Party Manifesto Faculty of Arts

1. For flexible lectures and tutoring

The Independent Student pleads for a flexible faculty. Therefore, lectures, and especially work groups, should not be compulsory. Students must have their freedom. Very often there is an attendance obligation of 80%, which means that students are obliged to be present, even though external matters (such as mental health or other priorities) also require time and space. That is why The Independent Student is against mandatory attendance. After all, students are fully capable of determining their own planning. If the faculty wants to promote attendance, bonus points and innovation in teaching methods are the way to go.

2. For open opportunities for students

The University of Groningen offers plenty of interesting courses and extracurriculars, but these opportunities are not well known. Students should be informed more about the possibilities of taking extra courses alongside their studies, and this should be done in an easily accessible way.

In addition, students are often unnecessarily restricted in their choice. Students must be able to choose which additional subjects they wish to take, without permission from a study advisor.

3. For privacy

Students’ privacy must be respected, and anonymity must be a core value! Unfortunately, this does not always happen. In some cases, grades are published in a public list alongside the student number. This is unacceptable! A solution would be to systematically place the grades under ‘My Grades’ with next to it a report with the statistics of the grades, such as the highest value of the assessment, the lowest value, the average grade and the standard deviation. In this way, students will still know the highest grade and whether their grade is higher than the average. Furthermore, attendance lists should only be accessible to staff, not to students.

In addition, the faculty must ensure that students are well informed of their rights and they must take more account of students’ privacy rights. For example, students should be informed when any online seminar is recorded.

4. For sustainability with results.

The Independent Student pleads for effective sustainability measures. There are many things our faculty can do to save our planet. For example, everything should be handed in online and not on paper in the lecturer’s personal mailbox. After all, we are living in 2022.

We also see the provision of more vegetarian and vegan options in the canteen as highly desirable! The possibility of options with meat must remain, but this can certainly be reduced.

Furthermore, The Independent Student wants our faculty to properly insulate its buildings. That way we will not only save our planet, but also a lot of government money!

5. For systematic transparency

The Education and Examination Regulations are intended to protect students and make their rights clearer. Unfortunately, many students are still unaware of their rights, which means they miss out on essential and practical information. In addition, The Independent Student wants every student to be informed when a possible seminar is taken, because unfortunately this is too often not the case.

In addition, The Independent Student is in favour of systematically awarding marks. This means that a syllabus must also contain a standardised rubric for essays/papers/exercises that the teacher must fill in at the end of the block, depending on the assignment. In this way, it is clear to the students what is expected of them and how their grade is determined. In this way, a transparent insight into the assessments of subjects can be achieved.

For The Independent Student, transparency is the key to good education!

6. For a proper level of English

The Faculty of Arts places high demands on the level of English of students; this should also apply to teachers. A decent level of English should be strictly required, especially when it comes to speaking. Too often we come across lecturers whose level of English could be improved. Therefore, the faculty should make rules to improve this and this will make the education better for the students.

7. For your mental well-being

The quality of education must improve, with attention to the financial, mental and study-related issues of students. In addition, the faculty must improve the quality of communication to students; this is overdue and a lot of crucial information is lost.

More attention should also be paid to the mental state of students. The workload for students is simply sky-high. In addition, a difference is now going to arise between students who have had to take loans a lot and those who have not, which also brings uncertainty. Many students struggle with loneliness and the feeling of not being able to study properly. The art of balancing everything and also excelling is becoming increasingly difficult. Especially now, in the aftermath of the corona crisis, too many students are struggling with mental problems. Something must be done about this.

8. For modern education and accessibility

The Independent Student believes that there is always room for improvement. The Independent Student wants online education to remain a valuable addition, while of course still retaining education on location. This not only increases the quality of education, but also makes the faculty more accessible.

The Independent Student advocates flexible studying, allowing students to pay per course instead of per year. In this way, students can determine their own workload, without having to lose money. In this way, students can combine their studies with board memberships, side jobs and sports! Student life is so much more than just studying and it is important to have the freedom to do so.