VU SA KF Interim Activity Report for July–October 2025

VU SA KF Interim Activity Report for July–October 2025

The end of April marked the beginning of new activities and the continuation of long-standing traditions for another term of coordinators at the Student Representation, including the VU SA KF branch. The work and engagement processes that began in the first few days showed that VU SA KF is consistently striving to strengthen community well-being and encourage each member of the Faculty to contribute to the initiatives being implemented. From July to October this year, VU SA KF not only deepened its expertise in various training courses, but also planned future activities and implemented its goals. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the work done and the events organized.

Integration of VU KF students:

1. In July 2025, intensive work was carried out to organise a camp for first-year students of VU KF, with 15 curators from bachelor's programs and one from a master's program participating. After the first-year students enrolled, the curators provided them with the necessary assistance and advice on critical study and integration issues: from finding dormitory accommodation and the academic and social opportunities offered by VU to the specifics of assessments and lectures at the university. This assistance to first-year students continues to be provided.

2. On August 20-22, 2025, the VU KF freshman camp "Komchella" took place, attended by more than 70 first-year students, and tickets were provided to students from socially vulnerable families, enabling everyone who wanted to participate to do so. The camp featured presentations on individual studies, a fair showcasing VU projects, clubs, and programs, discussions with faculty members, and curator sessions, during which new students received important social and academic information. The event contributed to closer ties between students, smoother adaptation to university life, and the establishment of initial contacts with VU SA KF and the faculty community.

Links to moments from the VU KF freshman camp "Komchella":

https://www.facebook.com/vusakf/posts/dalinam%C4%97s-vu-kf-pirmakursi%C5%B3-stovyklos-komcehlla-1-osios-dienos-akimirkomisvisas-/1173092861513269/

https://www.facebook.com/vusakf/posts/dalinam%C4%97s-vu-kf-pirmakursi%C5%B3-stovyklos-komcehlla-2-osios-ir-3-osios-dien%C5%B3-akimirk/1173096074846281/

1. On September 1–5, 2025, integration week activities were held for first-year students at VU KF:

1) Participation in the traditional September 1 parade, for which first-year students and curators created posters and decorations, thus fostering faculty traditions and encouraging first-year students to get involved in community activities.

Link to moments from the VU September 1st parade:

https://www.facebook.com/vusakf/posts/dalinam%C4%97s-vu-rugs%C4%97jo-1-osios-eisenos-akimirkomis-we-are-sharing-the-moments-of-t/1178120857677136/

2) An excursion around Vilnius city center was organized together with lecturer Prof. Dr. A. Pacevičius, which helped students become familiar with the cultural and historical context of the city.

3) Meetings were organized for first-year students with the chairs of the VU KF study program committees (SPK), where they were given a more detailed overview of the programs and the structure of the faculty, providing students with a clearer understanding of the academic requirements and opportunities that await them.

4) Curator hours were organized, during which first-year students could get to know their curators better and ask them questions, thus ensuring a smoother adaptation for first-year students and strengthening the relationship between students and curators.

5) A meeting between VU SA KF and first-year students was held, during which VU SA was presented and why it would be helpful for every student to know what SA does, thus increasing first-year students' awareness of the representation system and their own opportunities to participate in decision-making.

VU KF community:

1. On July 1 and August 27, 2025, the VU SA KF team participated in community events organized by the VU KF Marketing and Communications Department, where they had the opportunity to establish contact with faculty lecturers, discuss current community issues, and strengthen mutual ties.

2. On September 3, 2025, VU SA KF organized a VU KF Community Evening, which was attended by more than 170 participants, thus strengthening the faculty's community spirit and enabling students and staff to establish closer mutual ties.

3. On September 11, 2025, VU SA KF organized an event on exchange opportunities at Vilnius University. During the event, students were introduced to academic mobility programs and practical opportunities for international exchanges. Guoda Skripkauskaitė, VU KF International Studies and Projects Coordinator, spoke about this, and VU KF students shared their ERASMUS experiences.

4. On September 27, 2025, in collaboration with the Marketing and Communications Department of VU KF, we participated in the VU Alumni Festival, thereby contributing to the faculty's representation at the university community level and strengthening ties with the alumni network.

5. On October 14, 2025, VU SA KF coordinators, together with the VU KF Marketing and Communications Department, met with school career specialists to discuss opportunities for cooperation with a view to strengthening ties between the university and schools and improving the dissemination of information about study options.

6. On October 23, 2025, VU SA KF coordinators met with students from the school during the "Student for a Day" project. They presented them with study opportunities at VU KF and the activities of VU SA KF, giving them a clearer understanding of the fields of study and the role of the student representation system at the university.

7. In September-October 2025, VU SA KF representatives participated in study fairs in Panevėžys, Klaipėda, Kėdainiai, Tauragė, and Biržai, thus ensuring consistent presentation of the faculty's study programs in the regions and strengthening ties with the student community.

VU SA KF cooperation projects:

1. On September 2, 2025, an orientation competition was held after Saulėtekis, together with VU SA GMC, to help first-year students become more familiar with the student town environment and encourage inter-faculty cooperation.

