It’s Election Season! Names and posters have been flying around for a while, and everyone is getting prepared to present themselves and their ideas next week at the Election GA. Each year, Tabula RASA gives the candidates the opportunity to react to a quick Q&A, so that the whole student community can read a bit about who they are, and what they stand for. In this article, you can read about Diez for RASA Chair, Elise for RASA Chair and Luc for Elliott Food Team Manager!
1. What is your full name, semester, hometown, and the position you are running for?
- Diez Jansen
- 2nd semester
- Nieuwegein
- RASA Chair
2. What is it that you feel you can contribute to RASA?
Being elected RASA chair would be a great privilege for me. I consider it my duty to bring a new perspective and a fresh outlook to the board. I have previously not had any experience in a big board, and instead of looking at this as a negative aspect, you can see it as an opportunity for me to introduce to you a new way of thinking. My goal is to be approachable and open to communication at any time. As the face of the student community, I want to be able to represent everyone, even those that are reluctant to voice their opinion.
3. What issues do you consider to be the most pressing for RASA?
Throughout my year at UCR, the biggest issue I have come across is the student involvement in affairs that involve everyone. For example, the budget GA, that tackles the expenditures in all RASA activities. All 600 students pay for RASA membership, but out of all these students, only approximately 50 students were present at the GA. Since not the whole student body is present at such pivotal decision-making events, this creates an issue of misrepresentation of our whole community.
4. Please outline a few ideas/initiatives you would like to implement if elected.
Firstly, I would like to improve the turn-up rate of the GA’s and Info Sessions, since I consider them to be a fundamental part of the student involvement.
Next to this, I want to implement surveys that will evaluate student opinions continuously throughout the semester. Being in the RASA board makes you a representative, and how else would I represent the overall opinion of the students without their feedback.
Finally, in the previous years, you might not have been completely aware of all the possibilities you have and the benefits that come with being a member of RASA. Not only do I want to improve the overall awareness of possibilities, but I also want to more activities and events that come from the heart of RASA.
5. What is your favorite icebreaker activity?
My favorite icebreaker activity is mini golf, bowling, or ice skating. Everyone likes at least one of these activities and it is a surefire way to connect over something fun and amusing. These activities usually result in fun memories that will last a lifetime. This way, the pressure of meeting someone for the first time is overshadowed by these shared activities.
1. What is your full name, semester, hometown, and the position you are running for?
Elise Mertens, 4th semester, Bladel (village in the South of Brabant), RASA Chair
2. What is it that you feel you can contribute to RASA?
I have gained a lot of experience from being HAC treasurer and part of the RASA IB, not only about what it means to be in a board and lots of meetings, but also about the legal and financial structure of RASA. Although I feel that at the moment enough attention is given to these aspects of RASA, I do think it is important for the Chair to have this knowledge in order to keep the platform running smoothly and guide the board, especially regarding the GAs. In this way, attention is least diverted from the core of RASA, which are the societies and teams. I’m positive that I can keep the board motivated throughout the whole year with my enthusiasm and passion for RASA. My positions such as floor elder, sublet officer and Introweek parent have taught me a lot about being more approachable.
3. What issues do you consider to be the most pressing for RASA?
Next to the RASA board becoming more open and further shifting the focus towards societies and teams, I think it is essential to improve the communication between UCR and the student community, as well as between UCR and RASA. The controversy regarding the new Introweek has shown how pressing this is. In addition, inter-board relations should be improved and I strongly encourage stronger cooperation between them. Organizing Introweek itself will also be a challenge, since structural changes and adaptations will have to be made. However, although the new structure might be suboptimal, it might also provide a nice opportunity to critically review the traditional structure of Introweek and further improve it.
4. Please outline a few ideas/initiatives you would like to implement if elected.
- Closer inter-board cooperation, we all want best for the students, and no board is more important than any other, so why not we work more together to better represent the student community?
- A more approachable RASA board, e.g. no pages of rules stuck to the window of the office – people should feel free to just walk in, shoot us a message, or contact us in any way if they have any questions, worries, or suggestions at all.
- Better communication between UCR and the student body, I have been in numerous meetings with UCR faculty for the HAC, and I noted how often the opinion of people who are not in big-boards is disregarded. The RASA board, together with the other boards, should push UCR to ask for more student input.
5. What is your favourite icebreaker activity?
I think extreme rock paper scissors, which we did during last Fall Introweek, was a lot of fun! The other games which Faye coordinated prior to the activity in the forest were also really great. For more intimate groups, I like everyone having to tell an embarrassing story about themselves.
- What is your full name, semester, hometown, and the position you are running for?
Hello, my name is Luc Aboubadra, I’m a second semester student from Paris, France, and I’m running for Food Team Manager in Elliott!
2. What is it that you feel you can contribute to Elliott?
Well, I’m dedicated to Elliott, I do volunteer for every single team, and I’m always willing to help out. So, I wanted to take the next step and go further in my engagement for Elliott by going into the big board. I can help out with my ideas, motivation, and my good mood!
3. What issues do you consider to be the most pressing for Elliott?
To sell as many sandwiches as possible!
4. Please outline a few ideas/initiatives you would like to implement if elected.
Maybe rethink the volunteering system to make it more fun and to have more people doing it, if possible. Focus on hygiene too, because we have very strict rules about that, and finally think about changing or adding new sandwiches. We have a lot of vegetarian or vegan people here, and they basically only order falafel burgers, so maybe add another vegan/vegetarian option?
5. What is your favorite coffee/drink/sandwich?
Favorite coffee: long coffee of course, more coffee more energy. Favorite drink: Jägerbomb. Favorite sandwich? Well, if you volunteer for the food team, you can make your own sandwich, so the ones Jorge invents for me are always the best <3
