By now, 2026 is well underway. For many students, January doesn’t feel like a real fresh start—after all, the academic year already began in September. Still, at TU/e there is one group for whom the calendar year does mark the beginning of something new: the University Council (UR). For the past month, we have been working in our new composition. And believe me, it has not been a quiet start.

My name is Thijmen Worm, and since January I have been a member of the University Council on behalf of the student faction Groep-één. Last year, I completed a board year at the Federation of Study Associations, where I already got to know the university up close.

But the University Council is a different ballgame. You’re not just at the table to join the discussion — you’re there to be critical, to scrutinize decisions, and to determine whether policy truly serves the interests of students and staff.

With eighteen council members, we divide the portfolios among us. Education, well-being, and communication are my focus areas. Education in particular means: a lot of reading. A whole lot of reading. For the first meeting of the year, three major files were waiting for us — about 150 pages per person. Policy documents about the future of education at our university. Not exactly light reading.

As the Education Committee, we are the first to dive into them. We go through the documents in detail, formulate questions, and sit down with their authors. Why was this direction chosen? What does this mean in concrete terms for students? What happens if things don’t go as planned? Sometimes the discussion is about details; other times, about fundamental choices.

And ultimately, we raise those questions during the official meeting with the Executive Board. They are responsible for implementing the policy.

That may sound formal—and sometimes it is—but it matters. It’s about the quality of our education. About keeping our programs manageable and academically viable. About well-being, resources, and priorities.

Amid all the meeting documents, we also determined as a council where we want to make a difference ourselves this year. In addition, we met with the Executive Board to get to know one another better and to discuss how we can work together in a way that is both sharp and constructive.

During the joint dinner that followed, I noticed how valuable that is. You can have firm discussions about vision and strategy and, five minutes later, talk about running routes or music. In the end, administrators are simply people — albeit people with significant responsibility.

Today, the Monday after the carnival break, our first official UR meeting is on the agenda. With that, we conclude the first meeting cycle. Meanwhile, the next set of files is already waiting. The work doesn’t stop after one meeting — it’s a continuous flow of reading, asking questions, making adjustments, and looking ahead.

This year, we don’t just want to respond to policy; we also want to put topics on the agenda ourselves. And for that, we need input. So if you see us on campus, don’t hesitate to approach us. What’s going well? What could be improved? The University Council may sound abstract, but ultimately it’s about your education, your work, and your university.

Hope to see you soon.

Thijmen Worm is a UR member for Groep-één. The views expressed in this column are their own.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.

Photo Thijmen Worm | by Mart Philipsen