Youssef Gomaa and Ahmed Saeed: Five Pillars to Student Unity
By: Reem Elmaghraby
@reemelmaghrabyy
The Student Union (SU), the highest executive body and authority of the General Assembly, represents, serves and develops diverse student bodies by organizing different academic and social programs and events, and communicating with the university on their behalf.
Voting for the next president and vice-president of the SU will be conducted virtually on April 15. The candidates are Ahmed Saeed for president and Youssef Gomaa as vice-president on one ticket; and Abdelmoniem Mansour for president and Sara Essam as vice-president on the other.
Keeping with the times, The Caravan interviewed Gomaa virtually to further understand his and Saeed’s plans and achievements for helping the student body.
Q- Why should people vote for you? What exactly are you planning on doing for the SU and the student body?
A- We participated in three different unions during the last three years, and what is obviously notable is that every year the Student Union’s operations undergo a process of expansion, encompassing a range of initiatives that are designed to better represent and serve the student body. Yet, even though there seems to be a gradual evolution in the way the SU functions, we could not help but notice that there is still something crucial missing between the student union and the student body.
For any governing body to properly function, it must lay down a strong foundation of trust toward those whom it serves. Therefore, we envisioned our union to be directed and driven by the students themselves, while ensuring that any steps executed by the SU will be according to the needs of the students—not only for the sake of re-building the trust between the student body and the student union, but also because it is the right thing to do.
Therefore, in accordance with this direction, as well as the inclusion of the opinions of a multitude of students with diverse backgrounds, we have come to the conclusion that our plan shall revolve around five pillars, each serving its own necessary function while being powered by student rights.
The first is ‘Political Representation’. It’s vital seeing that it is the first and strongest line of defense the student body has when it comes to facing oppressive matters, and that is because we believe that the SU’s main role is to represent the entirety of the student body and fully take stances fully endorsed by the student body to solve arising issues with the university.
Second is ‘Academic expansion’. Since this is an academic institution, we aim to develop and make the academic journey a better overall experience through the different academic outlets that we are going to be working on.
‘Student life’ is third. Student life is a key determinant in whether the student experience is enjoyable, and we aim to increase the quality of AUC’s student’s life through satisfying the students everyday needs.
Fourth is ‘Financial affairs’. Since most of our initiatives require a monetary based factor, financial affairs will play a huge role in solving a multitude of critical problems faced by all students.
And finally, ‘Student Integration’. We believe that the student union must acknowledge and embrace the individuality of each student in the AUC community. Consequently, we want to treat students individually rather than generalizing through the buildings in which they study their major.
Q- I know a lot of people who don’t feel like voting because they feel like the SU doesn’t do anything, could you comment on that?
A- I’ll honestly have to comment on that in light of Ahmed Saeed and I running as a team. Firstly, given that I served this year as the Events and Entertainment Chairperson, my work has always been very tangible and visible to everyone on campus. Saeed, in the very same way, was leading a club that reopened this year, Hand in Hand, after two years of closure.
Also, this year our campaign is unique as we are already working with the student body toward fulfilling our vision. In addition, we are constantly explaining to them the steps that we’re going to go through to resolve the issues raised. We have also actively contributed with all the resources we can offer to the current SU and the Senate to face the matters currently at hand, as an initiative raised collectively is much more beneficial to the student body than if we all work alone.
Q- I know the current times are hectic due to the pandemic, but how are you trying to spread the word around to get more votes since everything is online now—how are you letting the people know?
A- We have constructed an online campaign that does not only give us room to share our plan for the upcoming year with the students, but it also allows us to interact with them regularly and listen to their concerns, which allows us to consider the needs of every individual in the student body; we reach the student body through our amazing campaigners who are a part of our thinking process, our planning process and spreading the word.
Q- You mentioned that you moved to an online campaign because of the current pandemic, were there any other challenges that emerged up due to switching online and how did you deal with them?
A- There were more on-the-ground surveys that we were going to do in different places around campus, however; due to accessibility, we had to take a different approach to collect the data which was shown in the survey conducted for the financial affairs pillar and [it was] through an interactive survey for student life in the form of a bingo game to collect data about the different problems that students face in their day-to-day lives and other examples. However, [overall] the transition was deemed to be successful.
Q- Many students have already turned to social media seeking help from the SU. How are you helping students during these times?
A- We’re fully supporting the elected student government operating today with the manpower we have, and with every resource we can because we fully trust their capabilities. We have been in constant contact with them to know the updates when they’re out and help spread the word to the entire student body.
Q- What are some things that you have already achieved?
A- I see my greatest accomplishment as being part of diverse teams that as a unit was able to break records and that enhanced my interpersonal skills which deemed me eligible to run for office.
