Dear students,

as the semester slowly crawls to its end, so does the term of ASIC 2008-2009. Though sad as it may be for us, this gives YOU the opportunity to make a difference in academic ánd non-academic issues next year!

Therefore, we are proud to announce that the ASIC Elections will be held on:

Wednesday April 8th

Auditorium, 19h30

An informational session about the elections, the positions in the ASIC board and anything else you’d like to know will be held on Wednesday April 1st, 19h00, in the ASIC office.

The deadline for submitting your candidacy and election statement to asic@uu.nl is Friday April 3rd .

What is ASIC?
ASIC is the All Students Interest Council and as such, we represent your interests in all academic and residential issues you can think of.

ASIC bridges the gap between the students and College Hall when it comes to academic issues such as the quality of your courses and professors, graduation requirements, language tests, class attendance and academic rules and regulations. As the main representatives of the student body we take seats in the College Council and College Board and have an important vote on all academic issues. Also, we work on residential issues such as creating and maintaining student lounges, improving Dining Hall’s menu and structure, opening the Meditation Room for all to use, and getting wireless internet on campus. Lastly, we have adopted some other services; we for example organize semesterly book sales and rent out bikes, vacuums and ovens for you to borrow.

The positions within the ASIC board are:
1. Chair
2. Vice-Chair
3. Secretary & External Representative
4. Executive Officer
5. Academic Advisor

Even though the ASIC members generally function together as a team and take on several projects of their personal interest, some issues are specific for a certain position. A small description of the different positions within ASIC can be found below.

Chair
Within the ASIC board, the Chair is the one keeping the team together and coordinating the different tasks across the board members. Being the one ultimately responsible for all the decisions being taken, he/she is the one keeping an overview of what is happening. The Chair chairs all the ASIC board meetings and takes on an important position within the College Council.
Outside the ASIC board, the Chair is the main face of ASIC to the general public, and is thus present at different meetings with the administration, social events and gatherings, and some meetings with external parties. The Chair must be able to keep in close contact with the student population, has a clear vision of where ASIC should be heading in the future, is charismatic and open for anyone to approach.

Vice-Chair
The Vice-Chair is not (merely) the right hand of the Chair, as the title may imply. One of the most important tasks of the Vice-Chair is being the only Student Representative within the College Board, where most decisions on UC policy are made. The Vice-Chair thus keeps in close contact with the ‘higher’ ranks of the administration, such as the Dean, and makes sure to be kept informed about any developments within College Hall. Besides that, the Vice-Chair has enough space and time within its function to adopt other projects that are vital in ASIC’s success outside of College Hall.
A Vice-Chair sees patience as a virtue, is able to be a diplomat and a revolutionary and can distinguish when which role is most effective. A Vice-Chair is eager to see change, has a lot of energy and is flexible in adopting tasks from other board members and helping them out.

Secretary
Secretary, External Representative, Treasurer: it’s too long of a title and is thus shortened to Secretary, but it involves much more than solely taking minutes at ASIC meetings. The ASIC Secretary is the main responsible one for organizing the semesterly ASIC book sales, which are not only important for the students but also play a key role in ASIC’s functioning since they generate most of ASIC’s funds. Therefore, it is not illogical that the Secretary also serves as a Treasurer and decides where ASIC’s growing budget is allocated to. He/she also officially serves as the External Representative towards parties such as New Bricks, the U-Raad, and RASA. Lastly, he/she plays an important role as the Secretary in the College Council.
A Secretary has great organizational skills and is able to keep a clear overview of everything that’s going on. He/she is precise, diligent, trustworthy, socially skilled, open and helpful.

Executive Officer
The Executive Officer is formally in charge of dealing with all residential/non-academic issues such as Dining Hall and student housing. Consequently, the Executive Officer chairs the Food Advisory Group remains in close contact with the Dining Hall staff, the facility manager, housemaster, Landlord, and Managing Director. Furthermore, the Executive Officer is a member of the College Council; he/she is a part of the Environmental Working Group; he/she keeps in contact with the maintainers of the vending machines; and the Executive Officer looks after the ASIC Services. Also, and importantly with regards to the near future, the Executive Officer is in charge of the Lounges around campus and seeks to maintain and develop them.
A good Executive Officer is active and involved around campus and knows what students want or is willing to explore it. He/she is a diplomat with the managing staff, a know-it-all and a handyman.

Academic Advisor
The Academic Advisor is in charge of providing the students’ viewpoint on all academic issues at UCU. He/she keeps in frequent contact with students to find out what they experience as needing improvement or lacking at UCU, yet at the same time the Academic Advisor lobbies and negotiates with the Heads of Departments and the Director of Education. The Academic Advisor chairs meetings with student representatives from each department and organizes informative events with them, while in the process of proposing new policies and being in informal contact with different people across the college, from tutors to fellows. An Academic Advisor is hard-working and very easily approachable. He/she knows a lot about UC academics and regulations, and is not pinned down on improving just one department or issue. With the higher authorities, the Academic Advisor is a negotiator with courage and patience.

For any further questions do not hesitate to email, or come by during our office hours, or talk to one of us if you pass us by!

Yours sincerely,

ASIC 2008-2009

Spencer Heijnen
Philip Paiement
Anneke Koning
Barend Odijk
Alexander Fernandes

If UC is your head, ASIC is your hat. We’ve got you covered!