AUC Student Council
About the AUC Student Council
The job of the AUC Student Council is to represent the interests of all students regarding various aspects of student life at AUC, including academics and student well-being. By doing so, they act as a bridge between the AUC student community, AUC management, faculty and external parties such as the UvA, VU and DUWO.
Like other student councils in the Netherlands, the AUC Student Council has legal rights to ensure that students of AUC have a say in how AUC is run. This includes, for example, rights of approval, advisory rights and rights of initiative. An exact definition of these and other rights can be found in the Wet op het Hoger Onderwijs en Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (WHW) and the VU Nadere Regeling Medezeggenschap.
The input of AUC students is crucial in order for the council to properly do their job. To achieve this, an active student body is essential and AUC students should never hesitate in contacting current members of the AUC Student Council with any questions, concerns, complaints or comments.
- Contact AUC Student Council
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AUC Student Council Policy Plan
The Policy Plan is a document that outlines the Student Council’s vision and plans for the upcoming academic year and indicates the issues they intend to work on during their term. You can read the Student Council Policy Plan for the 2024-2025 academic year via the link below.
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AUC Student Council Canvas environment
If you are a current AUC student and would like to have easy access to all information regarding the AUC Student Council while also staying up-to-date about all their initiatives and events, make sure to enrol yourself for the AUC Student Council environment via the link below.
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Members of the AUC Student Council
The Student Council 2024-2025 consists of:
- Thomas Jurgens (Co-Chair; he/they)
- Mathilda Gustafsson (Co-Chair; she/her)
- Areebah Huq (Communications and Student Relations Officer; she/her)
- Malou Petersen (Visibility and Student Relations Officer; they/them)
- Catherine Lebiedzińska (External Relations Officer; she/her)
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Voices of AUC
Voices of AUC is an annual dialogue and discussion platform organised by AUC Student Council for AUC students, staff and alumni. During this conference, all participants engage with one another on an equal footing to explore one another’s ideas about AUC. This form of constructive conversation allows participants to identify problems, create new ideas and suggest solutions that all members of the AUC community can be proud of. The philosophy is that of ‘participatory leadership' meaning all layers of the institution should be involved in bringing ideas to the table and making decisions.
Why Voices of AUC?
The organisers of Voices of AUC believe that in a small and tight-knit institution like AUC, decision-making should be done not just from the top down, but mostly from the bottom up. When participants sit together as equals they often find that students, teachers and management have similar goals and dreams for AUC.
Only when they listen to each other and respect each other’s contribution can these dreams and goals be formulated and made actionable. The outcomes of the discussion play an important role in the decisions of the Student Council, Board of Studies and AUC management team, and thus represent a step towards a more democratic institution.
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AUC Student Council elections
During the yearly AUC Student Council elections, the members of next year's AUC Student Council are elected. Election season is very important as during this period the students of AUC have the power to decide who will be representing their interests during the next academic year.
The new members of the AUC Student Council are elected through a democratic procedure. All current students that will be studying at AUC in the next academic year can apply to put themselves up for election and members of the current AUC Student Council may run for re-election. All current AUC students are eligible to vote in the elections.
Why AUC Student Council elections are important
The AUC Student Council has a lot of influence on how AUC is run. Without a well-functioning student council, many students’ voices will not be heard. It is therefore extremely important that each student exercised their right to vote in order to make sure that these responsibilities will fall in the hands of the right candidates.
AUC Student Council Elections Procedure
The AUC Student Council elections follow the Vrije Universiteit elections procedures and timeline. Among other things, this means that voting happens digitally. Furthermore, by following the VU elections procedure, this means that AUC students are not only able to vote for the AUC Student Council, but also for the VU Central Student Council: the body that represents the interests of all VU students.
There will be more information posted on this page when elections are taking place.
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AUC Solidarity Fund
The AUC Solidarity Fund is a community-based fund that gives interest-free loans to AUC students in cases of financial emergency. The AUC student community is tight-knit and ambitious but for some, unexpected financial difficulties can get in the way of academic and social participation. These difficulties can arise without warning, such as a death in the family. They can happen to anyone, but differences in socio-economic backgrounds can impact the buffer students may have to cope with these situations.
