‘They let it go on too long, in my opinion, but now they are taking concrete action’, the minister said on Monday evening in an interview on Nieuwsuur.
The minister addressed the agreement made among the RUG, Hanze University of Applied Sciences and Vindicat, which was announced earlier on Monday, on the current affairs programme. According to the stated conditions, Vindicat will undergo a period of ‘critical self-reflection’ about the prevailing culture within the association. The association will have to identify what aspects of the culture need to change and adopt measures to prevent similar excesses from occurring in the future.
An external committee consisting of five members will then evaluate those measures. If that evaluation – which should take place by 1 March 2017 – is negative, Vindicat could be cut off from receiving financing from the university’s so-called graduation fund.
This fund provides money for board members of associations in compensation for the delay they incur in their studies as a result of their association activities. Vindicat receives 33,000 euros each year from the fund. The commission eventually aims to create ‘comparable’ agreements with other student associations.’
‘Outdated’
Bussemaker praised the plans on Monday evening. ‘Universities must stop giving money to associations that permit the use of violence’, the minister said. ‘Severe humiliation and resorting to violence are entirely outdated. These students are the standard bearers of tomorrow.’
In late September, the RUG decided that student associations in Groningen should no longer be allowed to haze, but that requirement seems to have fallen by the wayside. But the minister is also satisfied with that: ‘Introduction weeks and hazing are all completely fine. I think it’s important that people can find a place where they feel at home and where they belong when they come to a new place for the first time. But we have to draw the line at violence and inappropriate behavior, such as sexual harassment.’
Incidents
The motive for the discussions is the uproar which occurred after a series of incidents connected to the association in recent months. One aspiring member of Vindicat was seriously injured during the introduction period when another member stood on his head. The victim was hospitalized after suffering a cerebral oedema, a dangerous swelling of the brain due to fluid build-up.
Hazing photos from 2015, published by the UK in August, and as leaked ‘bang list’ also prompted the university to take action.
‘Completely inadequate’
The RUG Board of Directors initially deemed the wrong doing an ‘internal matter’ for Vindicat to handle, but it became apparent in late September that Bussemaker disagreed with that assessment. She described the RUG’s response to recent incidents as ‘completely inadequate.’
Following her remarks, the university changed tack and called for an end to hazing, a move which was embraced by the minister. ‘I would like to know the specifics of what they have agreed to’, she said at the time.