Specialist Help

Specialist Help

Problems with the teaching staff? Is your grade late? Have your rights as a student been violated?

If the issue is regarding harassment or if you have not found the help or information you need from the digital section of the Specialist Help, you can fill out our Specialist Help – form. Use the form to describe your problem clearly and concretely. From the form, the information is passed on to our specialists, after which they will contact you and help you solve the situation / problem. It is recommended that you leave your own contact information to the form. The contact details will only be used in a situation where the handling of the case requires additional questions from the person filled in the form.

Through the Specialist Help – form, you can request help with, for example, the following matters related to your studies:

  • Quality of teaching
  • Course evaluation
  • Conflict with staff
  • Internship
  • Workload of studies
  • Presence and absence during courses
  • Teaching technology

All feedback provided is confidential and no name or other identifying information will be passed on to third parties.

The Specialist Help – form can be completed with a low threshold and does not oblige the student to take any other steps.

Specialist Help Digital

STUDIES AND STUDYING

Special education teachers
There are three special education teachers working in Haaga-Helia, who help and guide students with learning difficulties. The special education teachers also do the needed dyslexia or other tests. More information about the services of the special education teachers and their contact information you can find on Mynet.

Union of different learners:

From the union of different learners you can get e.g. peer support and telephone and online counseling for learning difficulties. The Helsinki Region’s Different Learners’ Association (HERO) operates in the Helsinki and Uusimaa area, and it also organizes, for example, mentoring and hobby activities. Check out the union of different learners and the services it offers here.

Study counseling in Haaga-Helia
Principles have been defined for the study counseling in Haaga-Helia which are aimed at ensuring the fluency and meaningfulness of the study path, and also for the timely completion of studies. These principles are for example personalization, student orientation, equality and equal access to guidance services. More information and the contact details of the study counselors you can find on MyNet.
Quality of education
Quality portal

In the quality portal you can find a description of how Haaga-Helia works. The portal hides behind it for example the results of student surveys and various official documents.

Feedback systems

An efficient way to influence a student’s day to day life is to give study feedback and answer different kinds of surveys. The results are reported to various parties and measures are always taken based on them. You can read more about the surveys and their results in the quality portal.

Internationality
Haaga-Helia offers different kinds of opportunities for internationalization during studies. You can for example go on a student exchange or do your internship abroad and also do shorter studies for example on the international intensive courses. More information you can find on Mynet.

Tuition fees and Scholarships

Students outside of the EU/ETA-area pay a tuition fee for their studies in Haaga-Helia. The tuition fees vary between 8500-9500 euros and it is possible to acquire a scholarship to cover them. Read more about the tuition fees and scholarships from the Haaga-Helia website.

IDS Helga

IDS Helga or International Degree Students of Helga works as the link between the international students in the Helga community. IDS Helga organizes for example events in English. You can follow IDS Helga on their FB-page here.

ESN Helga

ESN Helga takes care of the wellbeing of exchange students coming to study in Haaga-Helia by organizing for example events, parties and trip with the exchange tutors. ESN Helga is part of the Erasmus Student Network that works all over Europe.

Student rights and responsibilities in studies
The daily lives of students are guided by, among other things, laws and Haaga-Helia’s internal documents. The most meaningful ones are the Universities of Applied Sciences Act and regulation, and also the degree regulations. About the norms to be complied with and about degree regulations you can read more here.
● Right to study
The target time for finishing your studies is, depending on the degree, 3 ½ – 4 years, and in a master’s degree two years. The maximum time for finishing your studies is the target time and one extra year. If you are unable to finish your studies during this time, the person who is in charge of your degree programme can grant more time to your study right if you apply for it. The handling fee of the application is 50 euros. You can read more about the study right and the duration of studies from the degree regulations here.
● Enrollment for the academic year
The degree regulations determine the academic year enrollments. Students must follow the enrollment timetables found in Mynet. If a student does not enroll in time, they will lose their right to study. Restoration of the right to study can be applied for from the person in charge of the degree program if you still have the right to study. The fee for processing the restoration.
● Curriculums and course contents
You follow the curriculum that is in effect when you start studying. The curricula are valid for at least the duration of the degree (3 ½ – 4 years) and after that you move on to the latest curriculum. The university approves the curricula, while the degree program director is responsible for the changes and implementation of the courses. Curricula can be found in the study guide.
● HOPS
HOPS, meaning your personal study plan, is a tool which helps you plan your studies.HOPS is made on the basis of the curriculum and timing plan, and you must approve it with your own study counselor. You will be accepted during the preselection for the course only if the implementation can be found in HOPS. You can approve HOPS once per semester. You can read instructions on how to make and accept HOPS on MyNet.
● Recognition of learning ja studification
Recognition of learning

