The AUA Student Council (SC) has taken on a crucial role in representing the diverse needs of the entire AUA student body. The SC has been tasked with the mission of raising the voices of all students by addressing their concerns, needs, aims, and wishes.
The newly elected members of SC announced on December 1, 2022, are Maneh Petrosian, Meghedi Baghoomian, Erik Mnatsakanyan, Gregory Akopyan, Elen Khosteghyan and Monika Ghavalyan.
“It’s been a very exciting journey. I have been learning a lot, meeting new people and getting along with them very well. The sense that you can do something for your community has been very nice,” said Maneh Petrosian, EC sophomore. Maneh is in charge of managing the social media content posted by the SC.
“Coming up with ideas and organizing them is a lot of work, but seeing people loving them and sharing it is really rewarding because you feel that your work is appreciated,” she added.
The newly elected 2023 Student Council has an exciting vision to expand the range of extracurricular activities at their university. Their aim is to create a space where students can collaborate on projects and engage in more events.
“We have some very unique ideas for this coming year. We plan to have a collaborative project with AUA and students from other universities,” said Gregory Akopyan, PG sophomore. He joined the SC to talk with students actively and to engage them in university life.
“Something we are very excited about is a series of faculty versus student games. We want to organize something like capture the flag or something like that,” he added.
The SC is also responsible for fostering a sense of community by organizing a variety of student events, orientations, and fundraising activities. Through these initiatives, the SC hopes to create a supportive environment where students can thrive and succeed in their studies.
With lots of clubs at the university, the Student Council plans to promote their events and work with them to involve more students in extracurricular activities. They recently organized Valentine’s day activities and games, as well as the Armenian national festival Trndez, collaborating with the World of Culture Club and the Resonance Music Club.
“I’m very happy I made the choice to be part of the SC and I think by the end, we are going to become very good friends,” shared Meghedi Baghoomian, BAB junior. She mentioned that even though they have a huge responsibility on their shoulders, they are not alone. They have weekly meetings with the SC advisors, Dr. Paturyan, Ms. Mikhaylova and Ms. Marukyan, who guide and support them.
“People have been coming to us with questions and suggestions. We feel really good that people trust us and have faith in us. We feel really supported by our students,” said Maneh. Recently, the new SC sent their own survey to students, asking them for feedback and concerns.
They recalled their first event as the newly elected SC, “We ran out of cookies in the first fifteen minutes!” referring to the Saint Sargis traditional celebration they organized.
SC members make many suggestions that help with the changes in the university. Another goal of theirs is to share what some of SC’s role is at AUA. Most of the work that they do is behind the scenes and they are hoping to change that. “People don’t really know what we do until it’s done,” shared Gregory. “We are working on getting sanitary products in the restrooms. We are also working on our AUA merchandise,” he added.
The sense that they get to do good for their community is rewarding for them all. “For example, the couches that you saw on the second floor of the Main Building. We had a meeting with the President. We are grateful that our discussion has had great results. It was suggested by Gregory,” shared Maneh.
The newly elected SC hopes to create a shared spirit by fostering a sense of community, with the university serving as a central pillar. Moreover, the Student Council aims to serve as a crucial link between the students and faculty and staff.
They want to engage with other students from other universities and the local community more. “We want to improve that by sending emails beforehand to our community and informing them about supporting our AUA sports teams. It’s part of our representation as a university,” emphasized Maneh.
According to the team, navigating the AUA policies has been challenging; however, they are determined to make AUA a better place by approaching issues from six different perspectives but with the same goal in mind.
“Getting that support and love is rewarding and it motivates us to keep going,” said Meghedi. With a focus on advocating for all students, the SC looks forward to serving the community throughout the upcoming year.
