LIEF

LIEF is a student party that is only active on Science Park. Our goal is to represent the interests of all science students within the university. LIEF is here for every student.

– Interdisciplinarity

For us, studying is more than just following your curriculum. The university should, according to LIEF, be a place where personal development takes center stage. We believe that every student should be able to shape their development themselves, and that policies should offer as much space for this as possible.

– Accessibility

LIEF believes it is important that the faculty is accessible to everyone in the broadest sense of the word. Everyone should feel welcome at our faculty and be able to study here.

– Transparency

At LIEF, quality of education comes first. We strive to make it as clear as possible for everyone to know what their rights are. This way, misunderstandings between teachers about responsibilities can be avoided. To achieve this, we want students to be well informed about their rights in the TER and RRVE, or at least know where to find them.

Additionally, LIEF is putting extra effort this year into education quality, student well-being, and student services!

Click on any motion below to see the parties explination

The executive board of the university should be elected through an open election by the students and worker’s body

Neutral

LIEF notes that there are both advantages and disadvantages to this process. It is certainly possible, as it does work at other universities (such as Glasgow). However, LIEF also recognizes that voter turnout is currently low, which could hinder the process.

The university lacks sufficient readily accessible gender-neutral toilets.

Agree

We can expect more from an inclusive university. Students should feel comfortable on campus. Having enough accessible gender-neutral toilets has a significant impact on this. Moreover, the ratio between gender-neutral toilets and men's/women's toilets is disproportionate, and this should change.

All lectures should be available online for everyone

Fully agree

LIEF believes that all lectures should be available online, but unfortunately, current legislation (related to privacy) does not allow this. Until this law potentially changes, LIEF believes that all students who are unable to attend lectures in person due to personal reasons should be able to follow the lectures online. This is currently not always possible, and that needs to change!

More investment is needed in interdisciplinary education (providing students with more than just one perspective on a particular subject, such as honours, PPLE or IIS programs)

Agree

Promoting interdisciplinary education has been a core value of LIEF for years. The expansion of interdisciplinary education exposes students to many different aspects of research and society. That’s why more courses should be introduced that address new and interesting topics.

The UvA should place greater emphasis on protecting and promoting academic freedom

Agree

At LIEF, we believe academic freedom is extremely important. It is a strength of the Netherlands that we have such an open-minded society, and it is not up to the general public to decide what may or may not be researched. Even the things we, as a society, disagree with can be valuable if we understand why certain things are dangerous or harmful.

The Binding Study Advice (BSA) should be abolished

Neutral

LIEF is not happy with the current form of the BSA, but believes that the BSA should remain in place. We agree that expectations should be set for first-year students. What we find less favorable is that students are required to unenroll before February 1st in order to try the program again the following year. These students should be given extra support earlier on. Often, these students are also still eligible for BSA exemption due to personal reasons. LIEF believes this needs to be improved. This is also the only aspect that can be improved without changing the law.

The UvA should take a firm stance against the government’s cuts in higher education

Fully agree

LIEF recognizes that the current budget cuts are causing long-term damage to the university. Therefore, LIEF believes that the UvA must take a strong stance against the budget cuts.

The Numerus Fixus (a limitation in the number of students admitted) should be used to stop the growth of the university

Disagree

LIEF does not believe that Science Park is growing too rapidly. We do not see this in the number of students, the capacity of the university and research institutes, or the budget of UvA FNWI (Science Park). Halting the university’s growth would mean less funding, and currently, UvA FNWI is not accounting for this in its budget. According to LIEF, Numerus Fixus should only be used where it is legally required—nowhere else.

Calling the police should be an appropriate response to deal with student protests and demonstrations at the university

Neutral

LIEF believes that the police can only be used to manage protests and demonstrations when a clear line has been crossed during these protests. What this line is, is difficult for LIEF to determine and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Generally, for LIEF, this line is violence, intimidation, or vandalism. Only then do we support the involvement of the police in protests and demonstrations. Furthermore, the dean/Executive Board (CvB) must take into account the rich history of disproportionate violence the police have used against (UvA) students.

Peaceful occupations should be considered as a legitimate means of protest at the university

Agree

LIEF believes that peaceful occupations, where no destruction or threats take place, should be allowed. The occupations of several universities in 1969 led to student representation within universities. Therefore, LIEF believes that peaceful occupations must be able to continue, so that students can represent themselves.

