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HvASamen wins 9 of 12 available seats in CMR election
Nine of the twelve elected students of the combined students and workers’ council at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA) were candidates of the HvASamen party.
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After the merger of student parties HvAnders and HvASociaal last year, the newly formed HvASamen party was the only alternative. HvASamen will now occupy almost all those seats on the council reserved for students. Three seats have been won by students who conducted private election campaigns.
‘These results show that our party adds value to the council and that the problems we address are really relevant at the HvA. We represent 65 per cent of the students that came out to vote,’ party chairman Achraf el Johari writes in a statement.
Low point
With only 5 per cent of students voting compared to 8 per cent a year ago, however, it seems unlikely that many HvA students really care about the elections or the HvASamen party.
One known reason for the dismal turnouts is the lack of public political debate amongst CMR members, whereas last year’s (slight) boost may have been the result of the introduction of student parties to the council. Now that there’s only one student party to vote for, turnout has returned to its usual lows.
Pauline Heijne, chairman of the electoral committee, thinks turnout is so low because the elections have not been properly promoted amongst students. ‘Nobody is officially responsible for this,’ Heijne says.
Exams
The CMR council represents students and employees before the Board of Directors of the university of applied sciences. It advises, initiates and validates important decisions. Most of the issues the council deliberates on concern the rules that govern the organisation of education. It was on the initiative of the council, for instance, that the inscription rules for exams have been simplified. It is formed by twelve students and twelve employees.
