You study Pedagogical Sciences. Which parenting techniques do you use when leading the council? “Positive reinforcement. People respond better to reward than to punishment. And if someone reacts irritably, I first look at where that behaviour is coming from. That empathetic approach is something I take with me from my studies.”
Does that empathy resonate within the student council, with representatives from two such different parties? “Yes. Opinions differ, but there is room for that conversation. On the Annual Plan, for example, we’re completely unanimous. But sometimes we’re not, and then we say: we don’t agree, but we carry on together. Empathy and respect should be the foundation. That doesn’t mean everything is acceptable, but it does mean you have to be able to stay in conversation with one another.”
University Student Council
The USC consists of elected student council members who represent students’ interests and, together with the works council, oversee the Executive Board. This year, left-wing party ChangeVU and conservative right-wing party VSP were the largest: ChangeVU secured nine seats on the council, VSP two.
At a social gathering, do ChangeVU and VSP members clink glasses together? “Absolutely. We also play FIFA together, we do outings like an escape room. It’s always very fun. We’re all just people with different opinions. I have more affinity with some opinions than with others, but as long as it’s respectful – not just towards me, but towards all people – I can always deal with that. We have to keep talking to each other; what kind of society would we have otherwise?”
That mutual respect was broken at the end of last year when two VSP members, including a student council member, were arrested for violence and assault of a student. How do you deal with something like that as chair? “From the start I felt very responsible, because it happened after our event. Our first focus was on helping the victim and the witnesses. The next morning there was already a meeting with the VU crisis team. Things weren’t handled perfectly – there should have been clearer rules around safety and what happens if you don’t comply with the code of conduct – but VU did a lot behind the scenes.”
Shouldn’t you also show what’s being done about it in front of the scenes? “I find that difficult. You don’t want to obstruct the investigation, and because it concerns individuals, you also have to deal with their privacy.”
But surely you can say: something happened that we don’t find acceptable, and that people witnessed? “It might sound as if we wanted to sweep it under the rug, but if we say: ‘something happened and we’re investigating it’, stories and rumours start circulating immediately. That only creates noise, which can get in the way of the investigation. We wanted to keep it as clean as possible.”
How is the contact with the council member now? “I don’t want to go into individuals while the investigation is ongoing. What I can say is that the situation has had an impact on the atmosphere within the council – it wasn’t safe enough to have our regular meetings. So we took a small break, but we’re now slowly resuming meetings. They’re a bit more formal than before, with less room for emotion. How we move forward depends very much on the outcome of the investigation.”
You write in your blog that mental health is important to you. Are there elements of the education system that stand in the way of that? “The binding recommendation on continuation of studies (BSA) causes enormous stress, especially for students who are already struggling. Mandatory attendance is also very difficult for some people. If you’re having a bad day and you have to actively participate because otherwise you’ll be marked absent, that doesn’t help. On top of that, you have to figure everything out yourself. There are arrangements, there is support, but you have to know where to go. Not everyone can do that. Right now, because it’s relevant, my focus is more on student safety and how we can improve it.”
UPDATE 11 FEBRUARY
At the time this interview was published, Bruggink was still chair of the University Student Council (USC). She has since stepped down, together with the vice-chair, as they no longer feel safe within the council.