Motivating and enthusing as weapons in the ‘corona war’

From one day to the next, the board of study association Van der Waals saw the stream of visitors, the sociable fun and the ambiance in the Van der Waals room and the Salon dry up completely in March 2020. “That was a massive switch for us,” says Merel Laarhoven, president of the board of Van der Waals last year. “The biggest challenge was managing to maintain contact with our students. And we felt it was important for first-years and international students to still have the chance to meet up with others in their group. We didn't want them to get lonely and we wanted them to know we are here for them.”

Students were so happy they could meet up again at the outdoor drinks parties in May

In May Van der Waals received permission to work with the Federation of Study Associations Eindhoven to organize outdoor-drinks-with-distancing. “And even though it was a small affair at which students had to stay in their seats at 1m50, they were so happy they could meet each other again,” recalls Laarhoven. “We hope that in the spring we can hold this event again, adds her successor Mette Schouten.

She began as the new president of the study association in September, with the corona pandemic in full swing. A year full of ‘not’ and ‘no’ was in store for the new board. Despite this, she didn't doubt for a moment that she wanted to do a board year under the present circumstances. If you cannot gain satisfaction and a feeling of being appreciated from organizing drinks parties, full-on parties, study trips and other occasions for socializing en masse, then you are going to have to rely on the little events to light your candle, she has learned. “We hold weekly well-being discussion sessions, have 'chatting hours' for internationals. All things to be proud of,” says Schouten.

Something else they are proud of is that their department has won the Diversity Award given by Netherlands' Physical Society (NNV). “Our department is working really hard to appoint more women to the academic staff and by doing this to make women role models more visible,” says Schouten. “That has a positive effect on students.”

Small things

Seeing each other, devoting attention to the other, takes the form of small gestures like sending a birthday card or the departmental newsletter to members at home. “Little victories and moments when people come together have started to weigh much more heavily with us. If an activity for first-years goes well, say, even though it is online, again. Or when you hear on our association's Discord channel that people appreciate our being here for them.”

When first-years students were allowed to come on campus to do experiments, Van der Waals held distanced lunches for them in time slots. “A huge job, but it was really valuable for the students. Instead of having to get straight back on the train, it meant they got to enjoy the company of their fellow students for a short while,” says Schouten.

On the board we take turns being strung out

The board never loses sight of how its members are doing; 95 percent of the students, numbering just under a thousand, at the Department of Applied Physics belongs to the study association. But for themselves, too, it is a tough year. “Being on the board gives your days meaning, though I do miss the students who would normally drop by the board room for a chat. At times it is difficult to keep ourselves and the committees motivated. On the board we take turns being strung out,” acknowledges Schouten.

Laarhoven recognizes this: “A board year is quite stressful even under normal circumstances. In corona times the stress can get ramped up, or it can be quite the opposite: boring. I have learned how important it is to give everyone personal attention, including board members. We have really gone all out on people management, and we've held a lot of one-to-one chats.”

Schouten is carrying on this approach with her own board. “How do you work together when you only ever see each other on a little screen? Can you still understand each other and each other's actions? And how do you accept everyone's different ways of dealing with setbacks, hardships? If you ask me, you do it by talking with each other and by empathizing with where each other is at. One person might need a kick up the backside every week whereas someone else might need leaving in peace, but you know they will come to you if they have a problem. Motivating and enthusing are the weapons I'm using to try and win the war.”

But that motivating she mentions isn't always easy, Schouten knows. “Our committees are carrying on with organizing all kinds of activities, even trips. But gear changes are the order of the day and their flexibility is being heavily tested.” The same goes for organizing the association's lustrum party, which really should have been held this past October. “At the time we didn't want to accept that it would have to happen online, but now that's an inescapable truth. It's a lot to ask of the committees but they are being revived.”

Every time it's a matter of reassessing your position, what is expected of you, and the leeway you have

Being the president of a study association affords valuable experience, about yourself, about leadership, about getting others on board with your own ambitions. Laarhoven: “I have learned that it helps if you take the initiative yourself. Prepare well, draw up a proposal in advance. That way it's much easier to persuade people to support your plans.” For Schouten, this has also been a steep learning curve. “I'm naturally enthusiastic, but how you win over everyone else? How do you get others to take action? Another thing I've learned is that within each group you have to reassess your own position. Among your members you can say anything, the same applies to your board, although on any given matter they won't take your word for it just because you're the president. At the Federation of Study Associations Eindhoven you have yet another role, and with the Executive Board it is different again. Every time it's a matter of reassessing your position, what is expected of you, and the leeway you have.”

There is something else Laarhoven and Schouten want to say at the end of the interview: “We've been selected for this interview about leadership, but we really have to say it's something all of us do together. We aren't continually taking the lead to hold the group together; that requires the effort of each and every one of us.”