Green

From November 23 to December 11, students and employees can vote for their preferred model of governance. The referendum will be a ‘consulting’ referendum Ten Dam emphasised to Folia, meaning that the Board of Directors is not obliged to follow its outcome. ‘We can only implement changes together with the deans of the faculties,’ she said. ‘And the deans need to co-operate with their directors and deputies.’

Besides this practical constraint, Ten Dam and Maex are thought to be reluctant to implement all changes because the outcome of the referendum is expected to demand too radical a level of democratisation. Activist groups that were involved in the occupation of the Maagdenhuis and student union ASVA are campaigning for the so-called ‘green model’. According to this, students and employees will be able to decide on all rules and policy via elected managers and directors.

Ten Dam believes that the main goal of the referendum is to enable students and employees to be involved in the decision making process and that this will have already been achieved by the referendum taking place, regardless of whether the board accepts the outcome or not.