AUCA Student Senate

September 15, 2014

 

 

In just a month, on October 14^th, candidates will begin their campaign for the opportunity to claim one of 9 seats (positions include chairperson, vice-chairperson, and seats on the public relations, finance, social, and hearing committees) on the American University of Central Asia’s Student Senate. The deadline for submitting an application is the 21^st of October; with elections taking place on the 3^rd of November with results announced the same day. Visit https://www.auca.kg/en/student_senate/ for more information and to access the application form.

 

So what is the Student Senate all about? “The Student Senate’s role is to be the link between the administration and the students,” stated Bermet Ismailova, student coordinator for extra-curricular life including the Student Senate. The Senate acts as the voice of the student body: any complaints, suggestions, or comments that are directed towards the administration go through the official channel of the Senate. As explained by Bermet, “Usually they [Senate] have one meeting per month with the Vice-President for Academic Affairs…where they discuss academic questions...we can also have a meeting with any representative of the administration to address and resolve the problem or situation”; it is the platform in which meaningful change proposed by the students can be discussed with AUCA officials through the advocacy of the Senate.

 

Although there are several different positions in the Senate as stated above, when a candidate campaigns it is not for a specific role. Positions are defined once all 9 are together and ready to decide. We talked to Cholpon Abdimitalipova, a member of the PR committee about the process; “It was a complicated process, we actually invited the ex-senators from last year to help us get through the process [of selecting positions]”. While there are defined responsibilities for each position on paper, duties and ideas are always fluid in real life, “We didn’t really just do our defined responsibilities; we really mixed responsibilities and jobs…I tried to do my best with whatever needed help doing. It is sometimes a hard situation…but in the end everything the Senate did we did together”, added Cholpon.  While the main responsibility of the Senate is being the mouthpiece for the student body, they are also involved in organizing and running events every month.

 

One of these events, a kojumkul or strongest man competition, will be held in early October. So how does the Senate get funding for these events? “A majority of funding is from the university. This is the only university in Kyrgyzstan where the student government actually has money,” answered Bermet Ismailova. There are some fund-raising events as well, such as the “Stream” music competition held later this year; the extra money generated is often put towards grants for needy students and particularly for those who are active in extra-curricular activities. The Senate strives to be transparent as well; official receipts track all money given by the university, so there is always a way to know what the student government is doing and for them to be held accountable. Azat Baatyrbekov, current Chairman, has proposed using an online election system, which should “help us to avoid misunderstandings that may arise during/after elections by increasing the transparency.” In the same vein, monthly articles in “New Star” by the Senate share some of what is going on in terms of issues that are being worked on and ideas for change at AUCA; the format of which will be changing this cycle, to a column that won’t be “pointless Senate articles like before…it will be more of a question and answer box, where we interact directly with the students”, explained Cholpon. And of course “if someone wants to know what we are doing with money, about events, and so on they can always come to my office, 104, and ask me any questions,” added Bermet.

 

So why should you be interested? Of course being a member of the Student Senate is a way to enact the change desired within AUCA, change desired not only by an individual but also by the student body. This in and of itself is an incalculable benefit, but those benefits certainly do not end there. Azat told us that, “Working in student government was some of the best moments in my university life…I participated in the annual conference of Student Senators, which took place in the American University in Bulgaria. Delegations from American universities from all around the world attended the conference.” Opportunities abound to advance both personal growth as well as the development of AUCA policies.

 

Serving as a member of student government is an invaluable experience: not only do you learn how to organize large-scale events, how to fund-raise, and how to communicate effectively; but in a larger and very real sense you learn how to be responsible for the wishes and demands of hundreds of people, your fellow students.

 

If you are passionate about working for the betterment of AUCA and its’ students, make sure to visit https://www.auca.kg/en/student_senate/ and submit your application by the 21^st of October!

 

To read the full interviews with Bermet Ismailova, Azat Baatyrbekov, and Cholpon Abdimitalipov, click on the links below:

 

Cholpon Abdimitalipova - https://auca.kg/en/auca_news/1634/ 

 

Azat Baatyrbekov - https://auca.kg/en/auca_news/1635/

 

Bermet Ismailova - https://auca.kg/en/auca_news/1636/ 

 

 

 

 

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