Employee and student input is essential for the functioning of our university. Whether you work or study here, your input and ideas about UT policy matter and your opinion, approval, or advice are essential.
Of course, your input differs from policymakers; precisely because you represent your department, colleagues or faculty, your input is essential. Codetermination is the place where you take responsibility, have influence, discuss policy, meet new people and contribute together to an even better university.
UToday Special (April 2024)
This is a magazine about participation, full of stories about students and employees who think along and co-decide on the policies of UT. The employee participation bodies form an essential bridge between the boards and society. They play an important role in good times and, perhaps more importantly, in difficult times.
Why is your voice important?
Why should you apply for one of the UT's participation bodies? You will get something in return - literally!
Participate yourself: No experience required
As a participating member, you will contribute to an even better university and improved education. You can put topics on the agenda; by doing so, you will meet new UT colleagues and obtain a different view of UT.
If you are starting out in a participation body - but also for experienced members – the UT offers courses that will familiarize you with how participation works. That is why the UT offers courses, for example, on meeting techniques, legislation, and regulations on participation or being effective as a participation council. The university provides facilities, support, and training for participation councils. The open training courses are financed centrally, the customized training courses are for the account of the council/unit.
Participation councils
Overview of the UT participation bodies at various levels:
Different levels within the UT have their own form of representation. From the democratically elected organisational wide – and best known - University Council to the Programme Committees of which each study have their own representatives. In every one of these bodies, you could have a different area of influence.
Information per type of participation body:
Organisation level: University Council The yearly chosen University Council (UC) represents students and staff throughout the university and discusses regularly with the Executive Board. It is the central participation body of the UT and consists of 18 members: nine staff members and nine students. The UC has a say in the policy of the UT at the central level.
The UC has three permanent committees that discuss topics in detail:
- Primary processes: Committee Education, Research, Students
- The university operations: Committee Finance, Personnel, Business Operations
- Long term policy: Committee Strategy and Internationalization
Local Consultation (generally known as The OPUT) At the UT, four Labour Unions are united in the Consultative Body for Personnel Affairs of the University of Twente (in Dutch abbreviated to the OPUT). Within the Local Consultation the OPUT-members consult with the Executive Board about topics that affect UT employees such as working conditions, safety, social plan, diversity, or vitality. They ensure that the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities is implemented at the UT. Find out more about the OPUT
At the University of Twente, there is also an interest group for PhD students. They are organised in the P-NUT
In the faculties: Faculty Councils All five faculties have a representative body in which both staff and students are represented. The council can issue a solicited or an unsolicited advice to the Faculty Board. As a member of this council, you will encounter strategic topics and policies, budgets, and long-term plans together with the dean and the Faculty Board. Whether you are staff member or student your insight is critical to the Faculty Council.
In the Faculty Council (FC) both staff and students are represented. The council can issue advice to the Faculty Board on all matters affecting the faculty or its staff or students. The role of the Faculty Council is similar to that of the University Council but then on faculty level.
Overview of Faculty subjects In this Council you will discuss for instance the faculty regulations, the faculty policy plan, the Education and Examination Regulations (which also include the teaching programmes), faculty budgets, the educational policy, housing and services policy and information policy. The personnel section of the council has specific advice rights according personnel matters. If more than one faculty is involved in a decision, such as a major reorganization, the right of participation is with the University Council.
In the service departments: Service Councils The interests of the employees of the central services are represented in Service Councils. This participation body only consists of staff members. Besides discussing the yearly calendar with fixed topics and supporting the head(s) of the Service Department, as a Service Council you ensure you know what is going on within your service Department. Consider yourself as an ambassador of your colleagues.
The main goal of the Service Council is to contribute to the optimal functioning of the Service Department and to represent the wellbeing and interests of the staff.
Each Service Department or group of departments has a Service Council. Service departments with similar work duties - such as policy service departments - can consider a joint Service Council. For example, the interests of the employees of the department General Affairs (GA) are represented by the University Council.
The six Service Councils on a list:
In the programmes: Programme Committees Every study programme or group of programmes has a Program Committee. As a program committee member, you consult regularly with the Program Director. Together with colleagues and students you ensure the quality of education of your study program.
In the programme committee students and lecturers advice the Program Director on promoting and ensuring the quality of the education of their programme. The most important input are evaluations on courses or educational level.
The Programme Committee has the right of consent with regard to some parts of the Education and Examination Regulations (EER) of the programme and the right to advise on other parts of the EER. In addition, they annually assess the implementation of the EER. The Programme Committee also has the right to submit a solicited or an unsolicited advice to the Programme Director and the Faculty Board on all matters relating to education in the study programme.
Three rights of participation bodies
The role of the participation bodies in the decision-making process of the UT is to discuss decisions, proposals and other documents with the respective boards. In this process, the participation bodies share their reflections from the perspective of the employee and student and shed light on the consequences for the workplace and the learning, teaching, and research processes.
To perform their job properly, every participation council has three rights:
- Right of consent: Some proposals from the board can only go ahead if they are approved by the participation council.
- Right of advice: As a participation body you can provide the board with strong arguments or advice - solicited and unsolicited - to change and influence decisions.
- Right of initiative: In addition to giving advice and consent on policy proposals from the board, a participation body can also propose new ideas themselves.
Regulations
Training
We offer different training types:
Training courses with open enrollment We provide online and onsite courses with open enrollment for all members of the councils, employees as well as students. For service councils there is a specific course. These training courses are provided by the external provider agency TAQT.
In addition, individual councils can attend tailor-made training courses for the whole council, also in combination with the board or chief executive. The content of this training depends heavily on the specific needs of the group and is therefore always preceded by a short intake meeting with the client, e.g. the representatives of the Council. TAQT can be contacted directly for this purpose. Click on customised training for examples of training courses.
Training courses for programme committees If you are a programme committee member, there is also an offer for you. More information can be found here.
U participate event
UT annually hosts an event with speakers and workshops on important themes for participation. A time and place where management, council members and support stakeholders can connect, socialize, and share ideas on participation. There is an opportunity to submit an idea or suggestion for the annual event in January. Please send it to registrar-uc@utwente.nl
Contact
For comments or questions, please get in touch with:
