Roel Kwast: Leiden Law School’s new student assessor
The student assessor: the one student member of the Faculty Board who attends all important meetings and project discussions. The assessor represents students – one of the key target groups – in the faculty’s administrative decisions. The current assessor, Hannah Saberi, will pass over the reins to Roel Kwast on 1 September 2024. How has Hannah experienced the past year, and what does Roel want to achieve in his new role?
Which goal did you set yourself for the past year?
Hannah: ‘The main goal I set myself at the start of my assessor year was to make the role of the assessor more visible for the faculty’s students. I wanted people to recognise me and know what I do as the assessor when I walked around the building. It wasn’t something I actively tried to promote, but I did want them to be able to find out how I can help them without being perceived as pushy.’
And how did you go about doing that?
Hannah: ‘I’ve actively used the assessor's Instagram account and I’ve written texts for the student newsletter. For example, I made the Board more visible and accessible by writing a diary of my working week. I included photos of myself with Board members and other people I work with on a daily basis. I think I achieved my goal of making the Board more visible. The number of Instagram followers has increased massively over the past year, and lots of people read the articles featured in the newsletter.’
How do you reflect on your year as the student assessor?
Hannah: ‘It was a special year. We had a brand new Faculty Board and there’s so much going on in the world at the moment that impacts the university. The education review and reaccreditations for the legal degree programmes are also coming up, on 10 June. That happens once every six years, so it’s quite special that I have the chance to be here for it. It’s quite a lot of work for all involved, so we can’t enjoy the summer holidays quite yet. It’s been a very enjoyable yet busy year. I go home on Friday thinking it’ll be quieter the next week. It never actually turns out that way, but that’s why I enjoy it so much. I feel like I’m leaving the job in safe hands with Roel.’
So, Roel… Why did you apply for the student assessor position?
Roel: ‘Applied for the position because I was really interested in getting a bit more involved in everything that goes on behind the scenes. I worked as a student ambassador over the past year, and in that position I’ve worked closely with Hannah. She’s always been very passionate when she’s told me about the issues she’s been working on in any given week. She knows exactly what’s going on and is allowed to contribute her own thoughts and ideas. The average student never really gets to hear about all the different things that come up. I think it will be extremely interesting to give my input in all these areas over the coming year, and to work with professional individuals who I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from. I feel that the assessor really can make a difference within the faculty.’
Do you have a goal in mind for yourself? Is there something specific that you want to work on over the coming year?
Roel: ‘I want to draw more attention to student well-being. The faculty organises lots of different things for students, and I believe the facilities available could be used even better simply by informing students about them sooner. We could, for example, tell first-year students about the facilities on offer through their student tutors or by giving a kind of guest lecture.’
What’s going to be the biggest challenge for Roel over the coming year?
Hannah: ‘We’re working on the Kernvisie at the moment. Some of you may have heard of it already – it’s a kind of review of the bachelor’s degree programmes. We’ve been preparing for it for a long time now, but it will actually be implemented for new students from the 2025/2026 academic year onwards. The assessor plays a key role in the Kernvisie, so I think Roel will spend quite a few evenings working on that.’
More information about the Kernvisie, what it’s about, its background and what it means for the bachelor’s degree programmes is available on the Kernvisie BRUIST website.
Roel will begin his new role as assessor on 1 September. If you have any questions or ideas for Roel, or suggestions for how the bachelor’s degree programmes could be improved, send an email to assessor@law.leidenuniv.nl.