Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity and Inclusion is one of the hallmarks of ChangeVU. Committed to ensuring fair representation, diverse environments, and creating a safe space in which everyone feels welcome, it makes sense that this point comes first in our policy plan.

One of ChangeVU's immediate priorities is to focus on continuing the "belongingness" surveys established by the Diversity Office several years prior. This survey is instrumental in determining how inclusive the environment at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is for minority, disabled, and international students. The role the survey plays in the university demonstrates far more than just simple statistics. It demonstrates the university's willingness to commit to making VU more inclusive, which is why it remains so crucial that this survey is continued.

Another priority for ChangeVU is helping international students in the integration process in Amsterdam. While both Amsterdam and VU Amsterdam are welcoming places with a strong community, the transition can still be daunting. Therefore, ChangeVU is committed to ensuring that international students get every resource possible to help them in their journey. One of these crucial tools is learning the Dutch language, courses which both the municipality and university offers. However, the municipality is often plagued with inconvenient times and long waiting lists, and the university's courses are often too expensive or inaccessible to students. As such, ChangeVU aims to make basic Dutch courses offered by VU free for all international VU students.

The third priority in promoting diversity and inclusion at VU is implementing more gender neutral bathrooms. Gender neutral bathrooms play an important role in giving students a comfortable and safe space to use bathrooms. As such, it is important that VU continues to establish more gender neutral bathrooms in accessible areas. Unfortunately however, the creation of gender neutral bathrooms often come at the cost of women's bathrooms. As such, ChangeVU will ensure that the creation of more gender neutral bathrooms is done in a responsible manner that give access to one group by taking it away from another.

The final priority for ChangeVU regarding diversity and inclusion is the placing menstrual products in every bathroom on campus. While ChangeVU applauds the university's efforts in creating a pilot for menstrual products, the success of the program only shows a need for wider implementation. Making sure that no student finds themself in the position of being in a toilet with no menstrual product is one that is easily avoidable by widespread implementation of the pilot. ChangeVU seeks to ensure this by holding the university accountable on its promises.