KANNIKE
The ROS’s Student Council’s Support Society, more familiarly known as Kannike
In the spring of 1952, the Reserve Officer School’s 74th Student Council noted that its activities weren’t possible with the officer students’ efforts alone. Following this, the school’s then leader Colonel Tauno Viljanen and the Chairman of the Student Council Erkki Vartiainen put forth a proposal about founding a society to support the Student Council. The proposal was accepted, and the Society was founded 25.11.1952. The Society turned 70 in November 2022.
According to the rules, ”The Society’s purpose is to support the Reserve Officer School’s Student Council ideologically and economically, as long as it acts by rules accepted by the Reserve Officer School’s leader. To fulfill it’s purpose, the society raises funds for the ROS’s Student Council’s needs, funds the Reserve Officer School’s acquirements that are done to improve the well-being of the students, takes care of the continuity of the Student Council work, engages in publishing work that supports the ROS’s and its Student Union’s traditions’ preservation, maintains the ROS-Museum, and, if needed, acts in other ways to help forward the goals of the Society.”
Kannike ensures that each course’s Student Council has the funds needed to cover their course, ICT-devices, insurances and other resources to fulfill their diverse and challenging missions. The goals are: an unforgettable Course Ball, first-rate Course Book, successful Advertisement Acquisition, traditional course products and course events’ documentation for upcoming generations in the ROS-Museum. Kannike also supports the ROS’s and Student Councils activity in long-term projects.
Kannike’s organisation works by the same principles as societies normally do. The Board consist of a chairman, vice chairman, 6–9 members and 1–2 deputy members. At least two members have to be reserve officers. Colonel Res. Eero Lauri has acted as the Chairman of the Board since May of 2019. Vice chairman’s cape is worn by Major Res. Tuomas Strömberg. The day-to-day operations of the Society are ran from their office in Kanakoppi. There work the Executive Director, Retired Colonel Jukka Hellberg (jukka.hellberg@kannike.fi) and Office Secretary Sari Mäenpää (sari.maenpaa@kannike.fi). The Executive Director participates daily in the Student Council’s work, directing it alongside the Curator of the Student Council.
Kannike has approximately 750 members. The society does close cooperation with Reserve Officer Union (ROU), neighbouring Peacekeeping and veteran work tradition center (Wanha Veteraani) and the city of Hamina.
Kannike is independently in charge of the ROS-Museum and sales (incl. webstore ROS-store), as well as maintaining and improving operations related to it. The Reserve Officer School itself doesn’t do sales. The museum had over 8 000 visitors annually before the coronavirus pandemic. There are almost one thousand items on display. Documents and pictures ranging from insignia to field cannons can be seen in the museum. Retired Major Veli-Matti Hartikainen (ruk.museo@gmail.com) acts as the Keeper of the museum. The museum is generally open from May to halfway of September from Tuesday to Sunday (also open on Mondays in July) 10:00–18:00 o’clock. One can also arrange to visit the museum at other times by contacting them.