In the section The President, EM interviews a different leading light from a student association. This month, it’s Inez de Jong from student association Het RSG.
Name: Inez de Jong
Age: 22
Study: Integral security (InHolland Zuid)
President since: September 2015
Motto: “If you’re going to do something, then do it right”
Association: The Rotterdam Student Association (RSG), a club for students from Rotterdam universities of applied sciences and Erasmus University. The club was founded in 1921. The RSG does not have initiation ceremonies and it’s all about equality and freedom of choice. The association has around 400 student members.
How many hours a week are you involved in the RSG?
“That varies. Generally around 70 hours with peaks of 80 hours.”
Do you still have time for a private life?
“Not really. Luckily my girlfriend is also a member and we’re in the same debating society. When I’m at the society, she can easily join me. Ultimately, it’s a question of good planning.”
And what do your parents think?
“They’re proud. They used to be members of the RSG too and that’s where they met each other. Just like me and my girlfriend. It’s nice that they know what life in the association is like. You sometimes hear from other students whose parents think that a year on a committee just means a year of drinking beer, but that’s not what it’s like at all. My parents were immediately enthusiastic when they heard I was going to be president.”
What’s your management style?
“You don’t run a committee on your own. So I feel that teamwork is important. Ultimately, as president my task is to monitor the planning, but my most important task is to motivate and support the committee and the members. I enjoy helping people. The delight and relief on someone’s face when they succeed in doing something they found difficult is amazing.”
What’s your management style?
“You don’t run a committee on your own. So I feel that teamwork is important. Ultimately, as president my task is to monitor the planning, but my most important task is to motivate and support the committee and the members. I enjoy helping people. The delight and relief on someone’s face when they succeed in doing something they found difficult is amazing.”
And how does your committee feel about your leadership abilities?
“Well, that’s the funny thing: in committees I always used to take the lead. As president, I wanted to do things differently, involve others in the decision making process. The feedback I receive from my committee is that I could take the lead more, so I’m trying to find the right balance.”
It all sounds very positive. Has anything gone wrong?
“During a “jool”, the members of the association are driven round in a bus or in coaches. In November, we hired a party coach and drove to Vlaardingen. A long time ago, members did the same thing and by chance met the mayor, who they then serenaded. When we arrived in Vlaardingen, a number of aldermen and the deputy mayor were waiting for us on the balcony of the town hall. We sang lots of student songs, including the Io Vivat. It was a fantastic atmosphere and in my enthusiasm, I called on the deputy mayor and aldermen to sing a song with us. My colleague gave me a shocked look. Fortunately, the aldermen and deputy mayor quite quickly embarked on the Wilhelmus. Quite a relief.”
