The FOS regulation provides for financial compensation for students taking time off from their studies to help run student organizations. The amount is linked to the basic grant. The allocation of funding is reviewed every two years, but VeSte would now like to see the current agreement extended by one year. VeSte member Wouter Jan van Roosmalen: ‘The possible cancellation of the basic grant is creating a lot of uncertainty about what is going to happen to the FOS. We can only guarantee any new agreement that is reached now for one year. Which means a lot of stress for student societies. It is very time-consuming for them to collect all the data for a new agreement that will only be in effect for a short time.’
Social loan
The university will decide shortly whether to review the FOS this year. Spokesperson Simon Vink agrees that there is ‘no point’ putting a great deal of effort into a new FOS agreement. ‘If changes are made they will only apply for one year. So you won’t make great changes.’ Meanwhile VeSte is holding talks with national educational organizations with a view to influencing the conditions of the planned social loan system. Wouter Jan: ‘We would prefer not to see a social loan system being put in place at all but if it is inevitable, we want to take the edge off it. We are holding out for a change to the law so that the FOS is no longer tied to the basic grant. If students are no longer compensated for a year spent on a board, no one will want to do it anymore.’