DUB is looking for its Campus Columnist 2019

All UU students and employees can try and win the title of DUB’s Campus Columnist 2019. Starting in January 2019, the winner will have their own columns featured prominently on DUB’s website.

As campus columnist, you’ll write about anything remarkable going on at the university, or in student life. Columns can tackle subjects such as the digital student card, the smoking ban, student housing, internationalisation, love, troubles within a student association, but also teachers’ workloads, the bureaucracy behind trying to apply for a research grant, the relationship between teachers and students, or educational innovation.

The jury has its own criteria each year. This year, the jury is looking for a campus columnist who manages to combine current affairs with the university or student life. The jury is hoping the columnist will write layered texts, in which the description of a specific event is given double meaning. This ensures an element of surprise, and hopefully, some humour.

The Campus Columnist 2019 will succeed Michiel Hekkens. Hekkens, a Philosophy student, is living the student life. In his blogs, he provides students with well-meant advice, such as in the column 'Laat de Iggo Pop in je gelden deze zomer'. And although young, he offers feelings of nostalgia. He wrote 'De ongezouten memoirs van een UIT-loper' about the UIT-week, and looked back on his youth in 'Het dorp waar ik opgroeide'. In his most recent column, 'Een dictatuur van een rood gevlekte nek', he analyses the requirements the university sets for songs sung by student associations and study associations, wondering whether free speech is being threatened.

Free workshop on how to write a column
In November, DUB is organising a free workshop on how to write blogs. The workshop is taught by Christine Geense from bureau In Breedste Zin. The workshop will be held on November 20, from 1.30pm to 4.30pm. Do you want to improve your writing skills, or do you just need a little bit more motivation before participating in the Campus Columnist competition? If you do: apply here. There’s room for a maximum of 15 participants.

From all applications, three columnists will be nominated. The Campus Columnist 2019 will be announced during DUB’s New Year’s drinks. Along with the title and platform, the winner will receive the 1,000-euro Erik Hardeman stipend. For years, Hardeman published a weekly column in the U-Blad, called “Schreef”. From the student fraternities, the university board room, or the Institute of Raeto-Roman languages and cultures, the university life was analysed in an original way, with a little venom, but always with humour. After Erik Hardeman left, DUB looked for a comparable, opinionated writer, who shares their views of the university from the inside. This became the Campus Columnist.

Who can apply
All students and employees who work or study at Utrecht University on January 1, 2019, are eligible to apply. Students who will graduate sometime in 2019, are also free to join.

How to apply
In order to participate in the race for UU Campus Columnist, you have to send in two columns. The columns have to be surprising takes on university life, and cannot exceed 500 words. Send the columns to m.j.agterberg@uu.nl before December 1st, 2018.

Who’s in the jury
Once again, DUB has managed to assemble a professional jury who will judge all applications anonymously. The jury is composed of the following people:

Tine de Moor, professor of Social and Economic History. She studies Institutions for collective action in historical perspective, and has a special interest in language.

Michiel Stroink, writer. He studied Literary Science at the UU, and has since published four books. His debut, Of Ik Gek Ben, has been made into a movie. His most recent book, De Notaris En Het Meisje, is set in the nineteenth century.

Marieke de Bakker, head of Student Counseling. The department of Student Counseling is responsible for counseling students at an academic level (student deans, psychologists), for student communication (student site) and for the support of study and student associations.

Juliette Smits, Bachelor’s student of Communication and Information Sciences. Last year, she was a student member of the University Council for the PvdUs party, as well as chief of the PR committee. She is also active at student association Veritas.

Ries Agterberg, editor-in-chief of DUB. He studied Dutch in Utrecht.

1,000-euro stipend
The Campus Columnist will receive the Erik Hardeman stipend worth 1,000 euros. In return, the Campus Columnist will write a column for DUB at least once every two weeks for one year.

Questions
If there are questions about the position of Campus Columnist, please direct them to Ries Agterberg: m.j.agterberg@uu.nl