Recognition of learning is a way to proceed with your studies by using recognition of prior learning from for example working life, volunteering or prior university studies. Your competences you can show by displaying them, with an implementation which is decided by the teacher responsible for the acceptable course. The organization of said implementations vary between degree programmes and units, you can check the implementation of your programme here.

Work&Study

Work & Study makes it possible for you to studify the work you do during your studies if they corresponding to the competence objectives of your studies. So you combine the work you do with a knowledge base related to the topic! The work you do can be for example, paid work, entrepreneurship or volunteering. Read more about Work&Study on Mynet!

Social activity -study module

Read more from here.

● Enrolling to the courses
The course enrollment is done in two parts, in the pre-enrollment and post-enrollment. The timetables for the enrollments you can find here.

If more students enroll to the courses than there is room for, the selections will be done according to the degree regulations.

According to the degree regulations, for mandatory and alternative courses are selected those have the courses on their approved HOPS. For the free electives, the priority are those who have the course on their HOPS. If there are more students enrolled in the course than there is room on the course, the places are filled according to the number of credits completed. In the post-enrollment the students are accepted in the order of enrollment. So remember to get your HOPS accepted with your guidance counselor! More information about the enrollment to courses you can read on MyNet!

● Exam-system
In Haaga-Helia you can do exams online in the Exam-system. Exam-facilities are found in Pasila, Haaga, Malmi and Porvoo. The exams are monitored by video and the enrollment is done at least 30 days before the exam. More about the Exam-system you can read on MyNet.
● Your grade is late
According to the Haaga-Helia degree regulations, the courses must be assessed within three weeks of the ending of the course, except after the spring semester within two weeks of the ending of the course. If you haven’t gotten your grade yet, first be in contact with the teacher of the course. You can also always contact Helga through the Specialist Help- form!
● Appealing a grade
If you are not satisfied with the assessment you were given, you can make an appeal in writing or verbally from the teacher who made the assessment. You must make the appeal within 14 days of when you were given the results of the assessment and how the criteria was applied to you. If you are not satisfied with the decision the teacher has made, you can make an appeal to the Board of Examiners within 14 days. The appeal made for the Board of Examiners must be done in writing and it must be delivered to your own degree director.
● Revising
You can revise an accepted or rejected grade twice either on the general revising days that are informed at the start of the course, or then by using other arrangements such as the Exam-system. The general revising days vary between campuses. The highest grade will be counted and you are not able to change the grades after graduation. More information about the revision of exams you can find on MyNet!
● Internships
Each UAS degree has an internship as part of the studies in which you can learn working life skills and apply what you have learnt. More information about the internships you can read on Mynet.
● Thesis
Thesis process

Every student completes a 15 credit thesis during their studies. The thesis process is divided into three parts, and all of the parts are worth 5 credits. You enroll to the proces only on Konto. When the process starts, a thesis supervisor is named for you. More specified instructions and the description of the thesis process you can read on MyNet.

Appealing a thesis grade

If you are unhappy with the assessment you were given, you can ask your thesis instructor to review the assessment within 14 days of when you were given the assessment. If you are unhappy with the review of your instructor, you can ask for a third review either from your instructor, your coordinator or the degree programme director. In this situation the coordinator will name a third reviewer who will review the work independently. If you are still unhappy with the review, you can make a written appeal to the Board of Examiners within 14 days. The appeal requests to the Board of Examiners will be delivered to the degree programme director.

● Fraud or plagiarizing
All fraudulent actions and plagiering are forbidden in tests, learning assignments and thesis’. If you are guilty of fraud or plagiarizing, the execution will be rejected and the course will be discontinued. Also an entry will be made to the student register about this.
● Open UAS and path studies
Read more from here.
● Student entrepreneurship
StartUp School

StartUp School is for all students who are interested in entrepreneurship or are already working as entrepreneurs and it operates on all Haaga-Helia campuses. To get involved, you don’t need any prior experience about entrepreneurship, you can easily get more information by attending a StartUp School info session. You can also get more information about the timetables and activities on the StartUp School site.

