De Vrije Student

De Vrije Student does not consider occupations a legitimate form of protest within the university. Occupations disrupt education, block access to buildings, and can put students and staff in unsafe or intimidating situations. They also disregard the rights of others, such as students who simply want to attend classes, take exams, or use university facilities. The UvA should provide space for demonstrations and freedom of expression, but protest must never shut down the academic process or endanger the safety and accessibility of the university.

DVS opposes the complete exclusion of cooperation with the security and resilience sector. Such partnerships can produce valuable social and scientific research, for example in the fields of security, forensic science, cybersecurity, or crisis management. However, academic independence, transparency, and clear ethical boundaries must always be safeguarded.

De Vrije Student does not believe that the UvA should oppose national plans to regulate the intake of international students on principle. International students are welcome and enrich the academic environment, but unfocused growth can put pressure on housing, education, and accessibility.

De Vrije Student strongly opposes admission based on lottery instead of selection procedures. In programmes with limited capacity, motivation, suitability, and demonstrable abilities should be taken into account, so that available places go to students who are a good fit for the programme. The problems in dentistry show that lottery systems can lead to poor outcomes in practice, with many students failing to pass the first year. This is not only inefficient for the programme, but also unfair to students who work hard, are well prepared, and are demonstrably motivated to complete the programme successfully.

De Vrije Student believes that diversity of academic and ideological perspectives in the curriculum is important. Students should be introduced to different schools of thought, approaches, and scientific debates within their field. At the same time, it is questionable whether assessment by an independent committee is the best solution for this. DVS supports more attention to diversity of perspectives, but wants to prevent this from leading to bureaucracy, political steering, or interference with the academic freedom of degree programmes.

The university needs a certain flexible workforce in order to respond to fluctuating student numbers, temporary teaching demand, and changes within degree programmes. Moreover, the UvA already has relatively strong D4 policy, under which Junior Lecturers can, in our view, receive several years of job security. Any further expansion of permanent contracts should therefore be carefully weighed against financial feasibility and a fair distribution of resources within the teaching team

De Vrije Student opposes elections for the university’s executive board. Good governance requires professionalism, experience, and broad expertise, not popularity or campaign skills. Open elections increase the risk of politicisation, low turnout, and fragmentation, while students and staff already influence governance and policy in multiple ways through representative bodies. DVS therefore supports a careful appointment process, with the involvement of students and staff through an independent selection committee. This ensures that the board remains competent, representative, and governable. For further explanation see; https://www.folia.nl/en/opinie/169989/stop-the-further-politicisation-and-democratisation-of-the-uva

DVS recognises that study advisers, psychologists, and other student services are important for student wellbeing and academic success. At the same time, education remains the university’s core task, and a major expansion of services should not come at the expense of teaching quality. The UvA can support and refer students, but structural mental healthcare primarily belongs with professional healthcare institutions and the government.

De Vrije Student believes that the UvA should better prepare students for their careers. For years, the university has performed poorly in this area, while students should be well prepared to enter the labour market after graduation. More attention to skills, internships, networking, and practical experience is therefore important. This should be done in a balanced way: career preparation should not replace academic depth, but it should have a stronger and more structural place within degree programmes.

De Vrije Student believes that bachelor’s education should, in principle, be available in Dutch wherever possible, especially to safeguard accessibility for Dutch students. At the same time, English-taught education can be valuable or necessary for international programmes, labour market needs, or scientific contexts. Offering every bachelor’s programme in both languages as standard is not always financially or practically feasible. Therefore, the principle should be: Dutch where possible, English where necessary.

De Vrije Student believes that the UvA should prioritise expanding study spaces over investing in additional reflection rooms. There is a clear shortage of study spaces, especially during exam periods, while these are a basic condition for students to be able to study properly.

De Vrije Student believes that the current facilities at the university, including gender-neutral toilets, are generally sufficient. Of course, there should always be enough basic facilities for everyone, but this does not mean that the UvA should keep carrying out renovations or incurring extra costs without a clear necessity. The university should continue to monitor accessibility, but must act proportionally and avoid spending resources at the expense of more urgent student facilities.

De Vrije Student believes that student councils and works councils should not have veto power over policy decisions. The university’s Executive Board has been appointed for that purpose and bears responsibility for the long term and for balancing all interests. Councils should be able to think critically, advise, and give consent where appropriate, but they should not govern. Through strong participation structures, they can hold the board accountable and work together toward better decisions. For further explanation: https://www.folia.nl/nl/opinie/169989/stop-eens-met-de-verdere-politisering-en-democratisering-van-de-uva

DVS supports more cooperation with the private sector, as this makes the UvA less vulnerable to dependence on government funding and possible budget cuts. Private partnerships can also create new opportunities for innovation, connect research more closely to practice, and provide students with more opportunities for internships, jobs, and entrepreneurship. However, scientific independence and transparency must always be protected.

The right to protest is fundamental and must be protected, including within the university. At the same time, that right ends where the safety and property of others are put at risk. When protests turn into destruction, intimidation, or the blocking of education, the university must take decisive action. In such cases, calling in the police is justified. Protest is allowed, but always within the limits of the law.

DVS stands for equal opportunities, but believes that quality, experience, and suitability should remain the basis for staff selection. Diversity can be valuable, but it should not mean moving away from selection based on merit. The university should remove barriers and encourage broad recruitment, without placing candidates’ identity above quality.

Grades are an objective measure of academic performance and provide a reliable indication of someone’s ability to handle complex academic tasks. DVS believes that the honours track should not only be a reward for motivation, but also a recognition of academic achievement. If the honours track were based solely on motivation, this could undermine its academic integrity and reduce its value.

Moreover, ignoring grades could create the risk that students are admitted who may not have the required academic skills to complete the track successfully.

De Vrije Student believes that students and staff should be able to choose what they want to eat. Plant-based options can certainly be encouraged and made widely available, but steering what is actually sold goes much further than simply adjusting the range of options. If the university wants to ensure that more than half of the food sold is plant-based, this means actively limiting or influencing freedom of choice. DVS considers a varied, affordable, and freely accessible food offer more important, in which both plant-based and non-plant-based options remain sufficiently available.

De Vrije Student opposes abolishing the Binding Study Advice (BSA). The BSA helps students reflect on their study choice in time and prevents unnecessary study delay. It provides clarity and structure, both for students and for degree programmes. However, we believe that the BSA should be applied reasonably, with room for personal circumstances.