Student’s Dictionary

The student life is full of words and terms that might be confusing especially to the new students in the beginning of the academic year. Is Poikkari something edible? A representative – is that someone in the government? The Student’s Dictionary makes it easier to survive in the jungle of terms.

Academic Sports of Jyväskylä = Jyväskylä’s university and universities of applied sciences’ collaboration, which organizes sports services for the universities’ students and personnel. You might hear the term uMove in the same context. It is the same thing.  

Alumn = All students who have graduated with a degree or a longer education from JAMK University of Applied Sciences are our alumns.

Dynamo = The campus at Lutakko (IT-engineering students, social and health students)

Freshman = A first year student at JAMK. Known as ‘tursas’ in Finnish.

Freshman Party = An annual mass event for new students in the beginning of the fall semester. Students lead by tutors go around the city in teams of ten and complete different kinds of tasks at checkpoints.

Grumble Weeks = weeks, where JAMKO, the study field associations and JAMK collaborate to collect feedback from students.

Halloped = The abbreviation for ’hallinnon opiskelijaedustaja’, meaning the student representative in the management (of JAMK). JAMKO chooses the representative each fall for the next year.

Jammaus = The study field association of the JAMK music students.

JAMKO = The student union of JAMK University of Applied Sciences.

JAMKO Alumn = All actives working in different areas of JAMKO become the appreciated alumns.

JAMKO Café = ”Student’s living room”. A café in the Rajakatu campus, where you can find student-friendly prices. Different kinds of evening activities from game nights to the representatives’ evening schools are organized in JAMKO Café.

Jasto = The social and health students’ study field association.

JIO = Jyväskylän InsinööriOpiskelijat JIO Ry. JIO is the engineering students’ study field association, and the local organization of the national engineering students’ union Insinööriopiskelijaliitto (IOL).

JYY = The student union of the University students of Jyväskylä. The equivalent to JAMKO for the university students.

KAJ = The abbreviation for ’koulutusalajärjestö’ aka study field association. They are found in every department of JAMK. Jammaus, JIO, JASTO ry, Konkurssi ry, MatkaRaTa ry and Tarmo ry are study field associations. KAJ is pronounced letter by letter, not as a single word. Perhaps there should be an abbreviation for the English version too.

Kauppakadun Appro = Kauppakadun Appro is a student event where participants playfully gain an academic degree by collecting stamps to their Appro-diploma in the official checkpoint bars and restaurants.

Konkurssi = Konkurssi ry is the study field association of the bachelor of business administration (BBA) students of JAMK.

MatkaRaTa = The study field association of the tourism and hospitality management students of JAMK.

OLL = Opiskelijoiden Liikuntaliitto ry aka The Finnish Student Sports Federation is the national organization overseeing the trusteeship and services of student- and university sports.

Opku = The abbreviation for the Finnish word ’opiskelijakunta’, which means a student union. Student unions are found in every university of applied sciences. JAMKO is an opku!

Overalls = A piece of clothing, which is used mainly in student events. Overalls are usually worn by university level students. Overalls are ordered through the study field associations in the beginning of the fall semester.

Overall Patch = Different kinds of patches the students collect for the overalls. For example, they are given at most student events for free or for a small fee. You can see how experienced a student is at events and parties based on the amount of patches on their overalls.

Peppi = A student management system, where you can see your grades and schedule, enrol in courses and as a present/absent student for each semester, change your contact information, as well as do your personal learning plan.

Poikkarit = The common term used for Poikkitieteelliset haalaribileet (Interdisciplinary Overall-party in English). They are organized once a month.

Representative = A member of the Representatives’ council. In a central role as part of the active student community. Brings to the representatives’ council e.g. their own study field’s themes.

Representatives’ council = The representatives’ council have the highest authority in the Student Union of JAMK University of Applied Sciences. The council consists of students, 21 primary and 21 vice members. The representatives’ council supervises the interests of JAMK students by making the biggest decisions and definitions of policy regarding the student union. The representatives are elected annually in an election in November.

SAMOK ry = The alliance of Finland’s student unions of universities of applied sciences. A national, independent trusteeship- and service organization managed independently by UAS students.

Tarmo = Tarmo ry is the study field association of the agrologist students of JAMK.

Tarvaala = The campus of JAMK’s Institute of Bioeconomy in Saarijärvi, where they study in the field of natural resources and environment. The students there graduate as agrologists.

Team = The teams are an important part of JAMKO’s events and free time activities. The team members complete projects within their own responsibilities (freetime, media, well-being) and gain experience, meet new people and have fun while doing it. All students are free to join, and new team members are recruited for the job in a separate recruitment period. Follow JAMKO’s communication f.ex. on Facebook!

Tursas = a Finnish nickname for a freshman. In English it means a curled octopus. That is why an octopus is portrayed in some of the materials for new students and the Freshmen Party is called Tursajaiset. (rough translation: a feast of crowning an octopus.)

Tutor = Tutors are the peer instructors and guides for the students in the beginning of the studies and during.

Tuudo = a mobile app which collects the most used electronic student services to one place. Many of JAMK’s most used online services and your own information, such as your credits, courses, schedule, cafeteria menus and campus maps can be found on Tuudo. The app works in Android- and iOS-mobile devices and it can be downloaded from Google Play Store or Apple App Store.