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. Furthermore, it will encourage students to question their own views, and consider those that they perhaps have not yet been exposed to.

De Vrije Student

Disagree

It is crucial that students with visible and invisible disabilities have access to online lectures. This must therefore be facilitated at all times. However, a total transition to online lectures for everyone is undesirable. In many programmes, both students and lecturers benefit from involvement and interaction. The Activist Party therefore proposes decentralization here: program committees - consisting of students and lecturers - must be able to decide for themselves whether general online lectures are appropriate for the necessary education.

INTER

Fully 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. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the way people learn and work worldwide has undergone a drastic reform, and it's imperative that the UvA adapts to this. 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.

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

Fully agree

Students who have the intrinsic motivation to do honours courses should be able to do so. UvAsociaal believes that students should make their own decisions on how to pursue their education as this further improves accessibility at the university.

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)

Sefa Student Party

Disagree

There should be no mandatory attendance for seminars/ tutorials

De Vrije Student

Agree

We are against mandatory attendance at lectures and tutorials. This aligns with our idea of flexible studying. We understand that students have other commitments outside of their studies. Most students have a job or want to gain practical experience through an internship alongside their studies. Additionally, we see that mandatory attendance does not necessarily mean that students actively participate or that their presence improves the quality of the tutorial.

INTER

Disagree

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 and allows more exemptions.

Sefa Student Party

Fully agree

UvASociaal

Fully agree

We believe that students should be able to make their own decisions regarding their education as this would be in line with accessibility and quality of education. Nothing should be mandatory for students and they should have autonomy over their work.

EnCore

Fully agree

It is not the UvA’s job to dictate to students how they should learn the course content. Instead, UvA should strive to have as many options as possible available to students, but should ultimately allow students to choose their own learning process and manage their own time. In addition, we recognize that students may have sleeping disorders, student jobs, or other personal circumstances that may make it difficult to attend lectures at certain times (9 AM classes). These students should not be punished based on these circumstances, especially because they are unrelated to learning outcomes.

020

Agree

While it is important for our students to attend as many seminars and tutorials as possible for them to keep up with the course material and the important topics discussed in class, making it mandatory takes away the possibility of our students to reallocate their study time according to their needs. Furthermore, the current lack of flexibility in regard to absences puts the students' education at risk of delay, under circumstances that are out of their control such as illness or disability.

Activistenpartij UvA

Disagree

The Activist Party is in favor of a decentralized system, in which program committees can decide for themselves whether it is to their advantage to use mandatory attendance, based on the interests of students and teachers. We are therefore not against compulsory attendance in principle, as this can benefit the educational quality and (social) development of students. However, the obligation to attend can also be annoying for lecturers, who - with insecure and 0,7ft contracts - often find little time to go through a bureaucratic and administrative hassle. Furthermore, we believe that the current attendance obligation should be handled more flexibly. For example, students who have to work to make ends meet should be able to join other work groups with greater ease if necessary.

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).

De Vrije Student

Disagree

The main goal of the student council is to represent the interests of all students at the faculty, regardless of their background. An international student can just as well represent the interests of Dutch students and vice versa.

INTER

Fully disagree

We do not believe that a person’s representative capacities are tied to their citizenship, as many students have similar needs and grievances, regardless of their background. Representation of students should be based on the student body’s democratic will and not on their residence status.

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.

EnCore

Fully disagree

The number of different types of students in the council should be based on a democratic vote by the student body, and should not be decided upon by the student council itself.

Sefa Student Party

Fully disagree

UvASociaal

Neutral

Due to the low voter turnout as well as the lack of student engagement in student politics at the UvA, this policy would likely not be very realistic nor democratic.

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully disagree

Nonsense. Good representation of students is based on beliefs and ideology, not on nationality.

Academic freedom is as equally important as social safety.

Sefa Student Party

Neutral

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

020

Fully agree

020 fully supports tackling the issue of overwork and bad working conditions for our lecturers/teachers. Casual UvA is seen as a great initiative started by our teachers and a step towards progress for our teachers and students, since the situation also harms students' wellbeing with grading delays/study delays as a result of overwork for our teachers.

Sefa Student Party

Fully agree

De Vrije Student

Fully agree

Democratization is central to us. Students must therefore always have more influence in thinking about the future of their university.

The UvA should cut ties with fossil fuel companies like Shell

INTER

Agree

UvA should strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible, which essentially includes cutting ties with fossil fuel companies.

