Study associations raise the alarm over board positions

Board members of study associations are struggling to find successors. “This year the situation is more urgent than ever”, they write in a letter to the Executive Board. To reverse this trend, council members from the OUR Erasmus party are advocating for study credits to be awarded to students who take on a board year.

Since the pandemic, associations have found it increasingly difficult to recruit candidates for board positions. “In recent years we just about managed to arrange successors with great effort, but this year the situation is more urgent than ever”, states the letter, which has been signed by all faculty associations. “Some associations already know they will have to manage next year with one or two fewer board members.”

Ask for suppport

The board members point out that potential successors are increasingly keen to complete their bachelor’s quickly, move straight on to a master’s, or take a gap year to travel. That is why they have asked the Executive Board for support in a letter. They are requesting, for instance, that information about board positions be included during information sessions on minors, master’s programmes and exchanges, a spot on open days, and a letter from deans to students and their parents explaining the value of a board year.

Minimum of five months

Councillor Timo Zandvliet raised the issue in the University Council on Tuesday. According to Zandvliet, the declining interest is partly due to changing student habits. More and more students are living at home, which reduces their involvement on campus. On top of that, a board year currently offers no direct academic benefits – students don’t earn any study credits for it.

To make the board year more attractive, he is proposing that study credits be awarded to students who spend at least five months working full-time for a student association. That duration is similar to a minor, internship or exchange. He emphasises that a board year offers significant personal and professional development – sometimes even more than an internship or exchange. According to Zandvliet, this kind of recognition would not only encourage students to take on board roles, but could also help prevent delays in their studies.

At present, students who take on a full-time board year are already eligible for a so-called board grant – a monthly financial allowance – and, in some cases, an exemption from tuition fees during their board year.