Students, under the supervision of their mentor, were given the time and opportunity to investigate their own initiated ideas on how to better achieve the diversity and inclusion values at EB. They presented their recommendations and concrete advice on Thursday 8 May.

Student recommendations

The students who took part in the consultancy project explored various aspects of diversity and inclusion. The student presentations suggested that many things are going well but there’s still room for improvement. Scarlett measured diversity & inclusion knowledge, perceptions and competencies, Filip looked into students’ sense of belonging and Kristina investigated the visibility and accessibility of cultural student associations.

Based on results of a course evaluation, Scarlett concluded that improvements can be made with regards to cultural sensitivity in teaching. Together with her supervisor she advised to strengthen diversity & inclusion training for teachers and gather feedback through course evaluations.

Filip concluded that students’ sense of belonging at UvA EB is relatively low compared to the national average and universities abroad. He proposed a few interventions such as launching a platform for students to organise events and connect and creating more awareness for the existing buddy system.

Kristina found that there are many small or unregistered student associations are not well-known among students. Although joining these associations could help students feel part of a community, many students are unsure where to find these associations. Her recommendations are to increase promotion of these associations and to organise a cultural association fair during the introduction week.

Hopeful

Although the investigations show that there’s substantial room for improvement, some hopeful voices can be heard as well. One example is the project by Scarlett. Her findings show that the University of Amsterdam performs relatively well in terms of diversity compared to other Dutch universities.

Follow-up

Diversity and inclusion will remain on UvA’s agenda. Going forward, the Diversity Committee will continue to ask students for input and put their recommendations on the EB Board’s agenda. These follow-up activities will help ensure that students are provided with an inclusive learning and working environment.