INTER
Founded in 2017, INTER stands as a student political party in the University of Amsterdam driven by five core values: Transparency and Democracy; Sustainability and the Environment; Diversity and Inclusivity; Quality of Education; and Mental Health and Student Welfare. We believe each of these vastly enriches student life on and off campus, and provide us with a framework to set our yearly targets.
Our objectives this year centered on improving transparency and democracy as it is the foundational block from which our other values could stem. This year, INTER proudly launched INTERTimes, a newspaper dedicated to bridging the gap between student politics and the wider student community.
At INTER, we are committed to the international spirit of the UvA and want to foster an environment that appeals to both Dutch and International students. For that we believe it is necessary to improve how the UvA communicates, which resources it provides to its students, and to diversify our curricula to not only reflect the world of yesterday and today, but to also prepare us for the world of tomorrow.
Click on any motion below to see the parties explination
Having a physical accessibility university that provides equitable education for it’s students is a priority for the University
Fully agree
The UvA should invest in more accessibility for students with functional limitations as well as sensitivity towards these students
Fully agree
There is an urgent need to improve the accessibility of this university, and the way it treats students with special needs. One of the main goals of INTER is to help make this a reality through our own advocacy and our council member initiatives.
It is the government’s responsibility to provide mental health support for students. Therefore, the university should not spend extra resources on this
Fully disagree
While we agree that mental health support should be on the government’s agenda, it absolutely does not absolve the university of responsibility for their students and their well-being. Students spend the majority of their time at the university or with university-connected activities, many live here purely for their studies. The university should not only care for their students well-being, but is in our eyes directly responsible for providing support to any student who needs it and should therefore allocate resources to providing students in need with mental health support.
Students wishing to take honours courses should be able to do so based on their motivation, regardless of their grades
Disagree
The Dutch grading system is not without its own critiques. Nevertheless, grades do showcase the extent to which a student is able to handle their university workload. If one's grades are low, this might be indicative that an additional honours course would not be suitable. That being said, one's motivation should definitely still account for a large portion of the admissions process and be taken seriously.
The university should be allowed to limit the number of international students
Disagree
We understand that there have been tensions among international and Dutch students, and growing resentment on both sides. However, INTER does not believe that the amount of international students is the issue, but rather the disconnect and division among the student body. Instead of curbing the amount of international students, measures of integration, like accessible dutch classes, would be more fruitful.
The UvA should involve students in long term plans for study spaces and teaching facilities according to the expected changes in student population
Fully agree
We believe that students should be involved and have a direct say in all major decisions concerning student life, this is necessary for a more democratic university. Students should be especially involved in the decisions concerning study spaces and teaching facilities as our experiences as students should be considered as valuable knowledge and be treated as such.
The Numerus Fixus should be used to stopthe growth of the university
Disagree
We are aware of the UvA’s extensive growth in student numbers and agree that action needs to be taken to counteract that. But we want to emphasize that selection should not be purely merit-based in regards to students’ high school performance, but should account for students’ experiences and motivation. A Numerus Fixus and curbing student influx cannot come at the expense of underprivileged students who might be disadvantaged by certain policies.
Student councils should support occupations as a legitimate means of protest at the university
Neutral
Student councils should have the option to support it, but it should be up to their discretion. It is not for the student councils to encourage such activities, as the main goal of the representatives of the student body is to engage in dialogue with the university to achieve their goals and protect their interests.
The university lacks sufficient readily accessible gender-neutral toilets
Agree
Gender neutral toilets should be available to those who prefer to use them. That does not mean that all toilets need to be gender neutral, it just means that there should be enough of them available across campuses.
Academic freedom is the most important value to uphold for a university
Agree
The UvA should offer free menstrual products at each campus
Fully agree
Menstruation products are a biological necessity, and should be widely accessible to all those who menstruate. INTER fully supports this initiative, and believes it helps greatly to support students on campus.
All lectures should be available online for everyone
Agree
Lectures should be made available online to accommodate students with multiple commitments outside of university and also in support of those with special needs and circumstances. Additionally, making lectures available as recordings rather than live streams would ensure that lecture attendance remains high, but those who need an online format are still accommodated for.
Moreover, online lectures allow students a greater degree of flexibility when it comes to note-taking, allowing them to pause the lecture, simmer the information, and reflect in their notes.
Moreover, online lectures allow students a greater degree of flexibility when it comes to note-taking, allowing them to pause the lecture, simmer the information, and reflect in their notes.
There should be mandatory attendance for tutorials
Neutral
We do think it is important for students to attend tutorials and engage in discussions with each other about the subjects they are studying. However, similarly as with the BSA, current exemption regulations for the attendance are too inflexible and inconsiderate of students’ physical and mental health, as well as their financial means as many need to work or travel far. We advocate for a more flexible, student-focused attendance policy that is adapted to students’ needs.
