Party 020
We’re Partij 020, a student political party at the University of Amsterdam founded in 2020. One of the key features of 020 is our philosophy of progressive pragmatism, whereby we believe in bottom-up democracy and care for the collective and its environment with a practical approach to making change at the UvA. We actively work to improve the student experience and promote positive change by focusing on our pillars: quality of education, mental health, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, student housing, democratic practices, as well as jobs and internships. 020 representatives have focused on a range of policies in the council, from pushing the university to provide menstrual products to making mental health support more accessible.
Click on any motion below to see the parties explination
Having a physical accessibility university that provides equitable education for it’s students is a priority for the University
Fully agree
At 020, one of our pillars is diversity & inclusion so we believe that every student has a right to access education without discrimination. We are committed to supporting students in their academic journey to ensure they receive the education they have paid for.
The UvA should invest in more accessibility for students with functional limitations as well as sensitivity towards these students
Fully agree
020 believes that all students should have the same level of access to education resulting in equality in quality of education for all of our students, both on- and off-campus.
Students wishing to take honours courses should be able to do so based on their motivation, regardless of their grades
Disagree
Although motivation should also be a deciding factor, we believe that there should be a combination of both grades and motivation as a basis for following honours courses. Having a slightly flexible minimum grade for entry into the honours programme would allow for the university to keep up the quality of education, whilst also allowing for motivated students to participate in the program.
The university should be allowed to limit the number of international students
Disagree
We disagree with the idea that the university should limit the number of international students. Our core values are deeply rooted in promoting diversity and inclusion, and we believe that international students play a vital role in enriching the educational experience for all and creating a diverse academic community where varied perspectives and cultures contribute to a more dynamic and innovative learning environment.
It is the government’s responsibility to provide mental health support for students. Therefore, the university should not spend extra resources on this
Fully disagree
Student mental health should not be considered the responsibility of the government. Instead, our students should have appropriate resources readily made available to them by the University when in need of mental health aid. The current resources are not sufficient for the University’s growing student body, leaving many students without guidance or support. The University should therefore invest more in its mental health resources and services.
The Numerus Fixus should be used to stopthe growth of the university
Neutral
020 believes that in the absence of a capacity constraint, there is no reason to exclude prospective students from the university, as without careful construction, numerus fixus can be discriminatory to those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. That being said, in studies where there is a clear capacity limitation, implementing a numerus fixus can be a successful method to curb even more growth.
The UvA should involve students in long term plans for study spaces and teaching facilities according to the expected changes in student population
Neutral
The University should listen to student complaints about spaces and facilities through the council. However we also believe that the long term plans of facilities need to be left to urban planning experts at the university.
The university lacks sufficient readily accessible gender-neutral toilets
Fully agree
It is imperative that UVA campuses provide gender-neutral toilets to foster a truly inclusive university environment. This measure will go a long way toward making everyone feel welcomed and valued at the university.
Student councils should support occupations as a legitimate means of protest at the university
Agree
The student council should take an objective approach towards occupation and protests at the university, by assessing the motivation behind the occupation as well as its nature, before revealing a stance on any student protest.
Academic freedom is the most important value to uphold for a university
Fully agree
Partij 020 believes that universities should be a place where constant dialogue is possible and also encouraged by the university. As democracy is one of our core pillars, we are committed to ensuring that students and teachers alike are encouraged to share and discuss diverse and competing opinions.
All lectures should be available online for everyone
Fully agree
020 believes that COVID-19 should not be the only reason to study from home or online. Lectures should be made available online or as recordings to allow for more flexibility for students with disabilities, chronic illnesses, jobs, or care duties.
The UvA should offer free menstrual products at each campus
Fully agree
At 020, we believe that period poverty can largely affect the student body by having a negative impact on their mental and physical wellbeing. In order to prevent that, menstrual products should become more accessible, especially in emergency situations or during financial difficulty. 020 has shown a strong commitment to addressing menstrual poverty, starting the initiative to provide access to free menstrual products at the UvA in 2021, with our CSR representatives playing an integral role in establishing the pilot project.
As a way to curb the growth of the university, Dutch language courses should be a mandatory part of all programs
Disagree
While 020 agrees that, due to the current UvA capacity limits, growth of the university should be curbed, we do not agree that making students take mandatory Dutch language courses is the best method to do so. Forcing students to take extra courses can potentially interfere with one’s main studies, as well as take a toll on student mental health and free time.
There should be mandatory attendance for tutorials
Disagree
While it is important for our students to attend as many seminars and tutorials as possible for them to keep up with the course material and the important topics discussed in class, making it mandatory takes away the possibility of our students to reallocate their study time according to their needs. Furthermore, the current lack of flexibility in regard to absences puts the students' education at risk of delay, under circumstances that are out of their control such as illness or disability.
The UvA should address problems such as systemic overwork and bad working conditions among its teachers by giving out more permanent contracts
Fully agree
020 fully supports tackling the issue of overwork and bad working conditions for our lecturers/teachers. Casual UvA is seen as a great initiative started by our teachers and a step towards progress for our teachers and students, since the situation also harms students' wellbeing with grading delays/study delays as a result of overwork for our teachers.
