1. The UG should keep the bsa of 45 ECTS.

1. SOG: Yes, because the bsa of 45 ECTS is a suitable way to determine whether a degree programme is the right fit for students and prevents degree programmes from becoming overburdened. The university should be pushed to be more flexible in granting exceptions or reductions on the bsa, so it can prevent an overload of pressure on students facing personal issues.
2. Calimero: Yes, it ensures quality of education and that students find themselves in the right place. However, we should make the process of getting an extended BSA more transparent. We see the value of having a BSA, to ensure students find themselves in the right study program and to ensure the quality of the degree program for all students. However, we see that the BSA sometimes presents an undue burden on students, especially when they are dealing with external circumstances that inhibit their studying. Therefore, we advocate for a more transparent and accessible system for an extended BSA.
3. DVS: We believe in a flexible university, which implies more space for the student. We would like to see the bsa lowered in consultation with experts from the UG and Hanze University of Applied Sciences to develop a suitable solution. Besides an increase in flexibility, this would also save first-year students plenty of stress. However, flexibility should not come at the expense of the quality of education.

2. If the university gets the authorisation to put a cap on all incoming international students, it should do so.

1. SOG: No, because the university should first exhaust all alternatives to reduce the influx of international students. Thus, the university should recruit students from abroad less actively and should not make false promises, as the city clearly cannot handle the influx now. A hard cap is not a fitting solution.
2. Calimero: No, a university-wide cap on all international students is not beneficial; it should be evaluated per programme. The University of Groningen thrives because of its international study environment. A university-wide cap on international students is neither feasible nor desirable. Rather, we should ensure that programmes can still grow, while evaluating whether each faculty benefits from limiting their number of incoming students, international or not.
3. DVS: We support the internationalisation of our university. However, the university may have to limit the number of students, as our city has shown that it cannot keep up with the student influx, which we believe is a major problem. We do not want our (international) students to have to sleep in campsites at the beginning of the year. The number of students is not the problem, but the limited housing. Internationalisation should remain the norm.

3. The UG has to evaluate its language policy and only offer English programmes if they prepare students for an international career. All others should be taught in Dutch only.

1. SOG: The language used in degree programmes should reflect the careers that students are being prepared for. Domestically oriented degree programmes should still be taught in Dutch to ensure that the UG can also service Dutch students. However, this should not be at the expense of being able to prepare for a more international workplace and the quality of education that internationalisation brings.
2. Calimero: No, it is not advantageous or feasible in the current international research and work environment. The university needs to prepare students for a future career in an increasingly international environment. We therefore do not believe this to be a desirable change. However, we do see the importance of continuing to offer programmes in Dutch. We believe that the university currently has a good balance of both.
3. DVS: We think that offering studies in Dutch only would deter many international students. The university must remain open to international students who would like to study a subject that doesn’t necessarily prepare them for an international career. We are, however, in favour of retaining Dutch variants of studies that are also offered in English, as is the case with psychology.

4. Social safety should be the university’s number one priority.

1. SOG: Social safety is a topic that deserves far more attention from the UG. The university needs to be a safe learning and working environment for all students and staff. This means that the university should set up more efficient procedures to be able to address individual needs and situations. It should also actively seek to break down rigid hierarchies and take victims of harassment and bullying more seriously.
2. Calimero: Yes, it should be among the university’s top priorities. We ask the university to respond to the current social safety concerns of students, and we hold the UG accountable for providing a safe academic environment. The university should provide resources for preventive safety, encourage existing initiatives addressing social safety, and make the process of reporting easier and accessible.
3. DVS: We believe that the university should make social safety its highest priority without losing sight of other relevant issues at our university. The theme has been discussed a lot among students lately. We think that we should make the tools that are already available more visible and at the same time we should look at what can be improved to promote social safety.

5. The UG should ban having exams in the evening and on weekends.

1. SOG: Yes, the UG should ban exams in the evening and on weekends, since they can negatively impact results. In addition, they can also influence students’ work-life balance, which negatively impacts their mental health.
2. Calimero: Yes, evenings and weekends should be left for a student's personal life. We stand for protecting student well-being and believe this measure to be a positive action for lowering academic stress. Weekend exams should be avoided using alternative ways of assessment, different exam periods and/or other exam locations.
3. DVS: The UG should aim to limit the number of exams in the evenings and on weekends. However, we should ensure that all studies can plan their exams in the designated exam period. Therefore what we are mainly in favour of is looking for more places to organise exams than just the Aletta Jacobshal. We think that a mandatory ban will only lead to more problems.

