illustrationHenk van Ruitenbeek
**Paula Krol, MSc student of Food Safety
‘I’m voting for VeSte because they are the party for active students and I’m an active student myself. I think they have been doing a good job of representing active students, for example by making sure that the FOS regulation was modified to provide a reasonable amount per month for students doing a board year, after the government grant was turned into a loan. Next year I expect them to keep on being committed to active students. One of the things that are important to me is that it should be much easier to access programmes on WUR computers from your own laptop, such as EndNote for referencing, or certain tools for data processing.’
Nienke Hendriks, MSc student of Biology
‘I will probably vote for the Christian party CSF because I really like their socially-minded positions. They got the university to create places for refugee students and to pay more attention to people with psychological problems. They also keep things more in perspective. I get the impression that VeSte, for example, assumes that everyone would like to serve on a board and lead a very active student life. I have voted for CSF for the past two years. The first year because they had the best plans and the second year because they had proven their worth. They do pretty well at really getting things done.’
Siyao Wu, MSc student of Food Safety
‘I want to vote for S&I because I like its attitude when it comes to representing all students. Being an international student myself, I am impressed by the way S&I emphasizes sustainability and internationalization. I also know some students who work for this party and they are really committed to doing their job well. I believe that they will stand side by side with students and therefore deserve our votes. As for what I expect, I hope they will work efficiently and reply promptly to all students’ requests. Since I am far from home, I hope that I can rely on the Student Council for support when I am in trouble, and can therefore feel more relaxed and secure here.’
Jasper Remmerswaal, BSc student of Business and Consumer Sciences
‘I am not voting because I don’t know enough about it. There is not enough information provided. I don’t have much idea what people on the student council do and whether they even have any power at all. Seeing how evening classes are being introduced in spite of them, they don’t seem to have much influence. So I don’t know what the elections are really about and what the choices are. As far as I’m concerned, the university should make clearer why the student council is important, if it even is important.’
**Pietro Della Sala, MSc student of Plant Sciences
‘I am thinking of voting for Sustainability & Internationalization as they have an eye for the growing international community in Wageningen, and in particular aim at creating opportunities for meeting and integrating during the first few months of the year. A second reason is that I share the same concern for the environment and, even though Wageningen is already doing great, I think this is the only party that would carry sustainability further during the coming years. I want to support the current candidates in particular because, as they are all MSc students, I believe they bring more maturity to discussions with the authorities at the university and outside it. When elected, I expect them to fulfil my expectations and surprise me by even going beyond them!’
Martijn van Galen, MSc student of Molecular Life Sciences
‘I am probably going to vote for VeSte because I think it’s important for a student party to stand up for active students. There is more to university life than going to class. It is a period of your life in which you develop on several fronts. The student council is a good example of that, itself. But I can well imagine why students might vote for a good friend. Besides the fact that they’d like their friends to win, they also have a better idea of what they are capable of and what they stand for.’
Peter Kiers, BSc student of Business and Consumer Sciences
‘I can keep this very short: I am not going to vote because I reckon any student can defend my interests. You see, I think all students agree on most things. That evening classes get in the way of social life, for instance. We all have the same problems so I can’t be bothered to study the minor differences between the representatives. I do think the student council is a good thing to have, because students should have a say in things. You spend at least three years here. You can’t just transfer to another university if you don’t agree with the policy.’
**Rahul Shenoy, MSc student of Environmental Sciences
‘This is my second year here and I am going to vote for S&I again. Broadly, the party stands for Sustainability and Internationalization, both of which appeal to me totally. As sustainability is the concept which many of Wageningen University’s activities revolve around, I feel there should be a representative in the Student Council who makes sure it is truly implemented. I have attended many of the activities that S&I organizes and I feel their enthusiasm and spirit. They are also quite active on social media and I have received quite some important information from them, which I wouldn’t otherwise have known, especially about insurance and visas.’