Student fraternity A.S.C./A.V.S.V. regains grants under conditions
The UvA, together with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA) and VU Amsterdam, has decided that executive committee members of the student fraternity A.S.C./A.V.S.V. are once again eligible for Executive Board grants. The fraternity has been working on a cultural change in recent years and, according to the educational institutions, has succeeded “sufficiently” in this.
In the past, serious abuses hinside the fraternity A.S.C./A.V.S.V. have taken place with major consequences for those involved. The VU, HvA and UvA have therefore set a number of conditions for restoring ties. In the event of new abuses, the institutions may jointly decide, for example, to withdraw the grants again. An institution may also decide that an association is not permitted to recruit members on campus.
Since 2021, the A.S.C./A.V.S.V. has been working on raising awareness, changing rules and values, altering behaviour among members and influencing the society’s culture. In recent years, the educational institutions have maintained regular contact with the association’s board. Based on these discussions, the measures implemented by the 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 educational institutions have set a number of conditions for the reinstatement of the scholarship. Firstly, the regular quarterly consultations between the student organisation and the educational institutions will continue. The results of the so-called ‘first-year survey’, which first-year students have been required to complete since 2024 following the (fraternity/sorority) induction period, will form part of these regular discussions.
The first-year survey is intended as a tool to assess social safety and perceived pressure during the induction period and to make changes or improvements where necessary. The association must also draw up a plan setting out how it will continue the cultural change, including the cultural change within the societies and the society houses that fall under their remit.
Code of conduct
Students at universities and universities of applied sciences are entitled to a grant if they sit on the board of a recognised association. Student associations such as A.S.C/A.V.S.V. are themselves responsible for the day-to-day running of the association and the societies, but this must be done in accordance with agreed rules, which was not the case in the past. A code of conduct has now been established. The association has also run a campaign focused on (re)defining norms and values relating to intimacy.
Higher education institutions award executive scholarships so that students are given the time and space to champion students’ interests and to develop leadership skills during their studies. An executive scholarship compensates students for the time and commitment required by a year on the Executive Board.
