Vindicat out of the penalty box (for now)
RUG and Hanze set strict conditions
Vindicat out of the penalty box (for now)
Door Giulia Fabrizi
By Giulia Fabrizi
The RUG and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences announced this news on Thursday morning. They do have conditions, however. Neither the participants nor the supervisors are allowed to drink alcohol during the introductory camps.
Any and all ‘incidents even remotely significant’ will have to be reported to the RUG and Hanze boards and the police, via the Advice Committee for Orientation (ACI).
In September of next year, Vindicat will have to hand in a report about their change process, how the orientation period went, how incidents are handled, and the state of affairs concerning the cultural change needed to prevent problematic members from causing trouble. The accreditation is valid from September 1, 2019 to October 1, 2020.
Too big a step
The RUG and the Hanze have partially adopted the Accreditation Committee for Student Association’s advice, which was to accredit Vindicat for a period of three years. However, both school boards felt that this was too big a step.
The Accreditation Committee was positively impressed by the changes the Vindicat senate went through, but the education institutes are not yet entirely at ease. Several remarks and doubts the committee had concerning risk management and the revision of the internal justice system have caused the schools to be cautious.
Punishment
Vindicat’s committee grants were cut off in 2017. The association lost its accreditation in October 2018, which not only meant they lost out on committee grants, but also that they were excluded from official RUG and Hanze events.
They were being punished for a series of incidents the frat was involved in that came to light in 2016. In 2016, violence was used during initiation rites and the club published a ‘bang list’ of female members’ photos and contact information.
A year later, association members wreaked havoc at the Sushi Mall restaurant and an incident took place at rowing association Aegir, which is part of Vindicat. That year, it also came to light that various incidents during the introduction periods had been reported too late or not at all.
Compliments
Rector Cisca Wijmenga compliments Vindicat on their new course. ‘The proper handover from the 2018-2019 Senate to the 2019-2020 Senate shows that they’re aware of the need for continuity within the association. We think it’s very important for the club to work on curbing alcohol abuse and promoting a more international culture.’
Vindicat is delighted with the news. ‘We’re really pleased with this positive message’, says Floris Hamann, Vindicat rector. ‘I know we’re not out of the woods yet, but we started this year on a positive note and we plan to continue that way.’
Critical self-reflection
Hamann understands the Advice Committee’s more critical remarks and realises that the association still has some things to work on. ‘Like the introduction period and our alcohol policy’, he says. ‘We’re initiating a cultural change, but we know we can’t make that happen inside of a year. If we improve bit by bit that’s good progress, but we have to remain critical in our self-reflection.’
For now, the frat is happy with the progress they’ve made. They’ll not be having a party to celebrate the good news. ‘Of course we’re happy, but like I said, we still have a ways to go. But tonight happens to be the start of Kermess, so that’s party enough for us.’
The Kermesse d’Hiver is a three-day fancy dress party. The club is redecorated and all the members will dress up and party at the Vindicat building on the Grote Markt.