XES Helsinki

XES Helsinki is a lively community of entrepreneurially minded people. They organise weekly events on a vast variety of topics in distance mode or in Pasila campus. XES was founded in 2018 but it has already established a stable place within the school. With some events they also work together with Haaga-Helia StartUp School and you can even include their events and/or workshops to certain courses of the StartUp School. To learn more go to: xeshelsinki.com.

● Changing your degree programme and transfer application
If you want to switch your degree programme without changing your degree title (for example Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Restaurant Administration), you are a degree programme changer. You can submit a justified application to the degree program director or the person in charge of the degree. The change can be successful if there are vacancies in the degree program. You can read more about the changing of the training program here.

If, on the other hand, you want to switch to a degree program where your degree title changes, you are talking about a transfer application. There must be at least one semester behind the studies, and there must be vacancies in the degree program. Selection criteria and transfer targets can be found in the Study Path. You can read more about transfer application here.

● Graduating
In order to finish your degree and graduate, you must complete all studies listed in your study plan and also pass the maturity test. In order for you to do the application for the degree certificate, you must first answer the thesis feedback-survey. After this you are directed to the E-form on which you can apply for the degree certificate. You can choose to graduate in the ceremony or outside of it. More about graduating you can read here.
● Forms and certificates
You may need different kinds of form during your studies, for graduating for example. You can find all the forms here. If you need for example an official transcript of study records, you can order it online from the study services on Mynet.
● Haaga-Helia’s information system services
Haaga-Helia offers its student extensive information system services! You can for example download to your computer and SPSS-software or remotely access a virtual desktop with a VDI-connection. The Haaga-Helia information system services guides and for example the HelpDesk contact information you can find on Mynet.
● CampusOnline
Did you know that you can also do studies through CampusOnline.fi? CampusOnline.fi offers courses of 20 Universities of Applied Sciences in one place and you can do them for free and apply them to your own degree. All CampusOnline.fi studies are done completely online! The instructions for Mynet you can find here and CampusOnline.fi website here.
● 3UAS-studies
3UAS is Haaga-Helia’s, Laurea’s and Metropolia’s strategic alliance which among other things makes it possible for students to also choose studies in two other universities. The courses you can find here.
● Student’s legal protection
Student’s data protection

Haaga-Helia’s various documents regarding data protection you can find here.

Copyright

According to the Copyright Act, copyright always arises for the author of a work, i.e. in principle also for the student from the work he or she does. You can get more information about copyright at the university, for example from the Kopiosto Kopiraittila.

WELLBEING AND HEALTH

Healthcare services / Student healthcare

● FSHS
FSHS website

UAS students are moving to the FSHS services on 1.1.2021. In addition to primary health care services, FSHS provides all degree students with oral health care services, mental health services and sexual and contraceptive counseling. Each student must pay the health care fee to Kela on their own initiative. The health care fee is payable in two installments, in January and August. There are no separate fees, but there will be a charge for irrevocable time. Read more about the reform and about the healthcare fee.

● Municipal
Student’s are also entitled to use their home towns healthcare services. Read more on your municipality’s website:

● Haaga-Helia’s preventive services
University chaplain

The services of the university chaplain are available for all Haaga-Helia students. You can contact the university chaplain when you want to confidentially discuss any topic related to living. More information you can find on MyNet.

Study psychologist

From the study psychologist you can get help for example for issues related to study motivation and coping. The services are open for all Haaga-Helia students. The study psychologist contact information and instructions for reserving a time you can find on MyNet.

Psychiatric nurse

Haaga-Helia offers its students the services of a psychiatric nurse. The services are aimed towards those who are mentally symptomatic for the first time and have no previous treatment contact.You should contact the psychiatric nurse for example when you are experiencing issues with coping or you have a life situation related crisis. The contact information for the psychiatric nurse you can find on MyNet.

Quiet rooms

● Mental Health services
Haaga-Helia’s preventive services

University chaplain

The services of the university chaplain are available for all Haaga-Helia students. You can contact the university chaplain when you want to confidentially discuss any topic related to living. More information you can find on MyNet.

