{"id":2275,"date":"2024-12-19T11:15:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T10:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/?p=2275"},"modified":"2024-12-19T11:15:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T10:15:58","slug":"personal-perspective-representation-equity-the-sab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/personal-perspective-representation-equity-the-sab\/","title":{"rendered":"Personal Perspective: Representation, Equity, & the SAB"},"content":{"rendered":"

The members of the Student Advisory Board were asked to contribute to the newsletter of het National Commission. Marjorie Miranda and Parker Winkel took the initiative and each wrote an article from their own personal perspective. In the articles you can read about what the respective members want to work on in the coming year.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By: Parker Winkel \u2013 BSc Psychology, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Trainer | Member of the Student Advisory Board (National Commission for the CoC)<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve just read Marjorie\u2019s column, you might be thinking, \u201cWow, the Code of Conduct is serious business.\u201d And you\u2019re right! It\u2019s vital work, and her piece tackled an incredibly important issue. My contribution to this newsletter, though, takes a more personal turn. Think of it as a palate cleanser\u2014still important, but with a little extra seasoning.<\/p>\n

I joined the international Students Advisory Board (SAB) because, as an international student, I\u2019ve seen firsthand how we often exist in a societal niche\u2014contributive but without representation. During my time at the university, I watched friends from outside Europe drop out due to financial barriers, forced to return to their home countries despite their talents and ambitions. It\u2019s hard not to feel frustrated when you see potential and opportunity curtailed by preventable obstacles.<\/p>\n

This lack of representation isn\u2019t just frustrating\u2014it\u2019s systemic. Politicians have little incentive to legislate in our interest. Unlike Dutch citizens, we have no votes to wield, leaving us dependent on decisions made for us, not by us. That\u2019s why I was drawn to the SAB. It offers a rare chance to advocate for international students\u2019 needs directly.<\/p>\n

One foremost need is financial accessibility. Over the years, I\u2019ve seen too many friends and colleagues from outside Europe pack their bags and leave, not because they lacked talent or motivation, but because they couldn\u2019t afford to stay. It\u2019s a trend that doesn\u2019t just hurt students; it\u2019s a missed opportunity for integration and a loss for the Dutch economy. Through the SAB, I hope to work with the National Commission to explore solutions within the CoC framework\u2014ideally ones that keep talented students here rather than sending them home.<\/p>\n

Of course, advocating for international students isn\u2019t simple. Our community is diverse, and our experiences vary widely based on personal background and country of origin. Sometimes our interests even conflict. But certain initiatives\u2014room guarantees, scholarships, or maybe just fewer bureaucratic hurdles\u2014are universally beneficial. These are the kinds of changes I\u2019d like to help make happen.<\/p>\n

This week, we\u2019ll\u00a0 meet with the National Commission to start tackling these challenges. While I\u2019m still new to the SAB, I\u2019m eager to dive in and contribute. We SAB newcomers also hope to connect with changemakers who, like us, believe in equitable opportunities for all, no matter where you\u2019re from.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, the SAB gives us a chance to be more than contributors without representation. It\u2019s a platform where we can advocate for changes that matter. If we succeed, we\u2019ll have built a more inclusive environment not just for international students, but for everyone. And that\u2019s something worth fighting for\u2014even if it means more acronyms.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The members of the Student Advisory Board were asked to contribute to the newsletter of het National Commission. Marjorie Miranda and Parker Winkel took the initiative and each wrote an article from their own personal perspective. In the articles you can read about what the respective members want to work on in the coming year. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2275"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2275"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2285,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2275\/revisions\/2285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internationalstudy.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}