Action Plan 2026

Introduction

In 2026, we will focus on maintaining and developing the services offered to Serveri's members. The goal is to improve the quality and versatility of our services while ensuring the financial sustainability of the association. To secure funding, we will continue traditional fundraising methods, as in previous years, which include corporate cooperation with companies and organizations in the field, as well as the sale of student organization merchandise. Regarding events, we aim to offer as many free events to our members as possible, while keeping the fees charged to non-members reasonable.

In the upcoming year, we will continue to advance projects from previous terms, particularly in consolidating and expanding corporate partnerships. Another objective is to strengthen and formalize cooperation with the Department of Computer Science (TKT) and the faculty, including continuing regular meetings with department management and faculty representatives.

We also want to increase the involvement of non-board members in planning and organizing events. This promotes community activity and ensures that all members can influence the association's operations. In practice, this will be implemented through various task-specific committees.

In 2026, a completely new degree program will begin at the Department of Computer Science: Data Engineering (datatekniikka), which is expected to be closely linked to the Computer Science program in the future. From the start, the board aims to build strong relationships with the representatives of this new program, both at the department and student organization levels, assisting them and collaborating on various matters.

Board Activities

At its organizing meeting, the board will define the responsibilities of its members so that everyone is motivated and committed to their duties. The division of tasks must be clear, and responsibilities must be distributed evenly to ensure efficient and controlled operations.

Based on discussions held by the 2025 board, it is proposed that at the organizing meeting, the roles of alumni and TiTOL contact persons should no longer be tied to the Corporate Relations Coordinator. Instead, they should be moved to another role, such as the Vice Chairperson. Furthermore, to facilitate cooperation with Data Engineering students, it is recommended that the board appoints a contact person specifically for them.

The board will ensure that all official documents and records are systematically logged and stored so they are easily accessible for future boards. Information will be saved on a designated cloud service, where documents are clearly categorized and easily found by incoming board members. Board members will have access to all electronic documents unless there are justified reasons for restricting them.

After the organizing meeting, the board will inform the members, the Department of Computer Science, the Student Union (ISYY), other student organizations, and our sister organizations about its new composition. The board's lineup will be updated on the association's website, and the Chairperson and Secretary will handle updating the information for the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH). The Chairperson and Treasurer are also responsible for submitting the necessary information to the bank.

The Chairperson will oversee the arrangements for the Spring Meeting and ensure that the required documents are prepared on time according to the rules. The Chairperson will coordinate with the previous year's board and the performance auditors to prepare the meeting documents.

Under the leadership of the 2026 chairpersons, the board will work to develop a lightweight meeting practices training and info package to help board meetings run more efficiently and decisively. The 2025 board will assist in the orientation process. Additionally, board members are encouraged to participate in the organization training provided by ISYY.

Following the Autumn Meeting, a board handover event (vaihtajaiset) will be organized for the newly elected board alongside the sitting board. The next year's board will be briefed on the association's current status and ongoing projects. The orientation progress will also be reviewed with the sitting board.

Board meeting minutes must adhere to good document practices, and attention should be paid to their layout. For data protection reasons, sensitive information will be removed from the published versions of the minutes. The board will monitor members' thoughts on the association's activities and consider their wishes when developing operations, for example, through various surveys.

The board will also manage the distribution and restocking of organization-related materials, such as shirts and overall patches, as needed. Additionally, the board will ensure that the membership register in Kide.app is kept up to date. New members will be approved at board meetings and added to the mailing list.

In the autumn, the Chairperson will remind the membership about paying their membership fees via the mailing list so that old members remember to pay by the date specified in the rules. The board will also inform new students about the benefits of joining as a member.

The board's task is to appoint student representatives from among the members to various working groups and administrative bodies. Serveri's representatives will stay in touch with the board, particularly regarding issues related to teaching and student affairs.

