Voting guide University Council
From 13 up to and including 15 May, there are elections for the Participation Bodies. In this voting guide, you will find the most important positions of the four student parties for the University Council. Who are you going to vote for?
READ MORE ON LIJST VUURREAD MORE ON THE PARTIJ VOOR DE UTRECHTSE STUDENT
READ MORE ON VRIJMOEDIGE STUDENTENPARTIJ
Contact a Better Living For Students representative for more information
Sustainability
What do the parties think about sustainability?
- wants Utrecht University to take a leading role in sustainability.
- has realised plant-based milk in coffee machines on campus.
- has arranged for investments in renewable energy.
- collaborates with students on sustainability, such as End Fossil – Occupy! and the Vegan Student Association.
- demands UU to be climate neutral by 2030 by means of carrying out a proactive sustainability policy.
- speaks out in favour of more money going to the Sustainability Office and looks critically at collaboration with fossil companies.
- wants a green, liveable campus with less concrete and more nature.
- has gotten their plan to green up the UBB square (designed by students) approved.
- strives for timeless sustainability by means of constructing with materials and aesthetic designs which last for eternity.
- wants sustainability plans which aim for realistic goals and will not result in excessive expenses for students.
- stands for a balanced approach to sustainability in which economic interests are not forgotten.
- wants an open debate on climate, in which all sustainability plans can be criticised.
- wants to make sure that the university hits sustainability goals, however not at the expense of comfortability.
Diversity and Inclusion
What do the parties think about diversity and inclusion?
- believes in a university with fair admission procedures for degree programmes.
- ensured free menstrual products all over campus and multiple gender-neutral toilets.
- lobbies to make the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Office permanent.
- works on an accessible university, for instance by providing elevators for the visually impaired.
- wants UU to be a safe and pleasant place for all staff members and students.
- supports the initiative to have everyone do their tests anonymously.
- speaks out in favour of a diverse association culture in which everyone can find their place.
- supports small associations and lobbies for more funding.
- values the improvement of diversity of thought and everyone's right to freely express his or her opinions, including divergent ones.
- believes everyone is welcome at the university, but does not believe identity politics and symbolic measures improve diversity and inclusion, and sometimes have the opposite effect.
- speaks out in favour of creating prayer rooms for each religion.
- is looking to provide an inclusive multinational environment.
- wants to analyse and remedy diversity and inclusion hiccups in the system via their forum.
Students' Well-Being
What do the parties believe is important about students' wellbeing?
- makes the facilities for students' well-being visible in the faculties and provides more funding to the Peer Support project.
- lobbies for cheaper meals at all cafeterias and free fruit for students.
- contributed to a symposium on students' well-being for staff members.
- fights for a Code of Conduct and a Confidential Counsellor in every student association.
- fights for all associations to be socially safe.
- has organised dialogue sessions between associations and UU on sexual safety.
- contributes to initiatives on students' well-being, such as ‘Where do you draw the line’ and 'Gelijkspel'.
- devotes itself to more space and more places for students' sports, because sports are healthy to the body and the mind.
- encourages personal responsibility among students, because academic growth goes hand in hand with independence and personal development.
- strives for prevention of psychological complaints by giving more attention to the development of life skills.
- wants a university which encourages altruism and stimulates students to look after each other.
- speaks out in favour of an environment where students with diverging opinions feel they can express these opinions freely.
- wants to improve the little things.
- wants students to submit things that they like or dislike about the university via their forum, so that the party knows what to change and what to conserve.
- is receptive of your feedback.
Student Life
What do the parties support when it comes to student life?
- represents and fights for the interests of student associations.
- lobbies for higher board grants for associations, in collaboration with PvdUS.
- works on a cosy atmosphere on campus by realising a mural.
- organised a week full of events focused on cultural appreciation.
- believes your time as a student is about more than just studying; UU must support active students in their developments.
- has taken a firm stance in favour of higher board grants for students involved in governance, in collaboration with Lijst VUUR.
- believes UU should take more responsibility for housing its students and also speaks out in favour of more student housing on a national level.
- lobbies for a bigger Olympos; each student should be able to do sports in Utrecht.
- believes student life is a celebration of knowledge and friendship. That is why the VSP supports the blossoming of associations as sources of inspiration and personal development.
- supports minimal university interference in student associations, because their autonomy and creativity are essential to their identities and all of student life.
- strives for the improvement of personal development besides studying, for instance by raising board grants and official recognition of students in association boards by Utrecht University.
- wants the quality of coffee on campus to be improved.
- wants heavier, more plentiful meals on campus in order to better sustain a rigorous academic schedule.
Education
What do the parties support when it comes to education?
- believes in education on sustainability which prepares students for the future.
- devotes itself to the retaining of talented lecturers.
- works on better matching in order to guide potential students to the best degree programmes.
- wants to involve more students in the university, for instance as teaching assistants.
- supports flexible education with much freedom of choice for the best time as a student.
- wants UU to provide more help for extra-curricular development.
- has arranged for longer opening hours of the University Library and exclusive access to UU students during exam weeks.
- wants a more lenient resit policy throughout the entire university.
- strives for education that is and stays free from ideologically driven agendas and introduction, and where intellectual freedom and objectivity take centre stage.
- supports an academic environment in which academic excellence is recognised, rewarded and encouraged.
- speaks out in favour of innovation of education and investments in the professional development of lecturers.
- aims to extend the voice of students in the feedback of course criticism via their forum.
Internationalisation
What do the parties think about internationalisation?
- wants international students to be welcome and stay welcome at Utrecht University.
- devotes itself to the accessibility of participation for international students.
- lobbies for a more lenient schedule during the winter break for international students, so they can travel home.
- takes action for affordable and broadly available Dutch-language courses.
- supports the UU plans for a controlled intake of international students.
- is involved in a future-proof plan to guarantee the quality of education.
- believes all present internationals in the Netherlands should continue to feel welcome; this is the responsibility of UU.
- strives for the retaining of the Dutch identity at the university by maintaining Dutch as the main language.
- supports measures to balance the intake of international students with Dutch students' needs, considering the limited access to their degree programmes of choice and housing caused by, among other things, preferential treatment for international students.
- wants to bring the intake of international students in line with capacity. This will improve international students' supervision and experiences.
- wants to conserve what has already been built.