The UvA should cut ties with Israeli institutions

Agree

Israeli universities are indirectly part of the genocide in Gaza, and schools in Gaza have also been bombed. Additionally, the UvA has severed its ties with Russian institutions, so LIEF believes that this should also be possible with Israeli institutions.

The UvA should involve students in long term plans for study spaces and teaching facilities according to the expected changes in student population

Agree

LIEF supports student representation like this, because ultimately, it is a place for students, funded by their tuition fees.

All food options should be plant based by default

Neutral

LIEF supports sustainability and recognizes that non-plant-based food options are significantly less sustainable than the alternative. However, LIEF stands for the students and sees that there is a demand for non-plant-based options. To find a middle ground, LIEF wants to reduce this demand by always offering cheaper plant-based food options that have equal or even greater nutritional value than the non-plant-based alternatives.

Student & Workers Councils should have the final say in policy decisions

Neutral

LIEF believes that student and staff councils should be able to influence policy decisions, ensuring that the voices of students and university staff are heard. With this, LIEF does not intend for these councils to have the final say, but rather for the FSR (Faculty Student Council) to be able to monitor policy decisions and have an influence on them.

The UvA should offer free menstrual products at each campus

Fully agree

LIEF sees this as a simple and low-cost way to help students feel more comfortable on and around campus. We also want to make these products available in gender-neutral and accessible bathrooms. LIEF members – and other FSR members – have handed out menstrual products in the past (and still do during actions or when requested), but access to these products should be much easier for everyone!

Furthermore, we wonder: why are things like toilet paper and soap free, but menstrual products – which are just as essential – are not?

It is the government’s responsibility to provide mental health support for students. Therefore, the university should not spend extra resources on this

Disagree

Both the government and the university have a role to play in this. It could be communicated more clearly with the UvA that the waiting lists for specialized help are too long, and that the UvA should be able to support students in the meantime. Student deans and psychologists should offer a listening ear and support to students. This can range from listening, assisting with referrals, providing additional exam accommodations, and/or help with the profiling fund. Before a student can receive specialized help, interim support must be available. University psychologists are often not specialized in complex (mental) health issues and should therefore focus more on supporting students and helping them find appropriate help, rather than referring them to a general practitioner.
Furthermore, if you, as a student, are struggling with mental health issues and the UvA psychologists are taking too long for an appointment, check out the initiative by UvA students, All Ears.

Students wishing to take honours courses should be able to do so based on their motivation, regardless of their grades

Agree

The honourstrack offers students the opportunity to expand their studies. By offering honours courses to more students, the honourstrack itself can also be promoted. As LIEF, we believe it is important that as many students as possible can take these courses in order to broaden their academic opportunities. We believe this can be achieved by selecting students based on their motivation rather than their grades. LIEF sees the use of grades only as a last resort.

All board members of study associations should receive equal financial support from the University

Disagree

LIEF believes that the board grant for study associations should be based on the workload of the board members. Currently, this is done using a formula that takes into account the number of members. LIEF believes this system can be improved, as some study associations are unable to receive their full board grant due to UvA regulations (a maximum of 24 months of grant per person). This is therefore a disproportionate arrangement that needs to be improved.

The UvA Leadership should strongly oppose governments’ policy plans to reduce the number of international students

Agree

LIEF recognizes that limiting international students harms the academic community. The leadership of the UvA must oppose this.

Current UvA House Rules should be amended to ensure that students can fully express themselves politically, culturally and socially

Agree

As a party that stands for inclusivity, we believe it is essential that every student feels welcomed and heard at the university. Studying is about more than just attending courses. The university should be a place where there is room to express yourself in a safe environment, to ensure we have a diverse and accessible campus. LIEF does believe that political expression should remain peaceful.

The university should stop the prioritisation of students from outside the EU in regard to the university provided student housing.

Neutral

It is often more difficult for international students to find housing in the Netherlands. In addition, they cannot live with their parents and therefore need to secure housing within the country. LIEF does recognizes that this issue is part of a larger problem: the housing crisis in the Netherlands.

The UvA should give more training to the teaching assistants

Fully agree

LIEF wants to maintain high educational quality. We notice that teaching assistants are eager to teach, but often lack the necessary skills. Additionally, communication about the current training offerings is limited. By improving this, we can enhance the experience for both teaching assistants and students.