Study psychologist

From the study psychologist you can get help for example for issues related to study motivation and coping. The services are open for all Haaga-Helia students. The study psychologist contact information and instructions for reserving a time you can find on MyNet.

Psychiatric nurse

Haaga-Helia offers its students the services of a psychiatric nurse. The services are aimed towards those who are mentally symptomatic for the first time and have no previous treatment contact.You should contact the psychiatric nurse for example when you are experiencing issues with coping or you have a life situation related crisis. The contact information for the psychiatric nurse you can find on MyNet.

FSHS services

FSHS offers students extensive mental health services. The service offering includes, for example, a doctor’s assessment of the situation and treatment plan, short-time therapies, various group activities, as well as finding out the need for further treatment and referring a person there if necessary. More information about the services and instructions for making an appointment can be found on the FSHS website.

Municipal services

Student’s are also entitled to use their home towns healthcare services. Read more on your municipality’s website:

Other actors

Multiple organizations also offer help, support and instructions for coping. Listed here are a couple tips for some of those organizations:

Nyyti ry

Nyyti ry is an organization that has focused on students’ mental health and the promotion of their ability to study. Nyyti has, for example, podcasts and chat discussions on topics related to students and coping, as well as an extensive material bank, where you can find materials related to life management, for example.

Sekasin-chat

Sekasin-chat is a chat service for 12-29 year olds where you can chat with trained professionals and volunteers in confidence about issues that concern you. You can access the Sekasin-chat here.

MIELI Suomen Mielenterveys ry (Mental health Finland)

The mission of MIELI ry is to promote everyone’s mental health and prevent issues.MIELI ry for example maintains a crisis phone (open 24/7, phone number: 09 2525 0111) and various different peer support groups. More about the actions of MIELI ry here.

● Substance abuse
Haaga-Helia’s substance abuse programme

The goal of Haaga-Helia’s substance abuse program is, for example, to promote learning abilities and prevent substance abuse problems. The program also provides ways for students to address the substance abuse problem as well as improve treatment guidance. You can find the substance abuse program here. Haaga-Helia does not officially have its own substance abuse staff, but you can contact a study psychologist or psychiatric nurse in connection with the substance abuse program. FSHS is primarily responsible for students’ substance abuse treatment.

Student’s substance abuse treatment

Student health care, ie FSHS, is primarily responsible for students’ substance abuse treatment. You can also get help from different peer support groups, for example. If you have some questions or worries regarding intoxicants, read more here.

You can also apply for municipal substance abuse services

SORA-legislation

SORA-legislation (‘Inapplicability solutions’) applies in Haaga-Helia to students in physical education training, if necessary. The purpose of the legislation is to improve, for example, customer and patient safety. The legislation applies to e.g. student enrollment, revocation and return of the right to study, and substance abuse testing. You can read about the use of SORA legislation in Haaga-Helia in the substance abuse program.

Ehyt ry ja KUPLA-project

Preventive substance abuse work, EHYT ry, as the name implies does substance abuse work related to alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and gambling. Ehyt ry especially focused on student’s substance abuse problems in their KUPLA-project (2018-2020), that was done with Nyyti ry. On top of that Ehyt ry offers support for different addictions (Available in Finnish and Swedish)

● Contraception and sexual counseling
Student health care, ie FSHS, is primarily responsible for student contraception and sexual counseling. You can read more about FSHS’s services here. Students are also entitled to use the municipal healthcare services. Their contact information is:

● Crisis services
Haaga-Helia’s crisis management guide you can find here. The guide contains, for example, operating instructions for various crisis situations. According to the instructions, in a crisis situation, you can contact the following parties:

  • From your own health center or health center emergency services
  • From student healthcare
  • SPR crisis phone 0800 100 200 (the line is opened during nationwide accident situations and it will be broadcasted separately on media)
  • City of Helsinki crisis service phone 24 h (09) 3104 4222 (The employees of the crisis service will come to the scene of the accident if needed.)
  • Mental health Finland nationwide crisis phone 010 195202
  • Church service phone in Finnish 010 190 071, in Swedish 010 190 072
  • Mannerheim League for Child Welfare phone for children and youngsters 0800 120 400
● Exercising
Read more here.
● Year of wellness
Read more here.

