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    STUDENT COUNCIL AND COUNCIL FOR STUDENT SERVICES

    The Student Council is the central body for student representation at the VUB. It defends your interests and appoints the student representatives for the other councils.

    The Council for Student Services stands for 'student facilities'. At our university, the representatives in the Student Council and the Council for Student Services are the same.

    Student Survey

    Student council is, for the very first time, organizing a survey to find out what kind of services our students think of as most important. Using this information we will adjust the budget of our department next year.

    News

    The student council speaks: Sofie Ferauge

    Sofie is a Civil Engineer student and in her free time she is especially busy with her involvement in the Polytechnical student association.

    Sofie is a Civil Engineer student and in her free time she is especially busy with her involvemen...

    The student council speaks: interview with Lisa Jongmans

    Lisa Jongmans has just turned twenty but she is very ambitious. 

    Lisa Jongmans has just turned twenty but she is very ambitious. 

    The student council speaks: interview with Wouter Kuijk

    Wouter Kuijk is known in the Student Council for his entrances to the office and meetings

    Wouter Kuijk is known in the Student Council for his entrances to the office and meetings

    STUDENT COUNCIL

    Through the Student Council, your interests are defended in any VUB governing body and committee. The Student Council consists of 20 members and each university student can apply for a membership.

    At our university, the representatives in the Student Council and the Council for Student Services are the same. If we talk about the Student Council, then the Council for Student Services and its powers are included in it.

    The Student Council defends your interests at our university and beyond.

    What does the Student Council do?

    The students play a pivotal role in the execution of student policies at the VUB. Each VUB administrative seat consists of a minimum of 10% students. At the beginning of each academic year, the Student Council appoints student representatives to participate in various VUB boards or committees. 

    In addition, the Student Council holds the following powers:

    • Defending the interests of students
    • Spontaneously issuing written opinions on all matters affecting students
    • Making decisions vis-à-vis policies of the various student services
    • Adopting the budget and allocation of social grants
    • Approve the annual report 'Student Services'
    • Formulation of proposals on cooperative agreements

    Recent activities:

    • Quicker access to exam timetables
    • Lockers and a bread machine on campus
    • More spacious student study spaces with better opening hours
    • Free earplugs at student parties
    • Transparent point system for the distribution of grants under the recognised student associations
    • Opening of the Lounge Bars 1050 and 1090
    Representation in the field of "student facilities".

    Council for Student Services

    The Council for Student Services represents the policy and the representation of VUB students in terms of student facilities: food, housing, social services, medical and psychological services, transport and student activities.

    At our university, the representatives in the Student Council and the Council for Student Services are the same.

    Special status as student representative: Reflex Student.

    Status of student representatives

    Members of the Student Council bear an enormous responsibility. The VUB Rules of Participation grant, therefore, a special status to student representatives. This includes, amongst other things, the granting of a special status for Reflex Students (art. 4 of the Teaching and Examination Regulations).

    Membership

    You can find an overview of the current composition of the Student Council here.

    Each student can apply for candidature.

    Elections

    Every student can pose as a candidate for the Student Council. The university community then selects its yearly Student Council representatives from the pool of candidacies.

    There are also two representatives chosen for each faculty. Together they form the Student Council consisting of twenty members.

    More information on who is entitled to vote and how to stand as candidate can be found in the General Regulations of the Student Council.

    Meetings

    As a VUB student, you can attend meetings, view the reports and submit agenda items yourself.

    Any VUB student may attend the meetings.

    Attend a meeting

    Every student at the VUB is entitled to attend meetings of the Student Council as observer. The council's meeting agenda can be found here (Dutch only).

    Consultation of timetables and reports

    Via the Sharepoint website of the Student Council you can view the agenda and approved reports (login with your NetID and password, agenda available one week before the meeting, Dutch only).

    You can submit agenda items yourself.

    Proposals for agenda items

    Each VUB student can propose agenda items for the Student Council. Agenda items must be sent to the secretary of the Student Council via this template. You can seek help or advice from the secretariat or council members in filling out or adding to the agenda item template.

