The new presidency wants to mend fences with CBS concerning intro.

“We decided to walk away from the table last year due to lack of proper communication with CBS and various other problems. However this year we are willing to take up the dialogue again,” says Maria Gabriela Zoladkowska, who is a first-year IBP student.

Mads Taudal Nyeng, who is in the second year of his master’s in Strategy, Organization and Leadership, explains that many aspects of intro must change for the situation to improve, but first and foremost, attitude is essential.

“Trust is a major aspect we want to bring back this year. Obviously, things have happening that are not okay. And that must change. But having unclear guidelines is not helping at all. We need to support those who want to spend the time and effort on intro and support them in making the right choices. And that’s a different approach,” he says and continues:

“There must be guidelines, with no ifs and buts. A contract is necessary, that’s all fair, but problems like these will not disappear with a contract. It’s rather a change of culture, and not just among the students, but everywhere.”

Engagement and empowerment

Overall, the new team wants to engage and empower more students during the coming year. And they have several ideas for how to proceed.

For Mads Taudal Nyeng, empowerment and engagement come through friendships with other students. Therefore, one aspect they will start working on right away is the Student Life app that CBS Students launched around semester start last year.

“Studying at university is often the best time of your life, so we need to make sure that you’re not only doing well academically, but also socially,” he says and continues:

“The Student Life app is a good place to start. We already have a lot of student organizations on board, but we need to get even more on the platform, as we believe it’s a strong tool for increasing student welfare.”

Mariel Cerdan Gonzales is studying for an IBA, and she too believes that the student organizations play a crucial role in students’ well-being.

“One of the ways in which we can find out what other students are facing is through the student organizations.They provide insightful feedback and better understanding of the students. Student organizations are where you meet likeminded people who are have similar concerns and common issues,” she says.

Another of the new presidency’s goals this year is to draw more attention to the work of CBS Students.

“We want to make more people aware of what CBS Students does. When I started studying here, I got involved with CBS Students right away, but I have friends and fellow students who are not like me and don’t know what we do. And by letting them know, I believe we will see more engaged students,” says Maria Gabriela Zoladkowska.

Mariel Cerdan Gonzales was motivated to run for a position in the presidency when she saw an opportunity to continue improving the well-being of the students, thus putting the students in the first place. And by showing what they do, she hopes more students will engage.

“I hope that by being more visible about what we do, we will encourage students to come to us and share ideas and concerns. We are here for you, and hopefully we can create an even better CBS together,” she says.

CBS Students