The Chairperson will ensure that the new board members get access to Serveri's files right at the turn of the year and will remove the access rights of the old board. The Chairperson will also manage the internal communication channels deemed necessary by the board and change the codes for Serveri's combination locks. The new codes and passwords will be communicated appropriately to the board. The IT & Maintenance Coordinator will handle updating the information on the association's website and managing access control for the new board to the cloud service.

The board is also responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and coziness of Serveri's Koppi (the student organization room).

Operations

In 2026, Serveri will organize diverse leisure events, such as sports tryouts and student parties, both independently and in cooperation with other student organizations. The goal is to promote interdisciplinarity and offer members varied experiences.

In the autumn, the board will handle the ordering and distribution of student overalls for the new students. If desired, the board may also organize a new overall patch design contest, with the winner chosen during 2026. Through the contest, new patches can be ordered for sale to the members. The board can restock popular patches if they run out or appear to be running low, and new patches can also be introduced to the selection. When ordering patches, moderation should be exercised, ordering smaller batches at a time so that unreasonable quantities are not left in stock.

If there is clear demand, the board may organize a merch order for clothing in the autumn once the new students have arrived. If necessary, the board can order more Serveri ry songbooks if requested. The board will actively promote and sell merchandise at events and at Koppi to free up storage space for new items and maintain a steady cash flow. Especially in the early autumn when new students arrive, it must be ensured that freshmen have the opportunity to buy organization merchandise.

Events

The Event Coordinators are responsible for events, and the board will ensure that the year's most important events—such as Suojakännit (Pre-semester Party), Tutustumisgrillit (Intro BBQs), Tutustumissaunat (Intro Saunas), WabuDeBug, IT-Rekry, and JouluBugi—are organized as planned. Other traditional events include the Vuorilampi excursion, the BBQ Season Opening, and the Speakeasy Tour (Salakapakkakierros) held during May Day week. In addition to these, we aim to organize other events throughout the autumn and spring.

The traditional "Gradet" events have been problematic to organize in recent years, and the board, in cooperation with the other organizing parties, will decide separately whether Gradet will be held in the spring.

At WabuDeBug on May Day Eve, distinguished Serveri members and Serveri-minded individuals will be awarded diplomas. Nominations for these will be collected from the membership via a survey. The Chairperson is responsible for executing the diplomas.

Most events will be kept free of charge for members unless organizing them incurs significant costs or risks substantial financial losses, in which case the board will assess the situation and decide on the necessary measures.

Cooperation with other student organizations will continue actively, and the association will participate in organizing interdisciplinary events with other guilds. In recent years, joint events have included several sitsit. Examples include the popular Christmas-themed friend sitsit held at the end of the autumn semester with Kvantti ry, the mead-themed friend sitsit at the end of the spring semester with Kvantti ry, and the Disney sitsit with Fortis ry in March. The board will decide on organizing these sitsit if there are sufficient resources and interest.

The arrangements for Serveri's traditional Tahko excursion, usually held in early spring (March), have not been initiated by the sitting board, and the decision to organize the excursion will be left to the 2026 board.

In 2025, the IT-Rekry fair was held on November 20th. The 2026 board will decide the exact date for the next IT-Rekry later. Late autumn has proven to be a good time in recent years since summer job recruitments traditionally open early in the new year.

In 2025, Serveri organized the Interdisciplinary Eurovision Party at Albatross right before May Day, serving as an after-party for the highly popular and reputed Eurovision Sitsit. The board aims to organize this party again in the upcoming year to establish Serveri's presence in the interdisciplinary party sector, an area where Serveri has traditionally not been active.

Sports

The student organization's role in supporting members' sports activities will continue in 2026. In addition to Serveri, the shared sports shift is used by Hyeena, Kvantti, and Socius. Serveri will continue to utilize and market this joint sports shift to its members. In addition to the regular shift, Serveri will aim to organize more varied sports tryouts for its members throughout the year.

