Many vacant seats in representative bodies, growing interest in Delft

Interest in student representation in higher education remains low, leading to vacant seats. According to the new Student Representation Monitor (Medezeggenschapsmonitor in Dutch), more than a third of the decentralised councils are unable to fill all their student seats. The monitor is carried out every two years by the research agency Oberon on behalf of the Interstedelijk Studenten Overleg (ISO).

For the monitor, over 1,450 staff and students from educational committees, faculty councils and central student representative bodies completed a questionnaire.

Opposite trend in Delft

Whilst some institutions struggle to find candidates, TU Delft is experiencing the opposite trend. There have never been so many applications for the faculty student councils (FSC), says student council chair Guuske Kouwenhoven (ORAS). There are also plenty of candidates for the student council. However, she notes that recruiting candidates takes more time than it did five years ago.

According to Kouwenhoven, the high level of interest in the faculty councils may be linked to the higher allowances for FSC members. These allowances for student members of the representative bodies have increased following agreements reached two years ago between student organisations and educational institutions. Almost three-quarters of students are now satisfied with the allowance. In 2024, this figure was barely half.

Having a say in policy

Through student and staff representative bodies, students and staff can have a say in the policies of their university or university of applied sciences, for example regarding the allocation of funds, binding study advice or the quality of teaching. Budget cuts have also been discussed.

However, not everyone believes that the council or programme committee has enough influence. Two years ago, 29% of student representatives in universities were satisfied; now, only 23% are. In universities of applied sciences, this figure remains at 31%.

Elections

Furthermore, turnout in elections remains low. In over half of the programme committees, there are not even any elections. Where elections do take place, the vast majority of students do not vote: on average, 28% of university students cast a vote and 14% of higher professional education students. Among staff, the figure is around 45%.

In Delft, voter turnout is slightly higher than the national average: last year, 30.7% of TU Delft students voted. That is, however, lower than before the pandemic, when over 35% of students cast their ballots.

In politics, there are concerns about low turnout in elections. Three years ago, for instance, D66 proposed that all student representative elections should henceforth take place in a single week, a sort of national election week. The then Minister Dijkgraaf was in favour of this, as was the National Student Union. But the student representatives themselves were sceptical. In the end, the plan was not implemented.

Elections are underway again

Elections have now begun again at various universities and universities of applied sciences. In the hope of encouraging more students to vote, the University Student Council at Radboud University Nijmegen has launched a voting guide, reports the university magazine VOX. Students can use a series of statements to see which party best suits them.

At Utrecht University, six parties are competing for a seat on the University Council this year, reports the university magazine DUB, one more than last year. This is due to a split within the Vrijmoedige Studentenpartij (VSP), after its founder came under fire for knocking a student to the ground following a confrontation over the singing of a Nazi song. Nevertheless, the VSP is once again on the list with four candidates.

In Delft, there are two parties on the electoral list this year: ORAS and Lijst Bèta. Koos Meesters, who has served on the council for the past three years on behalf of Dé Partij, previously announced that he had not found a successor. His party is therefore not taking part in the elections.