The student council of Tallinn University of Technology has the largest number of active members in Estonia. It consists of several bodies - the Representative Council, the Board of the Student Union and the staff. In addition to the student council, the student councils of the faculties and the revision committee also operate in the university. Although the picture may seem motley, each organ has its own specific task and purpose.
Everything starts with the students - every year (February-March) all students of the University of Technology can vote for a candidate of their faculty in the elections of the Board of Representatives. What is the Representative Assembly? The Representative Council can be compared to the Riigikogu. It is a 15-member democratically elected supreme decision-making body of students. The representative council includes students from all faculties.
What does the Representative Council do? The purpose of the representative body is to stand for the interests of students. To this end, the Representative Council adopts positions on important topics and directs projects that develop students' learning and action opportunities. For example, last school year, the Representative Council confirmed its position on mental health issues. The work of the representative body is very versatile. The duties of the members also include electing members of the student body's board and student representatives to the decision-making bodies, approving the student body's budget and much more. During their work, students who are part of the representative council gain valuable experience and a wide network of contacts.
Regular meetings of the representative body are held once a month and every student can attend them. Meeting times, meeting agendas and minutes can be found on TalTech's website.
Student Union Board
The representative body elects the board of the student body. Board members are also, in a way, the face of TalTech's student council - they can be seen giving speeches at ceremonies and various student life events. The board represents the student body both at the University of Technology and among other higher education institutions, organizes the work of the student council, determines the development and operational directions of the organization.
The board consists of three members: the chairman and members of the board in the field of education and student life. Currently, these positions are filled by Joosep Perandi, Karoliina Rebane and Anna Suzdalev, respectively. Members of the board are elected for two academic years.
Student council staff
Coordinator of student organizations, coordinator of the mascot Juulius Tipika, chairman of the funding committee, events coordinator, human resources manager... These are all positions in the staff of the student council.
Staff positions are filled by active and enthusiastic students who are responsible for a specific field or activity. For example, thanks to the ÜE photographer, the events of student life are remembered with awesome photos, and thanks to the event coordinator, the student body's birthday takes place in September every year.
There are various tasks and positions in the staff of the student council. You can usually join the staff in the spring, when a public competition is announced to fill vacant positions. However, it is worth keeping an eye on the announcements throughout the year, as vacancies may arise at other times as well, and project managers are often sought for various events. Information about vacant positions is shared both on the Facebook of the student union and on the TalTech website.
Student assemblies of the faculty
While the Representative Council represents all TalTech students, the student councils of the faculties represent the students of the respective faculty. The student councils of the faculties do not belong to the student council, but they are the bodies of the student body. On the TalTech website, you can find the contact details of the student associations of all faculties. Student associations not only do serious work, but also organize exciting student life events, cooperate with companies in the field, and offer students opportunities for self-development. Student associations also become a wide network of professional contacts.
Student representatives in decision-making bodies
As the name suggests, decision-making bodies deal with the adoption of decisions. Decision-making bodies are, for example, the TalTech senate, faculty councils, the general meeting of the NGO TTU Student Village. It is possible to discuss various drafts in decision-making bodies or to initiate them yourself. More important processes that affect the development of the faculty/university are also often introduced. All students can apply for decision-making bodies. Elections are usually held in the spring.
Audit Committee
All activities are monitored by the audit committee. The audit committee is an independent control body whose task is to check the conformity of the activities of the board, staff and representative body with the decisions of the student council, the correctness of accounting and the purposefulness and legality of the use of property and resources. Both students and alumni of the University of Technology can apply for the revision committee.
Conclusion
Every student can join the student body! Be it the Representative Council, the staff of the student council, the student council of the faculty or any other. The members of this awesome and active community stand for good quality education and a student life full of opportunities. They do their work with a great sense of mission and contribute to the advancement of student life and education at TalTech.
In addition, with any student body, membership is not just about getting the job done. Members can take part in awesome motivational events and outings, develop themselves in many ways and work in a nice team.
If the University of Technology is going well for you, keep an eye on Juulius Tipika's social media channels on Facebook and Instagram, come to the meeting of the Representative Council or let us know your ideas-concerns-proposals! In addition, keep your eyes and ears open so that you don't miss an announcement to join one of the student bodies!
Comments