LIST SEFA 2012-2013 principles & party program
NOW WE’RE TALKING YOUR VOICE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION
Faculteitsvereniging Sefa Kamer E0.02 Roetersstraat 11 1018 WB Amsterdam (E) list@sefa.nl www.sefa.nl/fsr
study association for economics and business university of amsterdam
list sefa
CANDIDATES
Faculty Student Council
1. JAN-TJIBBE STEEMAN “My goal is to get this faculty to the best education norm possible, by ensuring improvements”
7. HENDRIK REIMAND “Study areas have to be more accessible, during exam periods the facilities are often very crowded”
2. SYTSKE DE JONG “Although we support the new 8-8-4 system, it still has some startup problems. Our goal is to critically evaluate and improve its execution”
8. VICTORIA OUS “I want to diminish the segregation between international and dutch students, as well as, promote the internationalization of the faculty”
3. ASTRID MANGNUS “I believe that taping lectures would be a great improvement. It gives students who are unable to come the opportunity to keep up with their studies”
9. CELINE ZONNEVELD “ I want a more active communication between the FEB and the students about changes within the faculty”
4. EMMA DEN HELD “During the renovation of our faculty, the quality and quantity of study areas, classrooms and catering facilities should be maintained”
10. STANLEY HAU “I want the tutorials to get back their original purpose, smaller tutorial classes will give the education a more personal nature”
5. LI LI VUONG “I want to provide an effective platform to turn to with your complaints or remarks.
11. NIENKE VAN DEN BERGH “The faculty should promote activities a student can undertake during his/her study, like studying abroad and being active at a study association”
6. ADRIAAN BRON “ I want to bring science and education closer together by making the best possible use of the professors’ experience and inspiration”.
12. MICHIEL BOERE “The FEB has to invest in knowledge in a responsible way by listening to ideas the students propose”
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PREFACE
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Faculty Student Council
hese are the principles and party program of List Sefa. This year Sefa, again, joins the FSR elections to defend the interests of the students at the faculty we have been involved in for so many years. We will first give a short introduction, subsequently the foundation of our program is given in our principles. Last, the program for this year’s elections is given in goals we want to achieve in the FSR. Sefa has a long history at the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Sefa originates from the 1920s. All this time Sefa has been open to every student at our faculty and dedicated to their interests. This long relationship Sefa has with the students at our faculty makes Sefa the perfect candidate for the Faculty Student Council (FSR). Sefa is, like no other, in touch with what students encounter while studying at the FEB; what the difficulties are and what makes a student’s life flourish.
Today, Sefa gives you many opportunities to make the most of your student life. Social, academic, career and international activities you can organize or take part in to enrich your life as a student. Now in the FSR we actively want to defend your interests! The FSR is a governing body of the faculty representing the students. It consists of eight students who all have a specific portfolio. In the FSR, we will represent you by listening to your opinions and acting upon our principles: high quality education prevails, less money does not equal less quality, vision on education, simple over complex, faculty part of your life and enriching your life. For personal introductions of all of us check www.sefa.nl/fsr, through this website you can also vote during the elections. Vote Sefa on May 7th-11th!
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PRINCIPLES HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION PREVAILS
To Sefa, high quality education takes precedence over any other wish. The reason why students choose the UvA is to become a well-educated academic. To reach this goal, high quality education must be offered. Of course, we can enjoy a good cup of coffee and clean toilets but however important details are, inspiring lectures and good courses are of the utmost importance. These form you as an academic.
Faculty Student Council
CLEAR VISION ON THE FACULTY: A EDUCATION PART OF YOUR These two principles require a LIFE vision view on education. The faculty has to have a vision of what their standards are, what the goals of a program are and how these goals are shaped. It is clear that, to us, only the highest standards are acceptable. The goals have to be established in such a manner that both students and staff find them to be the best. How these goals are achieved leaves room for academic creativity, as long as it lets students thrive.
LESS MONEY SIMPLE OVER DOES NOT EQUAL COMPLEX LESS QUALITY Organization wise, that is. Sefa does want as much money possible to be spend on good education. But in financially difficult times, the faculty has the opportunity to see where unnecessary costs are made and work on the essence of our university and faculty: offer the best possible education to the future of academics, you, the student.
High quality education demands student effort. But that effort should be in knowledge and skills, not in bureaucracy. Most things should be able to be simple, those few things that need to be complex should be communicated crystal clear by the faculty.
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During your time as a student, the faculty is a central (but humble) part of your life. It is where you follow your classes, prepare for exams but also meet friends, discuss things, have a beer and develop yourself in any other way. The faculty should facilitate a platform for you to do so.
ENRICHING YOUR LIFE
This development comes in many different forms and shapes. Whether it is by exploring your organizational skills, by taking part in committees both to organize parties or career and academic events or join debates. Or even just reading a paper in the library, or take it big and study abroad, your study should give you the space to enrich your student life to the full!