The UvA should cut ties with fossil fuel companies like Shell

Agree

LIEF is strongly committed to sustainability. Shell constantly postpones its promising commitments in order to make slightly more profit each year at the expense of our future. Collaborating with such a company as a university is unethical and not welcome at Science Park. Beyond sustainability, it is also unethical to cooperate with any company involved in political assassinations, corruption, or coups.

The canteen should be deprivatized.

Fully agree

LIEF believes that the current cafeteria is too expensive. With the way the system currently works, we also see that much of the taxpayer money going to the university ends up flowing into the profits of a company. LIEF sees no way to solve this issue without making the cafeteria non-profit, as is done in many other countries (such as Germany, Scotland, etc.).

Admission to programs with a limited student capacity should be based on selection procedure rather than random selection through a lottery system

Fully agree

Admission to study programs should happen in the fairest way possible. For this, it is important that students are able to prepare for the selection procedures, such as motivation letters or entrance exams, rather than being selected randomly. Therefore, capacity should be determined based on selection. Additionally, LIEF believes that someone who puts in a lot of effort or is very passionate about the program should not have the same chances as someone who listed it as their second choice. An entrance or selection exam could also serve as a good indicator of the program, giving students the opportunity to better orient themselves before definitively choosing the study.

The University must prioritise active diversity policies and include decolonial perspectives in the curriculum

Agree

The UvA FNWI is one of the least diverse beta-faculties in the Netherlands. This is not acceptable and needs to be improved, according to LIEF. Decolonisation is part of the solution, but LIEF wants to emphasise underlying prejudice, also called racism and discrimination, at the university, especially in job interviews and social life on campus. There is a reason there are so few female professors at Science Park. And because UvA is a fairly international university, it is important that students have a decolonised view of the world and their information. That should be solved with the diversity policy!

The UvA should invest in more accessibility for students with functional limitations, such as guiding lines for people with visual impairment, as well as sensitivity towards these students

Fully agree

LIEF believes that Science Park is shockingly inaccessible. LIEF members are already working to improve this by advocating for the implementation of blind-friendly infrastructure (such as guiding lines) at Science Park, making text-to-speech technology available through the UvA for students who need it, ensuring that building entrances are accessible for people using wheelchairs or crutches, and removing the unsympathetic article A-6.5.4 from OER-A, as it is "not so LIEF".

As a way to curb the growth of the university, Dutch language courses should be a mandatory part of all programs

Disagree

At Science Park, it is expected that all Bachelor students are proficient in speaking and reading both Dutch and English. This is not the case for Master's programs, and LIEF agrees with this. Master's programs are conducted in English because the fields of study at Science Park expect research to be conducted in English. Furthermore, LIEF does not see any capacity issues with Master's programs at Science Park. Therefore, this regulation is unnecessary.

The university should be allowed to limit the number of international students.

Neutral

LIEF takes a neutral stance on this, as the FSR does not have full control over this matter. Additionally, the university also benefits from international students since they are part of the research community. LIEF also recognizes that Science Park is not currently at full capacity, so there is no need to limit international students.

There should be mandatory attendance for seminars/tutorials

Disagree

LIEF believes that first-year seminar classes should not be mandatory, with two absences meaning that you are not allowed to take a resit for that course. Furthermore, we believe that only classes with added value should be mandatory. In other words, classes where the only added value is the opportunity to ask questions to the TA should not be mandatory. This also applies when it comes to programming assignments.

The UvA should strive to incorporate a broader range of ideological perspectives into its curricula.

Neutral

LIEF agrees that everyone should be able to express their opinion, but it should remain within academic purposes and can not cause harm.

Programs should have the sole responsibility in deciding whether they teach in Dutch or in English

Agree

LIEF notes that some courses are taught with lower quality when given in English, and therefore believes that programs should be able to decide for themselves in order to safeguard the quality of education.

The UvA should comply with the ethical assessments made by its independent committee on third-party collaborations, including cutting the ties with institutions found to be complicit in human rights violations

Agree

LIEF believes that the UvA should be transparent about its partnerships and what is involved in them. An independent committee to review and evaluate these collaborations is necessary.

The UvA should address problems such as systemic overwork and bad working conditions among its teachers by giving out more permanent contracts.

Agree

UvA offers very few permanent contracts. This causes unnecessary stress for employees and has a negative effect on the quality of education. A symptom of UvA’s reluctance to offer permanent contracts is that, after a few years, well-qualified and passionate employees are forced to leave. In recent years, this has led to people ending up in positions for which they were not qualified — for example, a third-year Bachelor's student becoming a supervisor TA for AI courses.