The university should stop the prioritisation of students from outside the EU in regard to the university provided student housing
Disagree
With efforts to diversify the student body, the University should not stop prioritising non-EU students in regards to housing. In the current housing crisis, the international students have even more barriers to finding accommodation, which leaves them with less options and more risks, as there is more uncertainty around them being able to remain in the Netherlands and they require a residency permit.
The executive board of the university should be elected through an open election by the students and worker’s body
Disagree
While having the students and worker’s body elect the executive board through an open election would allow for more transparency and democracy in the management of the University, 020 believes that this situation should not be politicised, and that the executive board must be made up of qualified members and those should be chosen by experts, as the student body would not have enough information to choose and vote on the executive board
All food options should be plant based by default
Fully agree
Partij 020 is fully dedicated to increase sustainability at the UvA and it's one of our core pillars. A plant-based canteen by default can help decrease carbon footprint in the environment. Furthermore, Partij 020 has been supporting AntiKantine, a student movement aimed to make the canteen more affordable and sustainable. Therefore, we fully support a plant-based by default model for the canteen.
The UvA should give more training to the teaching assistants
Fully agree
We strongly support enhanced training for teaching assistants. This aligns perfectly with our core values: improving education quality, fostering diversity and inclusion, and expanding student opportunities. Better-trained teaching assistants can elevate teaching standards, support a diverse student body, and effectively guide students in their academic and career pursuits, enhancing the overall university experience.
Student & Workers Councils should have the final say in policy decisions
Agree
The Councils are an expression of democracy and should always be, in democratic institutions, the decisive ones. Naturally, this must be accompanied by a professional discussion, reviews, and data-based decisions, not ad hoc half-baked ideas.
The University must prioritise active diversity policies, including decolonization
Fully agree
020 strives towards more inclusion. Decolonising the course content is an important part of improving education at the University, as it will help remove some of the long-standing biases that exist in many courses. Furthermore, it will encourage students to question their own views, and consider those that they perhaps have not yet been exposed to.
All board members of study associations should receive equal financial support from the University
Agree
Whilst there is a notable difference in size of membership between the various associations at the UvA, we think that equal encouragement and financial support are great incentives to start new study associations. This, evidently, will increase campus life that UvA is lacking, as well as inclusivity.
The Binding Study Advice (BSA) should be abolished
Neutral
020 believes that the BSA is a necessary part to gain the University’s permanence. However, there should also be more flexibility with the Study Advice as different students have different needs and lives which might directly affect their personal Advice.
More investment is needed in interdisciplinary education (providing students with more than just one perspective on a particular subject, such as is done in honours, PPLE or IIS programs)
Fully agree
An interdisciplinary perspective will improve the quality of education by exposure to a variety of perspectives and methods. Further, this will enhance students’ overall chances for developing a successful and fruitful career.
Calling the police is an appropriate response by the university to deal with student protests and demonstrations
Neutral
While we understand the importance of the police in protecting private grounds of UvA, we believe that protests should be evaluated from case to case and the presence of police sometimes unnecessarily escalates the situation. Generalisations such as: all protests must be dealt with by the police do not help the discussion and only stir emotions.
Programs should have the sole responsibility in deciding whether they teach in Dutch or in English
Neutral
We think that limiting any program to students who can only follow it in Dutch harms the accessibility to, and inclusivity of, the University. It would benefit all students if the program had both a Dutch and English track but, due to practical reasons, we understand why courses themselves have to have a say in this.
Admission to programs with a limited student capacity should be based on selection procedure rather than random selection through a lottery system
Agree
020 favours a merit based system that accounts for the socio-economic background of an individual and weighs up their achievements and situation against potential shortcomings of a system solely focused on academic achievement such as the GPA. We further believe that a simple lottery will not reach this goal. We believe a more nuanced approach is necessary to both motivate students to achieve high marks as well as level the playing field to allow for a greater diversity of students at the UvA, which will lead to better research output and quality of education. A system that recognises both merit and socio-economic inequalities is crucial to increase equality and diversity while making sure students are motivated in their studies and are certain that their hard work will pay off.
The UvA should cut ties with fossil fuel companies like Shell
Fully agree
Especially as UvA’s own researchers study the horrible effects of fossil fuels, it remains extremely hypocritical to continue working with companies like Shell. Possible and implementable alternatives are available, especially to an institution of UvA’s size.
The canteen should be deprivatized
Fully agree
In the past two years, Partij 020 has been constantly supporting the deprivatisation of the canteen by helping with projects such as Antikantine. We believe that the current system of the cafeteria is inefficient and outdated; with democracy as one of our pillars, we believe that the current model of the canteen lacks competition and democracy as a result of the rigid contracts that have been implemented. It is our opinion that students should be able to benefit from a greater variety of food, with more sustainable options, at more affordable prices rather than being the customers of a continuously shrinking portion size that does not satisfy dietary needs of students as we have observed these past few years.