In student culture, activism means that someone carries out a board year, organizes events or leads a committee in addition to a study. UT student Veerle de Vocht, director of the Student Union (SU), has noticed that there is increasing confusion about the concept. 'New students think of activism as demonstrations or protests. The link to be active with political themes is quickly made. That mainly acts as a deterrent to foreign students,' says De Vocht. 'The question: What exactly do you mean by activism?' comes up regularly.'
The solution
The Student Union is therefore banning the term activism. The word can no longer be found in her own communications. To better convey the message to new students, the organization is creating other concepts. According to the SU, 'being active', 'engagement', and 'being active' better cover the load.
'It takes time to introduce these words. Activism is a well-known concept in the student culture at the UT. There is a chance that only the next generation of students will use these names,' says De Vocht. 'But we hope that everyone will apply it as soon as possible.'
