About accessibility and safety on the central campus

General information

The sit-in protest of the central campus of Tampere University is a protest against Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's Government and its policies of austerity. University buildings in Tampere are being taken over simultaneously on the Hervanta campus and the main campus of Tampere University of Applied Sciences.

You can take part in the sit-in when and how it suits you. You can enter and leave at any time during the opening hours of the building. During the evening and at night, it is advised to follow the instructions of the organisers. The sit-in will last as long as the occupiers decide to continue. You are welcome to join the protest as long as you commit to the principles of safer space, non-violence and sobriety during the takeover. The organisers on site will be happy to provide guidance and answer your questions.

A university sit-in is generally considered to fall within the scope of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) on freedom of assembly, i.e. it is a legal demonstration. A sit-in may sound similar to a squat, but it is a legally distinct entity. The latter is equally a form of civic activism, but illegal in Finland. 

The accessibility material produced for the University of Helsinki's takeover has been used as a basis for compiling this guidance. Accessibility information has been collected from the staff of Facilities Management. The person who compiled the guidelines has no previous expertise or training in accessibility issues. It is possible that you will notice gaps in the guidelines, and therefore we would appreciate your feedback, which you leave as a question or send by email to: tunivaltaus@gmail.com.

Accessibility information

Arriving to the main building and opening hours

Image of the central campus map, the map is described next.

The main building of Tampere University is a big white building. The sit-in protest is held in the main lobby of the main building, in the first floor. The address of the building is Kalevantie 4, and the doors of the building give to Kalevantie. The automated accessible door is on the far left. Another accessible door is directly across from Pinni A, but the shortest route inside the building is through the main doors. There is also an accessible route between Pinni B and the main building.

There are accessible parking spots infront of the main building, between the main building (Kalevantie 4), and next to Pinni A and Pinni B (Kanslerinrinne 1), and on the lower level of Atalpa parking area (Ratapihankatu 55). These spots are also marked in the campus map.

The main doors are open Monday to Friday from 7 am to 8 pm, and on Saturdays from 8 am to 3 pm. The guards will close the access between floors 1 and 0 at night. During the evening and night the organisers ask you to follow their directions.

The building info desk will give you guidance on accessibility within the building, for example accessible toilets. The building info desk is inside the main doors on the left. You can access the desk with a wheel chair, and the desk has an induction loop. The info desk hosts campus maps. The info desk is open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4 pm, and on email paatalo.info@tuni.fi. The phone number is 0294524001. The caretaker can be reached by phone during the opening hours of the building.

If you need more information or assistance, please contact us by email at tunivaltaus@gmail.com.

Arriving through the main doors

Main doors of the building.

The door on the left is automated, and opens as you approach it. There is also a button to open it, but it is not necessary to do so. The door has a step of 2 cm. The inner door is also automated. The doorway is 87 cm.

The step of the main doors.

You arrive directly to the main lobby, where the sit-in is held. There are two floor levels, and the higher level is to the left. You can access the higher level via a ramp, which has railings on both sides. The ramp is 104 cm wide, and the info desk is located at the top.

The ramp and the info desk.

The sit-in is spread across the two levels. There are benches, couches, and other things across the space. There is a stage with wires on the floor  set up on the higher level. An accessible route 104 cm wide is ensured at all times. When in front of the info desk the accessible route is to your right. After passing this route the elevator is to your left, the button of the elevator is on the right. There are no voice guidance or braille buttons in the elevator.

Accessible route from info desk to elevator.

Arriving from the entrance across from Pinni A

The entrance is covered with a roof. There is an opening button to the automated door on the left. The door is 88 cm wide and has a 3 cm step. The inner door also opens with a button, which is also on the left. Continue inside following the tactile floor, and turn left at the end of the hallway along the tactile floor. Continue until the floor guides you to the right. The floor continues upward, and there is a railing on the right. Follow along the tactile floor, turning left. After the turn move forward, there are stairs on your right, and an elevator after them. The button of the elevator is on the right. The main lobby is on the first floor.

The entrance across from Pinni A.

The step on the doorway.

Other spaces

The program of the protest is in the main lobby. You can use other spaces as you wish.

Accessible toilets

There are three accessible toilets in the main building, which are also gender neutral. The closest accesible toilet to the protest is to the right when inside the main doors. Another is across the hallway from the elevator on the ground floor. The third toilet is on the ground floor by the cafe Alakuppila.

There are gender neutral toilets in the main building’s A, B, and C wings. Their numbers are A011, A012, A128a, A214g, A222, A223, B04a, B04b, B04c, C04, and C05.

Accessibility and safety

The main building is open to the public, and has a lot foot traffic during the day. The noise levels can get high, and you should consider earplugs or earbuds. The silent study space on the second floor is calm during the protest as well.

We advice protesters to avoid using scents. However as there are others moving in the space as well, we cannot guarantee a scent-free space.

There are events in the main lobby, such as speeches and music performances. The daily program is published on instagram on the same day or the day before. There is no induction loop in the lobby. There are events both in Finnish and in English, and the language is specified in the program. There is no interpretation for the hard of hearing. If you wish to join the protest as a sign interpreter in either Finnish or ASL or BSL, please contact us!

The fluorescent lighting in the space is quite bright. The lights are turned off at night, so you may wish to bring your own torch if you’re spending the night.

The lobby is furnished with seating and camping mattresses. You may bring what you need with you, but please consider fire safety in where you set your things down.

We have collected useful information to the support and info desk of the protest. The organisers will help and guide you with anything regarding the protest. There are always support personnel with high visibility vests on site. The support personnel will help with the well-being of the protesters, support in harassment situations, and offer help with de-escalation.

Food

Coffee, tea, and snacks are served in the lobby. The food station is behind the protest info desk. There are also warm meals on offer once a day. A microwave, electric kettle, coffee maker, and a fridge are at your disposal. We also stock single-use utensils and dishes. We offer mainly vegan and gluten free food, but we cannot guarantee everything on offer is strictly vegan or gluten free. More information can be found on location.

We advise everyone to bring their own water bottle, and some non-perishable food. Bringing your own plate, fork, and spoon will decrease the use of single-use plastics.

Rest space

There is a tent reserved for resting under the main stairs. The tent is next to the protest, so noises from the protest are audible within.

A space for temporary rest is in A101, close to the building’s info desk. It is locked and opened by request by the info desk staff.

Staying overnight

Please bring your own mattress, earplugs, and a sleeping mask. The doors close at 8 pm, after which only the students staying the night are allowed in. You may wish to sleep on the second floor if you want to go to bed early, as the first floor still has free movement and noise in the evening.

All routes must be kept accessible during the night as well. The main building opens at 7 am, so wake-up time is early. More information on staying over from the protest info desk. Only students of the Tampere University are allowed to stay the night.

For more information or guidance, you can leave a question or contact us via email at tunivaltaus@gmail.com. We’re happy to help!