By Joukje Boeder
Joost Verheggen is running for the position of HAC chair. This second year student, aged 20, has already been very active in our student community so far: he has been part of the choir board and has a year of experience in Elliott as both event manager and treasurer – quite a tough position! However, he is still not done with his work at UCR: he now feels that it is his duty to stand up for the community and make our campus as enjoyable as possible.
“HAC seems to be the only board that students only see when something is wrong, and that needs to change”, says Joost. He aims to transform the HAC into a council that not just fixes, but actively improves student housing. The current HAC board has already done a lot in this respect, for example by improving the Campus Olympics. Joost intends to continue this tradition and wants to ensure that students feel free to turn to the board for other initiatives next to the more general guidance in maintenance and finance issues.
To achieve this, he advocates better communications between Villex and the students. Joost has been involved in issues with our housing before; he was one of the few students who entered the debate with Villex about our high rents. As you all know, this investigation finally led to the lowering of our monthly payments. Moreover, he believes in increased involvement of the HAC board in student campus communities, and aims to provide more clarity into Elbuco contracts and service payments. In the light of events that occurred in Bagijnhof, including robbery and voyeurism, Joost argues for a mediating position of HAC between the community and the police to ensure student safety: “The HAC is no police officer, but as a board we should guide the students in any housing related issue, and come to a solution together as soon as possible”.
Joost is specifically interested in the position of chair as it allows him to explore all the different dynamics of the student community. Given his previous experience, it appears he has quite the skills to fulfill this position. Whether the student community agrees will become apparent during the General Elections on the 12th of April.
Joukje Boeder, Class of 2016, is an Arts & Humanities major from The Hague, the Netherlands.
