All parties retain their seats on the university council
22.1 percent of students voted
All parties retain their seats on the university council
Door Giulia Fabrizi
By Giulia Fabrizi
Giulia Fabrizi
Van uit de hand gelopen studentenfeestjes tot bezette universiteitsgebouwen en van kamertekorten tot dreigende bezuinigingen: Giulia houdt al het nieuws in de gaten. Ze praat graag met de mensen die het aangaat, schrijft erover en begeleidt freelancers bij het maken van nieuwsartikelen. Eerder werkte ze als stadsredacteur Groningen en gemeenteverslaggever Haren voor Dagblad van het Noorden.Arjen Dijkstra, who heads up the University Museum, announced the results of the university council elections on Monday afternoon. Because of the corona measures, he broadcast the outcome via a livestream on the university’s YouTube channel.
Lijst Calimero and Studenten Organisatie Groningen retain their five seats. Democratische Academie Groningen and De Vrije Student both retain one seat.
Turnout
In all, 22.1 percent of the students cast their votes. That’s down from last year, when 24.9 percent of students voted.
Nevertheless, rector Cisca Wijmenga was happy with the voter turnout. ‘This is the first time in almost fifty years that the elections have moved online’, she said in a video message. ‘And still almost a quarter of students made the effort to vote. We’re very happy with that, because it’s extremely important that students actively participate.’
Faculties
Students did not only vote for the university council, but also for their representatives on the faculty councils. Three out of eleven faculties didn’t have elections, because they didn’t have enough candidates. At these faculties, the candidates that were put forward were elected by default.
At the other faculties, voter turnout was the highest at University College Groningen, where 49.8 percent of students voted. At the Faculty of Economics and Business, turnout was the lowest, at 16 percent.
Voter turnout was up at the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, by 33 percent and 22.5 percent, respectively.