Commotie

Information about a Board Year at Commotie

What exactly does it mean to do a board year? And how much time will it cost you to be a part of the board? On this page, you can discover what a board year at Commotie looks like! The current board and the study advisor of CIS, Marloes Bergmans will tell you all you need to know about doing a board year. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the current board via board@svcommotie.nl.

How to apply?

Applications open on March 17th. You can apply by sending your CV and motivational letter to board@svcommotie.nl. Don't forget to mention and explain your top 3 function preferences! The application deadline is April 25th at 23:59. 

Do you prefer a personal chat with one of the board members? You can contact us by sending us an email or texting us (our phone numbers are available under 'Board' > 'Current board'). 

In General

Being the board means you are the beating heart of the association: you are responsible for everything within the association. You have to take responsibility towards others outside of the association and you are one of the contact persons for external parties. One of your responsibilities as the board is to offer a variety of activities to your members. This also means that you have to be present at every activity. Besides, you implement your policy throughout the year. In your candidate period you write a policy plan together with your candidate board members and once this is accepted you will be the new board and you can start carrying out your new ideas. 

You carry out a lot of tasks that aren't always visible for your members. Examples are meetings with other parties and activities with other associations or boards in Groningen or anywhere else in The Netherlands. During your board year you meet a lot of different and new people and your social network will expand a lot! Besides, you gain a lot of practical experience during your board year, which can be very useful for your future. You learn, for example, to plan and organize events and to collaborate with a lot of different people. A board year is the perfect opportunity to develop yourself personally and professionally!

As you can probably tell, or already knew, being in the board will cost you some time. But, don't worry! You are able to study besides your board tasks, because a board year at Commotie is only part time. You can compare it to a part time job and this means you won't spend all of your time on Commotie. Depending on your function and if you want some study delay or not, you can keep following your courses. It is up to you how many courses you want to follow per block during your board year, and you can also decide for yourself when you will work on your board tasks. This makes it very flexible and gives you time and space for other things such as studying, work, sports or social activities. And, last but not least, you'll get a refund from the University for your board year. So, besides developing yourself and gaining experience, you'll also earn some money!

Learn more about each function below!

Chairman, Amber Willems

When you are the chairman of Commotie you are the face of the association, which of course comes with certain responsibilities. As the chairman you will lead the association and the board, you meet with internal and external parties, you will present during certain events and are also in charge of some administrative tasks, such as applying for grants, and you will be the one who is authorised to sign deals with businesses. 
With regards to the task of leading the board, the chairman has to make sure the other board members do what they are supposed to do and you need to step in or help out if necessary. To keep up to date with the other board members, you will have weekly board meetings, which you chair and for which you make the agenda. During these meetings, the other board members update the chairman on what they’ve done and you can help out with advice or give an extra hand where needed. A chairman aims to ensure that the operations of the board are going smoothly and that important businesses are discussed and a course of action is agreed upon together. 
As mentioned before, the chairman can be seen as the face of the association. This means that you will be mostly in charge of presenting the association at Open Days or Student for a Day events. Besides this, you will work in close contact with the CIS staff and other external parties. Also during events, such as activities or the GMA’s, the chairman will be the one in charge of welcoming the attendees.
Another important responsibility are the administrative tasks. The chairman is the one who has the last say when agreeing on a contract between the association and a business and is authorised to sign the contract. Moreover, the chairman is also the main responsible for writing the half-year and yearly reports and will present them during the GMA’s.  Furthermore, the chairman is responsible for applying for different grants during the year and for registering new board members at the Chamber of Commerce. 
In the last few months, I have learned a lot about what it means to be a leader, and the responsibilities that come with it, and I have learned a lot about myself. I have also become much more confident in contacting people and doing certain administrative tasks. Moreover, I have significantly broadened my network, both socially and professionally, which will help me a lot later on in life.
I hope this information has helped you to get a better idea of what being a chairman would mean. If you have any other questions specifically for the chairman, don’t hesitate to send an email to chairman@svcommotie.nl.

