A fifth of students report recurrent loneliness – whose responsibility is it to increase the sense of community? This is what TREY and the university have to say

It would be nice to think that the loneliness of students was mostly a phenomenon of the COVID-era. Surely we don’t need to talk about this anymore, now that the pandemic is behind us?

According to this year’s health and well being survey conducted on higher education students, the loneliness of students has decreased from the depths of COVID in 2021. Yet one fifth still feels lonely on a regular basis. In practise, this means tens of thousands of students.

Nyyti ry and HelsinkiMissio have had a national project against loneliness in higher education for three years now. The Project Manager Annina Lindberg emphasises that the problem is not explained by the pandemic alone.

“Students’ loneliness was there already before COVID, but it got worse, and it is still largely felt in the higher education institutions of Finland.”

Whose responsibility is it to increase the sense of community then? If you ask the students themselves, you typically get two answers: that of the fellow students and the university staff. The students’ life situations and their activity in the associations is variable, but everyone is in contact with their coursemates and the teachers on their courses. Therefore, loneliness should be combated in the everyday work at the higher education institutions, besides the teaching.

“Not all students take part in any of the student events or association activities.”

Company also for those not active in associations

The student union also recognises that the student association activities don’t reach everyone. For example, in TREY’s equality survey this year, only about half of the respondents felt they were a part of the social circle of some student association. According to TREY’s Specialist in Social Affairs Laura Kaipia, it’s important to remember that for a lot of students, the sense of community can be found elsewhere: through other volunteer work, hobbies, friend groups outside the university or family.

“It really does not matter where it is from. What’s important is that everyone would have a spiritual home where they feel good.”

Together with the University, TREY has looked for various low-threshold ways of helping the students to get to know each other. Kaipia mentions the Moodle site StudyBuddy, where students can look for company for studies and coffee. Now there is a project under development that would offer students a similar way to find friends for a shared hobby.

“Students’ loneliness was there already before COVID, but it got worse, and it is still largely felt in the higher education institutions of Finland.”

The daily life of higher education students is also influenced by the social and education policies of each government. Cuts to the students’ benefits and an increasing pressure to graduate into the working life as fast as possible can, according to Kaipia, lead to students toiling away in their loneliness.

“All that does take away from the students’ resources and certainly has an effect on the social life.”

Remote universities of Finland

Tampere Univerisity’s Vice President for Education Marja Sutela says that the University is very much committed to supporting the students’ sense of involvement and belonging. Sutela too recognises the pressures that students are facing, and mentions the worries about incomes as students are moved from the general housing allowance into the housing supplement of the study grants.

“And then the degree should be finished in time, that’s what the University keeps repeating too.”

As the University sets targets for the students, it also wants to support them in reaching those targets. Sutela estimates that Tampere University has comprehensive services that support the students’ well-being. In recent years, the services have increased.

On the other hand, Sutela notes, it is the case that at a national level and the level of individual universities, studies show that a lot of students are doing well. Frequent talks about worries do not give the whole truth. For example, in a survey of first year students in Tampere University last spring, 78 percent of the respondents felt that loneliness had weakened their study ability only by a little or not at all.

Recently, higher education institutions’ policies relating to remote or present work have made headlines.  After the special arrangements of the COVID period, the teaching has returned to the campuses. Some institutions have made strict policies about how many absences are allowed on each course.

Tampere University does not have a categorical policy about contact teaching. However, the University’s policies do emphasise the importance of contact teaching, especially during the studies for the Bachelor’s degree. According to Sutela, studies show that genuine presence and studying at the university is important, especially in the starting phases of studies. At the same time, students get to familiarise themselves with their university, other students and the student union’s activities.

“These are very important from the point of view of how well your studies proceed and how much you feel a part of the university community.”

Towards the end of the Bachelor’s studies and especially in the Master’s phase, Sutela says there is more room for flexibility and remote studies. There’s also variation in the students’ life situations and the nature of the teaching in different degrees. The key is that the form of teaching should be pedagogically justifiable.

Building teams or social anxiety?

The question about contact teaching divides the students’ opinions, Laura Kaipia says. Already during COVID, some felt remote teaching to be anxiety generating, whereas others felt at home with it. The same still applies: for some, their life situation is simply in such a way that remote teaching makes their lives a lot easier.

Yet it is difficult to build a sense of belonging into a community without regular contact teaching. In addition to the student relations, face-to-face meeting are also important for the interaction between students and teachers.

“During the COVID period, students and the teaching staff drifted further away from each other, which causes it’s own challenges,” Kaipia says.

For example, resolving various kinds of conflicts is usually easier, if the teacher and students meet elsewhere than just in Teams.

Anna Lindberg believes that the everyday nature of meeting people in contact teaching can over time help to overcome social anxieties. Higher education is intended to train people for the future and working life.

However, she doesn’t think that contact teaching should be an end in itself.

“The thought that all face-to-face interaction is just good and all online interaction is bad and dull is too black and white.”

In the best case, remote teaching can help find a balance between various aspects of your life. This supports the student’s coping and well-being.

Community building cannot be left on the shoulders of associations alone

Association activities can be an easy way for many to attach to their new community. Associations also try to constantly develop their activities to be more accessible and equal. In recent years, more thought has been given to how to take into account the different life situations of students and how to make traditional student events genuinely enjoyable also for those who do not drink alcohol.

A basic challenge remains from the fact that the association activities are usually led by relatively young students, which in its own way guides the organisation and planning of events. What interests some students might not appeal to all, even if popular with many. Overall, the associations’ and the student union’s activities show a sort of Matthew effect: it is easiest to reach those students who are already active.

Friendships are not a separate island in a student’s life. Different facets of life influence each other. For many, social life gives resources for studies. At the same time, getting to know new people is often consuming at first, and dedicating time to student association activities takes time out of one’s calendar.

Friendships are not a separate island in a student’s life. Different facets of life influence each other.

According to Project Manager Annina Lindberg, groups that are formed on courses can be an easier way for many to get to know new people. Once you have first worked on an assignment together, it might become easier to talk about other things too. Forming groups randomly and taking a moment at the beginning to agree on common ground rules can be a surprisingly effective tool for reducing the students’ loneliness.

Some may dislike the close management of adult students, but building community spirit among university students cannot be left on the shoulders of singular associations, study psychologists and welfare teams. Ultimately, fostering a university environment where students feel included and less lonely benefits everyone.