Student - March 8, 2007

No cuts in financial support

Wageningen University will not decrease the number of grants available for students on the board of student associations. The Executive Board has informed the Student Council of its decision.

The Executive Board considered making cuts in the Financial Support for Students (FOS) arrangements as part of its 25 percent reductions in overheads. A debate on the subject held on 13 February was well attended, and afterwards Martin Kropff, the university Rector, said that he would not make ‘heavy cuts’. Last week he made it known in a letter that there will be no cuts at all. According to Kropff, the discussion evening ‘certainly played a role’ in the decision.
Wageningen spends a relatively large amount on grants to students who hold positions on committees during their study. This year the university has given 1735 months’ worth of study finance to 58 different student organisations. ‘The special circumstances in Wageningen, the smallest city with a university, justify that,’ wrote Kropff. The Executive Board has also extended the regulations to include students at Van Hall Larenstein.