Olivier de Haan named best student representative, Robin Pleizier best board member

The winners of the Vidius Awards were announced at the Science Café Het7de, in the Utrecht Science Park, on Monday. In total, 511 students voted for the titles of Best Student Representative and Best Board Member. The students of the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences (Hoogschool Utrecht) also voted for their favourites.

Connecting
Olivier de Haan, who studies History at UU, won in his category after obtaining a total of 128 votes. Last year, he served as a board member for the study association Utrecht Historisch Studentkring. He was also a member of the board of U.H.S.V. Anteros, an LGBTQIA+ student association.

This makes him a student representative who’s got “one foot in the professional university world and the other one strongly footed in student life,” Vidius says. “He voices the interests of students in an idiosyncratic, authentic manner.”

Tribute
The award for Best Board Member went to Robin Pleizier, vice president and Education commissioner for the study association for Geography students, Vugs. He obtained 243 votes. Pleizier is appreciated for “his goal-oriented approach, organisational skills, and his ability to create a tight-knit community, ” according to Vidius.

“Their contributions have a lasting impact on the educational institutions and student life,” says Lotte van Buuren, treasurer for Vidius. The student union annually awards the prizes to student council members and board members at both UU and HU as “a beautiful tribute to their efforts and commitment”.

The announcement took a bit longer this year. Usually, the winners are announced during the Night of the Professors, which happened on June 1 this year, but not enough tickets were sold. Student Union Vidius, who presents the awards annually, was forced to cancel the evening.