UvA Kieswijzer

The University must prioritize active diversification, including decolonization, as mentioned in the 2016 Diversity Report

020

Fully agree

020 strives towards more inclusion. Decolonising the course content is an important part of improving education at the University, as it will help remove some of the long-standing biases that exist in many courses. Further, it will encourage students to question their own views, and consider those that they perhaps have not yet been exposed to.

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully disagree

Diversity is crucial to a

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

The diversity report has been there for six years, but still no serious action has been taken on it. This shows how little the UvA actually cares about implementing diversity policies.

Inter

Fully agree

The Free Student

Fully disagree

It doesn't matter what your background is, especially within universities that shouldn't be relevant. The goal within a university is education and research.

Kies ACTA

Agree

The UvA should offer free menstrual products at each campus

Kies ACTA

Agree

020

Fully agree

At 020, we believe that period poverty can largely affect the student body by having a negative impact on their mental and physical wellbeing. In order to prevent that, menstrual products should become more accessible, especially in emergency situations or during financial difficulty.

Inter

Fully agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

Menstrual poverty is really a problem for UvA students, and especially at unexpected times, students should be able to get it accessible and free here.

NewDemocratsUvA

Agree

The Free Student

Disagree

We are not against the idea of making menstrual products available, however, this is not the job of a university. In some cities, for example, low-income women have the opportunity to purchase menstrual products at the expense of the municipality. That is why this is a discussion that must be had at the municipal level.

The UvA should invest more accessibility for students with functional limitations as well as sensitivity towards these students

The Free Student

Fully agree

Students with a disability must be able to follow their studies without any obstacles.

Kies ACTA

Agree

Inter

Fully agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

"It is still too often the case that people with disabilities are unable to fully follow their studies. The UvA must also be accessible to people who are dealing with a disability in the broadest sense of the word. "

020

Fully agree

020 believes that all students should have the same access to education both on- and off-campus.

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

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

Kies ACTA

Agree

020

Agree

Whilst there is a notable difference in size of membership between the various associations at the UvA, we think that equal encouragement and financial support are great incentives to start new study associations. This, evidently, will increase campus life that UvA is lacking and inclusivity.

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

The Free Student

Agree

The university should encourage board members of study associations and provide financial support. Study associations have added value for students. However, if a certain board position requires significantly less time than another board position, a proportionate compensation must be taken into account.

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

Of course, there is a difference of work in running a study association with 50 people and a study association with 1000 people, however, we should be happy that there are active study societies for small studies and not discard them with little money. This promotes social cohesion and gives more extracurricular activities besides your studies.

Inter

Agree

All lectures should be available online, independently of COVID-19 cases or quarantine regulations.

Activistenpartij UvA

Agree

"The study experience is inextricably linked to the campus, but students who cannot physically attend a lecture for whatever reason should have the option of attending it online. By making physical study more attractive (more study spaces, cheaper food and drink, etc.) students will naturally return to campus, this need not be due to lack of another form of education. "

020

Fully agree

We think that COVID-19 should not be the only reason to study from home or online. Lectures should be made available online or as recordings to allow for more flexibility for students with disabilities, jobs, or care duties.

The Free Student

Fully agree

The lectures should always be available online so that students have more freedom in planning their studies.

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

Inter

Fully agree

Kies ACTA

Fully agree

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

Activistenpartij UvA

Agree

Taking extra courses should not be based on performance pressure, but rather on student motivation to want to learn more. There is no need to attach all kinds of obligations and titles to this.

020

Neutral

Although motivation should also be a deciding factor, we believe that there should be a combination of both grades and motivation as a basis for following honours courses.

The Free Student

Disagree

Motivation can also be taken into account, but academic knowledge is the most important requirement.

NewDemocratsUvA

Agree

Inter

Disagree

While we agree that there should be some limit to who can apply based off of their grades - which we believe displays motivation - there should be more flexibility and an ability to appeal to accommodate extraneous circumstances that may have influenced the grades received by students.

