järjestösihteeri

The role of the järjestösihteeri is to maintain the relationships between WiO and other organisations. The järjestösihteeri is a member of the Osakuntalainen Unioni committee. The Osakuntalainen Unioni includes one member from each Finnish language osakunta and helps to maintain communication between osakunnat as well as with Helsingin yliopiston ylioppilaskunta (Student Union of the University of Helsinki, or HYY) via a representative sub committee (osakuntien edustajistoryhmä). The Osakuntalainen Unioni organises osakunta representatives for the HYY representative elections every second year. The järjestösihteeri keeps the osakunta informed about these elections, and supports the vaalipäälliköt. 

Ulkoasiainsihteeri

The ulkoasiainsihteeri works to maintain relationships between WiO and our friends in Sweden – Västmanslands-Dala Nation in Uppsalassa and Sydskånska Nation in Lund – and Estonia – Korp! Revelia and Korp! Amicitia in Tartu. The ulkoasiainsihteeri sends them invitations to Vuosijuhla and Pamaus, and organises accommodation and other practical matters during their visit. The ulkoasiainsihteeri also makes arrangements if WiO has foreign visitors outside of event times, and organises combined events with foreign associations. The ulkoasiainsihteeri is helped by the ulkoasiaintoimikunta. 

Maakuntasihteeri

The maakuntasihteeri organises the long weekend kesäretki to a location in the osakunta home region of South Karelia. 

Kulttuurisihteeri

The role of the kulttuurisihteeri is to take care of osakunta cultural experiences. This generally includes visits to the theatre, concerts, films, exhibitions, museums… and more! The kulttuurisihteeri needs to stay on top of Helsinki’s cultural offerings, share details of  events that osakunta members might be interested in, book tickets, and advertise events at osakunta meetings and to the emailing list.  Part of the osakunta budget is put aside for cultural activities so the kulttuurisihteeri is able to sponsor members attending events. The kulttuurisihteeri is also a member of the ohjelmatoimikunta and thus is a part of developing diverse osakunta events. An all-round fun and enjoyable job for someone who likes cultural life. 

Pamausmestari

The pamausmestari plans and runs The Wiipurin Pamaus event, although by no means alone. The larger tasks before the event are choosing and booking of the event venue, budget decisions, creation of dance cards and invitations, and advertisements if required. This role also includes dozens other small tasks during the couple of months in the lead up to the event (as well as a few afterwards). Arpajaisvastaavat are selected to run the raffle (arpajaiset) while a revyyvastaava is selected to organise the (video) revue. The job of inviting VIP kutsuvieraat is also shared out to osakunta members. The event budget can be handled by the taloustoimikunta; it does not need to be only your responsibility. The role comes with a folder containing good instructions, information and models of documents for previous years. Previous pamausmestarit are also always available to provide help and advice. 

Vuosijuhlamestari

The vuosijuhlamestari organises WiO’s anniversary Vuosijuhla event, which takes place in the start of March. Tasks include booking  the event venue, choosing the menu, preparing the budget and presenting it to the taloustoimikunta, organising dance practice, arrangement of the seating chart, creation of dance cards and invitations, and making expense decisions related to the Vuosijuhla. The vuosijuhlamestari is also the host of the Vuosijuhla, and in charge of finding a guest speaker (with the help eg. of the kuraattori) as well as many other small tasks before the event. The role comes with a folder containing good instructions, information and models of documents for previous years. Previous vuosijuhlamestarit are also always available to provide help and advice. Unlike other positions, the vuosijuhlamestari is  chosen in spring so that they have enough time to organise the following year’s event. 

Seniorisihteeri

The seniorisihteeri acts as a link between WiO and its senior society, Seniores Wiburgenses. The seniorisihteeri takes care of the society’s ongoing tasks, organises participant  registration and room booking for monthly gatherings, is a member of the society’s committee and acts as secretary at the yearly vuosikokous. They take care of the society’s bookkeeping, prepare a financial report, an activity report and plan. The seniorisihteeri works with the society chairperson to write letters to members as well as a seniori column for Willi. 

