Dear fellow students!

My name is Leon de Greef, a MA Public Administration student, and I would like to enthuse you to vote for our faculty council elections.

In the past year, positive developments have taken place for the students of the FGGA faculty: Less LU-card controls, the opening of the Spui building, and on a national level, the ambition of the new government to wind back the budget cuts. These are good developments for us, but there is still a lot left to improve on the faculty level! What about the coordination and corporation between the FGGA programmes, keeping academic directors and staff accountable for the quality of their programmes, and making sure that the use of educational services gets better for students (read: less frustrating login systems and less (reminder) emails from uni). I would like to be the student addressing these problems and all other of your interests in the FGGA Faculty Council! Therefore, I ask for your help in two different ways: First, vote for me, Leon de Greef; Second, I need your input and your ideas to make sure that I can fulfil my role as best as possible for you and our faculty, to make sure that your vote has a real influence! Thank you!!

Hi, my name is Isadora, and I am a World Politics second-year student at LUC.  

I hope your time here has been good so far. I believe Leiden University can be a great place to complete your studies, meet people, and spend your time for a few years. I intend to focus on how the university can support all its students in their experience here, without distinction.  

An open university that fosters dialogue is open to feedback and places the experience of its students at the heart of its agenda. This is something we can work towards. For me this means working on affordability, accessibility, transparency, and sustainability.  

By deepening cooperation, the university and its students can develop trust and learn how to provide a quality experience to its current and future students. This university should be for everyone. I want to push for updates about what is going on behind the scenes, plastic bins where there are none, and a cheaper cafeteria. Go-Vote! 

Kind regards,

Isadora

My name is Robert Wijtsma, first-year Security Studies. Before starting this degree, I worked with the Dutch police and in the security sector. I also bring experience from national politics and from a student party, and I have guided and facilitated protest actions. That background has taught me how institutions function and how to push back when policy no longer serves the people it is meant for. 

The most important thing I want to do in the Faculty Council is listen. Many of you already know me as your year 1 class representative, and the conversations I have had in that role have already surfaced a number of recurring issues. Groupwork policy is one of them: more emphasis on a fair distribution of the workload. I also hear that slides and course materials arrive too late, while at the start of the semester you want to know where you stand. There is also a need for more transparency around the grading of exams: students should be able to review their exams and have results reconsidered. And we need more consistency in the rules between courses; the confusing number of different rules makes things unnecessarily hard. As a faculty we should draw a clear line on this. 

Tell me what you are running into, and I will bring it to the table. 

Dear fellow students, 

My name is Jasmine El Fanani, I am currently a second-year Public Administration student, and I am running for the Faculty Council on behalf of LTHCS. This stems from a question I find myself asking more often: how much influence do we as students actually have on decisions that affect us? 

Over the past few years, I have worked in various roles where listening and responsibility were central. As a member of the programme committee of the Institute of Public Administration, I was involved in evaluating courses and the Teaching and Examination Regulations. There, I saw how policy is developed, but also how large the gap can be between that and what students experience. 

In addition, I have worked at the court and the municipality, where I spoke daily with people who wanted to be heard. That taught me how important it is to take signals seriously. At the same time, as a student I see where things can be improved within the university: a shortage of study spaces, buildings that close early, or changes in education over which students have little control. 

That is exactly what I want to commit myself to. Not only by pointing out these issues, but by putting them on the table in the Faculty Council, where decisions are made. To me, this means: more student participation, better facilities, and a university valuing diversity and inclusion. 

Ultimately, this candidacy comes down to something simple: that you, as a student, feel taken seriously. 

Jasmine el Fanani

Dear fellow students,  

As a bachelor’s student in Public Administration and a current member of the Program Committee, I’ve noticed that many students feel their voices aren’t being heard when they encounter problems.  This has motivated me to run for the Faculty Council.  

Better representation of students’ interests benefits everyone. After all, the university cannot exist without students; we are the decision-makers and creators of tomorrow. Whatever your vision or opinion may be, go vote!  

Students are facing increasing pressure, and our faculty is no exception. As a member of the Faculty Council, I will advocate for, among other things: 

• Student well-being: less unnecessary pressure and better support for students. 

• Better campus facilities: More workspaces that are comfortable for everyone.  

• More transparent communication: so that every student knows what’s going on within the faculty.  

In my role on the Faculty Council, I will not only listen but also take action and report back. I’m not afraid to ask critical questions and take responsibility. With my experience in student representation, my skills, and my network, I’ll immediately give your interests a stronger voice.  

If you want your interests to be better represented within the faculty, please vote for me from May 18 through May 21! I hope I can count on your support in improving our faculty. 

Best regards,  

Job Visser 

A university for all students
“There is no such thing as the student.” Yet university policy is still too often based on a vague and one-sided image of what that student looks like, causing decisions to fall short of addressing the diversity of students’ needs.

That needs to change. That is why I, Loubna El Aslani, a third-year Public Administration student, 
am running for the Faculty Council of FGGA.

As a bicultural and first-generation student, I have experienced that university is not equally accessible to everyone by default. These insights have been further shaped through my involvement in various student associations with different characters and communities. Along the way, I have seen where opportunities lie to make the faculty more inclusive.

In the Faculty Council, I want to advocate for both the broader student community and for students whose voices are still too often unheard. This includes more study spaces and broader access to university buildings, as well as better support for student associations and extracurricular activities.

In addition, I want to bring attention to specific needs, such as accessible quiet and prayer rooms, more affordable and inclusive food options in cafeterias, and better consideration of diverse religious holidays in university policy and planning.

As an Ambassador at Grote Spelers, I have gained experience representing young professionals. I will bring that same role to the university: an approachable representative who listens, builds bridges, and ensures that student voices are heard.

Together, we can make the university a place for all of us

Hello to my fellow peers in the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA)! My name is Sreya, and I am running for a seat on the Faculty Council with the Democratic Student Party-Student’s Collective (DSP-SC). I am running in this election because in the past two years that I have been at Leiden University, I have noticed a disregard for students’ needs and demands from an institution whose supposed motto is the ‘bastion of liberty’. During my time here, we have seen students have their accessibility needs been disrespected. We have seen students being beaten for protesting genocide and occupation. We have seen students face transgressive behaviour from students and professors who still have not faced justice. This must end. We as students deserve fairness and respect from this institution, and those who disrespect us must be held accountable. This is exactly what I stand for. As someone who has been through such bureaucracy, I am aware of the feelings of hopelessness that can arise when students are meant to face the institution, from matters relating to extending student visas, or filing complaints. I stand for collective unity among the students as we assert our rights and fight for a democratic and equitable university. Power to the students!