Student - October 13, 2011

Possible fresh start for WSO

Things are stirring at WSO again. New candidates for the board have turned up and the possibility of a merger with PSF has raised its head. Is a reincarnation in the offing?

There is a chance that the Wageningen Student Organization WSO may pick up the thread again next year, says its former chairperson Karmijn van den Berg. The interim management of the WSO is holding discussions with various parties to draw up a plan for the future of the student union. The former board threw in the towel mid-August after been unable to recruit new board members. ‘We got a lot of reactions when we stopped', says Van den Berg. And since then, she says, a number of people have made it known that they are prepared to take a seat on the board. ‘We have had exploratory talks with them. But it's too soon to say whether this will lead to applications', says Van den Berg.
Merger
Meanwhile, talks about a merger have also been held between WSO and the student party PSF, reports PSF member Derek Pan. Quite apart from the question of whether the parties see eye to eye, finances play a role too, says Pan. ‘Both organizations are funded by the university. What would that mean if they merged? Would the university allow that?'
But Karmijn van den Berg stresses that the game is not over. ‘No decision has been made yet, and nothing has been discussed with the members. It could turn out that none of it is feasible in the end. I will be able to say more in a couple of weeks.'