Hello everyone! My name is Saina and I am the Student Assessor of the Board of the University. Our University has a central governing body consisting of three men: the president, vice-president and rector magnificus. For a year I join these very-well-educated men as their student advisor. This means that I take part in all the meetings of the Board and I have insight into everything the Board is discussing. Which can be very impressive. In my wildest dreams, I would have never thought the organization of our University would be so broad.  

How do my days look like?

Being Student Assessor is actually a full-time job. So not only do I get a glimpse of all the ins and outs of our University, I also get to know what having a 9 to 5 job is like. Although I would not exactly call this the typical 9 to 5 job, I do have to admit that most of my days consist of a lot of meetings. The Board of our University is in constant contact with the Bureau of our University and the faculties. My main task is advising the Board on matters they are discussing, specifically student affairs, education, and internationalization.

How do you I know what to advise?

Imagine the situation I am in. Constantly not only the well-educated men of the Board but also the people from the Bureau, who are working at the University for years, surround me. So you could say that my situation is quite intimidating. But being quiet and agreeing with everything would not help my fellow students or the University. Therefore, I try to intensively read the many documents we discuss and be as critical as I can. Furthermore, I am in constant contact with students of for example student organizations, to be up-to-date on student matters.

What are my other tasks?

Apart from the many meetings with the Board, I take part in steering groups and advisory committees that focus on student affairs, education and internationalization. There are also some nice perks, such as being invited to many lunches, dinners with different organizations, soccer games, and trips. I joined the ASEF Rectors’ Conference and Students’ Forum in Singapore and together with the President of the Board, I went to the U4 Rectors’ Conference in Ghent (Belgium). Furthermore, my job is actually quite flexible. I have a lot of space to set up my own projects and work on themes I think are important for the student community.

What are important themes?

A few themes stand out, such as international student housing, which I work on together with the University. Furthermore, I have set up a project to look at ways to better inform students on the University and on things such as extracurricular activities. Another theme I am working on is internationalization on the long term and benefits for students through education and extracurricular activities abroad. 

What can you do to help better the University?

Stay informed on what is going on at the University! I have started a blog and a video series to give you a look behind the scenes. Furthermore, the University always benefits from students who become active. This can be done by doing something simple such as filling in a course evaluation, but also by taking part in a Program Committee, Faculty or University council. Students often do not realise how serious their voice is taking and how they are the perfect ones who can help the University become better. In the end, we know best what we want.