Party Manifesto Faculty of Economics and Business
1. For accessible study advisors and exam committees
Study advisors and exam committees help out students when they experience problems in their study or personal life. Fast help is essential. Unfortunately, waiting lists are still too long. The Independent Student has plead for shortening these waiting lists last year, as a result of which the Board of the Faculty has now prioritized shortening the waiting lists.
In the upcoming year, The Independent Student wants to shorten waiting lists even further and expanding of these facilities.
2. For modern education
The Independent Student wants modern education. A good balance between physical and online education, to get an optimal balance between freedom and responsibility of students and staff.
Far too often, lectures get cancelled, or students are not able to attend their lectures. Opportunities to improve the quality of education get wasted, as teachers make mandatory lectures part of their course. With digital education, we can improve the quality of your degree! The Independent Student wants to use online lectures as an addition to the physical education, so students can decide on their own how to complete their studies.
3. For digital teaching material
The Independent Student wants teaching materials to be readily available online. Through external parties, old exams and worksheets are offered, which cause students to spend extra money. The Independent Student wants the Faculty to offer these materials for free. Making old exams and readers available to students, makes students better prepared for the exam and no longer depending on third party resources.
4. For more power outlets
The Independent Student wants more power outlets. The current shortage causes students to have a dead laptop in the middle of a lecture. The Independent Student wants enough power outlets to be available in all buildings of the Faculty, so students do not need to worry about their battery life.
5. For extended opening hours of ACLO and the UB
The Independent Student believes the opening hours of the Zernike Library to be too limited. During the exam period, the Zernike Library should be opened for a longer period, to make it a true alternative to the Library in the city center. Next to that, The Independent Student wants the Zernike Library to be opened during the weekend, to add 250 more study spots.
The UB is opened daily between 9 AM and midnight. These opening hours are fine during a regular week, but they limit students in the exam periods. The Independent Student wants the Library in the city center to be a 24h-Library, so students can study in the way they want.
In addition, The Independent Student wants to make optimal use of the rooms in the Faculty. Therefore, we want to use the lecture halls and seminar rooms as study spaces in the exam period.
6. For integration opportunities for international students
The Independent Student wants for all international students to feel at home in Groningen. Therefore, The Independent Student wants for all events, graduation ceremonies and thesis-defences to be livestreamed; so family from all over the world can join you during the most important day of your life (so far).
The Independent Student also wants to increase the capacity of the Dutch language lessons at the Language Center. The current capacity is often not enough, resulting in lots of students on waiting lists. The Dutch language is step 1 in integrating in Groningen, therefore there should be enough capacity for all interested students.
Furthermore, The Independent Student wants international students to have equal career opportunities at the UG. For lots of vacancies, the Dutch language is still a requirement. We consider that to be a requirement from the past. Most jobs take place in English anyhow, so let’s give all students an equal chance!
7. For premaster students
Premaster-students have to finish all of their subjects, before they can continue with their masters degree. This results in students enrolling an entire year of studies, for just one subject. The Independent Student wants more flexibility in this situation, to make sure premaster students can start with their masters along with everyone else.
The Independent Student considers the premaster student to be a fully-fledged student, and the Faculty should treat them as such. During the corona pandemic, premaster students were not fully informed, contrary to bachelor and master students. Especially in times of crisis, all students should be equally informed.
8. For useful Career Services
The Career Services is a major expense for our faculty. This overpaid department even competes with study associations, who offer the same activities and services. The Independent Student considers this a waste of public funding, and therefore pleads for a re-prioritising of these funds. These funds should be used efficiently. Currently, too much money is spend on the Career Services and too few on the study associations.
Furthermore, The Independent Student wants a better cooperation between the study associations and Career Services. Instead of competing, Career Services should reorganize its services to support these associations.
9. For open catering
The Independent Student wants proper and affordable catering. The catering at the FEB has improved drastically in comparison to other years. There are more market forces, and the quality has improved. The Independent Student thinks it can be even better! Coffee machines can be stocked better and more often, and students should have more freedom to bring their own food and drinks.
Did you know you are not allowed to hand out cake or snack at your own birthday, because the Faculty considers this unfair competition to the catering companies. The Independent Student considers a lower rent a better solution to help these companies, instead of banning snacks on campus.
10. For sustainability with results
The Independent Student wants effective measures on sustainability. There are many things our faculty can do to save our planet! We can increase the amount of online lectures to reduce our ecological footprint. In addition, we have plenty of space on the Zernike Campus for wind turbines and solar panels!
In addition, The Independent Student wants the UG to insulate its buildings. We will not only save our planets, but also lots of public funding.
11. For clear house rules
The Independent Student stands for transparency, but the FEB has no written house rules yet. This means students and staff are depending on the mood of the faculty management. A faculty for business should know better, transparent and clear house rules are better for everyone! The Independent Student wants the faculty to write down its house rules!~
12. For fair examination
When a student and professor disagree on the assessment of an exam, it can’t be true for the professor to have the last word. A second corrector should always be someone else than the original professor. This ensures the objectivity and transparency of education.