Student life

Sam van Stokkom is both a student of Arts and Culture Studies and the secretary of study association KNUS.

What exactly does a student board do?

'To put it shortly, a board is the boss of and responsible for the association: the board makes the most important decisions and is in charge of the money, and makes sure that the association stays active and interesting enough for its members. If you do a board year, you become a part of the association’s board for the entire academic year. A board usually consists of a chair, a secretary, a treasurer, a commissioner internal affairs and a commissioner of public relations, although this could be different for other boards. I decided to take on the function of secretary in the board of study association KNUS because I wanted to have a closer connection to the association’s members: I wanted to get to know them better and help them out with study-related questions. I also saw it as a perfect learning experience and I looked forward to working together with a team.'

How do I experience this?

'My favourite part of being a member of the board is having the feeling that you are a part of something bigger: something meaningful. You voluntarily work together with a lot of beautiful people on improving the association and the student life of its members, and that involvement is something quite special. Of course it is still a challenge, too: you definitely need to be motivated in order to make it through a board year. It is something that you’re continuously spending time on, so you have to plan your time accordingly if you also want to continue your study programme (which is definitely manageable in my case, but that too changes per association). These are all things you’ll have to find out along the way, but eventually you will find out how to balance everything and make it work! Doing a board year is one of the best choices I have ever made and I would recommend it to everyone!'