Alumni Activities

In 2026, Serveri aims to maintain active contact with ServeriAlumnit ry, which restarted its operations in 2025. An Alumni Coordinator will be chosen from the board. The goal is to increase cooperation with the alumni through, for example, joint events. Alumni activities provide students with broader networking opportunities with graduates and a chance to get a closer look at working life in the field.

Fundraising and Finances

Serveri's income primarily consists of membership joining fees and sponsor revenues obtained from overall sales and corporate partnership agreements. Additionally, the sale of association merchandise, such as overall patches, generates income. These revenues are used to cover the costs of organizing events and other association activities.

The Treasurer's duties include ensuring that the cash box accounting is filled out correctly and accurately. When necessary, the Treasurer will deposit the cash box funds into the bank account to avoid keeping large amounts of cash on hand. Cash sales will be kept to a minimum; an alternative is Serveri's Zettle card reader, which enables more practical card payments.

At the organizing meeting, the board will decide on the account access rights. The new Chairperson is responsible for ensuring that the access rights are transferred. Right after the organizing meeting, the Chairperson, the Treasurer, and any other board members granted access rights will visit the bank to update the rights according to the board's decision. Online banking credentials will be transferred to the Treasurer's use at the bank.

The Treasurer and other board members will regularly check Serveri's physical mailbox. The Treasurer will pay any invoices found there and ensure payment orders are executed on time.

Communications

The Communications Coordinator handles announcements regarding general matters and Serveri's activities to the members, other student organizations, and necessary stakeholders. The Communications Coordinator, together with the IT/Maintenance Coordinator, ensures that the information on Serveri's website is up to date (especially regarding events and news). The Communications Coordinator is also responsible for Serveri's Facebook page.

The Communications Coordinator and Event Coordinator(s) are jointly responsible for advertising Serveri's events on Instagram, Telegram, and Kide.App. Advertising on Facebook will be decided separately by the board.

Event announcements aim to be sent to members and other necessary parties two weeks prior, but no later than one week before the event, via Serveri's official Telegram announcement channel. A reminder will be sent shortly before the event. Larger events can also be advertised in ISYY's Wiikko-Ärsyke newsletter and/or through the Department of Computer Science.

The Event Coordinators will work with the Communications Coordinator and other sectors to coordinate adding events to any other communication channels. Information about the most important events will be shared with the communications coordinators of other student organizations. Communication will be kept consistently active on Telegram, Instagram, and Serveri's website.

The board is responsible for ensuring that announcements coming through ISYY, the Department of Computer Science, and UEF reach the members.

Annual Ball

Serveri traditionally organizes its annual ball (vuosijuhlat) every five years, and it will not host an annual ball in 2026. However, discussions can be held regarding the frequency of the event if it is felt that it should be organized more often than once every five years.

The annual ball sitsit organized in 2024 were highly popular; the board will decide whether to organize them in 2026. These sitsit can be used to generate interest among members for the upcoming 40th-anniversary ball.

The next annual ball will be held in 2027 when the association turns 40. For the preparations, the 2026 board will appoint an Annual Ball Coordinator from among its members, whose responsibility will be to begin the arrangements for the event. This includes inquiring about and tendering out venues, as well as preliminary budgeting.

The Annual Ball Coordinator will also ensure that all necessary information about the status of the preparations is seamlessly passed on to the 2027 Annual Ball Coordinator. Clear records must be kept of the arrangements to ensure smooth information transfer and avoid communication breakdowns.

Over the past year, to cover the costs of organizing the annual ball, the board has engaged in active fundraising while keeping extra costs to a minimum and adhering to a responsible financial policy. The 2026 board will ensure that fundraising continues in the same manner as the previous year and that accumulated wealth is managed responsibly.

Advocacy

Advocacy is carried out in the form of educational and social policy. Advocacy will continue actively, and efforts will be made to develop these operations to better meet current needs.

