AUCA Student Senate: Cholpon Abdimitalipova

September 15, 2014

1.      Why did you decide to run for Senate?
 
Well, it was during the third year of my studying. I realized that the time was flying by and that I didn’t really leave any mark on AUCA.  I wanted to make a contribution to my university, which was my major reason in running for Senate.
 
2.      So how did you decide to be a member of the Public Relations committee?
 
When we are distributing the positions, we dispute between each other who will take what position. So when you run, you run only to be on the Senate and not for a specific position. It was hard to decide who will take which job.
 
3.      How did you eventually decide as a group who will take which position?
 
Well, we voted. It was kind of a complicated process; we actually invited the ex-senators from last year to help us get through the process.
 
4.      What were your responsibilities on the PR committee?
 
Well even though I was on the Public Relations committee, we didn’t really just do our defined responsibilities; we really mixed responsibilities and jobs. As PR, I was writing articles on behalf of the students and sometimes representing it during events and presentations. I was really passionate about contributing to AUCA, so I tried to do my best with whatever needed help doing. It is sometimes a hard situation, because everyone has his or her own opinions and ideas, but in the end everything the Senate did we did together.
 
5.      Could you talk more about the monthly “New Star” column? I heard the format might be changing.
 
This idea came during the last semester when the educational system at AUCA was changing. So we switched to another scheduling system and we conducted a meeting with the students. We decided that we wouldn’t make these pointless Senate articles like before, but starting with the new Senate it will be more of a question and answer box, where we interact directly with the students.
 
6.      How was process of campaigning for you?
 
Well it was actually hard for me, because I’m not really a public person. So I started to talk to people, put my name out there, and let people know my program. I think though that everyone who wants to run for Senate must have a passion and interest in contributing to the AUCA community. It is pointless if you are not, because then you will just be taking a place from someone else who might actually care.
 
7.      I think there will be a Senate-run event soon?
 
Well we have an event in the beginning of October, kojomkul, which was also conducted in the park near the statue of Marx and Engel last year. I hope this year it will work even better; the organization and sponsors will be a little different. We will have one more event as well, but not ready to share details yet.
 
8.      Do you remember any specific moments from your time on the Senate that made you feel proud, or that stand out in your mind?
 
Well you know being part of the Student Senate is hard, you have a lot of responsibility. Students are always asking questions and suggesting things to you. We have solved many problems, including some water issues and prayer mat issues; some of these things you cannot write an article about, but are important to many people. We also helped people with some personal problems when they came to us.
 
9.      Would you encourage students to run for Senate?
 
Of course, but you must be passionate and be eager. I would tell interested students that maybe big changes can’t happen, mostly because we will be moving to a new campus. With academic questions, we often met with the head of Academic Affairs, and she was very helpful to us. But ultimately, it is about being passionate; if everyone really cares in the Senate then the atmosphere, which is very important, will be positive and you can really make changes.

<< go to news list