By Elias Klink
In a gruelling 10-hour meeting, the newly formed Student Parliament (StuPa) elected the New Board of the General Student Committee (AStA) last Wednesday. The StuPa appoints the AstA for a one-year term, and after a successful year in office, the successors of ASTA Chairman Hassan Wehbe and Campus Representatives Shrey Agrawal (Kleve) and Julia Gessler (Kamp-Lintfort) had to be found.
The first position discussed was that of Finance Referee. Laura Arribas Martinez, a student of International Relations who has been holding the position since last summer, was re-elected after comparatively brief debate, during which it became evident that she had performed her task beyond reproach.
The new Campus Representative for Kleve is Melad Elias, a student of International Relations and a member of StuPa throughout last year. While he was successfully re-elected into the StuPa for the upcoming term, he resigned his seat after being elected as Campus Representative, which is common courtesy to avoid conflicts of interest. In a statement made to CotR, Elias said it is important to further institutionalize AStA and maintain the international quota AStA has.
The Campus Representative for Kamp-Lintfort (KaLi) is Josepha Kuhl, a student of “Arbeitspsychologie” (Occupational Psychology), and head of the AStA Social Department throughout the past year. In her well-received speech before the StuPa, Kuhl outlined her aims to make KaLi more visible and improve communication between the campuses.
“Since we are the smaller campus, I would love to make Kamp-Lintfort more attractive for students from Kleve to come and visit our events as well, and of course the other way around, to not feel separated and like a mystery to each other,” said Kuhl.
The position of Chairman of the AStA went to Joshua Lehmann, a student of International Relations. Lehmann was elected well after midnight, with an overwhelming majority. In his speech, he addressed concerns by the StuPa members and elaborated on his visions for the coming year and the challenges ahead for the student body, including but not limited to the new Higher Education Act. Lehmann said he is eager to keep all students from every faculty active and involved in university life, and he especially wants to make sure that the conditions granted to current students will be preserved for prospective students in the future.
The new board began working immediately the next day, and, in close cooperation with the old board and AStA members, is currently making sure that the transition runs smoothly.
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