Kies ACTA

Agree

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

The Free Student

Neutral

Students should receive specialized education under the scientific method. However, we do recognize the positive contribution that interdisciplinary education entails.

Kies ACTA

Agree

Inter

Fully agree

020

Fully agree

An interdisciplinary perspective will improve the quality of education by exposure to a variety of perspectives and methods. Further, this will enhance students’ overall chances for developing a successful and fruitful career.

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully disagree

"Interdisciplinary education is expensive, does not provide a better education and is mainly a lure for Internationals, who then cannot find a home. It does the UvA no good to have twenty interdisciplinary studies all covering the same subject. "

NewDemocratsUvA

Agree

The university needs to be clearer about its plans regarding internationalization and needs to take the factor of increasing internationalization into account in all its policies

Inter

Fully agree

Kies ACTA

Neutral

NewDemocratsUvA

Agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

The number of international students has exploded in recent years, increasing the shortage of student housing to 21500 in the coming years. The university is non-transparent about this. The UvA must take responsibility and not attract more international students than they can provide affordable housing.

The Free Student

Fully agree

The university must be clear about this. Internationalization has consequences for ALL students, including internationals. For example, enormous pressure on the housing market and deterioration of education. The university must anticipate those consequences.

020

Agree

As long as the university follows a sustainable growth plan, we will accept any student with open arms. We believe in a diverse education experience, however, it must not come at the cost of the Dutch students or the overall quality of education.

The UvA should support the mental health of students through investing in new initiatives and long-term uniform university-wide support

The Free Student

Fully agree

Poor mental health can hinder students in their lives and studies. Students should be able to get help with little effort, without long queues.

Inter

Fully agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

Kies ACTA

Agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

"With worrying figures about the mental health of students, it is more important than ever to invest in this. Not only through short-term initiatives/projects, but also through structural changes to alleviate the pressure on students. "

020

Fully agree

Student mental health should be of utmost priority for the University, meaning students should have appropriate resources readily available to them when in need of mental health aid. The current resources are not sufficient for the University’s growing student body, leaving many students without guidance or support. The University should therefore invest more in its mental health resources and services.

The Binding Study Advice (BSA) should be abolished

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

We need to get rid of performance pressure in higher education. That means no longer hounding students to study nominally, but allowing them to complete their education at their own pace.

The Free Student

Fully disagree

THE BSA is a good way to determine in the first year which students do not fit the program. It harms students more to find this out later in the study.

020

Neutral

020 believes that the BSA is a necessary part to gain the University’s permanence. However, there should also be more flexibility with the Study Advice as different students have different needs and lives which might directly affect their personal Advice.

Inter

Disagree

We believe some measure of progress and achievement is helpful, but advocate for more flexibility to the BSA especially during such times of crises.

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully disagree

Kies ACTA

Agree

The number of international students in a council should be representative of the number of international students within a faculty, or the University (same for Dutch students)

Inter

Fully disagree

The Free Student

Fully disagree

It doesn't matter what your background is, as long as you deliver quality work you are welcome. DVS has always been consistent on this position; In contrast to international parties that argue for representative ratios on the basis of gender and race, but suddenly don't when it comes down to the international status of students.

020

Agree

The student council should always represent both Dutch and international students. It is also true that ideally representation should be based on the number and ratio of students within a faculty. For example, suppose the number of Dutch students of a specific faculty is higher than the international; in that case, the student council should have more seats to be representative of Dutch students.

Kies ACTA

Neutral

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully disagree

It is up to the parties to set up their lists and up to the students to choose on them. This is not in the responsibility of the UvA.

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully disagree

Political diversity (including both left- and right-wing perspectives) should also be included in the diversity approach of the university

The Free Student

Fully agree

No political affiliation should have dominance within the university. That hinders freedom of expression.

