Introduction to Board 50

At the General Assembly on the 3rd of June, the new board was presented. As a loyal member of the SECTOR committee and a future board member, it would be convenient to let me write an article about the board. But, as a board, we decided not to take the easy way and instead I did an interview with our Chairman Tristan Wennink. I asked him everything you want to know about Board 50 so you have faith that the Electing Committee did a great job in choosing these people. 

How are you Tristan?

I’m doing fine. I just got back from Amsterdam where I went to go for a walk with Mirte. Getting to know Amsterdam and our External Affairs Officer a little bit more is a nice combination. 

At first, I didn’t apply to become the Chairman

Could you introduce yourself to our readers?

I am Tristan and next year I will be the Chairman of Kraket. Currently, I am a third year student of Econometrics and Data Science and I am busy with finishing my thesis to have my diploma in my pocket. I used to live my entire life in Bussum, but a year ago I moved to Huizen, which is a nice old village in Noord-Holland. I live there with my mother and will stay there during the board year as well. Besides my university life, I am doing volleyball. I quit this for some years, but started again in September last year and I hope to find some time to keep playing next year. Furthermore, I’ve been playing instruments at music association ViJos, an orchestra and marching band, for 14 years. Firstly, I played the trumpet but more recently I started a new instrument: the flugelhorn. Furthermore, you might know me from the Wie is de Mol? Committee, or the Auditing Committee. 

Why did you apply to become the Chairman?

It is quite funny actually, because at first I didn’t apply to become the Chairman. I applied for Treasurer as a first choice and Secretary as second. But during the interview the Electing Committee and I, all realised that Chairman would be a better fit for me. So my application changed to Chairman in the first place, Treasurer second and Secretary as third option. 

What did you think when you heard you would be the next Chairman of Kraket?

I still clearly remember that day. It was Thursday the 13th of May, a very sunny day and I was eating at home. I got a call from former Chairman Thijs van Schie to go to Vondelpark. I was the first one to arrive. When everyone was present, we all got a present with a card in it that said what our funcion was. One by one we opened it, and as I was the last one to open the card I already knew I would be the next Chairman. I was very excited to start the board year, but in the beginning also felt a little stressed because I started feeling the responsibilities. It didn’t take long to set my stress aside and now I really see it as a nice opportunity where I am going to get the most out of it. 

And what did you think when you saw the other board members?

I already heard some rumors about the people that did an interview with the Electing Committee and I already had some possible options with me in different positions in mind. And I was really happy when I saw who my fellow board members would be. I already knew Mirte and Sun because we are from the same year. I didn’t know Pascalle and Denise very well, but my first impression of the board would be that we have a team with hard workers that all have a good sense of responsibility. I also think everyone matches their position, so all in all my first thought was: “This will be alright”.

I do think it is quite funny that our association consists of mostly men, but it will be run by mostly women. 

Now I am curious how you would introduce our board members. Could you tell me something about them?

From the General Assembly I learned that I have to present my board in the constitutional order. Which I finally know by heart. 

I start with Mirte Pruppers. Mirte is our Vice-Chairwoman and External Affairs Officer. She lives at Uilenstede and comes from Nieuw-Vennep. I know that she looks forward to all the company meetings this summer and we know she will do a great job with that together with Pascalle and me. 

Denise van Dijk, you are the next person I present. Denise will be our Secretary and Marketing Affairs Officer. She will be handling the website, mail and promotion. Just like she is interviewing me right now, I know she gained a lot of experience from the SECTOR.

Next is our Treasurer Pascalle Fijnvandraat. She lives at Uilenstede and currently is a second year student. Next to her studies, she rows a lot. Pascalle has a very important task next year and I expect her to do great as a Treasurer.

And last but not least: Sun Wester. She is our smiling Internal Affairs Officer and Educational Officer. She has been really active in the association and knows how to reach people. Next year she will have good contact with our members and fellow associations. She will also be having contact with the faculty, university and professors to address the problems that students face. 

What do you think about being the only male board member?

I feel all the pressure from these smart women. For me it doesn’t really matter much that my fellow board members are all female. Most important is that they are a fit for the board and for their function, and that is really the case. I do think it is quite funny that our association consists of mostly men, but it will be run by mostly women. 

Is there something you want to achieve next year?

Personally, I want to experience what it is like to change my current life to the life of a Chairman. I already have a busy life, so a lot will change and I want to experience that transition. 

As a board, I hope that next year we can make the transition between Covid times and normal times go smoothly. We want more physical activities because one of our goals is to make the connection between students from different years. In general, we just want to have a good year. After the board year, I really want to look back and be able to say “we did it”. I hope this board year will teach all of us what we wanted to learn.

Do you expect Covid to stand in your way next year?

Yes and no. As more and more people are being vaccinated we expect that it won’t be such a burden anymore. Of course we have to deal with the aftermath of it, questions like “how to deal with people that are not being vaccinated?” arise and we have to think about and discuss these things with each other to reach a good policy.