The board will appoint at least one Harassment Contact Person. However, it is recommended to choose two contact persons of different genders to lower the threshold for approaching them if needed. The Harassment Contact Person(s) is someone the members can contact in cases of harassment between students or between a student and staff, as well as in situations where equality is compromised.

All board members can be considered trusted individuals to whom one can report if something inappropriate happens and the designated Harassment Contact Person is not present.

The advocacy sector will participate in university-wide interdisciplinary activities, such as advocacy meetings organized by the student union. The advocacy sector will maintain close communication with the department and the university, and will actively work to develop the teaching offered by our department.

Educational Policy

The board will continue the educational policy lines initiated in previous years. The board will follow the educational policy strategy approved at the 2012 Autumn Meeting unless a need for changes arises during 2026.

The board advances the organization's educational policy goals by, among other things, collecting course feedback from members after every study period, meeting regularly with department management and teaching staff, influencing course content to be more working-life oriented, and collaborating with various stakeholders like our sister guild Skripti and the student union. The board will promote course development and address any problematic situations promptly and with proportionate measures.

The autumn period feedback collected by the 2025 board will be reviewed at the beginning of the year by the Advocacy Coordinator, and the gathered feedback will be noted for the upcoming year's operations.

On May Day (Vappu), the board will reward the Lecturer of the Year, as voted on by the members.

Social Policy

The board will select tutors together with the department. The board will organize its own training event for the tutors in addition to the university's training sessions.

The board will strive to influence the September teaching schedule so that the timetables of 1st and 2nd-year students have enough free time for tutoring.

If necessary, the board will assist tutors in planning tutoring activities and organize presentations about trade unions and the student organization for tutor groups.

The board promotes greater equality within the association's operations. It aims to support student well-being and a sense of community through communication, events, and surveys mapping out the current situation. Cooperation with other entities, such as the student union, will be deepened to support community and well-being.

Campus Development

Serveri's board will seek to influence campus development so that Serveri's Koppi remains in the same or adjacent premises as the department to ensure close and smooth cooperation with students and staff. Serveri does not support the merging of student organization rooms.

Student Recruitment

The board will participate in organizing the "Hae Yliopistoon" (Apply to University) days in cooperation with the department. If requested and possible, the board will organize presentations about Computer Science for high school seniors. The board will participate in potential recruitment projects with the department if the department executes them.

Internationality

The number of international students at the Kuopio campus's Department of Computer Science will grow every year, and Serveri ry aims to support their studies and orientation in Finland. Serveri will take international students into account in its events and operations. Cooperation with ESN Savo will be developed during 2026.

Serveri will also promote internationalization among its Finnish-speaking students by organizing activities with, for example, ESN Kuopio. If international students express interest in board activities, an international committee can be established for them, which will cooperate with the board through the International (KV) Coordinator.

Corporate Relations

In 2026, Serveri will continue its corporate cooperation with old contacts and aim to find new corporate partners. Cooperation agreements will be signed with recruiting companies regarding the visibility of job postings. Corporate relations related to acquiring overalls will be made more efficient by actively seeking overall sponsors and establishing long-term partnerships to ease the procurement of overalls for future cohorts. At the same time, efforts will be made to actively involve companies in various events, such as IT-Rekry, excursions, and sauna evenings.

The pricing of corporate partnership packages will be decided by the board based on a proposal created by the Corporate Relations Coordinator.

In corporate relations, we will begin advertising sponsorship opportunities for the upcoming annual ball and possibly sign early agreements for annual ball sponsorships. The 2026 board will decide on partnership opportunities and pricing based on the proposal of the Corporate Relations and Annual Ball Coordinators.

Student Organization Cooperation

With the Data Engineering degree program starting in 2026, it is expected that the students in this field will want to establish their own guild (kilta) as engineering students. Serveri's board can offer assistance in founding the guild if requested, thereby creating a strong foundation for future cooperation.