The times of Corona are weird for everyone, including the students. Not being able to go to lectures or workgroups, not having contact with teachers or other students, feeling like you’re suddenly on your own. Last year, therefore, the university came to the aid of first-year students and discarded the BSA. After all, in the weird times, it’s perfectly understandable that concentration is a little less, fewer contact hours means less discussing the material, etc. So why shouldn’t this be the same the year after?

Corona is still there. In fact, it is now the case that first-year students have no idea what it is like to sit in a lecture hall or have a workgroup. This can also mean that they don’t know exactly how to study for an exam. They sit at home, have little contact with their fellow students, and few first-year experiences.

That’s why we, along with student parties from across the country, have spoken out in favor of BSA reduction. It is a challenging start for first-years. Students also experience more pressure than usual because of Corona. To counteract this, we have jointly argued for compensation for students who have just started studying.

We wrote a letter to all Universities to lower the BSA in this special year as well. The Universities heard this call and the BSA has been reduced by 10-15%! With ONS we want to improve student welfare and this is certainly a step in the right direction. This remains of importance to ONS and will continue to fight for this as a party in the future.