Sources from the Netherlands national news agency (ANP) report this. Board members of student societies receive a sum from the graduation fund to compensate for the incurred study delay due to their board activities.
According to sources, societies will receive a three-year accreditation within the RUG. If during this period there are excesses during hazing, then the accreditation can expire and the student societies involved will lose their right to a contribution from the fund.
The contribution from the graduation fund for the board members of a major student society like Vindicat is 33,315 euros a year.
University spokesperson Gernant Deekens did not want to confirm this information; he stated that further announcements will be made on Monday afternoon.
Grave injuries
The cause for taking these actions, among other things, is the commotion in the past months as a result of the grave injury of a prospective Vindicat member after having his head stepped on by another member.
This resulted in a brain oedema in the victim, a life-threatening swelling in the brain due to a build up of fluids. The ‘banga list’ and hazing photos from last year published by UK in September were cause for the university to take action.
At the end of September, the RUG, the municipality of Groningen and Hanze University of Applied Sciences stated that student societies should stop hazing activities. ‘What happened is absolutely unacceptable,’ RUG chairman Sibrand Poppema stated at the time. ‘It ends; we will stop hazing in this city. These nonsensical rituals need to stop.’
As a result, the RUG, together with the municipality and Hanze University of Applied Sciences formed an external committee.