1 October 2024

On 1 September 2024, a new Faculty Council was formed. The role of the Faculty Council is to represent the student and staff communities to the Faculty Board so that your concerns can be heard, and for that reason we are committed to increasing our visibility.

First of all, let us introduce ourselves.

Merlijn Veltman

Role: PhD Candidate and Chair of the Faculty Council

Hello everyone, my name is Merlijn Veltman, a PhD candidate in the World Archaeology department. For the past year, I have worked to make the Faculty a better place for everyone in our community, both students and staff alike, as the Chair of the Faculty Council. Being in the Faculty Council means representing our community to the Board, which is a vital responsibility and a crucial part of our Faculty. Leading the council as the Chair has been an incredibly rewarding experience last year, and as a council we have learned a great deal. With our new knowledge and possibilities, we have great foundations to build on. This upcoming year, I hope to increase the visibility for the council, so that all in our community know they can depend on us if they desire change or need representation to the Board. Beyond that, I want to tighten the lines of communications with other councils and committees in our University, as together, we can pool our knowledge and be stronger for it. Like last year, I will do my utmost to represent our community to the Board together with my fellow council members, and achieve meaningful change in our Faculty.

Feel free to contact me personally on my email: m.veltman@arch.leidenuniv.nl for any concerns, problems or ideas!

Maia Casna

Role: PhD Candidate and member of the Faculty Council

I am a PhD student in Bioarchaeology, dedicated to advancing inclusivity and equality in both research and education. As an active member of the Faculty Council since 2023, my efforts center on securing equitable opportunities and fair representation for PhD students and post-docs both at the Faculty and University level. I have always advocated for the importance of a healthy work-life balance at all levels of academia, and I am now dedicated in improving working conditions for all Faculty members at Leiden Archaeology. With my work at the Council, I aim to help shaping policies that empower staff of all backgrounds, regardless of gender, disability, sexual orientation, or other personal identities.

Arlen Leffel

Role: MA student and Secretary of the Faculty Council

I am the secretary for the faculty council, and I hold the Education and Safety and Inclusivity portfolio this year. I want to focus on making the university a safer and more accepting place for minority groups and neurodivergent people. While steps have been taken for people with Autism and ADHD, there is always more we can do. I also know from personal experience that this is especially vital for less visible mental health issues that may be overlooked. The university should be a more inclusive and safe space that people feel welcome in, and it is my goal for this year to make it that way.

Anouk Mommen

Role: MSc student and Vice-Chair of the Faculty Council

Hi all, my name is Anouk and this year I’m an MSc student specialising in Computational Archaeology as well as the Vice-Chair of the Faculty Council - this means I will be assisting Merlijn in his role as chair, and falling in when he’s unavailable. My focus, as member of the Faculty Council this year, will be on improving our communication strategies - both with the Faculty Board and with you - with my colleague Foteini, work on safety and inclusion - especially for those who are neurodivergent (as I have autism myself) and have mental health issues - with my colleague Arlen, and last but not least work on research with my colleague Maia! Mostly I will work hard to represent you, the student body, in the Faculty Council and see to it that your comments are correctly voiced to the Council and eventually brought up to the Board.

Please feel free to contact me via my uMail a.g.j.mommen@umail.leidenuniv.nl if you wish to voice any concerns or ideas!

Foteini Tsigoni

Role: RMSc student and Member of Faculty Council

I am a Research Master student in Digital Archaeology specialising in representation and reconstruction of contested heritage. Having been in the faculty for my BA program as well, I have come to realise from conversations with friends and colleagues that the relation between the administration and the student body is murky and/or non-existent. This year with the strong willed body of the Council will try to bridge the gap and, hopefully, create a relationship that can strengthen the voice of its students to the Dean and Board. Being a Council voted in by its constituents, we have created a strategy of communication with the students and staff, as without them we would not have created the Council for this year. Clear communication and open debate about Faculty and University matters is our main goal. My personal goals for this year are expanding our network to other Faculty Councils, policy making in diversifying education and most importantly safety in the faculty and during internships.

I encourage you to either communicate with our faculty council email for any complaints or ideas that can benefit the better function of the Faculty as a whole. If you wish to express them privately to any member of the council you feel more comfortable, please do so, we are open to hear your comments. I am also happy to receive an email (f.tsigoni@umail.leidenuniv.nl) or a message from you to talk about anything you might wish.

Letty ten Harkel

Role: Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Archaeology and Member of Faculty Council

Hi, I’m Letty and I am Assistant Professor in Roman and Post-Roman Archaeology. This is my second year as a Faculty Council Member. Last year, the Council invested significant effort in improving fieldwork safety for external projects, but much work remains to be done to make the Faculty a safe, inclusive and rewarding place for everyone. This challenge has only become more difficult with the election of the current Dutch government and the announcement of huge spending cuts for Higher Education, at a time when new student numbers at the Faculty are at an all-time high. Ensuring a healthy work-life balance for teaching and administrative staff without compromising on the quality of education is a difficult challenge that we need to tackle in the upcoming year(s), and for that reason I will mainly focus on the (intrinsically related, in this context) portfolios of Education (like last year, with Arlen) and Finance.

Whether you are a student or a staff member, if you have any questions, suggestions or ideas that can help us in our work, feel free to talk to me when I wander around the building, drop by my office during office hours (B1/08. Thursdays 9-11), or email the Faculty Council email address / me personally on a.t.ten.harkel@arch.leidenuniv.nl. Only together can we overcome these difficult times!

Noud Visser

Role: RMA student and minute taker of the Faculty Council

My name is Noud Visser, and I am currently an RMA at the Faculty of Archaeology, where I focus on Gandharan sculptures and provide administrative support to the Faculty Council. In my role, I am responsible for recording minutes during internal meetings, ensuring transparency in both English and Dutch. I also translate documents for these meetings into English, facilitating understanding for our international members. Although I am not an official member of the Faculty Council, I am often invited to share my opinions and am encouraged to actively participate in discussions.

Contact us!

If you have any questions or concerns, you can talk to us in person or contact us by email at faculteitsraad@arch.leidenuniv.nl. You are also welcome to attend our public pre-consultation meetings in the Corrie Bakels room as an audience member. The next meeting will take place on Monday 18 November from 12:30-14:30 hours. Minutes of the meetings, now in Dutch and English, can be found on the Faculty Council website.

We hope to see you there, and don't forget to follow us on instagram at faculteitsraadfda!