‘It is important for students to show they oppose the cutbacks’

Why should staff and students protest on 14 November?

“Just as on 18 October, the protest will be against the cutbacks in higher education. This will affect every student. So we will demonstrate in support of a higher basic grant and against the long-term study penalty. It is important for students to show they oppose the cutbacks.”

In other student cities, bus transport is being organised and there are widely circulated app groups to get as many people to Utrecht as possible. What do you see happening at TU Delft?

“TU Delft also has a WhatsApp group. We use it to pass on any updates that we get about the protest. We often see that students plan to go in groups, for example with their boards or housemates. We let them know the time that we will go to the protest so that they feel free to join us. We will discuss the reimbursement of the students’ public transport costs with TU Delft.”

The VSSD did not really have a presence over the last few years. Why was this?

“The VSSD’s book shop has not been able to survive financially since the Covid crisis. This meant that the union had no income anymore. This, combined with the challenging contact with members during the pandemic, meant that the union went to ‘sleep’.”

‘We can represent the interests of TU Delft students unhindered’

How did it get a new lease of life?

“The idea grew in TU Delft students’ organisations VeRa, STIP, WijWonen and Lijst Bèta to revive the VSSD. They saw that the city of Delft needed a critical organisation that was completely independent of both TU Delft and the universities of applied sciences.”

For the students who do not know the VSSD, what can it do for them?

“The VSSD is the union for all students in the city of Delft. We are a member of several nationwide organisations, such as the ISO (the Intercity Student Consultation umbrella organisation for all student boards) and the LSVb (the umbrella organisation for all unions), and represent Delft’s students’ interests there. As we are independent of TU Delft and the universities of applied sciences, we can represent the interests of students in Delft unhindered.

At the moment we are working out how we can best help with four Board members. We are in any case doing this by taking a stand against the long-term study penalty and promoting the better financial position of students. We are also looking at where the gaps are where we can play a role. As there are a lot of organisations at TU Delft that work on important issues for students, we want to avoid doing the same work twice. Student accommodation, for example, is a major issue. This is one area that we want to put our efforts into.”

Can students become members?

“We are working hard behind the scenes to get things going again. Students can now register in our WhatsApp group. They will then be kept updated on what we are doing.”