The participation of student representatives is a standard procedure in many academic settings (for example, in the context of a university senate).  As junior researchers from ZEFa, we petition to appoint student representatives to attend weekly ZEFa staff meetings. We believe that as doctoral candidates, we are just as invested in the functioning of the institution, and hold ZEF's long-term interests at heart. We feel attached to ZEF and are interested in the directions it will take in the future.

Being part of a research department that works on social processes such as inclusion, governance, and participation, we believe that these values should be reflected in our departmental structures as well. Even if as junior researchers, we do not have formal decision-making power, at least we would like to be well informed about decision-making within ZEF. We believe that our role is not that of unknowing students, but that of fellow researchers who can contribute and enrich discussions by contributing our 'junior' point of view.

We therefore propose that one student representative will be elected from each batch. Voting will take place within the respective batches.

If you believe that ZEFa would benefit by having junior representatives sit in at weekly staff meetings, please sign the petition below (with your name and year of enrollment).  We need YOUR support to convince the management that there is a concerted wish among ZEFa juniors to be involved in future staff meetings.

Meanwhile, all identities will anonymized (if you choose to disclose your name). The petition name-list will NOT be shared in any context. Only statistics with respect to the number of e-signatures received will be shared.

Thank you for your support! 

Links