Asuntolasihteeri

The asuntolasihteeri makes sure that the Osakunta’s 28 apartments have trustworthy and conscientious lessors all year. The asuntolasihteeri takes care of all practical matters relating to the osakunta’s yearly apartment application period in February/May, as well as the fuksi apartment application period in June/July. Tasks include advertising the application period, preparing application forms, reporting of application outcomes, and guiding new residents. Additionally, the asuntolasihteeri maintains a waiting list for apartments and draws up lease agreements for apartments other than those at Mäkelänrinne. The asuntolasihteeri acts as secretary for the asuntolatoimikunta, preparing for their meetings and reporting their decisions in writing. 

Fuksineuvos *

The fuksineuvos position is a fun and diverse osakunta job. As per their name, the fuksineuvos, along with the koulutustoimikunta, takes care of all things related to new students in the osakunta (fuksit): organising fuksi events, preparing and sending fuksi packets (fuksipaketit, which contain the special FuksiWilli and other fun items), registering fuksit into the osakunta and helping them to settle in. The fuksineuvos acts as a secretary for meetings of the koulutustoimikunta. The fuksineuvos is free to act according to their own imagination, getting to know wonderful new fuksit and organising events according to their own whims. This isn’t a solo task, with the support of the koulutustoimikunta and a tendency for this role to be shared between two people. The fuksineuvos belongs to the osakuntaneuvosto.

Liikuntasihteeri

The liikuntasihteeri organises different kinds of physical activity opportunities for osakunta members. The important aim of this role is, through various events and excursions, to encourage osakunta members to move together. The liikuntasihteeri may make use of their own physical activity history or introduce osakunta members to activities that they may not have tried before. The liikuntasihteeri works collaboratively with the ohjelmatoimikunta, and can make use of osakunta budget funds put aside for physical activities to reduce the personal cost of activities for participants. In previous years the liikuntasihteeri has organised activities including avanto swims, archery, climbing, laser tag, and of course kyykkää. In the winter, it is typical to go and watch SaiPa play ice hockey in Helsinki. The liikuntasihteeri usually leads WiO in competitive sports events against other student groups.  

Willin päätoimittaja (2 year position)

The Willin päätoimittaja acts as editor in chief of the osakunta magazine Willi, overseeing the production of a magazine of 20 or so pages from start to finish. Five editions of the magazine are produced each year: four of these are regular editions produced during the semesters, with the fifth a special edition FuksiWilli, which is produced over the summer and released at the start of the autumn semester. The  päätoimittaja works with the toimituskunta to generate ideas, write articles, take photos, format the magazine and take it to be printed, collect printed copies, and finally post out copies. Most of the päätoimittaja‘s time is spent assigning osakunta members writing tasks, as well as wrangling the formatting software and printer. Willi has two päätoimittaja positions and the role is for two years. This means that each year one new päätoimittaja is elected. In this way, the new päätoimittaja is not thrown directly into the fire and needs no prior experience beyond how to use a computer. 

Laulunjohtaja

The laulunjohtaja leads the singing at osakunta parties, especially Pamaus and Vuosijuhla but also smaller events like sitsits. The laulunjohtaja introduces songs and guides their completion according to Wiipurilainen Osakunta custom. The arsenal of the laulunjohtaja includes a sword, which they  can use to lead the tempo during the song. The laulunjohtaja may also organise musical activities for the osakunta, such as a songbook sing-through. 

Kirjaston- ja arkistonhoitaja (can be divided into two positions)

The osakunta’s archive and library shelves have long ago begun to groan under the weight of too much material. The kirjastonhoitaja, along with the arkistonhoitaja (or the kirjaston- ja arkistonhoitaja if the position isn’t shared between two people) works to keep things in their place, as well as squeeze in new material (eg. new books, article clippings, photos). This role is self-driven: time can be spent going through materials and organising things, or the library/archive can be left in peace. The kirjaston- ja arkistonhoitaja nonetheless should know what all the cupboards contain, because someone has to! 

Valokuvaaja

The osakunta valokuvaaja (photographer) finds themselves right in the middle of the action at osakunta events. The only requirement for this role is an interest in photography. WiO’s biggest events, Pamaus and Vuosijuhla, are the photographer’s busiest times; between taking guest portraits and capturing different event moments, the valokuvaaja may have just enough time to eat their cooled meal. But the valokuvaaja gets to exercise their creative freedom, especially at jatkot (the afterparty), capturing the party atmosphere and antics in visual form. The greatest moments for the valokuvaaja are when they can present a shiny new album full of photos and memories for osakunta members to enjoy. 

