FAQ

Letteren Vooruit is one of the two student parties in the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Arts. As a party we are focusing on mental health, the quality of education and improving student participation at our Faculty. In the spring of 2014, the party was founded by Léon Melein and Reinard van Dalen. During the first elections in 2015, the party managed to win three out of the nine seats with a brand new electoral list. This year we have done our best to defend the interests of the student and offer more openness and we will continue to do so in the coming years. Currently, Letteren Vooruit holds seven out of the nine student seats.

The University of Groningen is divided into several faculties. The Faculty of Arts is one of the largest faculties with about 5000 students and 700 employees. In total, Letteren offers 15 different bachelor programs and 40 master programs. For a handy A-Z overview we would like to refer you to: http://www.rug.nl/let/faculty-of-arts-az.

The Faculty Council is the participation council of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Groningen. The council advises the Faculty Board on policy regarding research and education and on the budget. In addition to this advisory role, however, the council has the right of consent in two cases: when amending the faculty regulations and when amending the education and examination regulations. Topics discussed previously include sustainability at the Faculty of Arts, mental health of students, making the Faculty an inclusive space and harmonizing thesis procedures across programmes. The Faculty Council consists of 18 members in total. 9 members are elected by and from the staff (the staff section). The other half is elected by and from the students (the student section). Currently, Letteren Vooruit has 7 seats on the council and De Vrije Student has 2. The Presidium (the chair) of the Faculty Council consists of the chair from the staff section and the vice-chair from the student section.

Of course, the main difference between the Faculty Council and the University Council is that in the Faculty Council deals with only a specific faculty and the University Council with the entire university. In addition, in the University Council a full-time occupation and the Faculty Council a part-time job, in addition to which it is possible to attend lectures. At the University Council there are currently three parties (Lijst Calimero, SOG and Lijst STERK) and at the Faculty Council of Arts there are two parties: Letteren Vooruit and De Vrije Student.

The support faction consists of the persons who were in the top nine of the electoral list, but did not get elected to the Faculty Council. The support faction supports the faction by reading documents and preparing for upcoming meetings.

Once a year, usually in May, Faculty Council elections are held. If you are interested in serving on the council, you must stand for election. You can do this by applying for a spot on the electoral list, usually around February. During the elections it is determined how many seats each party gets. The number of votes for the party in combination with your place on the list determines whether you will become a council member.

The working language in the council is Dutch. However, some international members of the staff group sometimes speak in English, because they sometimes have trouble expressing themselves in Dutch. In general, it is important that you understand the Dutch language.