As a way to curb the growth of the university, Dutch language courses should be a mandatory part of all programs
Disagree
INTER agrees with more accessible and free Dutch courses. However, we strongly disagree with making them mandatory. We also take issue with the way this statement is formulated, and believe that the responsibility for curbing university growth should be placed on the institution itself and the Dutch government, rather than serve as a burden for students.
The university should stop the prioritisation of students from outside the EU in regard to the university provided student housing
Fully disagree
While we understand why such prioritization may feel discriminatory to Dutch and EU students, we cannot ignore the fact that the university admits students who then travel around the world for UvA education while the housing market in Amsterdam is even more difficult for them to access, with a housing shortage combined with the fact that many landlords demand in-person meetings and Dutch or at least EU passports. We support the UvA in informing international students more about these issues to prevent them from facing housing problems after their student housing ends. Additionally, the UvA should analyze its role in combating the housing shortage for all students and actively contribute to this effort.
The UvA should address problems such as systemic overwork and bad working conditions among its teachers by giving out more permanent contracts
Fully agree
We agree that the uncertainty caused by temporary contracts is detrimental to teachers' sense of security and their motivation. More permanent contracts is something the teachers themselves demanded, and we encourage a dialogue between the relevant parties. The UvA staff and teachers are the bedrock of our institution and only by ensuring fairness to them can our quality of education improve beyond measure.
All food options should be plant based by default
Agree
Eating meat puts a heavy burden on the planet, and is more polluting than vegetarian food options. Therefore, the canteen should be plant based by default, meaning that there are mostly vegan and vegetarian dishes, with some meat and dairy options still being available. Students with soy allergies or vegetable allergies must be acknowledged, and they would be very disadvantaged with a fully vegan or vegetarian canteen, therefore some meat options should remain available in the cafeteria. The animal products offered should be ethically sourced and there should be halal and kosher options.
The executive board of the university should be elected through an open election by the students and worker’s body
Fully agree
Electing the executive board would increase transparency and promote democratic practices at the university. It would also provide us, students, with the opportunity to choose the people who make important decisions which affect our academic careers as well as make changes to the university we study at.
Student & Workers Councils should have the final say in policy decisions
Agree
The UvA should give more training to the teaching assistants
Fully agree
All board members of study associations should receive equal financial support from the University
Disagree
INTER believes that all study associations deserve compensation for their efforts. However, equal funding would disregard differences in reach, scale of initiatives and size of varying study associations. If some study associations have a larger following and organise events on a larger scale than others, it makes more sense to suggest that they receive more funding in order to make these efforts a reality.
The University must prioritise active diversity policies, including decolonization
Fully agree
INTER considers that it is one of the main responsibilities of the UvA to acknowledge their colonial history and make an active effort to do better. Given our existing focus on international students, we highly support the initiatives for a more diverse student and staff composition.
More investment is needed in interdisciplinary education (providing students with more than just one perspective on a particular subject, such as is done in honours, PPLE or IIS programs)
Agree
Interdisciplinary is a valuable asset in today's increasingly complex world. More interdisciplinary education, therefore, would generally serve to benefit the UvA student body. That being said, there remains a need for specialised education within certain fields. This should not be overlooked, and deserves its fair share of investment.
The Binding Study Advice (BSA) should be abolished
Disagree
At INTER we think that the current BSA is too high and that the regulations surrounding it are too inflexible to allow students freedom in their study and personal development. We believe the BSA needs to be lowered and the regulations deciding about exemptions and providing support need to become more flexible and personalisable. However, completely abolishing the BSA is not the answer as it would either further drive UvA’s growth into unsustainable heights or necessitate stricter admission criteria, which would defeat the UvA’s value of giving students fair chances.
Programs should have the sole responsibility in deciding whether they teach in Dutch or in English
Disagree
The decision should be made in a democratic manner, with all relevant stakeholders involved. The interests of Dutch and international students alike should be taken into consideration.
Calling the police is an appropriate response by the university to deal with student protests and demonstrations
Disagree
Student protests are an important tool for students to express their discontent with important political issues. If students peacefully exercise their democratic rights to freedom of assembly and expression, the police should not be called on them. Especially in light of past protests in which police has engaged in disproportionate violence, calling the police should not be the first line of action. Of course, if a situation escalates, calling the police might be the last resort.
The UvA should cut ties with fossil fuel companies like Shell
Agree
UvA should strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible, which essentially includes cutting ties with fossil fuel companies.
The canteen should be deprivatized
Fully agree
The canteen offers meals at disproportionally high prices, which is a direct result of its privatized organization structure. In order to ensure affordable meals for all, the canteen should be deprivatized.
Admission to programs with a limited student capacity should be based on selection procedure rather than random selection through a lottery system
Agree
Merit should not only be the only criterion, as it can disadvantage already underprivileged students who do not have access to well-funded educational opportunities. Nevertheless, random lottery selection does not consider merit, motivation, or possible disadvantages the student might have faced up until that point. Therefore, we agree that merit rather than a lottery system should be used, but not as the only criterion.