Verkkovastaava

The job of the verkkovastaava is to maintain the osakunta’s computer presence and infrastructure. This includes updating of software, website development, completing backups and managing users. The verkkovastaava works together as needed with the tiedotustoimikunta, who are in charge of the webpage and social media content. They also provide IT support to the osakunta, advising members about use of websites and related programs. This job can be performed remotely or on site in the osakunta rooms in Domus Gaudium. 

Vaalipäällikkö

HYY (Helsingin yliopiston ylioppilaskunta, The Student Union of the University of Helsinki) hold representative elections (edarivaalit) every second year. The vaalipäällikkö (or päälliköt, there are often two) works with vaalipäälliköt from all the other University of Helsinki osakunnat to help ensure these elections are successful for the osakunnat. The vaalipäällikkö recruits osakunta members to run as representatives, promotes the elections with the osakunta and works with the candidates on their campaigns (from flyers to posters to cookies!). Vaalipäälliköt also organise training together with the Osakuntalainen Unioni for candidates and ensure that photographs are taken of each candidate. Vaalipäälliköt encourage and help candidates to do their campaigning. The vaalipäällikkö can set an example for other osakunta members by themselves running as a candidate in the HYY representative elections. It’s also good to share campaign progress on social media – the osakunta has sometimes even had an election blog. Working as a vaalipäällikkö enables you to get to know other osakunnat and their activities and to experience the thrilling election atmosphere at close range. The Domus Gaudium osakunnat often work closely together for the HYY elections, so help is also available from the other DGO vaalipäälliköt and, of course, from the candidates themselves. The vaalipäälliköt also organise a thrilling vaalisitsit party for all the DGO candidates.  

Apuemännät (usually 6-8 people)

Apuemännät (plural of apuemäntä) work in the kitchen as the ‘underlings’ and supporters of the emäntä. This involves cooking delicious things for many different osakunta events during shifts organised with the emäntä. Sometimes it’s baking pulla and tossing salad, sometimes it’s preparing a fancy dinner from entree soup to dessert. Ingredients are collected from the store under the guidance of the emäntä. The vibe in the kitchen is usually fun and relaxed, with time for chats and music. The best tasks are, of course, tasting food and drinks. No one needs to drown in dishes alone, tasks are shared evenly. The emäntä will always be on hand to provide kitchen guidance, from how to brew enough coffee for an entire osakunta, to where the pots are found, to how many garlic cloves is too many garlic cloves. Apuemäntä is the first role of many osakunta members, with many going on to stay as permanent fixtures on the apuemäntä roster. 

 Apuisännät (usually 6-8 people)

The job of the apuisänta (plural = apuisännät) includes arranging of chairs in the room before osakunta meetings, as well as clearing them away. Apuisännnät are there to serve drinks to thirsty osakunta members. At osakunta events the apuisännnät serve food and drinks, and sell drinks at the afterparties for vuosijuhla and Pamaus as well as other smaller events. They also help to clean up after events in the osakunta rooms. The workload of the apuisäntä job is quite flexible, with the number of apuisännnät meaning no one has to be working at every event. Plus it’s fun! 

Stipendisäätiön opiskelijajäsen (2 year role)

Wiipurilaisen Osakunnan Stipendisäätiö has two student members (opiskelijajäsen, plural = opiskelijajäsenet) who are elected for two years. Every year one stipendisäätiön opiskelijajäsen is chosen, so that there is always a more experienced and a less experienced opiskelijajäsen. The newer opiskelijajäsen acts as a member of the stipendisäätiö board, while the older opiskelijajäsen acts as secretary of the stipendisäätiö board. The job of the opiskelijajäsenet is to maintain relationships between the osakunta and the stipendisäätiö (along with the kuraattori), thus it is useful if you know osakunta activity quite well when applying for this role. The opiskelijajäsenet also perform administration tasks for the stipendisäätiö: preparing application forms, handling communication about the application period, and processing the applications for the rest of the stipendisäätiö board. It’s good for opiskelijajäsenet to have experience using table software such as Excel in order for the processing of applications to go smoothly. Opiskelijajäsenet both participate in stipendisäätiö meetings, which are held about once a month.