Only 17% of VU Students Vote. That’s… Not Great

Every spring, something magical happens at VU – student elections. Your once-a-year chance to vote on who gets to represent you when the university makes big decisions.

And yet, year after year, only 17% of students vote. That’s one in six. The rest? Silent. Indifferent. Or just completely unaware this thing even exists.

It’s easy to point fingers. Should we blame students for not voting? Parties for weak campaigns? Councils for staying invisible? Or the university for giving little support?

But before we get lost in the rampage of blaming, let’s talk about what this is actually about.

At VU, student representation happens on three levels.

OLCs (Program Committees) – The ones who chase your course evaluations and try to fix what’s not working in your classes and exams.

FSRs (Faculty Student Councils) – Focusing on your faculty, how education is organized, how exams are set up, and how the faculty budget is spent.

USR (University Student Council) – The top level. They deal with the big stuff: the full university budget, broad policies, internationalization, and diversity. The things that affect everyone.

TL;DR: It’s students fighting for students. Take this year, for example. The USR received the full 2025 budget, hundreds of pages showing where every cent of VU’s money is going. We read it. We discussed it. We voted on what matters most. Was it fun? No. Was it important? Absolutely.

Because if students aren’t in the room, decisions get made for us, not with us.

Sometimes, it’s just impossible to include the student view in every decision, every document, and every meeting. Not because our university hates us, but because we’re one of many voices in a very complex machine.

And that’s exactly why student representatives matter. We’re the ones in the room constantly saying:

“Wait. What does this mean for students?”

“Has anyone thought about this?”

“Do we really want to cut that?”

So no, it’s not just a bunch of overachievers playing pretend politics. It’s students trying to block bad decisions before they hit your life And that brings us back to 17%. Only 17% decide who gets to ask those questions. Who gets to represent you. Who gets to push back when it matters. And in past years? Maybe that wasn’t such a big deal. VU kept going. Classes

happened. Beers were drunk, diplomas printed, and no one asked who was behind the curtain. But this year? It’s different. Budget cuts are coming. Not small ones. Not just

“restructuring.” Real, deep, unavoidable cuts. Programs could shrink. Services could disappear. Things you take for granted might not be there next year. Some already aren’t, as certain programs have already lost funding. This isn’t a warning. It’s happening. This is when student reps stop being polite advisors and start becoming advocates. People who fight to keep what matters from being taken away. And the people who’ll do that?

Chosen by only 17%.

So now we turn to this year’s elections. Besides the usual FSR lists and a few brave independents, we’ve got something special: Two big student parties going head-to-head in the USR elections. I represent one of them. But I’m not here to tell you which one’s the hero and which one’s the villain. What I will say is this: Everyone running wants VU to be better… in their own way. Their visions differ and their methods might clash, but the intention is there.

And among them? Some will work day and night. Some will yell and fight in meetings. Some will go MIA after a few weeks. And some are there only for the compensation.

It’s messy. It’s unpredictable. But honestly? That’s what democracy looks like.

And regarding myself, yes, I’ll be running again. For both the USR and the FSR.

Not because I enjoy long meetings with no outcomes or watching an idea slowly die in a Teams call after being passed through 50 people. I’m running because I know how much is at stake this time. Because I’ve seen how things work and how quickly they can fall through if no one speaks up. Whoever ends up on the next council, they’ll need to be ready. Be prepared to deal with tough choices and even tougher conversations. And this article? It’s not my campaign promo. You don’t have to vote for me. That’s not what this is about.

Just do one thing: Pay attention. Get curious. Ask questions. Talk to someone who’s running. Talk to someone who’s voted before. Because these elections? They’re not just about next week. Not even next year. They’re about what VU will look like years from now.

You might graduate in a year or two. You might already have one foot out the door. But the decisions being made today? Future students will live with them.

That’s who we’re voting for. That’s what’s at stake. And if you think one vote won’t change anything? Think again. Some student council seats were won by less than ten votes. Literally.

That could be your friend, your partner, or you

So mark your calendars: April 7th to 10th.

Vote.

Because next year, I want to write this article again and proudly say: “25% showed up.”

Or more.

Now, that would be a change.