Do student associations contribute to student wellbeing? New research should find out

Do Delft students feel at home at their student association? That is one of the questions Tim Bentvelsen is trying to answer in new scientific research. The Delft student official, established by TU Delft for contact between students, the university and the municipality, is trying to do so together with the Lieve Mark foundation. That organisation was founded in Covid time to keep an eye on student welfare. In doing so, they are getting help from neuroscientists at Erasmus University.

With a survey, the initiators want to discover, among other things, whether the sense of belonging – the feeling of belonging somewhere – differs between students who are or are not members of an association. The researchers are also curious to know how students view welfare initiatives at their associations. With the results, the initiators hope to improve the student welfare policy in Delft.

And that is needed, says student Tim, also a master student at Engineering and Policy Analysis. “Students face major social challenges, which can put pressure on their mental health. But what role membership in an association can play in this is still unknown.”

Strong degree of connectedness

It’s striking that we don’t know that, the initiators say. From the conversations that the Lieve Mark Foundation has had with students in recent years, they say, it actually emerged that association members often feel a strong sense of connection with their association. Whether that contributes to their well-being should be revealed by the new survey.

So far, about 700 students have completed the survey. You can still complete it until mid-March. Among the winners, the researchers will raffle off a pair of Apple Airpods Pro 2 and 25 stamp cards for lunch store Broodje Delft.