020
Name: 020
Website: 0-2-0.nl
Instagram: 020.nl
TikTok: 020.nl
LinkedIn: 020
Email: 020id@0-2-0.nl
Within three years, 020 has established themselves as the party that fruitfully acts both within the Student Councils and also outside of them. You can think of our Project Major event and booklet series that helped hundreds of students decide which academic and professional field to pursue. But also of the policies––such as blind grading, mid-course evaluation, accessible menstrual products, tutoring, and oat milk in your coffee, among many others––that our representatives have passed in the Councils.
Partij 020’s success is thanks to our diverse base of members who work towards empowering students through progressive, pragmatic and transparent methods. 020 has pioneered its approach to student politics, having a research team for our policies, publishing booklets, and organising events. With KVK non-profit status, and official UvA recognition, 020 seeks to revolutionise student politics. This means that every vote cast for an 020 candidate is a vote for our whole organisation to keep growing and enacting the change we need.
Click on any motion below to see the parties explination
All lectures should be available online, independently of COVID-19 cases or quarantine regulations
Fully agree
020 believes 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, chronic illnesses, jobs, or care duties.
Admission to programs with a limited student capacity should be based on merit rather than random selection through a lottery system
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.
The Binding Study Advice (BSA) should be abolished
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.
The Numerus Fixus (a limitation in the number of students admitted) should be used to stop the growth of the university
Neutral
020 believes that in the absence of a capacity constraint, there is no reason to exclude prospective students from the university, as without careful construction, numerus fixus can be discriminatory to those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. That being said, in studies where there is a clear capacity limitation, implementing a numerus fixus can be a successful method to curb even more growth.
The UvA should invest in more accessibility for students with functional limitations as well as sensitivity towards these students
Fully agree
020 believes that all students should have the same level of access to education resulting in equality in quality of education for all of our students, both on- and off-campus.
The executive board of the university should be elected through an open election by the students and worker’s body
Disagree
While having the students and worker’s body elect the executive board through an open election would allow for more transparency and democracy in the management of the University, 020 believes that this situation should not be politicised, and that the executive board must be made up of qualified members and those should be chosen by experts, as the student body would not have enough information to choose and vote on the executive board.
As a way to curb the growth of the university, Dutch language courses should be a mandatory part of all programs
Disagree
While 020 agrees that, due to the current UvA capacity limits, growth of the university should be curbed, we do not agree that making students take mandatory Dutch language courses is the best method to do so. Forcing students to take extra courses can potentially interfere with one’s main studies, as well as take a toll on student mental health and free time.
Academic freedom is as equally important as social safety.
Disagree
Although 020 wants the university to encourage students to explore different perspectives in academia, and believe it is crucial for students to have the freedom to express their views and opinions throughout their studies, we do not think that this should in any way put student social safety at a risk. A student’s safety should never be questioned, especially when academic freedom leads to offensive and provocative behaviour.
The UvA should involve students in long term plans for study spaces and teaching facilities according to the expected growth in student population
Neutral
The University should listen to student complaints about spaces and facilities through the council. However we also believe that the long term plans of facilities need to be left to urban planning experts at the university.
The University must prioritise active diversity policies, including decolonization, as mentioned in the 2016 Diversity Report
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.
Students wishing to take honours courses should be able to do so based on their motivation, regardless of their grades
Disagree
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. Having a slightly flexible minimum grade for entry into the honours programme would allow for the university to keep up the quality of education, whilst also allowing for motivated students to participate in the program.
All food options (including meat) should be available at the university cafeteria
Agree
Although we encourage sustainable options, meaning more vegan/vegetarian food in general, the food options should still be diverse and available to cater most dietary needs and restrictions. In addition to this, we encourage the idea to make vegetarian and vegan food options more affordable through extending the vegan food subsidy.
There should be no mandatory attendance for seminars/ tutorials
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.
Programs should have the sole responsibility in deciding whether they teach in Dutch or in English
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.
All board members of study associations should receive equal financial support from the University
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, as well as inclusivity.
Student councils should support occupations as a legitimate means of protest at the university
Disagree
The student council should take an objective approach towards occupation and protests at the university, by assessing the motivation behind the occupation as well as its nature, before revealing a stance on any student protest.
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
Student mental health should not be considered the responsibility of the government. Instead, our students should have appropriate resources readily made available to them by the University 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 university should stop the prioritisation of students from outside the EU in regard to university provided student housing.
Disagree
With efforts to diversify the student body, the University should not stop prioritising non-EU students in regards to housing. In the current housing crisis, the international students have even more barriers to finding accommodation, which leaves them with less options and more risks, as there is more uncertainty around them being able to remain in the Netherlands and they require a residency permit.
The UvA should cut ties with fossil fuel companies like Shell
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.
The UvA should offer free menstrual products at each campus
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. 020 has shown a strong commitment to addressing menstrual poverty, starting the initiative to provide access to free menstrual products at the UvA in 2021, with our CSR representatives playing an integral role in establishing the pilot project.
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)
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 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).
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.
The UvA should address problems such as systemic overwork and bad working conditions among its teachers by giving out more permanent contracts.
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.