Last spring, the university decided that the current situation regarding student associations was untenable, after Tragos and Circumflex crossed the line. It was alleged that multiple incidents had taken place that contravened the Code of Conduct of the Introduction Period, a document setting out the rules for hazing activities. This was not the first time things had gone too far, and the university is no longer satisfied with this way of using codes of conduct. The Student Service Centre (SSC) has been tasked with devising new policy for all student associations, together with “the UM community and experts”. The university will only consider restoring ties with Tragos and Circumflex once this new policy is in place.
Despite promises that a solution would be found quickly, Observant learnt in mid-June that there had only been one conversation with an external expert in two months. A session in which students could share their ideas drew only fifteen participants.
According to Jolien Janssen, project leader Student City for the SSC, more work has since been done. A total of eight interviews have now been conducted with student associations and their boards, external experts, and a member of the University Council. An online questionnaire for all students, created by two researchers from the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN), will also be launched later this month. The questions will cover topics such as experiences with student organisations and views on the relationship between UM and these associations. All of that will be used to formulate policy recommendations, which are expected to be sent to the Executive Board before the end of the year.
There will be no specific questions about Tragos or Circumflex included in the survey, said Janssen. After all, the code of conduct, which is up for discussion, is signed by other associations too, including Saurus, KoKo and independent societies.
But what if one of the associations calls on its members to answer the survey en masse and put in a good word? Would that not lead to skewed results? Especially since the survey is anonymous and students don’t have to indicate which particular association they are members of, merely what type of association (study programme, sports or a ‘traditional’ student association). “The FPN researchers have considered that,” assured Janssen.
Additionally, students can also have their say on topics such as loneliness and a sense of community, norms and values. “We always try and cast a wide net for large-scale surveys such as these. This information can also be very valuable for teams who are working on social and sexual safety at UM, for example.”