What is it?
The university council (in Dutch known as universiteitsraad or Uraad) is a participatory decision-making body, which represents the students and staff of the University of Twente. They consult the executive board concerning the board's decisions on important aspects of educational, research and staff policy.
What does it do?
The university council and the executive board have a public meeting every six weeks, on a Wednesday (usually on the top floor of the Horst tower). In these meetings they discuss topics like internationalization, student housing, research activities being reorganized, the Twente Educational Model (TEM or TOM) and work pressure.
Depending on the specific topic (and they can sometimes be very specific and procedural), the executive board must request the council’s assent before taking a decision on implementing a new regulation for instance. In other cases, the council can advise the board – or they can only exchange information.
Who are they?
The council consists of nine employees and nine students. Four parties in total have seats in the council at this moment: Campus Coalition (employees), Party of the UT (employees and students), UReka (students) and DAS (translated: The Ambitious Student, students).
What do the parties stand for?
If you want an in-depth look at the topics the parties are passionate about, make sure to look at the respective party programs. We’ve linked to them below:
Why should you vote?
Well, no one is forcing you to vote. However, you do have the opportunity to vote for a student to represent your voice when they discuss important university topics with the executive board. This year, it’s only possible for students to vote for student candidates. Every other year (even next year), employees are also eligible to run for university council.
How can you vote?
The elections are next week: from the 29th of May till the 2nd of June. Mind you, you won’t be putting a ballot in a box on campus. You’ll receive an e-mail from the university, with a link to the voting page. Then, you select the candidate of your choice.
