Can you introduce yourself?
I’m Nienke Raaijmakers – I am 20 years old, and I am from Tilburg, in the south of the Netherlands. I study anthropology and psychology here; I am a social science major. I am a fourth semester, and I have lived in Roggeveen for almost a year.
What position are you running for?
I am running for HAC Roggeveenhof Campus Elder.
Why are you running for this position?
Recently, I decided that I would like to run for a big board, and I always liked the HAC best out of the four boards we have now. I thought the people that were already running for certain positions were very capable, and I myself have things that I do next to UCR. For example being a chair would be a big honour, but Tariq would be great, and I also didn’t want to have too much on my plate. I think campus elder would be a nice position for me, and I already have lots of ideas.
Why should people vote for you specifically?
I am passionate about the organization, and I work well in groups, which I think is very important for a board member to have a handle on. I also have my dog-walking service, which is basically an individual organization, so I have to do everything for that. I have to make schedules and reply to emails, as well coordinating a wider team of people. I have furthermore come up with some ways in which to improve life in Roggeveenhof, and while the building is great overall, there is always room for improvement.
For instance, I would like to work on improving the social sphere here. Recently, I have heard that some people feel a bit lonely sometimes, and I would like to encourage opportunities to socialize. For example, I would like to plan things like study nights, which we already do on the first floor, as well as other campus wide events. I am also looking into how we can promote feelings of being safe, based on some recent incidents we have had here. Finally, I would like to continue looking into solutions for the bikes, because I think the situation is getting out of hand – it’s become very annoying.
If you had to eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I think it would have to be pasta. You can have different kinds, there are many sorts, and so I would still be able to choose from that even though it is all one type of food. There are also plenty of sauces you can add!
Noga Amiri, Class of 2018, is a literature and art history major from Hilversum, the Netherlands.
Featured image by Gerjanne Hoek.