    Fourteen days prior to the Student Council meeting, there is an agenda overview during which at least the Student Council chairman and secretary are present. They scrutinize the proposed agenda items in terms of content, clarity, completeness, and so on.

    Financial Support

    The Student Council provides annual subsidies to the recognised student organisations. In addition, the council can support the initiatives of students and student associations via the project funds.

    The aim of the project funds budget is to support new projects which:  

    • expand the range of leisure and entertainment opportunities and educational activities available to VUB students; 
    • are innovative and ambitious in nature; 
    • promote the appeal of the VUB and/or of Brussel as a college city; 
    • enhances the wellbeing of students and improves their connectivity above existing networks.

    There are two deadlines for applying project funds for activities which will take place in the semester thereafter:

    • 20 November
    • 1 April

    Extraordinarily the deadline for projects which will take place in the first semester of 2018/19 is fixed on 1 October.

    Until these rules will be integrated in the Student life Codex you can find them here.

    Both application form and template for budgeting are right under here.

    Request

    Project Funds

    Budget

    template

    ORGANISATIONAL AND COMMUNICATION SUPPORT

    Students and student organisations who wish to organise projects or events can request support in organising and communicating their events.

    Organisational

    EVENTS (TD, BBQ,...), MULTIMEDIA / LOGISTICS, ESPLANADE ACTIVITIES, LOUNGE 1050 & 1090

    More Information

    Communication

    EVENTS / NEWS ON STUDENT PORTAL, VIDEOSCREENS, VUB TODAY, NEWSLETTER

    More Information

    Rules

    THE STUDENT LIFE CODEX, READING ROOM REGULATIONS...

    More Information

    MEMBERS OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL 2018-2019

    On this page you will find an overview of the members of the Student Council for the academic year 2018-2019

    Want to know the mandates of the members? Have a look at the list.

    Chairman & Vice President

    Chairman
    Lise VERMEERSCH

    Vice Chairman
    Sasha SOLAU

    Coordinators

    Education Coordinator
    Floriano TORI

    International Coordinator
    Florence WITZEL

    Brussels coordinator & PR
    Lisa JONGMANS

    Coordinator Finances
    Jeroen KESSELS

    Student services & Infrastructure coordinator
    Sofie FERAUGE

    Student Representatives

    Otto CARTRYSSE

    LK
    Lisa MERTENS

    PE
    Quentin LIEVYNS

    PE
    Ariane VERRECK

    ES
    Jana GOYVAERTS

    GF
    Gill VERSTAPPEN

    GF
    Edouard DHOOGE

    LW
    Charlotte VERHEYDEN

    LW
    Viktoria VERHELST

    IR
    Wouter KUIJK

    RC
    Sueann VANDEPUTTE

    RC
    Hannah WINTERS

    Interested in joining?

    Every academic year the elections are held in the second semester.

    Election procedure

    All students enrolled on the first day of the first week of lectures of the second semester are voters and can apply as candidate.

    After the candidacy period, the election committee decides whether the candidates are admissible. All accepted candidates will be announced officially to the student community. After a short appeal period, all definitive candidates are announced. The election period takes at least 3 weeks, but can be extended by the election committee. For valid elections a participation quorum of 25% is needed.

    More information can be found in the general regulations.

    More information

    General regulations

    CONTACT

    The Student Council is always ready to answer your questions, hear your ideas and address your problems. So feel free to contact us whenever you need!

    TELEPHONE
    +32 2 629 30 87
    MOBILE
    +32 477 98 78 55
    E-MAIL
    STUDENTCOUNCIL@VUB.AC.BE
    FACEBOOK
    WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/STUDENTENRAADVUB
    Student Council Documents (only in Dutch)
    https://vub.sharepoint.com/sites/ORG-StudRaad
    ADDRESS
    PLEINLAAN 2, 1050 BRUSSEL M2.26