On the occasion of International Students' Day, students took over the helm of the university!

International Student Day was celebrated on November 17. On the occasion of this day, university students had the opportunity to occupy the chairs of the rector, deans and service workers at Vytautas the Great University. This year, student Eigirdas Sarkanas took over the job of the most important person of the university, VDU rector Juozas Augutis, for one day.

In your opinion, what are the most pressing problems of Kaunas city students?
Lack of leisure areas. Despite the fact that they appear, they are focused on the summer period, as an example I could name the volleyball courts on the island of Nemunas. I think that we need such spaces that work all year round. Of course, this is not only a problem for students, but also for all young people. Another important aspect is the image of the city, which hides other important problems, such as: security in the city, lack of internationality, lack of tolerance, etc.

What goals did you set and how did you plan to achieve them?
My main goal was to improve the quality of studies at the university. This was the topic that I, the student vice-rectors, deans and my entire team worked on this year. Aspects that we have been working on all day have come to the fore. First of all, motivational interviews or essays for admission to the university, which might have an impact on the entrance score. Another important task was to reflect on how to increase student involvement and participation in the study process, and the idea of compulsory lecture attendance was discussed, which was started to be discussed, but the students' opinion on this matter is clear - compulsory lecture attendance is not necessary, but it is clear that it is necessary to talk not only about students, but also about teachers' motivation.

How did you feel when you found out that it was you who became the student rector of the university?
The feeling is great. I think this is a great and welcome initiative and tradition of the university, which should be nurtured in the future. If you have ideas, I encourage you not to doubt your abilities, gather a team of like-minded people and realize your goals next year.

How do you think you managed to achieve your goals?
I think I succeeded. I believed this all along, because if I didn't think I could succeed and was skeptical, then no real decisions would be made. This is what I follow in life.