Waived tuition fees for committee work were already an option at the RUG, but only if the student was temporarily not registered at the university. Under the new scheme, the committee member can remain registered and thus retains the right to a public transport card and study loan. Student parties Lijst Calimero and SOG are happy with this, but they feel the threshold is too high.
The scheme in the current proposal is only available to students who are eligible for six months of committee work. The student parties think that this means that only the biggest associations will be eligible under this scheme, such as Vindicat, Albertus, ACLO, KEI and VIP. This is why they want to reduce the threshold to five months.
The RUG now agrees with them. The number of months of committee work does not say anything about the efforts made by the student committee member, board chairman Sibrand Poppema says. ‘That’s why we will reduce the threshold from six to five months of committee work’, he says.
Nominal studies
On another issue, the RUG board does not budge, however. The student parties feel that the requirement that student committee members must have studied nominally and thus have acquired all sixty study credits a year is too strict. Poppema has a different take on this.
‘Let me make an essential point: students are here for their studies’, he reacts. ‘We don’t think it’s a good idea if students do committee work when they’re behind on their studies.’
Students who do work for an association simply have to make sure that they do not experience any delays, Poppema feels. ‘We respect it greatly, but just make sure you share the burden.’