UvA Kieswijzer

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

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.

NewDemocratsFEB

Fully disagree

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.

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.

Inter

Fully agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully disagree

Diversity is crucial to a

List Sefa

Agree

We encourage diversification so that UvA activities are accessible to people from all the different backgrounds

The UvA should offer free menstrual products at each campus

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.

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.

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.

Inter

Fully agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Agree

List Sefa

Fully agree

We think this initiative was already started by the CSR, and is already put in place at the VU, and provides students with an essential product which might be needed anytime on an urgent basis. Providing menstrual products would reduce stress for people who need them

NewDemocratsFEB

Agree

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

020

Fully agree

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

NewDemocratsUvA

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. "

NewDemocratsFEB

Fully agree

Inter

Fully agree

List Sefa

Fully agree

The UvA campuses can be more accessible for people with functional disabilities. People have been facing difficulties navigating through the campus due to lack of adequate directions especially for people with visual limitations.

The Free Student

Fully agree

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

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

List Sefa

Neutral

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.

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.

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

Inter

Agree

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.

NewDemocratsFEB

Agree

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

List Sefa

Fully agree

Many times student want to look back at the lectures and some cannot come to campus everyday because of various reasons. Moreover, not everyone is comfortable with large gatherings after the Covid pandemic. Making lectures available online can solve these issues and create more flexibility for students

Inter

Fully agree

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.

NewDemocratsFEB

Fully agree

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. "

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

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

The Free Student

Disagree

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

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.

List Sefa

Neutral

We think grades should be a criteria but should not be the only criteria. It should be a combination of their motivation and grades

NewDemocratsUvA

Agree

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.

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.

NewDemocratsFEB

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)

Inter

Fully agree

NewDemocratsFEB

Agree

List Sefa

Agree

There are few options available for students especially if they are not following the honors program. The procedure of needing permission from examination board should be eased or even removed in certain situations.

NewDemocratsUvA

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.

The Free Student

Neutral

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

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. "

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

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.

List Sefa

Fully agree

The UvA needs a direction as to where it is headed with the internationalization of its university. The number of internationals is growing every year, and with the university still not fully adapting and students having problems with finding housing, it would be better for international students too if university can give these students some more clarity.

Inter

Fully agree

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.

NewDemocratsUvA

Agree

NewDemocratsFEB

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 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.

List Sefa

Fully agree

UvA's efforts to support mental health are not enough as a lot of times services are not accessible or they are fully booked. So there is a need for more investment in these activities to ensure everyone receives adequate mental health support

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.

NewDemocratsFEB

Fully agree

Inter

Fully agree

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully agree

The Binding Study Advice (BSA) should be abolished

NewDemocratsUvA

Fully disagree

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.

List Sefa

Neutral

We advocate for a reduction in the BSA. The abolishment of the Study Advice would decrease the quality of education, while the current number of credits required might pressure some students, especially in connection with other issues that first year students might face.

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.

NewDemocratsFEB

Fully disagree

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.

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)