Newly Elected Student Council of the University of Latvia Takes Office

Alise was brought up in Kuldīga, where she graduated the secondary school Kuldīgas Centra vidusskola. Since the very beginning of her studies at the UL, Alise has eagerly partaken in the student self-government of the UL Faculty of Law, organizing various cultural events. Subsequently Alise was invited to run for the position of the Head of Academic Affairs at the UL SC. At present, standing for the position of the UL SC Chair, Alise has outlined three priorities to guide her work: Firstly, improving quality of studies, secondly, facilitating UL SC communication with student self-governments of faculties, and lastly – involving students in student governance. The current composition of the new UL SC: Vice Chair for External Affairs – Alise Pokšāne, Vice Chair for Internal Affairs – Kaspars Eglītis, Head of Academic Affairs – Deniss Celuiko, Head of Cultural and Sports Affairs – Austra Laima Aprāne, Head of International Affairs – Elizabete Zariņa. The UL SC team is still being formed, as two positions – Head of Social Affairs and Head of Financial Affairs – are still open.  

The interview with the new UL SC Chair Alise unfolds her personality, as well as objectives and aims, as she enters the new position. 

Please, describe your thoughts and perceptions as the new representative of UL students. At this point, I have not yet fully grasped the weight of my position and the wide range of opportunities it brings. I am a person ready to carry the words and aspirations of the students forward and to pursue their realization. This comes with a great sense of responsibility, and this position gives me the feeling that I act not solely for myself, but also for the benefit of others. Were you involved in your school’s self-government, maybe even were elected as a president? I didn't get involved, but my friends and classmates participated. Secondary school seemed to me as a step to the "big" life and then I thought it necessary to focus on my future. I did not pay attention to school’s self-government. The role of self-government in the university significantly differs from that of the secondary education institution. The UL offers more extensive opportunities, as one works in self-government or council, you are heard and listened to, there is a chance to discuss and address issues that affect each student's everyday life. In secondary school it rather seemed a representative position. What skills, abilities and qualities, in your opinion, should be present in the Chair of UL Student Council? I have given it a lot of thought – the key abilities definitely include communication skills. The leader should be ready to discuss different topics and engage in problem solving. Persistence and resourcefulness are important, and capacity of rapid response is required. One should not be afraid to express oneself and hear the opinions of others. One must be prepared to learn new things and critically review all the existing information. How do you manage everything – studies, Student Council, the duties of Deputy Chair of the UL Constitutional Assembly and be a senator? Actually, it is quite hard, the daily life rather tense, running from one place to another, but it is the real life. I have always thought – the more people do, the more they can accomplish. As long as I am planning my time, there are no problems. It depends on the person's own motivation, how much he or she wants and is willing to do. What was your first contact with Student Council or self-government? Initially, I did not intend to stand as a candidate for the student self-government of the Faculty of Law, but as I enrolled in the studies, several people suggested that I try and become a candidate, because often self-government is a chance to acquire good friends, as well as mentors for the study process. Thus, I decided to stand as a candidate. Surprisingly, it was the year when many candidates wanted to stand, if I remember correctly, more than 50 candidates had applied for 25 seats. I was convinced that I would not be elected because I was only a 1^st year student, nevertheless, I was elected and with a fairly large number of votes. My tasks in faculty’s self-government included assistance with cultural events, but it was not really my field, I like to focus on academic matters and situations. I entered Student Council, because I was addressed by the Board of Student Council and the former UL SC Chair Signe Skutele. While working in SC, I enjoyed great support and during the past year I learned the most both in terms of studies and experience. What is your mission, when working at the UL SC? Quality of studies, internal UL SC communication with faculty self-governments and student involvement were my own goals, but not those of my board. The UL SC Board and members in general are a large organization, and goals, the priorities cannot be set in stone at once, because as time passes, they change. The mission is to pursue these priorities I have set and to follow the aims and wishes of the UL SC Board, the organization as a whole and, above all, the students. What will be the priorities of Student Council in 2019? This year will certainly be interesting. No matter how much I would like to focus on my priorities, I understand that there will be others, for example, every direction currently in the UL SC will have its own priorities, and they will need the support granted by myself and the members. The University has a lot of matters to address, and so many directions… Hence, one has to be able to adjust to each priority. At present, I will concentrate on the three aforementioned ones, but after a month, there will probably be more new priorities. Which is currently the most topical matter at the Student Council?  The most important issue at the moment is the agreement between UL and UL SC on the modernization of studies that ended in 2018. It covers all tuition fees, how to adjust them to ensure their proportionality and appropriateness to the current situation, taking into account the set quality criteria and their fulfilment. It should be emphasized that this issue is also topical for faculty self-governments and student senators. How will you promote a greater involvement of students in work processes of the University? Last year I had a great opportunity to visit the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire, United States (USA). It was an opportunity to observe the working processes. Their rector has very extensive powers. Students do not take part in deciding major issues, but this involvement is ensured by public consultations. They are discussing different issues that should be changed. The principle – the hand is raised, the question asked. It is a great method, which we could also adopt. To organise discussions of this type, that can be attended by any student from his / her faculty to ask questions, instead of just communicating through the faculty’s self-government as it is now. Thus, the students would be more involved as they would have the opportunity to ask questions themselves. What are your thoughts regarding the new UL Academic Centre, how will it change the University and life of students? Last year, I had a slight opportunity to follow the development programme of the Academic Centre, its implementation. In my opinion, it will change what we previously considered as the University. I think we will all become more united. It will be something new for everyone. Today, many of the most advanced universities have their own centres and campuses, and it is time for us to have it, too. What are your future study and career plans? I definitely plan to complete master's studies, as legal science is the sphere that fascinates me very much. In this field, I think it is very difficult to make an early choice of a particular direction in which to pursue a career, because there are many aspects that you can get to know. As I study law, every year brings me new preferences. I hope I will have defined my direction, as I enter the master’s programme. This year we will celebrate the centenary of the UL. Will that be a challenge to the Student Council? It will certainly be a great challenge, because we represent the University's students at this particular time. We will also participate in the organization of various events and will contribute to the representative image of the UL. I am pleased to say that our Head of Cultural and Sports Affairs already last year became involved in the implementation of the UL centenary programme. What would you like to wish the University in its centenary? I wish the University of Latvia another grand and impressive 100 years. I have always believed that the UL is like one big family working to serve the shared goal. I wish to continue as productively to retain the same high standard of all the goals and successes that the UL has attained to this day.