STUDENT’S EVERYDAY LIFE

Housing

● Housing aid
Students are covered by the general housing allowance. Housing allowance is granted on the same terms to students as to all others. Thus, studying does not in itself affect the receiving of the allowance, but the study allowance is counted as income. However, the student loan or the parental increase in the study grant does not affect the housing allowance. Housing allowance is paid per canteen. A canteen is made up of two or more people who live in the same apartment and have a joint lease. Unmarried and married couples and close relatives form a canteen, regardless of leases. So if you live with a friend in a shared apartment, you should make sure you make separate leases when renting an apartment, and they or the attachments to the lease state that you are renting part of the apartment and are not responsible for renting the entire apartment. When making the application, therefore find out your living conditions, ie the apartment in a shared apartment or cohabitation, as Kela assumes that people living together are in principle cohabiting. This also applies in situations where you have a sublease.

More information about the canteen, the study allowance, and the study allowance calculator.

● Hoas
Hoas meaning the Foundation for student housing in the Helsinki region offers affordable living for students in the capital region and its frame municipalities. You must be a full-time student to be able to apply for an apartment and your studies must lead to a degree and qualify for the student aid. Hoas offers studios, shared flats and family apartments. The location and condition of the apartment affect the price. More information about applying for an apartment and living with Hoas here.

Porvoo

Porvoo student housing provides affordable housing for Porvoo students. Read more and apply for housing here.

Vierumäki

Students studying in Vierumäki can apply for an apartment in the campus student apartments. More information about the apartments and applying here.

A list of tips for the private market

You can find tips for acquiring a rental apartment on the Finnish Youth Housing Association’s ABC’s of Housing-guide. In the guide you can find tips on,for example, where to look for an apartment and the mover’s checklist!

Livelihood

● Student’s quick guide for Kela
The student’s quick guide for the Kela aid’s you can read here!
● Study aid
You can get student aid if you are studying full-time in degree education, your studies are advancing and you have a need for financial aid. The purpose of student aid is to secure your financial situation during your studies. Student aid consists of the study allowance (where the guardian/caretaker raise and study material raise are added to if needed) and the study loan. In some cases, for example when studying abroad, you can also get the housing supplement. Your own earnings also affect the study aid, so you must keep an eye on those! You can find all the information compiled on the Kela website and also you can log in to the electronic services here.
● Housing aid
Students are covered by the general housing allowance. Housing allowance is granted on the same terms to students as to all others. Thus, studying does not in itself affect the receiving of the allowance, but the study allowance is counted as income. However, the student loan or the parental increase in the study grant does not affect the housing allowance. Housing allowance is paid per canteen. A canteen is made up of two or more people who live in the same apartment and have a joint lease. Unmarried and married couples and close relatives form a canteen, regardless of leases. So if you live with a friend in a shared apartment, you should make sure you make separate leases when renting an apartment, and they or the attachments to the lease state that you are renting part of the apartment and are not responsible for renting the entire apartment. When making the application, therefore find out your living conditions, ie the apartment in a shared apartment or cohabitation, as Kela assumes that people living together are in principle cohabiting. This also applies in situations where you have a sublease.

More information about the canteen, the study allowance, and the study allowance calculator.

● Livelihood aid
On some occasions, you can be entitled to livelihood aid, for example if you are not getting any study aid. More about the granting of livelihood aid you can read on the Kela website. You can also always be in direct contact to Kela if you have any questions about the student aid’s!
● Aid during sickness
If you fall ill during your studies and your studies are not advancing, instead of study aid you may be entitled to other aid’s. About the aid’s relating to sickness, you can read on the Kela quick guide.
● Aid during an exchange period
You can also get student aid in a situation where you are doing studies or an internship abroad and they are included in your degree. When studying abroad you can also get the housing supplement, which is 210€ a month excluding some exceptions. For the studies done abroad, you can also get a higher study loan which is 800€ a month. More information about the aids you can get during studies abroad you can find on the Kela website. And you can also always be in contact with Kela!
● Studying with different aids
You can also for example apply for adjusted adult education allowance if you qualify for it. The adjusted adult education allowance is granted by the Employment Fund. Read more here.
● Combining studying and work
Career and recruitment services

A big part of students also works during their studies to cover the costs of their living. A part of your work experience you can also use for your degree. While studying in Haaga-Helia you can use the career and recruitment services that help students regarding all working life related topics. Read more about the activities of career and recruitment services on MyNet.