Lots of love,
Amber

Secretary, Maja Proszewska

As the Secretary of Commotie, you have the responsibility of managing both internal and external communication. This includes updating the board's email and responding to all incoming correspondences. Internal communication involves keeping in touch with members through newsletters and direct mailings. You are in charge of creating two types of newsletters: a monthly one for all members and quarterly newsletters for the alumni association, Columni. You can use Mailchimp to design these newsletters and make them look professional. Direct mailings include sending emails about upcoming activities and other important information to members.

External communication mainly involves interacting with people and organizations outside of Commotie. This also includes keeping the website up-to-date, inviting, and easy to navigate. You are responsible for updating the website with every activity, uploading photos of events, publishing the keyboard every month, and more. You will work with the other board members to improve the website and make it more attractive to visitors.

As the Secretary, you are also responsible for taking minutes during all board meetings, including weekly board meetings, Central Committee Assemblies, Chairmen Assemblies, Advisory Council meetings, and General Members Assemblies. Additionally, you will manage member administration and assist members whenever they need help.

When I first started, I was also new in the association. But Commotie has made me feel more than welcome! Joining the board was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made. I have grown so much as a person, both personally and professionally. I have made lots of new friends and connections in the work field. The thing I like most about being the secretary, is that I make the monthly newsletter. 

If you have any questions or just want to talk a bit more about my function, don’t hesitate to contact me! I'd be happy to have a chat with you!

If you are interested in the position or have any questions, feel free to contact me at secretary@svcommotie.nl.

Love, Ilse

Treasurer, Diana Tabara

As the treasurer of Commotie, you are responsible for managing the association’s finances and keeping track of all transactions. At the start of the year, a financial policy plan is created, and your primary role is to ensure that it is followed throughout the year to maintain the association’s financial stability.  

At the beginning of the year, it’s important to connect with the treasurers of each committee to inform them of their budget, offer guidance on how to use it effectively, and establish a reliable communication channel for any questions they may have. Maintaining this communication throughout the year is essential. When committees plan activities, your role is to oversee budgeting to ensure events remain affordable for members while preventing financial losses for the association.  

Regular bookkeeping is crucial to staying on top of income and expenses. This involves recording every transaction, organizing receipts and invoices in a binder, and maintaining clear documentation of why money was spent or received. Additionally, you will be responsible for sending invoices—whether to sponsors or to collaborating associations.  

At the end of each month, you will handle debt collection. This means reviewing activities from that month, checking payments, and sending invoices to those who attended but have not yet paid. Debt collection is done through IBANC, but payments may sometimes bounce back. In these cases, it’s important to approach members with discretion, respect, and understanding while ensuring they settle their dues. While it’s crucial to be considerate, it’s equally important to be firm—unpaid balances are unfair to other members and can significantly impact the association’s finances.  

This role offers a high level of independence, flexibility, and the opportunity to develop valuable skills in financial management and attention to detail. If you’re interested in learning more, don’t hesitate to reach out at treasurer@svcommotie.nl! I’m happy to answer any questions.

Internal Affairs, Maja Proszewska and Diana Tabara

As the Commissioner of Internal Affairs, it is your responsibility to keep up to date with all the committees of Commotie. You keep track of their progress by keeping in close contact with all the committee chairmen as well as reading the minutes from each committee's meetings. You are the representative of all the committees together and report information back to the board during the weekly board meetings. 

The position is not only responsible for communicating well with committees but also Commotie members. It requires a lot of time communicating with many people since you are the main contact person for all of Commotie’s members. This communication normally takes place either through email, text, or attending meetings. At the beginning of the year, you are responsible for the committee market and overall you help acquire more members to fulfill committees. If there are low committee members, you need to be able to not be afraid and reach out to many people to join committees as well as events throughout the year. 