2. On September 2, 2025, Otilija Smelevičiūtė, VU SA KF international student coordinator, together with Guoda Skripkauskaite, VU KF international studies and projects coordinator, met with ERASMUS program students at the faculty and presented the specifics of the faculty, the activities of VU SA KF, the most important information necessary for their studies, and introduced them to the main aspects of Vilnius that are relevant to international students.

3. On September 10, 2025, a social campaign was organized together with VU SA TF to mark World Suicide Prevention Day. Anyone who wanted to could write a wish or a kind word for others on a board in the United Chambers, thus promoting emotional support in the community and drawing attention to the importance of psychological well-being.

4. On September 22, 2025, the VU SA KF team met with journalism students from Ukraine participating in the international youth exchange program "Youth EuroPeace." They were introduced to the activities of VU KF and VU SA KF. They shared good practices in representation and the study process, thereby strengthening international cooperation and creating space for future exchanges.

5. On October 18-19, 2025, VU SA KF and VU SA GMC members participated in autumn training, which was attended by a total of 50 members of the organization. This training strengthened mutual cooperation and helped prepare for more effective work during the remainder of the term. The training included a simulation of representations, activities across various fields, and debates.

Link to moments from the autumn training sessions of VU SA KF and VU SA GMC members:

https://www.facebook.com/vusa.gmc/posts/dalijam%C4%97s-akimirkomis-i%C5%A1-spalio-18-19-dienomis-vykusi%C5%B3-vu-sa-gmc-x-vu-sa-kf-nari/1414198417376700/

VU SA KF representation activities:

1. In July 2025, a working group was established to propose changes to the methodological guidelines for written work, and it remains active today. The working group's declaration on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in written work was approved at the VU KF Council meeting in October, thereby ensuring consistent and clear regulation of its use at the faculty. The working group is continuing to work on guidelines for the use of AI.

2. In August 2025, VU SA KF, drawing attention to complaints from fourth-year students about the deadlines for submitting final bachelor's theses, submitted a letter to the VU KF administration proposing changes to the requirements. The proposals were discussed at the VU KF Study College in September and, as no comments were received, it was decided to implement this proposal in the defense of master's theses in the fall semester of 2025. You can find the proposals here.

3. On September 9, 2025, an extraordinary election conference of VU SA KF was held, during which Austėja Stražinskaitė was elected as the new student representative of the VU KF Council and the number of members of the collegial management body of VU SA KF was reduced (from 5 to 3), thus ensuring a more effective decision-making process.

4. At the Publishing and Advertising SPK meeting held in September 2025, representatives of VU KF students presented proposals for improving the program, which the SPK included in further consideration in order to improve the quality of studies and meet the needs of students. The proposals included a restructuring of the program and greater inclusion of digital marketing subjects.

5. In September 2025, 18 student representatives were approved for the VU KF study program committees (SPK) and 10 for other VU KF bodies, thereby ensuring consistent student involvement in faculty management processes.

6. On October 2-3, 2025 VU SA KF representatives participated in VU KF strategic plan development sessions, where they presented VU KF students' insights from feedback surveys on study quality issues, including the remaining challenges of subject duplication. Participation in the sessions ensured that students' perspectives were heard in the strategic decision-making process.

7. On October 27, 2025, VU SA KF representatives held a meeting to plan their activities, during which student representatives set their annual goals and drew up a plan for their implementation, thus ensuring focused planning of the organization's activities and more effective pursuit of goals. For example, Augustė Gočelkytė, a student representative of the Publishing and Advertising SPK, set a goal to update the study program by including at least two new study modules based on international academic practice and current labor market needs. in order to increase the relevance of the program and the competitiveness of graduates in the labor market. Kornelija Tananaitė, representative of the Analytical Journalism SPK students, is preparing to analyze the results of a student survey on the balance between study load and schedule. Prepare and submit proposals that present the aforementioned problems and possible solutions for workload distribution, and Karina Vaičekauskaitė, representative of the VU KF Dispute Resolution Commission (GNK), will encourage students to contact the GNK by informing them about the body's activities.

8. At the Study College meeting held in October 2025, Eglė Mukauskaitė, Academic Process Coordinator at VU SA KF, presented an analysis of the 2024–2025 spring semester student surveys, which served as a basis for discussions on areas of the study process that could be improved and possible solutions. This analysis became the basis for discussions on areas of the study process that could be improved and possible solutions. It was noted that satisfaction with studies at VU KF had remained virtually unchanged since the fall semester. Attention was also drawn to comments from students that there was a lack of feedback from lecturers and that frequent schedule changes caused inconvenience and disrupted study planning.

9. In October 2025, representatives of Creative Communication SPK students met with the committee chair to discuss current issues and problems with the program. Taking the situation into account, the committee decided to update the program schedules for students enrolled in 2023, 2024, and 2025, thus adjusting the schedules for future semesters. In addition, the program's objectives and competencies were updated to ensure the relevance of the study program and better alignment with the needs of the modern labor market.

10. In October 2025, taking into account student complaints, a survey was conducted on the suitability of schedules for students in order to assess the effectiveness of the current system and identify possible areas for improvement.

