EnCore

Study spaces, classrooms, and other facilities are predominantly for student use, and should thus consider student preferences in their long-term planning. While student growth may create certain difficulties including limited availability of facilities, EnCore believes that as long as students are part of the decision-making body concerning these issues, the resulting decisions will be optimal for the overall convenience of students.

Diversity is one of UvA’s greatest strengths, so the UvA should continue to take necessary actions to improve diversity and inclusivity on and around campus.

EnCorre supports a solution in which both grades and a motivation letter would be considered, as they complement each other and give a more holistic image of each honors applicant. However, Encore does not support a solution in which grades are not considered. The admission into the honors course is already partially based on motivation, as motivation is tangibly reflected in student grades. As there are currently limited spots available for honors courses, it is not reasonable to accept students solely based on their motivation and potentially exclude students who worked hard for a spot in the honors course. Additionally, the solution of admitting students based on a motivation letter is not realistic, as the contents of motivation letters can be quite arbitrary and hard to validate, as well as because it would be difficult to set a fair standard for evaluating motivation letters.

Students should be able to choose what they eat, so all food options should be available in the cafeteria (with the exception of low-quality meat).

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.

While EnCore recognizes that there are certain programs that are more suitable to be taught in Dutch, there should also be accountability to those programs so that the decision can be appealed and reversed in cases where programs decide to be taught in Dutch (despite being suitable to be taught in English) in order to curb the growth of international students. Since UvA might misuse this power to its advantage, there should be an appeal board consisting of UvA employees and students that can overturn unfair decisions.

The level of financial support to board members should depend on multiple factors such as the size of the study association, and should therefore not be equal for everyone. However, these criteria should be well-defined to avoid favoritism or the perception of favoritism.

The student council represents the students of the UvA, and it is therefore not the student council’s job to support or oppose student actions. Rather, the student council should seek to address the underlying student concerns through negotiation and dialogue in the cases where these concerns are shared by a large proportion of the student body.

It is the government's responsibility to provide mental health support for students, but it is also the UvA’s responsibility to take care of its student body whenever possible. The UvA has the ability to provide mental health solutions specifically catered towards students, and it should carry additional responsibility when mental health problems are caused by the university itself. Therefore, the UvA should still invest in mental health support for students in cases where the government fails or cannot provide the level of support students need.

Students outside the EU lose their visas if they do not have housing for extended periods of time, so they should be given priority by a university that actively advertises to them but does not have sufficient student housing for the students it grants admission to. Although all students should have access to housing, the repercussions of EU students without housing are way less severe than those of international students, so the prioritization of international students is justified.

Just as toilet paper is an essential product in all university bathrooms, menstrual products are equally essential, as half the student body depends on them. The lack of access to menstrual products around campus hinders the ease of access to education, and results in discomfort for many students. Thus, the free provision of menstrual products is an important and necessary step for the UvA. EnCore is dedicated to making campus as convenient as possible for all students and is wholeheartedly in support of this policy.

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.

More investment into interdisciplinary education is desirable, as it would result in an increase in the number of students admitted into such programs, as well as an increase in the academic options of students throughout their studies. Furthermore, it would improve the quality of interdisciplinary options themselves, for example by giving honors students more freedom to choose which courses and how many courses they want to take. However, the UvA must make sure that throughout the process of investing in interdisciplinary education, students enrolled in standard programs are not overlooked, and that the quality of all other academic options is not negatively impacted.

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.

While research on more permanent contracts for teachers is mixed, it increasingly suggests that teachers’ job security and career development opportunities have a positive impact on student learning outcomes. Since this policy is likely to improve the quality of education for all students and reduce stress and other unnecessary burdens from teachers, EnCore supports this policy.

EnCore believes in equality of opportunity for all students in terms of access to education and is dedicated to making campus as convenient as possible for all students. We recognize that access to education is the most important and that students should not miss out on lectures or tutorials just because UvA is concerned about the public image of having emptier classrooms. 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 disadvantaged in terms of their learning outcomes and must be considered by UvA by allowing them to attend online. Lastly, each student has their own learning style, and it is not the prerogative of UvA to dictate which methods of learning should be employed by all students. Ultimately, students should have as many options available to them as possible, so online lectures must continue to exist.

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.

While it may be argued that Binding Study Advice (BSA) may hinder access to education, eliminating BSA would mean that the UvA would need stricter admissions criteria to control the size of the student body, and various students would have even less access to education than they do currently. Rather than not being admitted, under BSA students have the opportunity to attend university and work towards earning the right to continue studying at the UvA. Overall, eliminating BSA would worsen the problem it is trying to solve, and is not a realistic solution given the UvA’s facilities and resources.

Numerus Fixus is currently necessary given the growth of the university. While UvA adjusts to student growth and develops an optimal solution, Numerous Fixus can alleviate the operation burden on the university while continuing to provide study opportunities for the most qualified candidates. However, UvA should still have programs aimed at admitting underprivileged students regardless of their major

EnCore believes in equality of opportunity for all students in terms of access to education and is dedicated to making campus as convenient as possible for all students. Therefore, UvA should take the necessary measures such that students with functional limitations can move around campus with ease, and are not disadvantaged in their academic pursuits.

EnCore believes in listening to the voice of students, and giving students the ability to vote for the executive board allows them to have tangible impacts on UvA on issues where the large majority of students agree. Additionally, this policy would democratize the whole university and provide much-needed transparency.

UvA should celebrate its international student body, and students should have the freedom to decide over their studies. If UvA has problems with the growth of the university, it should make strategic investments in housing rather than blaming and burdening students for their own logistical miscalculations. While free Dutch classes should be available, they should not be mandatory.

Both are important, but this is not a valid question as it lacks any and all explanations.