Aurelia: A Digital Metamorphosis

Board Aurelia: A Digital Metamorphosis

After the first-ever online switch of the boards on the 26th of May, six Intermate members were able to call themselves the 37th board of Intermate. Within this article they will introduce themselves and present there future plans Text & Images: The board members of Aurelia, the 37th board of sv Intermate

After an extremely unusual kandi-period, we have suddenly become the next board of Intermate. A feeling of disbelieve and amazement was coursing through our veins, as it felt exceptionally surreal with our university closed and a world that is living in uncertainty. Also, the lack of an offline election GM, ‘overdrachtsweekend’, and a delayed constitution drink made our kandi-period feel different than expected. Nonetheless, we have been working extremely hard to prepare ourselves as well as possible for the upcoming year. In the meantime, we have managed to master working together in an online environment with many skype meetings and introductions to other kandi’s on Discord. Another important part of a kandi period is ‘feuten’. Of course, this was harder than normal with everyone working from home, but Dionysos did everything they could and were able to find creative ways to make sure this would still take place. With the help of some of our roommates or boyfriends,

they were still able to ‘feut’ us a bit.

Now that we are officially the new board of Intermate, a color, name, and logo was obviously needed as well. Just like a butterfly, Intermate will undergo a metamorphosis this year on a variety of aspects that will be elaborated on later. This metamorphosis is also an explanation for our name. Aurelia is an ocher yellow butterfly that has gone through a metamorphosis since it was a little caterpillar. The name is derived from the family name of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, one of the so-called Good Emperors of the Roman Empire. Aurelius tried to find serenity in the midst of conflict by following a source of nature. This relates to the odd times we are going through, and the part about nature fitted very well with the aim of enhancing sustainability for our association.

We have been working hard on our policy plan for the upcoming year, and we are extremely motivated and excited to start working on these plans and will do everything we can to achieve them. We have made a short overview of our policy highlights so you can see what will change the upcoming year.

Educational policy A few big changes are going to happen during our board year when it comes to education. The educational setup will hopefully return to an offline setting, the book supplier for the whole FSE is changing, and a new plan for the education in 2030 is being set up. The start of our board year will be during the time where online education is the standard and it is very important for us to help the

department with reflecting on the previous months of online education. Additionally, the book supplier is changing from Studystore to Athenaeum. This is something we have already been busy with, as everything has to be in place for the first bulk-sale of the year, at the start of the academic year. And last but not least; the educational activities will return the upcoming year with activities like the Intermate Education Awards, BEP speed date sessions, and the International Semester Speed Dates, so stay tuned for those!

Internal policy An important aspect of our board year will be the improvement of Intermate’s digital infrastructure. A real metamorphosis will take place, in which we are going to revive the website, and make sure it is an integrated platform for all our members. We have already started with the preparations for this plan and aim at having a fully developed website at the start of the academic year. We will also be focusing on the gradual reopening of the Internaat, hoping that we can bring back the “gezelligheid” of parties, activities, and drinks. We are excited to use our creativity and explore the possibilities for activities within a 1.5 m society. We are motivated to reduce paper usage significantly within our

association. Melissa and Meie work together on the implementation of the digital invoice system. We will promote sustainability by introducing an extra compensation of €3,70 per piece when a committee chooses ecofriendly committee clothing.

External policy After ten years of male Commissioner of External Affairs, Emma will be the external this year. She will try to organize the most amazing career activities this year to make everyone enthusiastic about their career opportunities. Due to the Corona Crisis, the target this year is set on €11.500. This seems like a realistic, yet challenging target for our Commissioner! Emma will continue aiming for a better balance between all study directions to make sure there is an interesting future employee for every student. She thinks searching for, and convincing new companies is the coolest thing to do in her board year, and is looking forward to visit all the beautiful company sites throughout the country. To do so, the collaboration with Meie, the Commissioner of Internal Affairs, is THE perfect solution to win some time for contacting more companies. They will combine their powers to make the execution of the career activities more efficient.

Sander Schepers - Secretary As secretary, my main task will be ensuring good communication within the association, and of course, writing minutes and the Newsflash. I cannot wait for the Internaat to open its doors again so we can hang around and visit the drinks as much as possible. Abe Koster - Commissioner of Education I will represent the students of Innovation Sciences in departmental meetings. I am always available if you need any educational help. For now you will have to contact me via email, but I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Atlas! Julia Verbruggen - Chairman As the chairman, I will do the best I can to take care of my fellow board members and make sure we are going to realize our policy plans. I really look forward to seeing everybody’s faces again and having a great time together in the Internaat. Meie Kleijburg - Commissioner of Internal Affairs I will be focusing on the BorrelCie, together with the digital infrastructure and sustainability. If you ever have any feedback or questions on Intermate, I will be happy to hear them too! I cannot wait to cheers with you guys again at the Internaat!

Melissa Baars - Treasurer In the upcoming year, I will take on the role of treasurer, making sure the finances of our association run as smoothly as possible. My goal for this year is to build upon the knowledge of the former treasurers and realize

the digital invoice system.

Emma Urselmann - Commissioner of External Affairs I expect the upcoming year to give me the opportunity to push myself outside my comfort zone by organizing many awesome career activities with our possible future employers! I am looking forward to eating tosti's, play foosball and drink many beers :)