VU SA KF annual goal:

1. On August 1–3, 2025, the VU SA KF coordinator team, together with moderator Evaldas Matijošaitis, participated in the planning of VU SA departments, where they set an annual goal: By April 15, 2026, at least 50% of students enrolled in VU KF courses in the fall semester will receive feedback no later than two weeks after the end of the semester.

2. In September 2025, six focus groups were held with representatives of VU KF SPK students and contact persons to identify problem areas in the process of providing feedback by lecturers. These sessions revealed that the provision of feedback at the faculty is uneven. Most students indicated that they lacked feedback after interim assessments and also missed more detailed, personal comments after presentations or final exams. There was a need for lecturers to clearly indicate how they would provide feedback and how students could request it. The insights gathered formed the basis for further process improvement and the preparation of recommendations.

3. In September 2025, after identifying problem areas, representatives of VU KF students and contact persons were prepared for a meeting with the relevant lecturers to present the current feedback situation. During the meetings, agreements were reached with the lecturers regarding the provision of feedback, and the changes will be monitored through surveys launched in November to assess the implementation of the agreements and the impact on processes.

Competence development for VU SA KF members:

1. On July 11–13, 2025, eight VU SA KF coordinators participated in summer training organized by VU SA, where they developed their representation, teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving skills, which strengthened the team's readiness for the new academic year and improved the team's internal efficiency.

2. On July 26–27, 2025, four VU SA KF coordinators participated in VU SA strategic planning, where they contributed to the planning of the organization's annual goals and are now contributing to their implementation.

3. On September 13, 2025, VU SA Parliament representatives participated in VU SA Parliament training, where they developed the competencies necessary for work in this body, thus ensuring more effective and higher-quality representation in Parliament.

4. On September 27, 2025 VU KF student representatives participated in VU SA representative training and acquired the necessary effective communication and representation skills, as well as problem identification and solving skills, necessary to effectively represent VU KF students.

VU SA KF work with members:

1. In September-October 2025, two general meetings of VU SA KF members were held, during which the areas of activity of VU SA KF, the structures of VU SA and VU KF were presented, thus ensuring transparent information transfer and smoother integration of new members into the organization's activities.

2. On October 28, 2025, cold-calling training was held for VU SA KF marketing members to strengthen their communication skills and readiness to pursue partnerships and sponsorships effectively.

3. On October 29, 2025, VU SA KF organizational members organized a Halloween brainstorming session called "Trick or Think," which brought the faculty community together and contributed to the active involvement of students in informal activities.

Link to moments from the VU SA KF general meeting in a post published on International Students' Day:

https://www.facebook.com/vusakf/posts/ltvu-sa-kf-sveikina-visus-studentus-su-tarptautine-student%C5%B3-%C4%8Di%C5%B3-diena-%C5%A1ia-proga-/1234505815371973/

Link to moments from the VU SA KF Halloween brain battle "Trick or Think":

https://www.facebook.com/vusakf/posts/ltdalinam%C4%97s-trick-or-think-helovino-vakaro-akimirkomis-enwe-are-sharing-the-mome/1223281233161098/

Promotion of scientific activity at VU KF SMD:

1. On September 23, 2025 a discussion organized by the VU KF Student Scientific Society (SMD) on the possibilities of social science research took place, attended by VU KF lecturers, who allowed students to better understand the directions and methods of social science research.

2. On October 15, 2025, a series of seminars on written work was organized by the VU KF SMD, during which students were able to familiarize themselves with the specifics of writing essays, coursework, and bachelor's theses, thus contributing to the strengthening of their academic skills and better preparation for written work.

Improvement of internal team processes at VU SA KF:

1. In July 2025, a meeting was held with the Marketing and Communications Department of VU KF, during which a mutual communication plan was developed to communicate more effectively on social networks about the processes taking place at the Faculty of Communication, thus ensuring more consistent dissemination of information and closer cooperation between the administration and VU SA KF.

2. At the meeting of the Collegial Management Body (CMB) of VU SA KF in July 2025, the members of the body divided the areas to be supervised among themselves, had discussions with their coordinators, and continue to mentor on various issues, thus ensuring continuous support for coordinators and smooth management of team activities.

VU SA KF marketing area:

1. In July 2025, VU SA KF received 100 “Gaidelis” crackers and a 20% discount code for shopping at “SUPERGARDEN”.

2. In September 2025, it received 40 one-time visit coupons for the BONOBO professional rock climbing center, 20 packs of Cosmo Snacks, and 20 coupons with discount codes for shopping at their store.

3. In October 2025, VU SA KF received 100 packs of Elmenhorster juice and 10 coupons for a visit to the Akropolis Ice Arena.

Information days:

1. In July–August 2025, a working group was set up to create an identity guide for the Faculty of Information Days (InDi) and new communication guidelines. The results of the working group contributed to the formation of a coherent image for the event and more effective communication about the faculty days with the faculty community.

2. In October 2025, a new Information Days team was formed, which began planning the introductory event to be held in November, thus ensuring timely preparation and a clear process for organizing the upcoming event.