Inter

Disagree

We at Inter wholeheartedly support diversity of thought and freedom of opinion alongside ensuring that our diverse body of students feels safe, supported, and respected. We support diversity of thought however we prioritise the social safety of our students, especially minority students, that may be targeted by certain beliefs.

020

Agree

Part of expanding diversity and inclusion at the University also means the diversification of political perspectives in course content. This would reduce the so-called 'left bias' of the University and encourage students to question their own views, and consider those that they perhaps have not yet been exposed to. This results in a more well-rounded, knowledgeable student body but should not come at the expense of anyone’s mental (or physical) wellbeing.

Kies ACTA

Neutral

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully disagree

Activistenpartij UvA

Disagree

Freedom of speech is an important commodity, and it must be protected. However, by including political diversity in the diversity approach, the university would be lumping together two things that are fundamentally different. There is a big difference between negative consequences based on one's political beliefs and discrimination based on being part of a minority group.

The University should provide its students more aid with housing

020

Fully agree

One of the most central working pillars at 020 is accessible housing for students in Amsterdam. We strongly believe that the University should provide better, and more effective, methods and opportunities for students to find easily accessible housing in a city where finding a single room to live in is becoming ever-so difficult and expensive.

The Free Student

Fully agree

Normally, the university would not have to provide extra help with housing. However, if the university does not take the consequences of internationalization into account, the university must also bear the risks for all students.

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

"Every international student who comes to study at the UvA is entitled to a room. We do not accept that students are dumped in hostels and bungalow parks. If the UvA cannot cope with the growth in international students, something needs to be done about it, instead of students bearing the brunt of weak policies. "

Inter

Fully agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

Kies ACTA

Fully agree

Student psychologists should be available at each campus

Kies ACTA

Agree

The Free Student

Fully agree

Poor mental health can hinder students in their lives and studies. Students should be able to get help with little effort, without long queues.

020

Fully agree

At 020 we believe that student psychologists should be available on each campus to guarantee their accessibility to students of different studies. Furthermore, the number of mental wellbeing staff should be proportional to the size of the student body in each campus.

Inter

Fully agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

You need to give students, especially in times of great mental stress, the opportunity to receive help in a familiar space. Making student psychologists available on every campus is therefore a good idea. However, student psychologists cannot help everything.

The examination of curricula goes hand in hand with decolonization and should be prioritized within the diversity approach of the UvA

020

Fully agree

In order to improve the course curricula, it is crucial to pay close attention to the material used within it. Decolonising the course content is an important part of improving education at the University, as it will help remove some of the long-standing biases that exist in many courses.

NewDemocratsUvA

Disagree

The Free Student

Fully disagree

We will not hinder scientific research on the basis of diversity approaches.

Inter

Fully agree

Kies ACTA

Neutral

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

The UvA must offer a representative and quality curriculum. Many courses still follow an outdated canon, based on colonial power relations. Therefore, there must be investment in curriculum scans, in which teaching materials are critically examined.

First-year students should be able to pay per study point at the UvA (flexible studying)

Inter

Agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Disagree

Activistenpartij UvA

Agree

This would be a great idea, provided it does not result in increased costs for students. It should not be a reason to implement a disguised increase in tuition.

Kies ACTA

Neutral

The Free Student

Fully agree

Thanks to flexstudying, students do not have to pay the full year tuition fee when they only plan on following a few courses. However, for first-year students a minimum number of credits must be required for the BSA. Important by the way: thanks to us flexible learning is possible at some faculties ;)

020

Agree

We believe flexible studying would help to accommodate to students who require a more flexible program alongside jobs, internships, or care responsibilities, and so forth. Utilising more flexible planning offers more opportunities to students who otherwise may not be able to start, continue, or finish their university degrees.

The Numerus Fixus (a limitation in the number of students admitted) may only be implemented when there is a capacity limitation

The Free Student

Agree

Setting a Numerus Fixus to select students when there isn't a capacity limitation is not desirable. Although we understand that certain programs would like to raise the bar for admissions in order to select only motivated students, we believe that the BSA already takes care of this.

