'Where have all the active students gone?', asked the initiators, who could count on a high response: more than five hundred UT students completed the survey. The vast majority of respondents turned out to be active themselves – only 15 percent are not active and about 5 percent are not members of anything.
Time and fun
That 'sampling problem' was in line with the initiators' expectations. The results will not be very surprising either. Lack of time is the number one cause when it comes to what prevents students from being active. This applied to four hundred respondents. About three hundred students also indicated that the possible long-term studying fine and their financial situation are a stumbling block.
The main reason for student engagement is the pleasure that students get from it. This applied to 350 respondents. Other appeals of activism are mainly in the personal and professional growth opportunities. That and networking opportunities and building a resume.
Think tank
In summary, the benefits are mainly in the fun and growth. In addition, there is also a more altruistic group that mainly wants to contribute to the (sense of) community. On the other hand, time and – to a lesser extent – money are the main obstacles.
The Student Union and the University Innovation Fellows want to explore these advantages and disadvantages in more depth and start thinking about possible solutions. This will happen tomorrow during a think tank in the DesignLab, from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm.
