UvA, HvA en VU Amsterdam have jointly decided that students on the board of student association A.S.C./A.V.S.V. are once again eligible for a board grant. In recent years, the association has worked to bring about a change in culture. At this point, those efforts provide sufficient confidence to restore ties.
In the past, serious abuses occurred, with major consequences for those involved. The UvA, HvA and VU Amsterdam are therefore imposing a number of conditions on restoring ties. In the event of new abuses, the institutions can jointly decide, for example, to withdraw the grants again. An institution can also decide that an association may not recruit members on campus.
Since 2021, A.S.C./A.V.S.V. has worked on raising awareness, changing rules and values, changing members’ behaviour and influencing the association’s culture. In recent years, the educational institutions have maintained regular contact with the board of the association. Based on those discussions, the measures introduced by A.S.C./A.V.S.V., and a protocol with assessment criteria developed by the institutions, it has now been decided to reinstate the grants.
Conditions
The higher education institutions are imposing a number of conditions on the renewed provision of the grant. First, the regular quarterly consultations between the student organisation and the educational institutions will remain in place. The results of the so-called 'first-year survey', which since 2024 all first-year students are required to complete after the (dispuut) introduction period, will form part of these periodic discussions. The first-year survey is intended as a tool for measuring social safety and the level of pressure experienced during the introduction period, and for identifying where changes or improvements are needed. The association must also draw up a plan setting out how they will continue the cultural change, including the cultural change within the ‘disputen’ and ‘dispuutshuizen’ that fall under it.
Importance of study and student associations
University students are entitled to a grant if they serve on the board of a recognised association. UvA, HvA and VU Amsterdam consider it important to support study and student associations because they play a key role in students’ (social) development, in forming friendships, learning from one another and gaining life experience. Student associations themselves are responsible for the day-to-day running of the association and the ‘disputen’. Higher education institutions provide board grants so that students have the time and space to work for students’ interests and to develop valuable board skills during their studies. A board grant compensates students for the time and effort required for a board year and can help to limit any delay in their studies.