{"id":129003,"date":"2021-08-10T13:45:18","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T11:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=129003"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:45","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:45","slug":"rotterdam-students-are-founding-a-new-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/08\/10\/rotterdam-students-are-founding-a-new-union\/","title":{"rendered":"Rotterdam students are founding a new union"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five students are working hard this summer to found a union for students attending tertiary education institutions in Rotterdam. The is one of few university towns in the Netherlands that does not have its own student union.<\/p>\n

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Nathaniel Germain, chair of STUUR Rotterdam<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMilena Chopova<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Nathaniel Germain, who studies nanobiology at the Erasmus MC, is one of the five pioneers behind Studenten Unie Rotterdam, or STUUR Rotterdam (the Rotterdam Student Union). \u201cWe\u2019re currently working on founding the union. We\u2019re becoming an incorporated association, writing our articles of association and getting registered with the Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Trade Register,\u201d said Germain.<\/p>\n

Germain has been involved with the #nietmijnschuld<\/em> (#notmyfault) campaign established by FNV Young & United and the National Student Union (LSVb) for a while. This campaign constitutes a protest against the student loan system that replaced the original student grants a few years ago.<\/p>\n

In addition to founding the union and arranging all the paperwork, the five members have begun fighting for their cause, as well. \u201cWe\u2019ve already visited GroenLinks, PvdA and the SP. It makes sense to contact leftist parties, because they tend to get really happy when they hear the word \u2018union\u2019,\u201d says Germain, chuckling. \u201cBut we definitely want to talk to other parties, as well, to make sure we\u2019ll be heard in the municipal council. We\u2019re also trying to determine where to find our members. Who do we want to join us, and where do we find such people?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018We promote all students\u2019 interests, regardless of whether they attend an mbo college, a university or a university of applied sciences. The Union seeks to build a bridge between \u201cthe powers that be\u201d and students.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Why did you join the union?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI started thinking about joining one when student loans were introduced. Young people are increasingly less certain to find jobs, and on top of that we were hit by a climate crisis and a pandemic. I want to serve students\u2019 best interests in all these regards. If you\u2019re a member of a union, you can make yourself heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

How will students in Rotterdam benefit from having a union?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cStudents face a lot of challenges, and they have very little say in the matter. In Rotterdam, students are spread across different institutions, meaning there is not one single school board with which you can air your grievances. At present, students don\u2019t really have a point of contact. We\u2019re trying to address that, too. Yes, there is the Rotterdam Chamber of Societies, but that only represent a particular group of students (traditional student societies \u2013 ed.). We promote all students\u2019 interests, regardless of whether they attend an mbo college, a university or a university of applied sciences. The Union seeks to build a bridge between \u2018the powers that be\u2019 and students. The powers that be, to me, are the municipal council and the university\u2019s executive board, but also landlords. We seek to make sure that students are really heard. Take the coronavirus restrictions, for instance \u2013 students\u2019 interests were not exactly prioritised there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was the foundation of this union initiated by the National Student Union or by Rotterdam-based students?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBoth, to some extent. I got involved via #nietmijnschuld, but my fellow initiator Marijn Prins contacted the LSVb of his own accord, because he was wondering how to found a union. In other words, there were several people who hit on the same idea at the same time. The idea is for us to join LSVb\u2019s federation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two years ago, the National Student Union LSVb also tried to found a union in Rotterdam. At the time it didn\u2019t work out. Does it resonate with students more now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTwo years ago, students\u2019 lives were completely different. Nowadays many more people are having difficulty finding a place to live, and there\u2019s the virus, too. Students really want to see some changes, is what I hear around me. I can tell that they\u2019re much more interested now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why do you think there was no union in Rotterdam up until now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea. I was really surprised when I found out there wasn\u2019t one. This is very much a working-class city, so you\u2019d think it would have a union. But no!\u201d<\/p>\n

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The spiritual predecessor of the StudentenUnie was called the Algemene Rotterdamse Studenten Bond (ARSB) and was mainly active in the 70s and 80s. For years, the union was active as a political faction in the University Council, but it often made it to the media thanks to protests, such as here during the Dies in 1972. They protested the raise of the tuition fee from 200 to 1000 gulden.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAVC \/ Universiteitsbibliotheek<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

You previously mentioned the leftist parties GroenLinks, PvdA and the SP. Would your union also welcome, say, students who vote for the conservative liberals of VVD?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf any VVD voters wish to join the union, I certainly won\u2019t turn them down! Fair is fair, I\u2019m a bit of a leftie myself. At the same time, the #nietmijnschuld<\/em> campaign attracted CDA voters, too. Not all topics that affect students\u2019 lives have a leftist or rightist slant. Sometimes we all agree on an issue and fight for something from both sides.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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If you want to learn more about the new student union, you can find the newly-to-be-founded STUUR Rotterdam<\/a>\u00a0at their stall in the on-campus market during Eureka Week.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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