6. As of next year, all university students have to be taught in class how to use ChatGPT for their studies.

1. SOG: Both the university and its students need to learn how to deal with AI. Of course, students’ education should properly prepare them for a career, but it is also inevitable that AI will play a major role in our future. The university should integrate AI into its overall education strategy, but leave the specifics up to individual faculties and programme committees.
2. Calimero: No, while we think ChatGPT can be a good addition, we believe in the importance of teaching research skills to students. However, we do believe the university should have a clear strategy for dealing with the increasing digitalisation of education and the rise of artificial intelligence.
3. DVS: We support teaching students how they can use ChatGPT for their studies, as we believe it is important for the university to keep up with technological developments. However, we think that ChatGPT should not be used in all facets of the curriculum. We should not strive for a substitute for self-learning. However, the students should learn about ChatGPT to be well-prepared for the future.

7. Big lectures should be replaced by small-scale classes.

1. SOG: Although there is a strong appeal to smaller classes, the university simply does not have the resources to facilitate this right now. Because little can be done about this at the university level, the Dutch government should be encouraged to increase funding for teaching staff and additional classroom space.
2. Calimero: Yes, we believe small-scale learning increases the quality of education. Students learn and develop better skills, not just theoretical knowledge, by interacting with their peers in small-scale classes. Thus, reduced classes and more personalised help are the way to go in high-quality higher education.
3. DVS: We are not in favour of replacing lectures with seminars. We don’t think this feasible at all, as it would require more available lecturers and rooms. Furthermore, we believe this way of teaching is not more effective. We are, however, in favour of uploading lectures regularly so students can rewatch parts they did not understand during the live session.

8. Internships should be a mandatory part of academic programmes.

1. SOG: No, internships should not be mandatory, but students should have the opportunity to do an internship within their studies. The university should reward full-time internships with the same number of credits as a semester abroad. That way, students can choose whether studying abroad or doing an internship better suits their personal and/or career goals.
2. Calimero: No, the university should preserve students' autonomy in their own development. Spaces reserved for internships are generally also reserved for interdisciplinary education. We believe students should be allowed to choose their own direction within these spaces. However, the university should provide students with the opportunity to do an internship if they would prefer one.
3. DVS: We are against making internships compulsory for all studies. We think that compulsory internships would be at the expense of other important components of the curriculum, such as a minor in the third year. We want students to be free to gain experience themselves next to their studies. However, we do think that an internship can have added value for programmes that are generally more practical than theoretical.

9. The university is spending enough money and time on students’ mental health as it is.

1. SOG: Student mental health is not merely about the amount of money spent on the problem. The university should improve its mental health policy by providing resources of high quality and by streamlining the process of redirecting urgent cases to professionals. Furthermore, the university should focus more on preventing mental health problems by providing more flexible studying opportunities and reducing student workload.
2. Calimero: No, the university should invest more in a centralised well-being portal and promote well-being initiatives developed by students. The available resources offered by the university should be centralised and communicated better to students, for example through a central well-being portal. The university should make use of grassroots initiatives started by students by promoting and supporting them. We believe that student well-being is elementary to a healthy university experience.
3. DVS: We believe that the mental health of students should be one of the highest priorities for the university. Despite the fact that we already have great study advisers and student psychologists, many students still suffer from stress and anxiety at our university. We think that the university should improve the efficiency of referring students to the help they need. Furthermore we are in favour of investing in other resources such as the buddy system and strengthening the first-year mentorship.

10. The university should plant more trees on campus.

1. SOG: The university should provide more greenery in and around university buildings. A greener environment can benefit students’ (mental) health and makes our university buildings more pleasant to be around. Such initiatives could help the university contribute to the biodiversity in the Netherlands, and the shade provided by the trees can lower the demand for energy to cool down buildings in warmer seasons.
2. Calimero: Yes, but that shouldn't be the only sustainable measure the university takes. The university should look at as many ways as possible to invest in a sustainable environment as they have a social and environmental responsibility. Planting more trees on campus, as well as developing long-term sustainability plans, not only contributes to a sustainable planet, but also a greener and positive study environment.
3. DVS: Go green! We are in favour of planting more trees on campus. Trees are not only good for absorbing CO2, but they also protect and cool the cities during hot summers. However, there must be room for it on campus.