Anselmi Auramo from the Student Union of LUT University (LTKY) was elected the President of SYL for 2025 in this November. Anselmi was the President of LTKY’s Board this year. What has sparked Anselmi’s enthusiasm for student activities and what does he think about the year ahead? Get to know next year’s President!

Introduction

Hey, everybody! I am Anselmi Auramo and I am studying business and social sciences at LUT. I major in marketing in business studies and communication in social sciences. Not surprisingly, I am very interested in advocacy and influencing communications as well as in the marketing of ideas. My hobbies include photography and videography, which has also been a great support for my advocacy. In the future, I want to do things that develop and challenge me, probably in or around politics.

How did your enthusiasm for student engagement ignite?

I have been interested in social issues for a long time, and social studies were my favourite subject already in secondary school. However, at that time I was not involved in student participation beyond a deputy membership of a comprehensive school student council. At university, I got involved in student organisations especially because it was a good way to gain work experience and learn new things. I worked as a Graphic Designer for our student organisation Enklaavi, where I was able to develop practical marketing and communication skills.

I was drawn to the work of the associations and through that, I was able to work as a contact person for Suomen Ekonomit. This job gave me a peek into lobbying and influencing done by a labour market organisation and it seemed interesting. I was also working a summer job at Ekonomit making videos and I was able to make a video series where I explained government programme objectives of the Ekonomit in short videos. This was a very nice project, which sparked my enthusiasm for influencing and lobbying.

In the autumn of the same year, I was invited to participate in the delegation of the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL). I was completely new to everything there, but I felt like I was part of a historical student movement. So it was not much of a surprise that, about a week later, I applied to join the Board of LTKY as a Cultural Officer. I chose the post because I felt I was good at matters related to student culture and I wanted to bring the culture of us Economics students more into the culture of our student union. I also wanted to help the Social Sciences students starting in autumn 2023 to find their own cultural place in Skinnarila.

During my year as Cultural Officer, I became interested in the whole spectrum of student involvement and decided to run for the Board Presidency at SYL’s 23rd inaugural seminar. The wheels were turning very quickly and they have brought me to this place now. It can therefore be said that the LTKY, and the student movement more broadly, has fulfilled its statutory task well in my case, namely in preparing me for active, informed and critical citizenship.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing university students today?

One of the greatest challenges is definitely the stagnation of basic funding for universities. Universities are expected to be able to educate an increasingly large proportion of the age group, while the resources are shrinking. This certainly will not lead to an increase in the level of competence, which is a major challenge for students, but also for everyone else. If we do not have more skilled people for the labour market, we will not have the prerequisites for sustainable growth either.

Raising skills levels is equally challenged by cuts in students’ social benefits. The challenges of making ends meet mean that students have to spend an increasing proportion of their resources on working, which takes them away from learning. Increased economic uncertainty also puts a mental strain on the students, which does not enhance the ability to learn.

In addition, the stagnation in the construction of student housing makes it even more difficult to access affordable housing and thus limits the growth of student numbers.

I fear that the path I have taken is no longer possible for future generations. I see it as in our nation’s interest that we can have more knowledgeable, smarter and more innovative people graduate from our universities.

What kind of things do you want to promote as the President of SYL next year?

I want SYL to do more to highlight the benefits for everyone of investing in higher education institutions and students. If public opinion is not on the side of students, there is no point in expecting further investments. At the same time, it would be important to break the image of students as future high earners and elites. In reality, students are a very diverse group, with their own challenges and strengths. But right now, the image of students is formed by individual encounters and images.

I also want to play my part in making SYL an even better expert on international students and to help prepare the entire student movement for the future increase in the number of international students.

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Read more about SYL’s Board for next year: The SYL Board for 2025 has been elected

Further information:

Anselmi Auramo
Chair of SYL 2025
+358 45 647 1116