Every year, a seven-member committee of students (the so-called Administrative Months Committee) advises on the number of board months for dozens of student organisations in Maastricht. Because whoever runs a student or study association, sports club or other organisation, Maastricht University reasons, may suffer study delays. And it is up to UM to compensate financially. This year, Tragos, too, was once again allowed to compete for board months. Since the spring, UM has restored ties, this after incidents during the 2022 hazing.
The Administrative Months Committee recently ruled that Tragos is entitled to 42 administrative months (one month equals 345.50 euros) and not the requested 84. Why? Some advisory committee members labelled the association's "reintegration" as "premature". However, the Executive Board ignored that advice and decided to go for the full 84 anyway.
Speaking quarter
Tragos has been punished, rector Pamela Habibović said earlier during a preliminary meeting with a delegation from the university council, "but they have recently shown how to do better. And with that, they have met our conditions." According to the rector, it is not the role of the committee to give an opinion on the culture change within the student association. On Wednesday 26 June, during the University Council plenary session where student members were asked to agree to the decision of the Executive Board, she repeated those words.
It will not have been a coincidence, by the way: during the speakers' quarter, Tragos gave a short presentation on the culture research of the past few months, no details (there was no time for that either), but a rough outline of what happened. Such as a re-evaluation of the introduction, a research by an external agency and a mandatory survey of all members on values that are important to them. "Yes, we think our members feel happier and more comfortable after this two-year process," it sounds.
Privileges
Still, it could not win over the NovUM delegation in the council. "We will not agree with the decision to pay out 84 administrative months," said U-council member Amien Abid. Student party NovUM (with five students on the council) had already announced on Instagram in May that Tragos does not deserve a single board month. They are very concerned about safety within the association and wish for more transparency about their culture improvement plan.
And these doubts apparently also live among most members of the Administrative Months Committee (six students from a variety of organisations, determined by drawing lots, and one U-council member, Abid).
Abid is critical of the Executive Board: why do they give Tragos all 84 requested months and not other student organisations that would also have liked more? He speaks of "privileges".
Presidium
While NovUM sits on one side of the meeting table and votes against (five), DOPE (four Dutch students with ties to the societies) sits on the other side. They concur with the rector's narrative and therefore agree with the proposal. Krithik Rock, on behalf of Climate Action Network, abstains.
The consequence? The Executive Board has to go back to the drawing board. They can make some adjustments to the proposal (within two months), but do not have to. The Presidium, the University Council's daily board, headed by Teun Dekker, will start to ponder "the process". After all, it is summer holidays. Perhaps a new proposal could be voted on digitally, reads one of the options.