In addition to being the day of the students, vappu also is a cause of celebration for workers. The labour movement and students met each other on the pages of Oulu Student Magazine in the year 1970 in the most extraordinary of ways.
Nowadays, Oulu Student Magazine is a non-politically aligned publication and it does not promote a singular idea or an ideology above the rest. The point of a student magazine is not to be a channel for a political cause but to be a magazine for the community of the university in which topics of interest for them are published.
The circumstances were different in the 1970’s. Back when the magazine was openly a radical leftist publication. The editorial staff was openly socialist which in return did not please the Student Union of University of Oulu (OYY).
To understand how radical the switch in the content of Oulu Student Magazine was we must first take a look at how the magazine was before the change.
In making of Välkkylä and of the student magazine
From the foundation of the magazine in 1961 to 1970 Oulu Student Magazine published articles relating to the students of Oulu, their lives and relevant topics of interest for them. The things the magazine reported on were for example the question of the Virpiniemi campus, construction of the student residency of Välkkylä, all sorts of vappuhappenings and the longing for and the eventual founding of the Faculty of Humanities. OYY features in articles about the representative elections or annual balls. Oulu Student Magazine was and still is a part of OYY.
Oulu Student Magazine, however, was not in fact a newspaper. The vast majority of the content in 1960’s Student Magazines was written by regular students and were usually news, informational bulletins, columns and reviews. They were defined by a humorous attitude which still remains a part of everything students create.
The humoristic point of view is well condensed in the mascot OYY at the time: Uuno Välkky. He is seen on the pages of the magazine living through the life of a student with many of his adventures being still relatable to students. For example Uuno lives under a boat since he can’t find a student apartment and parties for two days straight without letting the hangover stop him.
The most interesting part of the magazines of the time are the articles, columns and the opinions that have been sent into the magazine. The topics range from politics and religion to studying and movie and theater reviews. The most peculiar of these articles are the once that would not be released today due to their contents. One article talks about communism in an overly praising style, the other answers that communism isn’t great, actually. The third one attempts to convert the reader into christianity and the fourth one proposes the idea of a Native American style reservations for the Sámi people of Lapland.
In the 60’s Oulu Student Magazine reported boldly about world politics and societal issues. For example, articles about letting the Roma people in restaurants without discrimination and South Africa’s apartheid policy being condemned by OYY are common. At the end of the 1960’s United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War sprouted anti-war attitudes even in the Oulu Student Magazine.
By and large political articles filled the pages of the magazine even before the swift into a socialist alignment. However the magazine did not favor one ideology above the rest.
Join the workers’ front!
The magazine took a radical turn to the political left in the year 1970. With the new editor-in-chief Juhana Lepoluoto in command, the magazine started to lose its politically neutral stance in favor of an openly socialist point of view. Even from the first issue it is evident. Oulu Student Magazine 1/70 features articles that talk about the rise of socialism amongst Finns and how income policy benefits only the rich CEOs.
Surprisingly the issue also features a text from a right wing Finnish youth movement Suomen isänmaalliset nuoret. This shows that even if the magazine was going towards a leftist direction it still tried to maintain its place as a forum for all types of students from Oulu.
Nearing the end of the magazine there is a cartoon which criticizes the United States’ foreign policy. Everywhere where the US marine may roam, be it Africa, Korea or Vietnam, he only causes disharmony and anger. “Ami, go home”, he is told. Meanwhile back in the USA, the marines family sits solemnly at a dinner table crying out “Papa, come home”. These sorts of cartoons are very common among the issues that Lepoluoto produced during his time.
Lepoluotos politics are very evident in his issues. Articles and discussion about the university and of society as a whole with a bleeding leftist edge fill the pages. The topics could be anything leftist such as socialism, capitalism, the bourgeoisie, the proletariat, democracy and dictatorship. For example Ismo Parkkonen wrote an article titled Internationaalit in which he chronicles the history of organized workers movements from the mid 1800’s to the beginning of the 1940’s in the issue 7/70.
The next noteworthy leftist article is found in the issue 8/70. The front cover is filled with and huge, red title which informs the reader that the government, especially the national coalition party, is trying to stop or slow down the draft law on the internal administration of higher education institutions. Also on the chopping block were laws about abortion, kicking out a tenant and an employment contract law expanding the individual’s rights.
According to the text the mouthpiece for capital National Coalition Party, with the help of the Liberal People’s Party and the Swedish People’s Party of Finland, tried to slow down the lawmaking process with “marathon speeches”. “The National Coalition Party members blabbered on about in their multihour speeches about abortion, cows and other things in a way that made the speaker had to remind them to stay on topic multiple times.”
Next the text continues to describe the reasons why the National Coalition Party doesn’t want the laws to pass. They oppose the democratization of learning institutions since it does not produce useful and highly educated idiots for capital. All sorts of laws that would give more personal freedoms are out of the question also such as abortion. The tough life of the tenants do not make the National Coalitioners feel anything towards them. They only care about the landlords. “The National Coalition Party is the party for grand capital and the upper social classes.” The goal of the left in return is to create more bourgeoisie democracy so the first steps towards the only humane social system can be taken: socialism.
In the end it is suggested that the reader should vote for leftist or central parties in the upcoming parliamentary elections and that students should not vote against their own interests. At the same time the Soviet Union’s political influence over Finland is defended by saying that the communal government is the best solution in terms of foreign policy.