● Meal subsidy (Pivo)
Kela also supports student dining. You can get student priced meals from student restaurants. The amount is limited to one meal per day. The meal aided meal you can get for example with the Helga student ID or with the Kela mead aid card.
● Student ID
Read more here.
● Money issues
Help regarding money issues and for example a small loan for acquiring a household appliance you can get from the Guarantee Fund. The guarantee fund is a social services association which meaning is to help organize the money matters of day to day life and help with debt situations. Read more about the work and services of the guarantee fund from their website (Only available in Finnish).
Students with families
Part-time studying is also possible during parent You can also get the guardian/caretaker raise to the study aid. About the aid’s of students with families you can read more in the Suomi.fi-service or on the students with families guide of Family Federation of Finland, SYL and SAMOK (Available in Finnish).

Transport

● HSL
In the Helsinki region, public transport is arranged by HSL. You can get a 45% discount on the season ticket if you are studying full-time and you live on the area permanently. More information about the student ticket and how to get it here.
● LSL
The LSL is in charge of the public transport of the Vierumäki region. LSL grants a 30% discount to the value and season tickets if the studying is full-time. More information about the student ticket you can find on the LSL website.
● Porvoon liikenne
At the moment Koiviston auto is in charge of the public transport of Porvoo. The student discount is not yet available for the internal transport of Porvoo. The timetables and information on tickets for the Porvoo public transport you can check here (Only available in Finnish).

SAFE STUDENT ENVIRONMENT

Safety on campuses
Safety on campuses is something we all must take care of. Instructions on safety can be found in the safety guide, a printed version of which is available on campuses and can be found online on MyNet. MyNet also has for example the campus security plans.
Accessibility
Accessibility is managed in the Haaga-Helia equality and non-discrimination plan and it is made based on the equality and non-discrimination survey. The plan you can find here.
Haaga-Helia’s equality and non-discrimination plan
Haaga-Helia’s equality and non-discrimination plan is responsible for ensuring that equality is achieved and there is no discrimination. The plan is currently being updated to better serve the needs of the university, staff and students. The plan is based on a survey on equality and non-discrimination. The plan and more information here.

COMMUNALITY

Associations →

Clubs →

Events →

I want to make an influence  →

I WANT TO MAKE AN INFLUENCE

At Helga
In Haaga-Helia
Feedback and surveys

An efficient way to influence a student’s day to day life is to give study feedback and answer different kinds of surveys. The results are reported to various parties and measures are always taken based on them. You can read more about the surveys and their results in the quality portal.

Student’s opportunities for influencing

A student has multiple opportunities to discuss with Haaga-Helia’s administration and in this way influence for example the teaching and practical arrangements. More about the different platforms here.

Responsibility in Haaga-Helia

Haaga-Helia is committed to taking responsibility into account in both its curricula and RDI activities. Haaga-Helia has signed the Declaration of Principles for Responsible Management Education (PREM) and FIBS ry’s commitment to diversity. Read more about responsibility at Haaga-Helia here.

Municipal elections
Nationwide influence

Elections

  • Parliament elections
  • Europarliament elections
  • Presidential elections

Citizens initiative

If you are a Finnish citizen with the right to vote, you can take a citizens’ initiative. The aim of a citizens’ initiative is either to make a new law, or to amend or repeal an existing law. You can take a citizens’ initiative here.

SAMOK & OLL

All 24 student unions in Finland are part of the University of Applied Sciences Students in Finland and the goal of SAMOK is to do advocacy for students of Universities of Applied Sciences. In SAMOK, the body with the highest decision-making power is the federal assembly, where all student unions are represented. The federal assembly decides, among other things, on the guidelines for the operations and the union’s finances. You can read more about SAMOK’s activities on SAMOK’s website.

OLL meaning the Finnish Student Sports Federation promotes themes related to the well-being of university students. Its members are 32 University of Applied Sciences and University student union’s. In OLL, the highest decision-making power is also used by the federal assembly´, where member organizations are represented. More about the actions of OLL you can read on their website.

Fill the form!

The form can be sent with a low threshold, and it doesn’t require any further action from the student.

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