Vindicat welcomed back at official UG and Hanze UAS events

The Accreditation Committee for Student Organizations recently recommended reinstating the accreditation of the student association Vindicat atque Polit. The Committee reached this conclusion after noting positive developments within the association, despite having a few critical comments. The coronavirus pandemic has obviously hampered the implementation of these developments. The Boards of both teaching institutions are following the advice of the Accreditation Committee, partly in order to restore the association’s administrative prospects. Vindicat will once again be invited to official events, such as the opening of the academic year in September.

Culture change remains a priority

Both the Committee and the Boards of the UG and Hanze University of Applied Sciences (UAS) acknowledge that the coronavirus pandemic has put student associations in a very difficult position over the past 18 months. A number of initiatives have had to be curtailed or cancelled. This is also true of Vindicat. There is still room for improvement when it comes to the change in culture that needs to take place, but Vindicat has taken several steps in the right direction during the past 18 months. They have introduced measures designed to combat excessive drinking, explicit attention has been paid to the hierarchy that existed within the association, and improvements have been made to communication and the way that sexual intimidation is dealt with. For example, the Vindicat board was recently seen to deal decisively with a specific incident and communicated the matter immediately. The forthcoming appointment of a new female rector is certainly a break with old traditions. However, the Boards of the UG and Hanze UAS are also urging Vindicat to accept supervision from a third party in order to achieve the improvements recommended by the Accreditation Committee.

Decisions made by the UG and Hanze UAS

Hanze UAS and the UG endorse the recommendations of the Accreditation Committee to accredit Vindicat with immediate effect, and have reached the following decisions:

• Vindicat will again be invited to attend official events held by both institutions;
• In line with the Code of Conduct, all incidents of any significance must be reported to the Boards of the UG and Hanze UAS and to the student contact person at the police, via the Introduction Period Advisory Committee (ACI);
• The Graduation Fund will pay Vindicat a committee grant for the 2021/22 academic year in the autumn, as long as all of the conditions have been met. This will in no way affect the conditions and rules set out in the Code of Conduct. In the event of violations, the Boards of the UG and Hanze UAS may decide to rescind accreditation and withdraw the committee grant.

New system

The intention is that after the summer, the entire accreditation process for student associations will be reorganized, using self-evaluations and peer reviews as a means of upholding quality. The student associations will be expected to show a proper sense of responsibility when helping to shape student life in Groningen. The details of this new accreditation system will be worked out and discussed with all those involved after the summer. Annemarie Hannink, member of the Executive Board of Hanze UAS: ‘The coronavirus pandemic has been a difficult time for everyone, including students and student organizations. The Board of Vindicat has made several positive steps to bring about change within its ranks, despite the difficulties of the past 18 months. However, the Senate still has an important role to play in helping to expand and embed these improvements.’ Rector Magnificus of the UG Cisca Wijmenga: ‘We consider it imperative that Vindicat continues along this path towards a change of culture. We expect them to grasp this opportunity with both hands so that they can make an active contribution to healthy academic community life.’