UvA votes | How democratic is student democracy?
Today the annual students elections will start. How democratic is UvA’s student democracy? “Student political parties come in all shapes and sizes. It’s sometimes just like the House of Representatives, although it must be said that the University of Amsterdam has no Christian student political parties.” You can vote here.
It is now more than ten years since the largest and longest Maagdenhuis occupation ever took place: in the spring of 2015, the UvA’s administrative centre was occupied for no less than six weeks without interruption. The stakes were the same as ever: greater transparency, greater participation and greater democracy for students and staff in decisions made by the UvA board. The issue was blown out of proportion, so much so that the then Board President, Louise Gunning, stumbled over it and was forced to resign.
The whole issue was not just about student democracy as enshrined in the Higher Education and Scientific Research Act (in Dutch: WHW), but above all about the UvA’s interpretation of it, where, under the guise of democracy, many decisions are still made behind closed doors by UvA bigwigs. At least, that was (and still is) the criticism levelled by many students involved in student representation. Shortly after the occupation began, a student assessor was appointed to the UvA Executive Board: this person was tasked with ensuring that the UvA Executive Board would henceforth take the student perspective into account when making policy decisions.
Whether that perspective is now sufficiently safeguarded is doubted by some groups. Take the recent appointment of the new university president, Vinod Subramaniam. The Central Student Council would have liked to have had a much greater say in the matter and therefore refrained from giving advice. Incidentally, the UvA simply adhered to a provision of the forementioned Higher Education and Scientific Research Act in making the appointment, but enough students within the Student Council – particularly those from the large Activistenpartij UvA – disagree with that legal provision.
Two years ago, the Central Student Council tabled a motion of no confidence against the then Board President Geert ten Dam. She shrugged it off and did not step down. Incidentally, such a move can succeed, as the example of Louise Gunning shows, but for that to happen, both students and staff must jointly form a majority on the Supervisory Board to withdraw their confidence in the Board President. Incidentally, that person is then only relieved of his or her executive role, but may remain in their position as a researcher.
Referendum
The UvA has a range of tools to promote internal democracy. Apart from the (unelected but appointed) programme committees, the UvA-wide University Forum has existed for a number of years (one hundred members, neither elected nor appointed, but selected at random from staff and students). The forum was established in the wake of the Maagdenhuis occupation: a special committee decided that there needed to be more discussion, in a more democratic and freer manner, without the outcome being more or less predetermined in advance.
A deliberative university forum was the result: discussions took place and continue to take place on an irregular basis regarding pre-determined themes. Incidentally, in 2016 the same committee also decided to hold a referendum on the UvA’s governance model (which some considered too hierarchical). Everyone was allowed to take part, but it did little to advance democracy: the centralised management of the UvA by an Executive Board and deans remained as it was.
Student bodies
At the heart of UvA student democracy are the annually elected faculty student councils, the size of which depends on the size of the faculty. In addition, a Central Student Council, commonly known as ‘the CSR’, is elected at the same time, consisting of fourteen members, two from each of the seven faculties. Half of these are directly elected by all students, whilst the other half are ‘delegated’ from the faculty councils.
Student parties come in all shapes and sizes. It is sometimes just like the House of Representatives, although it must be said that the UvA has no Christian student parties (nor, for that matter, another religious party). Some parties, incidentally, participate only as faculty student parties and therefore represent only faculty interests.
Fifteen
Last year, around fifteen parties stood for seven faculty councils and one central council. UvASociaal (left), De Vrije Student (liberal), Inter (international) and Activistenpartij UvA (radical left) were among the major parties at central level. They are standing again this year. Activistenpartij UvA – currently the largest party at the UvA – says it not only stands up for UvA students, but even wants global systemic change. ‘Decolonise, decarbonise, democratise’ is their motto.
Lief
In addition to parties that participate across the whole of the UvA and for which every student can vote, there are also smaller parties that try to gather as many votes as possible within one or more faculties. The Lief Party, for example, has long been the best-known and most important student party at Science Park… and also the largest. The same applies to MFAS in the Faculty of Medicine. Sefa Student Party originally started as a party for economics students, but has expanded and now also participates in other faculties and at the central level. Every year, there are also light-hearted parties taking part, such as the former parties Slaafs and Fuck this party.
In recent years, international students have (primarily) united under the Inter party, which participates at both central and faculty level and, of course, champions the interests of international students, who, incidentally, are increasingly populating the student councils and could give a boost to turnout – which has been low for years and continues to hover around twenty per cent. Incidentally, there are increasingly more international students on all lists, who often have a warmer regard for student politics than Dutch students.
Budgetary rights
The battle for formal student democracy often revolves around advisory or consent rights, and there can be all sorts of gradations within these. The right to advise – whereby student councils may advise on an (administrative) matter – is often seen as a mere consolation prize. Some of these advisory rights are regulated by law, whilst others are granted by the UvA board.
Die-hard democrats, such as the students of the Activistenpartij UvA, want as many rights of consent as possible on as many issues as possible. Often, the UvA does not allow this; sometimes it is simply not provided for. For the right to amend the budget, for example, the law stipulates that consent is only required on the broad outlines of the budget. For the details, only the right to advise remains, much to the disappointment of many students. If they want to change that, they’re at the wrong address at the UvA and need to go to The Hague. So there is certainly room for improvement in student democracy, but it doesn’t seem to be badly organised.
Help boost turnout and vote! If you’re not sure which party to vote for, go to uvakieswijzer.nl.