The election saga gets a dramatic sequel in the issue 10/70. The right wing has won and the magazine is in shock. “The stone age has returned. Regression and fascism on the rise.”
The same issue features an article about the Vietnam War’s civilian casualties and who the US brings democracy and freedom into Vietnam once the civilian population is exterminated. The weapons used to carry the genocide out, napalm and poison gas, are described in detail. The article is topped off with an image of a wounded Vietnamese child.
The issue 13/70 of Oulu Student Magazine was a true bomb of socialistic media. Next to the Oulu Student Magazine title there is the famous last phrase of the Communist Manifesto (1848): “Workers of the world, unite!” The front cover is decorated with an image of the founder of the Bolshevik Party and the first leader of the Soviet Union V. I. Lenin. The issue, in fact, is commemorating the 100 year anniversary of Lenin. Below the image there is a text that describes the achievements of Lenin and his meaning to the international proletariat.
The leftist content multiples in the following issues. The issue 11/70 is opened by an article which goes through notable days in Laos People’s Republic’s struggle for independence. The editorial is about how the right wing has been tearing apart the rationing policies even though there is a worldwide recession going on. Below that there is an image of hippies duking it out with swine dressed as policemen, politicians and soldiers. In the same issue there is an article which discusses could socialism be achieved in one country without capitalism. According to the communist principles, as laid down by the German philosopher and economist duo Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, in order for a state to achieve socialism it must first have a capitalist system which has to be overthrown via revolution. The issue 12/70 lists some of the crimes CIA has committed all around the world especially in socialist and communist nations.
The issue 14/70 was the last fully socialist publication of Oulu Student Magazine. This last issue was a true grande finale. The front cover boldly announces: “Join the workers’ front!”. The accompanying text encourages people to join the vappu parade in which “the workers show their strength”.
The editorial encourages the reader to join the workers march instead of spending the vappu day drinking with the bourgeoisie. In the last paragraph both of the editors-in-cheif, Lepoluoto and Kari Sallamaa, bid farewell to the reader. “The only thing that could help us now is either Kekkonen or the revolution.” Below the editorial there is a blurb encouraging the reader to discontinue the subscription of the magazine and start reading socialist workers’ magazines.
Oulu Student Magazine 14/70 features, fittingly for a vappu release, articles about socialism, the proletariat, Lenin, foreign aid, class struggle and the evildoings of the bourgeoisie. The issue was meant to be Lepoluoto’s last chance to screw the student union over.
The Case of Lepoluoto
In the background of the firing of Lepoluoto was a long process that awakened discussion for and against it. It all started when the superintended Urmas Runolinna insisted in an OYY meeting that the student magazine should be taken in control because its content has gone off the rails. Lepoluoto mentions this in the editorial of the issue 5/70. He continues by saying that this is a typical reaction of a regressionist and that the magazine just reports on events happening in the world. Lepoluoto says that Runolinna thinks like this: he himself can’t understand the problems of the world so he thinks that no one should understand them either. “Attacks like this always miss, Mr Runolinna.”, Lepoluoto sings out.
The next issue features an article about the whole debacle. It tells who despite his best efforts Runolinna didn’t get support for his initiative that OYY should detach itself from the line of the student magazine. However the rightist student party leader Juha Runolinna announced that Lepoluoto would be fired asap.
Because of the comments of the superintendent it is likely not a coincidence that on the same page as the editorial there is a little infobox talking about a disease called “professors disease”. Oulu University professor Pekka Vuorinen describes it as a serious disease that makes the patient think that they are always right, highly irritating and taking opinions as personal attacks. This infobox was put here to strike back at the superintendent. Lepoluoto basically calls him a cheeky prick.
The same issue’s editorial is critical of OYY. It discourages students from celebrating OYY’s 10th anniversary since it is only an excuse for the university’s ruling class to drink with the student’s money.
Lepoluoto was evicted from the position of the editor-in-chief of the Oulu Student Magazine on 23.2.1970 in an OYY counsel meeting. He was evicted with the votes 18-14. The reason given was “ideological reasons”. Rightist student party associate Juhani Turunen noted that OYY had no money to keep communists on their payroll. All of this was noted in the issue 11/70. The same issue includes pro-Lepoluoto statements from other student unions from all over Finland.
Even if Lepoluoto was fired he continued the position of the editor-in-chief for a couple of issues. This actually is the reason why issues 13/70 and 14/70 are so openly socialist and do not resemble a student magazine in the slightest. They were meant to screw back to OYY.
From now on
The issue 15/70 started a new chapter in the life of Oulu Student Magazine. The new editors-in-chief, Erkki Vähämaa and Kaarlo Sarkkinen, apologized for the magazine’s previous content and set a bar on how the magazine will work from now on. One sided and simplifying political and personal content will be discarded.
Oulu Student Magazine 15/70 is far less radical of a release when compared to other issues that Lepoluoto used to publish. Leftist content still exists in the magazine even though it is no longer political by nature. Lepoluoto type articles are a far cry from what was released from then on.
The magazine did not in fact get rid of politics for good. For example resisting the Vietnam War and The United States’ foreign policies are common themes until the end of the war. The style of the magazine was changed into a more neutral and less one sided. Political commentary returned to a regular thing in the magazine instead of it solely existing for it. Political and socially relevant topics still continue to be released in the magazine to this day however Lepoluoto’s spirit has been laid to rest a long time ago.
