Party Program
UvAsociaal has a detailed and extensive party program where you can find all of our initiatives and policies we believe would improve the university.
This page has a summary of some of our main policies and provides a brief insight into our ideology. Each pillar also has action points so you can see what we really want to accomplish.
What do we stand for?
- We want a more diverse and inclusive university
- We stand for more attention to sustainability at the university
- We need a more accessible university
- We believe in more autonomy for teachers and students
- We need to protect the quality of education in the face of budget cuts
HOW DO WE WANT TO ACHIEVE THIS?
- Add job preparation courses worth credits covering things such as CV/cover letter preparation, interview preparation and presentation skills
- Begin implementing a student representation system where 2 students become the link between the course coordinator and students in a course (further detailed in point 4.6)
- Strengthen the UvA’s team of psychologists with more clinical psychologists and focusing on the causes and implications of covid-19 on mental health
Our 4 pillars
Diversity
- We call for the UvA to expand in diversity, making our educational resources accessible and inclusive.
- No student should feel excluded for the reason that they are different from the “typical” mold of a conventional students.
- The UvA needs to ensure all students, regardless of their socio-economic background or disability have the ability to study at our University.
- Buildings, education and support should all be accessible to students.
Accessibility
Sustainability
- Sustainability needs to be a key priority for the university when formulating policy and it should invest in sustainability centred research and education.
- UvAsociaal believes we must act now, before we experience irreversible damage.
- We call for the UvA to increase its focus on sustainability and reduce its carbon footprint. We also call for more parties to join us in implementing the Green Commitment.
- We believe that budget cuts and the excessive standardisation of curricula leads to the dehumanisation of students’ education and also puts tremendous pressure on their mental health.
- The university should give students and tutors more autonomy over the collaborative educational process. Learning and developing oneself should be prioritised over exam results.
Education
Our story
The goal of UvAsociaal is to establish an open university that exists both in theory and practice as a democratic and inclusive community. This community is ideally one based on equity, where accessibility of higher education is and will remain the priority.
We strongly believe it is essential that the university takes its responsibility concerning society and the environment seriously. We hold an obligation to future generations to ensure both social and environmental sustainability. Thus we aim to have a university that is accessible to all, inclusive of all, and contributes to sustainability by limiting the environmental footprint of the university itself and society at large.
The Maagdenhuis occupations had a tremendous impact on the university and student parties. UvAsociaal remains committed to the work done by the three commissions that followed the occupations. After all these years, we still feel there is much to be done regarding these reports. UvAsociaal remains committed to critically reflecting on university governance.
We envision the UvA to have a strong relationship with the society in which it is situated. In order for us to prevent a heightening ivory tower atmosphere, the UvA should ceaselessly reflect on its relationship and relevance to society.
To govern a university is to make choices about the type of organization we wish to be. UvAsociaal stands for an accessible, inclusive, and democratic university, with direct attention given to the causes of sustainability and educator-student autonomy.
Over the past several years there have been changes and policy at the UvA that we see as real progress. However, there are still many changes to be made, and we want to fight for seeing this happen.