{"id":139083,"date":"2022-04-21T07:57:22","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T05:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=139083"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:15","slug":"eur-student-joins-iso-board-students-should-have-a-less-heavy-workload","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2022\/04\/21\/eur-student-joins-iso-board-students-should-have-a-less-heavy-workload\/","title":{"rendered":"EUR student joins ISO board: \u2018Students should have a less heavy workload\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Thursday, the Interstedelijk Studenten Overleg (ISO) student interest group elected a new board. One of the newly elected members of the board is EUR student Sam de Fockert, who will be responsible for representing students\u2019 interests in politics.<\/p>\n

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The new board of the ISO. From left to right: Lara Slaats, Wieb Devilee, Terri van der Velden, Melanie Rozengarden and Sam de Fockert.<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Thanks to his work placement, De Fockert is somewhat used to the committee rooms of the Dutch Lower House. He will be spending a lot of time there in the coming year \u2013 for instance, to keep an eye on what exactly is happening in terms of the newly to-be-reintroduced student grants.<\/p>\n

De Fockert is the only male on the board, but he doesn\u2019t care about that, he says, full of enthusiasm. \u201cWe all clicked at once and I\u2019m looking forward to it!\u201d says the 25-year-old student. Along with chairwoman\u00a0Terri van der Velden, official secretary\u00a0Lara Slaats, member without a portfolio Wieb Devilee and treasurer Melanie Rozengarden, he will enter into office on 25 June. Starting from that day, ISO\u2019s new board will promote the interests of 800,000 students in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

The red-haired student and sailing coach is currently doing a master\u2019s degree in International Public Management and Public Policy at EUR, but does not live in Rotterdam or The Hague. \u201cMy circle of friends is very close. We\u2019ve known each other ever since primary school in Lunteren, a village in Gelderland. We all moved to Utrecht together at the time, and I ended up staying there. It was fun. It helped me discover first Amsterdam and then Rotterdam as student towns, mostly.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In his year at the ISO, Sam de Fockert wants to ensure that the government meets the needs of students. <\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

In your capacity as a student, what kind of problems have you encountered?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI myself noticed that, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, when we spent most of our time at home for two and a half years, students I was close with were experiencing mental health issues. It\u2019s absolutely vital that we\u2019re given a chance to make the most of our potential, but there was hardly any opportunity for that. Personally, I didn\u2019t really get to experience the stereotypical student life either. It was harder to get to know people and there were fewer things to do. It\u2019s a bit better now, but students are still struggling with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why did you wish to serve on ISO\u2019s board?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough the last couple of years have been a bit disappointing due to the pandemic, I did really enjoy being a student, so I thought it might be a nice idea to pay it forward to students in the Netherlands. I will get started at the ISO in late June, which is also when I\u2019m graduating. So life will be hectic for a bit, but I\u2019m confident I\u2019ll be able to work hard right from the start.\u201d<\/p>\n

You did a work placement with the Considerati consulting firm, which specialises in public policy. Did you learn anything there that you think will come in handy while you serve on ISO\u2019s board?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say I probably have an edge when it comes to knowledge of politics as practised in The Hague. I\u2019d regularly visit the committee rooms in The Hague during the course of my degree programme, and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Your job will be to promote students\u2019 interests in politics. What exactly does that mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be spending a lot of time talking things over with representative bodies \u2013 for instance Erasmus University\u2019s advisory board. In addition, I will talk to people in The Hague \u2013 politicians, ministers and political assistants, political parties. The objective is to discuss the interests promoted by the representative bodies with them and to convince them by presenting solid arguments.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do you hope to achieve by the end of your year on the board?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot going on at the moment, but student grants will definitely be reintroduced. I really want to make sure that this is done in a way that benefits students as well. I myself have a considerable student loan to pay off. I\u2019d like to see that change now. By now the politicians in The Hague have begun to realise that they must be more lenient to students, but we have to make sure that they don\u2019t lose sight of our point of view. I want students to have a less heavy workload.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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