The January General Meeting of Delegates of the Semmelweis University Students’ Union (SE HÖK) elected a new president to the head of the organization, and also voted on various other personnel matters. The new president of HÖK is Tamás Hegedüs, who was earlier the head of the students’ union of the Faculty of Dentistry (FOK). Tamás Hegedüs’s mandate as president runs until June 2020.
In his pre-agenda remarks to the General Meeting of Delegates, rector Dr. Béla Merkely said he considers students to be his strategic allies in the endeavor to raise the quality of Semmelweis University’s education, research and health care activities to the highest level. He emphasized that in order to meet one of the most important goals he set in his application to the post of rector, that of making Semmelweis one of the top 100 universities in the world, the cooperation and constructive work of students is also required. He also spoke about the importance of updating the curriculum, adding that this may already be implemented from the 2019/20 academic year, which also marks the 250th anniversary of the university’s establishment.
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Outgoing HÖK president László Kósa said that during his mandate, which started in February 2018, he strove to build a good team, enjoy good relations with the university’s leadership, and implement as many student-friendly measures as possible. He added that he is proud to have served as HÖK president and expressed his hope that he will be able to serve the interests of students and the university in the future as well.
The sole candidate to submit an application for the post of HÖK president was Tamás Hegedüs, who briefly presented his plans to the participants. Among his most important objectives, he mentioned reforming the Studies and Examination Policy so that it grants equal opportunities to every student of the university. He also pointed out that in reforming the curriculum, it is HÖK’s task, as partner of the rectoral leadership, among others to assess the needs of students. Among his plans regarding student services, he mentioned establishing a unified policy on library use, expanding sports opportunities by involving partner institutions, as well as reviewing dining options and the status of dormitories. With regard to events, his application placed special emphasis on the 2019 EFOTT Festival, as Semmelweis University will be the event’s host this year. Tamás Hegedüs plans to place the focus on health, thus there would be opportunities to get various screenings at the event. In conjunction with the Semmelweis 250 memorial year, HÖK plans to launch a national “roadshow” of secondary schools as well as continuing the promotion of the “Semmelweis brand” to reach a wider audience. Tamás Hegedüs’s program also mentions the need to unify the way they keep in contact with students, with his plans calling for using the HÖK website and the chat platform of their social media site for this purpose.
The president, who was elected unanimously by the General Meeting of Delegates, told our site that Semmelweis University students should feel that the atmosphere around them, thanks in part to the work of the Students’ Union, is one that they feel good in. In his view, the student organization can start building on its strong existing foundations, as the academic leadership, the students and the infrastructure background that is needed are all in place.
Other election results:
Communications rapporteur: Sándor Miheller
Events rapporteur: Kirill József Holp
Foreign affairs rapporteur: Máté Majtán
Dormitories rapporteur: Dávid Karádi
Education rapporteur: Zsombor Mátyás Papp
Chief of staff: Bálint Mátyás Borsik
Social rapporteur: Bálint Tripolszky
New student members of the Senate:
Bence Áron Benedikti
László Kósa
Due to the change at the post of president, Bence Benedikti was named acting president of HÖK FOK, while Dóra Stauder was elected president of the Faculty of Medicine’s (ÁOK) Students’ Union. The General Meeting of Delegates supported the appointment of Dániel Imre Szőke as HÖK deputy president, and Richárd Levente Ármós, Bálint Tripolszky and Cintia Alexandra Szabó were named as new vice presidents of the organization. The election of new members is mandated by the Statutes of the SE HÖK; accordingly, in addition to the above, new elections were also held to select HÖK rapporteurs and student members to the university Senate.
Eszter Keresztes
Translation: Tamás Deme
Photo: Attila Kovács – Semmelweis University // HÖK
