Diversity and inclusion:
An important theme for the PhD-council is inclusivity and diversity in the broadest sense. This includes gender, thought, sexual orientation, culture, religion, age, region, but also different types of contracts for PhD students. As the VU already has a diversity officer and international office in place to promote and increase diversity, our mission is primarily to make sure that the plans in place effectively ensure that everybody feels at home and included. During this academic year, the PhD council is specifically focusing on inclusion matters in the onboarding process of new (international) PhD students.
PhD Rights:
The PhD rights portfolio advocates for the rights of all PhD candidates from the moment they are presented their contracts until the end of their trajectory. In order to improve the awareness of rights and regulations on campus, we aim to provide a clearer overview of PhD rights booklet to assist new PhDs regarding different aspects of their PhD trajectory such as: employee leave and amenities on campus. Additionally, we plan to host a PhD Rights workshop which outlines the core rights for internal, external and scholarship candidates. Ultimately our efforts are part of a bigger picture as we aim for a future at VU Amsterdam with more streamlined practices across faculties and contracts. Additionally, we find great value in identifying other groups and policy leaders on campus with shared priorities. By working with other stakeholders such as the Network of Graduate Schools and the VU International Office, we aim to provide an important voice and help inform policy makers on behalf of PhDs from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Mental Health:
The mental health and wellbeing portfolio aims to contribute to the VU as a place where PhD students feel supported and learn how to be their best selves so they can thrive in their work. In the short term, we want to provide insights on how to better connect PhDs to mental health resources. On the medium term we want to help the VU to implement mechanisms that make PhD students more resilient and help them learn what their strengths are and how they can use them. Our long term goal is to advocate for a VU where different competencies are rewarded. Another point of focus will be to find ways in which the VU can support PhD students to prevent burnouts. Thus, the mental health and well-being portfolio aims to support PhD students directly, yet also endeavours to assist the VU as an organisation to map out how they can best help their PhD community.
Any PhD candidate with questions or comments can contact the PhD council. Please do not hesitate to contact us. We also host open “townhall” style meetings and several themed meeting per year (see schedule below) to open our doors to all members of the VU community. Feel free to come join us at these public meeting to learn more about our initiatives. We are always looking for new, enthusiastic council members (see information about general council members below). If you would like to become a member, please contact us via e-mail (see bottom of page).