Hi! I am Simon and I study Health Sciences, which I do to find social and technical solutions to healthcare problems. I came to the UTwente just more than a year ago, after finishing a bachelor’s in industrial design at TU Eindhoven. While I was in Eindhoven, I was very active: I did promo for the international student association, was a student assistant, worked at the music venue there and eventually organised Stukafest, a festival in student house. Though it would seem silly to travel to the other side of the country for a completely different study, I did so for a good reason. I wanted to apply my creative and technical skills in a social setting.
As I combine design and healthcare, I’d love to combine insights from multiple areas at the faculty council. My background in a different city and a different programme gives me much inspiration on how things can be done differently. After finishing my pre-master of Health Sciences, I rolled into a board year at Sirius, where I am chair and commissioner external affairs. Coming at Sirius, I saw many rules that were rigid and many things that were done because they always had been done that way. I chose to introduce more playfulness, as I had seen at my previous study association. For example, my board introduced a football table and valued fun between study associations, which created a more open and inspiring environment. I believe the faculty council can use my tendency to change the status quo, and to combine positive points from multiple perspectives.
Now, while writing this letter I have one big issue in mind to solve with the faculty council. While being in the board of Sirius, I saw how openness can inspire students to create something new. At the same time, I saw how de-motivated students can become when their ideas don’t get the right support or don’t catch along as they had hoped. I also saw the declining student activism looming at the horizon, possibly making the current habitat of student culture unsuitable for the future. This is something I would like to create solutions for! To do this, the faculty should not only give opportunities, but also make it enticing to use resources in a constructive way. While being in the faculty council, I would like to translate what I have learned during and before my board year into advice to reignite student activism.
Simon de Vries