The Studentendok, a space in the main VU building where various student organizations hold meetings and carry out board work, falls under the responsibility of the Student and Education Affairs department (SOZ, Student- en Onderwijszaken), which appoints a student manager annually.
For years, this has been SRVU, but it has now been relieved of its responsibilities. During a participation council meeting of the works council and the university student council, several council members expressed their surprise at this decision.
Misconduct
SOZ reportedly reached its decision due to several incidents that occurred in the Dok during the student council elections in April. Members of the student party VSP are said to have misbehaved at that time.
Jewish students have also reportedly felt unwelcome there because of meetings held by the activist group VU for Palestine. These meetings allegedly exceeded the permitted number of attendees regardless.
SOZ is keeping quiet on the matter. A spokesperson for VU Amsterdam stated that the department appoints a new student manager each year, following an open application procedure. In recent years, SRVU has indeed served as the manager, but SOZ now wants to “cater to a broader target group.”
The new SRVU chair, Jelle Gnoth, disagrees with SOZ’s decision and says there is “zero support” for it among the students who use the Dok. “I’m curious how a different manager would handle incidents like those involving the VSP,” said Gnoth. He denies that SRVU has allowed large-scale events in the Dok and believes everyone should feel welcome. “I see no reason why we shouldn’t be the manager again. We would definitely like to continue.”