The CompEng student council represents the student body of the course. It consists of honorary students of the programme who are elected during an annual official general assembly. The tasks of the student representatives are varied: They delegate student representatives to the faculty committees, serve as contact persons for all students of the subject, help with questions and problems and facilitate the start of studies for first semester students by advising and organizing or supporting first-semester-students-events.

The work of the student council is one that we greatly appreciate. Especially during the pandemic, the different CompEng student council teams have been an immense help in supporting students and creating a sense of unity despite social distancing.

With the election of the new student council, the CompEng Support Team would like to thank the previous student council of 2022/23 for their work over the past year. They have done a wonderful job and, with their commitment and their many offers and events, have helped the Master's programme to grow closer together again after a long period of keeping a distance.

The student council team consisted of Nurgul Guliyeva, Lisa von Rössing, Gabi Nassar, Sourav Rooj, Tanmay Deshpande, Ricardo David Guzman Alcazar, Migel Jonal Pereira, Ainaz Sultangirova and Veronika Glazkova. The team was supported by Nasseer Mohammed, Thuc Pham Phu, Abdelrahman Shat and Ahmed Ben Omran.

There are many reasons why the members joined the student council: Lisa was already part of a student council during her bachelor's degree and "greatly enjoyed how much you can do for other students – events, but also representing students and solving problems". Tanmay really appreciated the work of the student council when he was new to Bochum and wanted to pass on the support he received to new generations of students: “During my first semester, the student council was incredibly supportive, assisting with studies, settling into Bochum, and organizing events to help us make new friends. I was really impressed with their approach to welcoming new students, and I wanted to contribute to the cause.” As some of the members were leaving the council, others joined the team, like Ricardo: “After attending some events organized by them, I was proposed to join the council, since some members were leaving the team. I saw this proposal as a chance to spend more time with my new friends and to learn more about the council’s procedures in the case I wanted to take part in the council in the next term.”

Being asked about the best part about being in the student council, Veronika appreciates “[t]o have the opportunity to make all ideas in the mind become true”, while Tanmay is grateful for “the privilege of engaging with students from various timelines – past, present, and future. We arrange different events where all the students could interact with each other and share their ideas and experience.” Lisa values being able to act as a bridge between the university and the students: “There are many people who will hear students’ opinions and try to change things towards the better, you just need to find a way to get the students opinions to them […]. Since most students at RUB speak German, non-German-speaking students are sometimes forgotten, so making sure the CompEng students’ needs are communicated carries an even greater weight.”

Lisa and Ricardo name the satisfaction and joy when a long-planned event is successful, and the work itself is viewed as another perk of being apart of the student council: "[I really like] seeing how happy the student council members are when an event they’ve been planning and working on for weeks turns out great" (Lisa). "At the end, when you helped with the event organization, and you see everyone having fun, then you feel a wonderful satisfaction" (Ricardo).

After a year full of experiences and adventures, each member has created lots of memories. Ricardo and Tanmay have particularly fond memories of the camping trip in the summer: “We were grilling, eating, talking, joking, and having a beer. I felt such a peace at that moment. Then I thought that having joined the student council had been the right decision.” (Ricardo) “The atmosphere was so lively, with continuous barbecues even during rain showers. We engaged in a variety of board games […], along with options like table tennis, and football. A highlight of the camp was the chance to go canoeing in the river. To me, it stands out as the most enjoyable event we have had.” (Tanmay) For Veronika, the Women's Day gathering holds a very special memory, as it was her first student council event: "[I]t was the beginning for me, and I was expecting a lot of stuff – it was so exiting!”

If you want to find out more about the many events organised by the previous student council, check out the pictures and brief descriptions of all events below:

A big thank you to Migel for providing the pictures and the descriptions and summary of all events of the student council of 2022/23!