#UvAStudentElections: these are the party leaders at the Faculty of Law/PPLE
Next week the annual election of the new student councils will start. Every day Folia will present the participating faculty parties and the leaders. Today party leaders Roos Creyghton (Inter) of Politics, Psychology, Law & Economics and Nina Hol (De Vrije Student) en Yoav Weinberg (OpRecht), both from the Faculty of Law.
Describe your party in five key words.
Roos Creyghton (Inter/PPLE):‘Innovative, enterprising, determined, democratic, inclusive.’
Nina Hol (De Vrije Student/Law): ‘Freedom, customisation, employee participation, digitisation, accessibility.’
Yoav Weinberg (Oprecht/Law): ‘Transparency, less “schoolish” university, decentralisation, diversity, educational innovation.’
English or Dutch?
Roos: ‘I believe there needs to be an equal balance between the Dutch and international departments of our university, in order to maximise the quality of our education. All processes and documents must be available in both languages. This will benefit both Dutch and international students.’
More or less focus on professional practice?
Nina: ‘More focus! During the law study we are so focused on reading literature that you would almost forget that writing skills are the most important attribute of a lawyer.’
Yoav: ‘More! Information about and contact with professional practice brings your studies to life and offers valuable networking opportunities for the future. Not just the large Zuidas offices, but niche firms, companies with in-house lawyers, the Public Prosecution Service (OM), and the judiciary must also be included.’
What do you want to achieve in the next year?
Roos: ‘Inter stands for increased transparency and democracy in the university’s decision-making process: it stands for the diversification of the student life, improved student welfare, and the creation of more sustainable policies. We wish to lessen the financial burden on students, to ensure that our studies are as accessible as possible.’
Nina: ‘We want more attention to be paid to the everyday problems that students face. Working from within the student council we can ensure that lectures will remain online and that food will become affordable.’
Yoav: ‘Above all, we continue to fight for radical education reform. The voices of students must be taken into account when considering the implementation of the faculty board’s aspirations to modernise the educational system. Students want online lectures, good teachers, regular feedback, and flexibility.’
What is your personal motivation?
Roos: ‘I truly believe in democracy and I believe student participation is necessary to make real, sustainable change: if you want something done, you have to do it yourself.’
Nina: ‘I notice that many students have ideas about improvements to the UvA, but don't do anything about it, because it’s difficult to get your ideas heard. I would like to be a listening ear, and help bring the ideas of my fellow students to fruition through my role on the student council. In addition, I have been part of a council before, and I enjoyed having a say in policy-making. ‘
Yoav: ‘I would like to bring justice and transparency to the faculty.’
