Candidates 2023
About ONS
ONS is pleased that we have been trusted to be elected for the University Council in our first year. With old and new faces, we want to extend the success of the past two years to a new term next year. At the bottom of this page you can see the list!
In the summer of 2021, Rik Lubbers and Viktor van ’t Klooster joined forces to found ONS. A new list for the University Council of the Eindhoven University of Technology was born. The list was set up with four other active students, and on November 3, 2021, the first nine-member list of ONS was made public. A big surprise for many.
The reason for ONS to set up a new list is to bring the University Council closer to the student. There are so many students on our beautiful campus. All these students need to be represented and feel comfortable. That’s what ONS takes care of. ONS is not only there for the students of today, but also for the students of the future. There is a lack of a long-term vision within the University Council. ONS is going to do something about this.
Vision
This election program was created after adversarial hearings at our public input sessions. Dozens of students from all backgrounds have contributed to a good representation of the entire student population.
In recent years, it has been noticed that the well-being of students has deteriorated. In this day and age, it has often been promised that things will improve, but to our regret this has not yet been proven. The (financial and social) pressure on students to complete their studies as quickly as possible is enormous, while your time as a student is the time to discover, develop and develop yourself in whatever way you can. All TU/e students should feel at home at the TU campus. ONS believes in prioritizing student wellbeing by building a strong sense of community and increasing the livability of the campus. This is essential for creating an educational experience that empowers students to thrive academically and personally. ONS tries to increase the overall well-being among the TU/e population through marginal gains. To achieve this, ONS aims to achieve the following points:
- Lower the student-staff ratio to be in line with 4TU and minimize the difference in this ratio between departments.
- The lecture-free week (the week before exam periods) should be uniformly observed for all students across all faculties.
- ONS aims to create a safe and liveable campus by establishing additional meeting spots, reducing continuous car traffic, and allocating more areas for the collection of deposit items.
- The onboarding and orientation process for students should be more intensive, emphasizing a greater focus on integrating into both the community and the municipality. It is important to recruit students who value such a community.
- Monitoring the enormous increase in international undergraduate students aimed at maintaining a healthy community balance, ensuring the effective integration of international students into our community without forgetting the Dutch students.
- Of course, international students should also have a pleasant time at TU/e. To promote this, involvement within associations is a good option. This gives them more contact with Dutch students and creates a better integration. Short lines of communication also make it easier to better guide international students in learning the Dutch language. After all, learning with or from your friends is much more fun!
In the corridors, there are more and more complaints about the distance between the University Council (UC) and the student population. For ONS, this is a serious matter.
ONS wants to make the process of the UR more transparent and bring it closer to the students. We will achieve this by:
- A better and non-partisan feedback loop for input from students to the University Council and how it is addressed.
- Relevant outcomes of discussions within the University Council and the Executive Board should be accessible online for students and staff in a digestible format.
- The role of the University Council and other governance bodies should be made known to students consistently, not just during election periods. This ensures ongoing awareness beyond specific voting times.
- Regular public input sessions to talk to ONS about what can be improved at TU/e.
According to ONS, the UC should focus more on TU/e’s strategy and long-term and not just on ad hoc problems.
The issues of the day should not be leading in the image of the function of the UC.
It is important to ONS that the next cohort of students also enjoy good quality education at TU/e. That is why ONS would like to look ahead, beyond 2030.
“We are not only there for today’s students, but also for the later cohorts.”
Over the past decade, TU/e has grown very rapidly, partly due to the successful recruitment of international students. This has resulted in ‘growing pains’, such as a staff shortage and high workload for both students and lecturers. Additionally, we aim to build a foundation for enduring positive change and fostering a community that values thoughtful, lasting solutions, including sustainability.
That is why ONS comes up with the following points:
- To prevent the upcoming growth of the university and student numbers from compromising the quality of education and detracting from the personal character of TU/e.
- Continuing the adequate monitoring of the implementation of the new Bachelor College and staying actively involved in the renewal process of the Graduate School.
Accomplishments
Student well-being
- Bringing the student community together in formulating a community-borne alcohol covenant (together with DAS).
- A pedestrian crossing between Neuron and Metaforum was created as a temporary solution in line with the proposed goal regarding a safe and liveable campus.
- The initiative has been taken to re-establish the Communication Committee, aiming to enhance the University Council’s communication efforts towards the community.
- The initiative has been taken to prioritize informing students about the University Council during the introduction week, placing a central focus on their awareness and understanding of the UC’s role.
- University council representative to represent the student community in appointing the Rector Magnificus. In the selection process, her involvement in student teams and the collaboration to work together academically is strongly taken into account on behalf of the UC.
- University council representative to represent the student community in appointing the Secretary of the University.
- University council representative to represent the student community in appointing the Vice President.
- University council representative to represent the student community in appointing the Secretary of the University (ongoing).
- ONS initiated discussions regarding the oversight of the substantial rise in international undergraduate students, emphasizing the need for a balanced community that effectively integrates both international and Dutch students.