Brussels to become more student-friendly

The student councils of Brussels University College (HUB), the Free University of Brussels (VUB), Erasmus University College and the LUCA school of arts have presented a joint memorandum in the lead-up to the May election. Their goal is to turn Brussels into a veritable student city.

The memorandum focuses on five themes: student housing, mobility, lack of party and sports accommodation in the centre, Brussels’ negative reputation as a student city and the need for a central contact point.

One of the memo’s key demands is the creation of a minister of student affairs, just as VUB suggested in its own memorandum earlier this year. “Brussels has the largest number of students in Belgium,” said HUB student representative Christophe Vanhoutte. “But there is no student policy, compared to, for example, Flemish student cities, which organise events like ‘student of the year’, offer free public transport or have a student police officer.”

The memo points out that the student population is a big asset to Brussels, as they are good for the economy and student housing has the potential to revive certain quarters.

The memorandum is based on the charter Brussel 2.0: A New Deal, a commitment drawn up in 2011 to make Brussels more student-friendly between the City of Brussels, the Brussels-Capital Region, the communities and student representatives.

www.asr.ac

photo courtesy n-va.be