Sefa Student Party

Neutral

De Vrije Student

Neutral

Breaking ties with Shell is not the best way to address the issue of environmental damage. The university can instead use its influence to encourage the company to take responsibility and become more sustainable.

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

The Activist Party believes that a company that profits from the destruction of our planet and flouts human rights has no business at our university, not even to 'greenwash' for PR purposes. The Activist Party is therefore working with other organizations in the AAC (Amsterdam Autonomous Coalition) to break the UvA's ties with Shell and other companies in the fossil fuel industry. This fruitful collaboration has led, among other things, to the occupation of the Amsterdamse Academische Club in January 2023. If it is up to the Activist Party, we will extend this line to all large companies that are out for profit. Academic knowledge is not a commodity, but must serve our society.

EnCore

Neutral

EnCore is a student party and not a political party, and therefore does not take stances on purely political issues with little tangible impact on students as well as issues in which there is large disagreement in the student body.

020

Fully agree

Especially as UvA’s own researchers study the horrible effects of fossil fuels, it remains extremely hypocritical to continue working with companies like Shell. Possible and implementable alternatives are available, especially to an institution of UvA’s size.

UvASociaal

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

UvASociaal

Disagree

We stand for accessibility, and merit-based selection goes against this. For students to have the best chance to access education, a lottery-based system is fairest as it gives all candidates an equal chance of being chosen.

EnCore

Agree

Merit-based admission is preferable to random admission, as merit-based admission ensures that the most qualified candidates will be admitted into the UvA. While it may be argued that merit-based admission is unfair because different countries have different grading standards, the UvA already accounts for this by providing different admission standards for students of each country which have been adjusted for the relative difficulty of the education system in that country. Additionally, with random admission, the quality of education would suffer, as it would be impossible for the UvA to standardize the pre-existing knowledge of the students that are admitted. The result of this is that courses would have to be broad enough to teach the students who do not have pre-existing knowledge, meaning that the courses would lose effectiveness for students who are qualified for university. Because the impact of this policy would negatively impact the student body, it is not desirable.

020

Agree

020 favours a merit based system that accounts for the socio-economic background of an individual and weighs up their achievements and situation against potential shortcomings of a system solely focused on academic achievement such as the GPA. We further believe that a simple lottery will not reach this goal. We believe a more nuanced approach is necessary to both motivate students to achieve high marks as well as level the playing field to allow for a greater diversity of students at the UvA, which will lead to better research output and quality of education. A system that recognises both merit and socio-economic inequalities is crucial to increase equality and diversity while making sure students are motivated in their studies and are certain that their hard work will pay off.

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully disagree

A lottery system is preferred. Students who have not performed well or have not been able to perform well in high school, often at the height of puberty, should not be held accountable. Grades from that period are only snapshots that have little to do with students' motivations and skills at university.

Sefa Student Party

Disagree

For a number of reasons, merit-based university admissions are unfair compared to random admissions. It can be challenging to compare kids' academic results from various regions of the world since grading practices might vary greatly between nations. Students who attend schools in nations with stricter grading systems may be unfairly penalized as a result, while students who attend schools in nations with more liberal grading policies may be unfairly favored. Last but not least, admissions based on merit may also be unjust on a social level since different persons may have experienced various difficulties that may have had an impact on their academic achievement.

De Vrije Student

Fully agree

INTER

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.

All food options (including meat) should be available at the university cafeteria

Sefa Student Party

Agree

Motions

INTER

Fully agree

Sefa Student Party

Agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

UvASociaal

Fully agree

EnCore

Agree

020

Fully agree

De Vrije Student

Disagree

Sefa Student Party

Fully agree

De Vrije Student

Agree

EnCore

Fully agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

INTER

Fully agree

UvASociaal

Fully agree

020

Fully agree

UvASociaal

Fully agree

EnCore

Fully agree

INTER

Fully agree

De Vrije Student

Fully agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

020

Fully agree

Sefa Student Party

Fully agree

020

Agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Disagree

UvASociaal

Agree

De Vrije Student

Neutral

INTER

Disagree

Sefa Student Party

Neutral

EnCore

Disagree

020

Fully agree

De Vrije Student

Fully agree

EnCore

Fully agree

UvASociaal

Fully agree

Sefa Student Party

Fully agree

Activistenpartij UvA

Disagree

INTER

Fully agree

INTER

Disagree

020

Disagree

EnCore

Disagree

Activistenpartij UvA

Fully agree

De Vrije Student