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PARTY PROGRAM
Faculty Student Council
THE PARTY PROGRAM IS DIVIDED IN FOUR MAIN CATEGORIES: EDUCATION, FACILITIES, COMMUNICATION AND STUDENT. IT CONSISTS OF THE GOALS WE WANT TO ACHIEVE IN THE FSR. EDUCATION TAPING LECTURES
their experience and the inspiration that they can bring. For example, by introducing guest and case lectures by these top professors in each course.
We believe that taping lectures has many positives and little negatives. Experience from other faculties and universities learn that classes are FACILITIES still as full as they were before, and it gives students who are unable to come the opportunity ROETERS’ RENOVATION to keep up with their studies. During the renovation of our faculty and the closure of the E building, we want to keep the MORE PERSONAL TUTORIALS quality and quantity of the study areas, classAttending a class sitting in the windowsill or rooms and catering facilities maintained. It is on the stairs of the lecture hall is not our view important for the university to come up with a of quality education. We want the tutorials to good plan to implement the changes smoothly. get back their original purpose: small groups, personal contact and an optimal academic OPENING HOURS experience. Study areas have to be more accessible. The UB (University Library) is often crowded in exam MONITORING 8-8-4 periods and the faculties facilities could bring a Although we support the new system, it still relief to that. So libraries, computer rooms and has some startup problems. Our goal is to study areas should stay open late and in the critically evaluate and improve its execution. weekends, at least during exam periods. Also, Consequences of the new system are the com- there should be the opportunity to check and pulsory midterm exams, more mandatory print before the 9.00h classes tutorials and resists on inconvenient dates. The intention of 8-8-4 is good, but utility should always come first. ACADEMIC CLIMATE
At our faculty, we are fortunate to have some of the best academics in the field as professors. We want to bring education and science closer together by making the best possible use of
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COMMUNICATION
STUDENTS
STUDENT ADMINISTRATION
THESIS SUPERVISION
The student desk as it is is extremely inefficient. By creating a separate complaint component; we want to provide an effective platform for you as a student to turn to with complaints or remarks. At the moment, it’s unclear where to go with your complaints and you get sent from one desk to another. By combining the two existing complaint desks of the FSR and the FEB, we could make this more efficient and let your voice be heard. This will lighten the workload of the student administration so that they can focus on your administrative issues.
The thesis is the crown to your student career. Currently the faculty has difficulties providing enough supervisors and with the cutbacks in full swing, things do not look optimistic for the future. We find this unacceptable. The faculty has to come up with a satisfying solution to this problem.
ACTIVE COMMUNICATION ABOUT CHANGES
A broadly carried opinion among FEB-students is that changes within the faculty must be communicated actively by the university. At the moment this is not the case: any important change that has an impact on your study program is mostly brought to you by the fellow students in the corridors. We stand up for the fact that the faculty has to communicate the changes within the FEB more actively to the students.
TRANSPARENCY
The hard financial times the faculty is in do not only require active communication about the changes but also transparency. Students were hardly informed about the trouble the faculty was getting into. This caused incomprehension among students about cuts into their education. Therefore the faculty should inform students better about what they are dealing with and how they plan to address these issues.
STUDY ABROAD WITHOUT PROBLEMS
Studying abroad is an important experience in your life. The faculty should make sure that your study abroad fits into your program and that, if you success in your courses abroad, these courses count on your UvA diploma and that they will not cause study delay. If this is unavoidable, this has to be clear before you decide whether and where to go. Also, the international office should be better accessible. CAREER ADVICE
Sometimes it is hard to see the practical use of your courses outside academics. Therefore, the study advisors and professors should help you with this by explaining what possible career paths there might be. This also provides more awareness of the practical use of your education. INTERNATIONALIZATION
The faculty should make sure that there is as little segregation between Dutch and international students as possible. We want to combine the best of both worlds.
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ABOUT SEFA
Faculty Student Council
S
efa is the study association for Economics and Business at the University of Amsterdam. dddiWith more than 4000 members, of which 200 active in committees, Sefa is one of the largest study associations in the Netherlands. As study association of the faculty we serve the students of al study-directions and from every year at the faculty. Our most important goal is to enrich the lives of our students in the broadest way. To reach this goal we organize activities in one our four strategic pillars: 1. Academic: strengthening your grip on academia 2. Career: getting in touch with future employers 3. International: broadening your horizon in a globalizing world 4. Social: meeting your fellow students
2011-2012
To reach all students, we organize 65 projects on a yearly base. This can be small projects like a social drink, but also a Research Project to Brasil, booksale in the Sefa Store, Room for Discussion or large career activities like the ‘Amsterdamse Carrière Dagen’. All this activities are organised by our 200 active members.
Sefa Board 2011-2012
Left to right: Ivo Spil, Rianne Roggema, Rob Wiggelinkhuizen, Nienke van den bergh, Lionel Uijttenhove, Celine Zonneveld and Stanley Hau
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