Interview with the FSR
We at the SECTOR had the pleasure to interview Robin Witstok (treasurer) and Nienke Jansen (chair) from the VU SBE FSR (the student council, for the School of Business and Economics).
Could you tell us a bit about yourselves?
My name is Nienke Jansen and I am in the second year of Econometrics now. I enjoy my studies in Econometrics but I want to do something besides the studies and have a social impact and help out fellow students. That is why I joined the FSR, and I like it so far.
Hello, I am Robin, most people from Kraket probably know me as the previous education and marketing officer. I liked my time at Kraket. Initially, I did not want to join the FSR, but I was convinced very quickly by the chair of the USR (university student council) to take a position in the new team.
What does the FSR do?
We are the bridge between the students and the faculty. We represent the interests of the students in meetings with the faculty board. We consider student’s opinions and student’s well-being and make sure those things are taken into account. We do this by advising the faculty board in making decisions.
Basically, we have the “legal” right to advise the dean, and the dean has to consider our opinion when making decisions. If the dean does not take into account our advice, there has to be an explanation offered to us, On certain topics, the student council has the right to consent if some changes are being made, for example within exam regulations. In general, we are there to make sure students are heard.
“We are the last line of defence for students”
What are your tasks within the FSR?
First off: we advise and consent to decisions, but we also have our tasks. Within the FSR we have these things called portfolios, they are kind of like committees. We might have two to three members working on a portfolio. Some members of the FSR may be working on topics from student well-being to sustainability and visibility, like our canvas or Instagram page of the FSR itself. We may also be looking into career and education-related topics.
For example, we are a part of the visibility portfolio, hence our presence in this interview. In addition, Robin focuses on “education” and Nienke on “well-being” and “career”. Within our portfolios, we mostly work on improvement and implementing new ideas.
What are some things you guys are currently involved in?
Since starting in September, we've devoted considerable time to setting up our new council room. We are making it more welcoming, so students will come and visit us to ask questions or share their concerns about something. The room number is HB-8A52, just down the hallway of the Kraket room. We are trying to get a sofa into the room, but it is a bit of a hassle. We will figure it out.
We have an XBOX as well if you want to spend your free time with us we are happy to accommodate.
Right now our main focus is visibility. We will be doing lecture talks for all first and second years. We are considering doing some events in our room, maybe giving away some grilled cheese sandwiches or hot chocolate.
“Bribing student with food is the best way to ensure we hear their concerns”
Robin, as the treasurer, has been dedicating significant time to managing and organizing budgets.
Another portfolio is internationalisation and integration. It is dedicated to making international students feel at home. The people on that assignment are very busy with arranging a “language cafe”. The core idea is an international food event through which the students can learn about different foods from different cultures. It will be held on December 4th.
What are you guys looking to tackle this year?
We have started a collaboration with “impact lab”, it is about the connected campus challenge and we are asking students to contribute by proposing ideas on how to make the campus more connected. The FSR will then be looking at implementing these ideas.
We've also initiated collaboration with the Green Office of the VU as part of our sustainability portfolio. This office serves as the sustainability platform and advisor for all sustainability-related matters within the VU community
Another point is, as previously mentioned, to enhance our visibility, Students have to know what we do and why we exist. Feedback from students is very important to us, as we want to make informed decisions. For that, we are looking to create “feedback moments”. This could be mouth-to-mouth or through feedback rounds or other forms. If people come around more often, we have a better chance of hearing their feedback. We think this would be better than just another forgotten survey in their mailbox.
Most students do not have feedback ready when you ask them. Mostly, students are only looking to reach out when something bothers them. We want them to think: “Hey, something is bothering me, let’s tell the FSR”. That is why our visibility agenda is important. Students should know about the FSR before a problem arises so that the feedback process is much faster and easier for them and change can be implemented faster.
Last but not least we are also working on building a collaboration with study advisors. We have noticed that they do not get much visibility right now and we want to change that.
What is the team like at the FSR?
We have a very diverse team with students from the second year to the fourth year. Four women and three guys. Four members of the student council are international students, which is aligned with what we envision the FSR to be like - open to all types of students
We believe that having a diverse representation of international students in the FSR resonates well with other international students enrolled in the School of Business and Economics
“It is very interesting to hear everybody’s point of view in such a diverse council”
What does your internal communication look like?
We have weekly meetings with the whole council and we keep up with the different portfolios through email as well. In the weekly council meetings, we also discuss our current tasks, updates and follow-ups. Those meetings are a great opportunity for feedback inside the council. It is also a way for us to help each other out across the portfolios. Within the portfolios, we have biweekly meetings, which may change in frequency depending on demand.
How does one become a part of the FSR? Would you recommend people join?
You can allow yourself to be elected. In February people can sign up to join. From there the process starts. The current FSR will decide on how to rank the candidates. From there you can promote yourself to students, and then the students have to vote for you.
We recommend someone interested to join. You feel like you are making an impact, and it is a lot of fun to get to know your fellow students a bit better. The student council is not just work, we have a lot of social events as well. Like student associations, we have a “constitutieborrel” (constitution drinks).
How can students contact you?
We have an email address which is “fsr.sbe@vu.nl”, but you are very welcome to visit us in person in our room (HB-8A52). You can also follow us on Instagram or have a look at our canvas page.