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

"Not admitting students is an extreme measure that severely limits student choice. Therefore, such a choice should only be taken when there are insufficient teaching spots available or when there is insufficient capacity to accommodate students. "

Kies ACTA

Neutral

020

Fully agree

In the absence of a capacity constraint, there is no reason to exclude prospective students from the university. This is even more buttressed by the fact that, without careful construction, numerus fixus can be discriminatory to those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

Inter

Agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

Programs can decide for themselves whether teaching in English will improve the quality of education

NewDemocratsUvA

Disagree

Kies ACTA

Neutral

020

Neutral

We think that limiting any program to students who can only follow it in Dutch harms the accessibility to, and inclusivity of, the University. It would benefit all students if the program had both a Dutch and English track but, due to practical reasons, we understand why courses themselves have to have a say in this.

Inter

Fully agree

We advocate for a bottom-up approach wherein faculties can decide how best to implement English-language teaching, if they wish to, while preserving or bettering the level of quality of education.

Activistenpartij UvA

Agree

"Ideally, degree programs themselves should have as much as possible to decide on their own study content. Decentralization is a high priority in our movement. It should also be possible to make these choices in the language of instruction. This is subject to all kinds of checks from higher levels to see whether there are any external social consequences. "

The Free Student

Neutral

Programs must decide in consultation with the program directors whether English benefits the quality of education. Care must be taken, however, that programs do not unnecessarily switch to English education.

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

Kies ACTA

Agree

020

Fully agree

020 believes greatly in mental health both for the students and equally as much for the staff. Overworking the people most responsible for our education whilst simultaneously not providing permanent contracts is an issue that 020 believes needs swift addressing.

Inter

Fully agree

The Free Student

Disagree

If there is systematic overload or poor working conditions, these problems must be solved. However, forcing the university to offer permanent labour contracts does not solve this problem. Rather, more budget should be allocated to, for example, assistants or smaller work groups to reduce the pressure on our teachers.

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

"Far too many lecturers at the UvA are now given temporary contracts. This is incredibly bad for the experience of lecturers: they have to prove themselves harder in order to get an extension, and when the period is over they are forced to try to pick up their work in another place. This is also an incredible waste for the UvA, which is therefore unable to retain enormous talent. "

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

The UvA should make long term plans for study spaces and teaching facilities according to the expected growth in student population

020

Fully agree

As the primary bearers of the “overpopulation” problem within the university, 020 wants see and create plausible change and adaptations to the University, in a way that the “future” of the institution will be properly planned for, greeting all the people that will have what it takes to be a UvA student.

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

"Without a long-term vision, there can be no timely response to the growth of the student population. In the past, the UvA has often been very conservative in estimating growth, which has led to a lack of facilities. It is therefore important that the UvA monitors growth accurately and acts accordingly. "

Kies ACTA

Agree

Inter

Fully agree

The Free Student

Fully agree

The facilities must be able to cope with the number of students at the university. However, we don't have an infinite amount of space. There must be plans that can actually be realized.

Motions

020

Fully agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully disagree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

Inter

Fully agree

The Free Student

Fully disagree

Kies ACTA

Agree

Kies ACTA

Agree

020

Fully agree

Inter

Fully agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Agree

The Free Student

Disagree

The Free Student

Fully agree

Kies ACTA

Agree

Inter

Fully agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

020

Fully agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

Kies ACTA

Agree

020

Agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

The Free Student

Agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

Inter

Agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Agree

020

Fully agree

The Free Student

Fully agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

Inter

Fully agree

Kies ACTA

Fully agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Agree

020

Neutral

The Free Student

Disagree

NewDemocratsUvA

Agree

Inter

Disagree

Kies ACTA

Agree

The Free Student

Neutral

Kies ACTA

Agree

Inter

Fully agree

020