‘Students face economic issues all the time, but it is even a bigger problem during this pandemic, because they might not have any sources of income,’ said council member Saikiran Samudrala. ‘We know an emergency fund was established and we agree that it cannot be a solution for everything anymore as we are progressing to “new normal”. Still, we request that students should have the possibility to train themselves to be financially independent.’
The University Council advised that the UT should allow students to train themselves to improve their financial wellbeing and that it should improve the communication regarding the assistance which is already in place at the university. ‘Student advisors and counselors should play a vital role in this,’ added Samudrala.
In his response, rector Thom Palstra assured the UC that that financial situation of students is one of top priorities. ‘We realize that financial situation of students is an important issue, especially for international students. If it comes to the communication, I see two paths now. Firstly, Student Union and secondly we are developing a student wellbeing implementation plan, where this issue is addressed.’ The Executive Board will also provide an official written response to the Council’s advice.
