VMU Student Parliament: discussion of the most relevant issues and the election of the chairman
At the first meeting of the newly elected Vytautas Magnus University Student Parliament, representatives of faculties, academies and doctoral students got acquainted with the activities of the parliament and the most important documents regulating the work of the parliament. The speaker of the parliament was also elected and insights were shared about the biggest visible problems in the university.
this year, as every year, the Chairmen of the Student Parliament was elected during the first meeting. At the meeting, Monika Ražauskaitė, a fourth-year student of the Faculty of Humanities, was nominated as a candidate, and Liepa Kalinaitė, a first-year student of the Academy of Education, nominated herself. Elections were conducted anonymously, remotely. Before the vote, all members of the parliament got acquainted with the introductions of the candidates and their motivational letters for occupying this position. M. Ražauskaitė received the most support (33 votes), 4 students voted for L. Kalinaitė, 2 abstained.
In her motivational letter, the new Chairwoman stated that she is very familiar with and understands the activities of the parliament, as she has been a member of parliament for the fourth year, and is also currently the coordinator of the Student Representatives of the VMU Student’s Representatives Council (SRC) and is actively involved in work activities organized at the university or on a national scale groups. Monika shares that her “main goal when running for the position of the Chairman of the Parliament is to fully organize the activities of the Parliament, structure and plan all the meetings and work in them.”
At the parliamentary session, representatives of each academic department discussed among themselves and highlighted the most prominent problems faced by students in their environment. Nine problems were mentioned, ranging from lack of textbooks or room heating to feedback between teachers and students. According to the participants, the most important and urgent problems were the issue of the student campus and poor communication between students and teachers and the administration.
The issue of the student campus in the Academy has become relevant due to its isolation and the lack of use of its opportunities. It is a place that most students are not familiar with, so their activeness in it is passive. We want to include the Academy in the lives of students, introduce them to the campus and thus attract as many students as possible. The second relevant problem raised was communication gaps between university staff and students. A significant number of parliamentarians noted that this is indeed a relevant topic, especially for first-year students, but a significant number of senior students are also faced with it. These questions remain open and will be discussed in the future.
Also, during the meeting, the dates of the next meetings were proposed and decided. According to the Work Regulations of VMU SRC, meetings of the Student Parliament must be held at least once a quarter, but more meetings are planned. The next parliamentary session will be held at the end of January.