AUCSA Board
WHAT DOES THE AUCSA Board do?
The Board consists of 7 members: President, Secretary, Treasurer, External Relations Officer and three Committee Affairs Officers! Each of the positions has its own responsibilities, which you can read about in our Policy Manual. Overall, the Board makes sure that committees have everything they need in order to successfully organise events and other initiatives.
Floating Tasks
Apart from the duties of each Board position, there are various floating tasks that Board members have throughout the year. They vary from organizing events and supervising commissions, to overseeing the inventory or ensuring a smooth board transition.
Here is the list of floating tasks as of the year ’23-’24: AUC Alumni Association, AUCSA Weekend, Board Bonding, Constitutional Borrel, Committee Assembly, Committee Forum, DivCom, Dormfest, General Assemblies, Happy Boards Day, Introweek Feb, Introweek Sept, Merch, Newscast, Quartermastery, SusCom, Transition, Vice President, Vice Secretary, Vice Treasurer, and Winterformal.
Meet the Board ’23-’24
Versailla Kahnamoui
President (she/her)
Hey everybodyyy! My name is Versailla and I am a third year science major from Canada. I love football, tennis, and baking… especially apple pie. I cannot wait to play football in the fall with the AUC team as it has been a highlight of my time here! This coming year I have taken on the role of president of the AUCSA Board, while additionally organising events such as intro week and Winterformal. As president, my primary responsibilities include offering support to the AUCSA Board, diligently monitoring the association’s goals and aspirations, and ensuring a clear focus on guiding the association in the right direction. I have always loved to travel and chase incredible experiences, and that’s why I am thrilled about the upcoming year. I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to learn and grow alongside this amazing Board and all of you. I hope you continue to have a wonderful summer and I can’t wait to see you all very soon for the start of the semester!
Marcello Benedetti
Secretary (he/they)
Hi everyone! My name is Marcello, and I’m a third year Humanities major as well as the Secretary for the AUCSA Board! I grew up in the US for the first half of my life, and then in France. Since my parents are both opera singers, I was always active in musical theatre growing up. Last year, I was co-chair of the AUC Student Council, which really showed me how rewarding it is to work for the student body, which is partly why I wanted to join the AUCSA Board this year. As Secretary, I will be in charge of the organisation and communication of the Board, as well as the AUCSA Instagram and communication with AUC students. I think I’m super organised, so I’m very excited to help everyone out. On top of this, I will be organising our General Assemblies in October / February, and one of the Quartermasters alongside Josie! As Quartermaster, I’ll look after the AUCSA office and coordinate the inventory of the association. Josie and I will also organise event spaces for fun events!
Tom Heyning
Treasurer (he/him)
I was born in the Netherlands, but lived in Perth (Australia) for 10 years. I’ve always loved working with people, planning events, and having a bit of fun.
My role in the AUCSA is to be treasurer, which means I’m responsible for maintaining the financial health of the association, and all that falls under its umbrella. To me, this does not mean being a sort of ‘budget police’, but rather it means having open communication with all CCT’s so I understand what they need, and they understand what resources are available.
My floating tasks are Winterformal and Dormfest, arguably the two biggest events on the AUCSA calendar. I’m really excited for both of these events, as I see them as opportunities to create something amazing for this community that I’m so proud to be a part of. What I look forward to most as a board member is planning Dormfest. Although it will undoubtedly be a big challenge, planning our own music festival is also a uniquely amazing opportunity we have as AUC students, and one with endless and exciting opportunities.
Fun fact is that I used to be a surf life saver.
Uma Claessens
External Relations Officer & Vice-President (she/her)
Hello everyone! I am Uma, a Belgian third-year social science student focusing on international relations. In the upcoming year, I will be the External Relations Officer (ERO) of the AUCSA Board, meaning that I am in charge of making connections with other university colleges and student associations, representing our community to externals, and providing our lovely CCTs with exciting new opportunities and ways to improve their amazing events. Besides being the ERO, I will also take up the role of Vice-President, which means that I will be helping Versailla keep an eye on the dynamics and goals of the association. My other floating tasks include organising AUCSA Weekend and facilitating the Elections, both of which I am very excited for! Outside of my Board life, I love travelling, having dinners with my friends, and exploring the city. I also love everything music-related, from playing instruments to attending and volunteering at concerts and festivals. A fun fact about myself is that I starred in an episode of a Belgian cooking show for children when I was eleven years old. I challenge you to find it, it’s still out there somewhere on the Internet (you can always ask me for clues). I am looking forward to meeting so many new people and learning along the way. Feel free to approach me when you see me around the dorms or at the AB, or shoot me a message.
Matisse Bloem
Committee Affairs Officer & Vice-Treasurer (he/him)
I am Dutch/Indonesian, but I lived most of my life in the US.
I play football, love watching films, and just chilling with my friends. I’m interested in most sports. I enjoy cooking but don’t do it often. I often lie just to see people’s reactions when I tell them the truth and now my board doesn’t believe anything I say. I am super excited to be one of the three Committee Affairs Officers this year. As a CAO, I am there to facilitate a successful year for my committees, helping them organize events that you will all love and create an enjoyable year for everyone. In addition, I also have a few floating tasks, including organizing both Introweeks, heading Newscast, being Vice-Treasurer, meaning I will help out Tom with any money matters. It is too difficult to way what I am most excited for this year. Every part of this year will be fantastic because of the amazing board around me and the incredible community that we represent. Fun fact: I order food 15 times a month on average. Always feel free to talk to me if you see me, as I’m also excited to meet my fellow students!
Lea Heitbrink
Committee Affairs Officer (she/her)
Hello! My name is Lea and I am a second year science major. I lived all my life in Germany but I travelled a lot through Europe and spent one year in the United States. Besides travelling I love everything that has to do with art: painting, drawing, pottery, you name it! A fun fact about myself is that me and my brother were named after Star Wars. For the coming year I will be one of the CAOs: I will represent my CCTs opinions and situations to the AUCSA Board and other way round. Furthermore I will always be there in case a CCT has a question or needs some advice. Some of my floating tasks are AUCAA (the Alumni Association), SUSCOM, and Merch. I am most excited about working together with this team of incredible people: tackling challenges and celebrating wins together and overall bonding over this shared experience. I’m also very much looking forward to all the events (such as Winterformal and Dormfest) of the coming year and being involved in organising and executing them. If you ever have a question or just want to chat, feel free to approach me during office hours or whenever you see me in the AB.
Josie Piech
Committee Affairs Officer & Vice-Secretary (she/her)
Hello, my name is Josie, a 3rd year social science major from Germany, focusing on international relations. A fun fact about me is that I am the youngest of 4 and have lived in 6 different countries. My Role in the AUCSA is that I am a Committee Affairs Officer (CAO) and the Vice-Secretary, which means that I will be the connection and bridge between the AUCSA Board and the many different committees within our beautiful community. My floating tasks entail being in charge of the AUCSA Weekend and Dormfest, as well as being one of the Quartermasters. I am most excited about working with the Board, meeting the incoming students, and organising the AUCSA weekend with a positive start to the year and ending the year on the same note with Dormfest!
Previous AUCSA Boards
There have been 14 AUCSA Boards up to now. Click below to see them!