Can you shortly introduce yourself?
My name is Donny and I am an active member of Flow since my second year. I was a member of several committees, amongst which the Study Trip Committee, the inFlow committee and in my fourth year I was the Secretary of the Daily Board.
Can you tell something about the side job?
Besides my study I am a member of Student Party Dante, which represents the students in the Faculty Council. We have meetings with (amongst others) the Faculty Board of Tilburg School of Humanities (TSH) in which all students Communication and Information Sciences are included. At Student Party Dante, we are here to represent the needs and interests of the students when new plans are introduced within the Faculty. Next to that, all students can approach us for questions, remarks, complaints or suggestions about anything that matters within our Faculty. My function is External Affairs, which means that I (amongst others) organize the Dante Platform: the moment in which we inform the members of the Education Committees and the student boards of TSH about the Faculty Council. Being a member of Student Party Dante is a side job for which you receive a monthly compensation.
How did you end up here?
After my board year at Flow I wanted to remain active next to my study and becoming a member of Student Party Dante was a good option. Vera van der Laan, who was already a member of Dante, finally convinced me. It was kind of a switch, because with Dante you represent all the students of the Faculty instead of organizing activities for students CIS, but I really liked it. You are deploying yourself for the students in a very interesting and instructive way.
How many hours a week does it take? Did you get a study delay because of this side job?
It depends on the week and the month. If there is a Faculty Council (which takes place five times a year) it is busier in the period around it. We read through texts critically with the five of us and discuss what our comment will be the next Faculty Council. Besides that, we discuss it before with the staff. It is also my task to organize the Dante Platform. There are also weeks that you only have to reply on some emails or place something on Facebook.
Why do you think that this side job is of added value when you enter the job market?
At Student Party Dante you learn how to be involved in a discussion, how you can represent the interests of a group of persons and how to critically read texts and react on them. These are skills that can be very useful in the labor market. Besides that, I was able to organize the Dante Gala together with a committee, which is more work than you think. That is an useful experience too! In the end, a year at Student Party Dante is multidimensional and informative!