During the year there are many events needed to be planned by committees and sometimes it is necessary for you to join committee meetings to come to a better understanding of their progress as well as make sure they fulfill their tasks. There may be times when you would need to join a committee’s meeting due to an urgent matter or they need some extra support in organizing their activity. During the year it is also essential for you to have a good overview of when things need to be done and that you can be strict with committees about their deadlines. You need to be able to lead them in the right direction and be prepared for any unforeseen obstacles. One committee that relies heavily upon your communication is the designer team which designs the posters for the activities. It is your responsibility to communicate all the information needed from committees in a timely manner so the designers have enough time to design a poster for that specific event. 

Throughout the year, there are two Chairman Assemblies organized by the Commissioner of Internal Affairs. These meetings are scheduled with all of the committee chairmen. You are responsible for making the agenda (including points of discussion) that is sent the night before and to guild the meeting. During these meetings, you discuss important changes that are important for active members to know and start a discussion about potential improvements or feedback. These meetings help with understanding how the chairman are leading their committees and looking into improvements or advice overall. 

The Commissioner of Internal Affairs is also responsible for presenting the monthly Central Committee Assemblies(CCA). Before the assembly, you prepare the slides and update the committee competition. During the CCA’s, you give an update about what the board has been up to, provide information on new developments or important affairs within Commotie, and promote events organized by the board. The update of the Committee Competition updates are presented as well and you are in charge of keeping track of the points throughout the year. One way in doing so is by managing the Committee Competition Facebook group. After the board updates, all committee chairmen give updates about their committee, and what they have been up to, promote any of their events coming up, and sometimes ask for members' advice or a vote.

As Commissioner of Internal Affairs, it is important to be flexible. Some weeks are very busy whereas in others there is little to do. So with this function, it is important to plan your time wisely and look into future weeks and organize your time accordingly. In the beginning, it may be a challenge juggling all the information and who to be in contact with, but eventually, you get the hang of it. I found that keeping a to-do list and having an in-depth calendar helped keep everything organized. This function is very rewarding since you get to see all the progress and accomplishments of the committees. You feel proud when you attend all the events because you know how much work went into planning them behind the scenes. 

This function allows you to get to know all the committee members very well and you should be someone they feel comfortable talking to. It is important to have trust in the committees and to stay calm when in high-pressure situations. Not everything goes as planned and you need to be thinking about solutions rather than problems. Don’t be afraid to push the committees for progress and be strict. 

I highly recommend the function of Commissioner of Internal Affairs because it is very rewarding. You meet so many new people and build great connections throughout the year. It gives you skills in time management, public speaking, and how to manage teams. Doing a board year overall gives you many skills and experience for your future career and develops yourself on a more professional level. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any further questions. (

If you have any further question, you can reach me at internalaffairs@svcommotie.nl 

External Affairs, Amber Willems

The Commissioner of External Affairs mainly deals with external parties, such as (potential) sponsors and companies which are interested in collaborating. Each year you will meet with companies that have been sponsors before, but you will also contact companies with which we did not have contracts before. With these companies, you try to come to an agreement where Commotie promotes them in exchange for money. However, you can also make deals with companies to get discounts for the members. One such company where our members get a discount is WO4YOU. This company can provide our members with discounted books. To make sure this process goes smoothly, the Commissioner of External Affairs provides WO4YOU with a book list four times a year with all the study books CIS students need for the upcoming block. 
Besides working with these companies, the Commissioner of External Affairs is also in charge of the Club of 25, which are individuals who support Commotie by paying €25 to the association. The Commissioner of External Affairs reaches out to CIS staff members, friends, and family of the board to see if they are interested in supporting the association. For the Club of 25, the Commissioner of External Affairs also writes a newsletter every few months to keep them updated on the study-related events, which they are allowed to join as well!
Another fun aspect of being the Commissioner of External Affairs is that you help to organise the Winter Gala, the Alphabet Party, and the Career Event. For the first two events you work in close contact with other study associations, and for the latter event you will work together with the professional committee and CIS staff to ensure the Career Event is a success and the Master Thesis Award can be rewarded. 
For me, the position of Commissioner of External Affairs has made me much more confident in approaching companies and other external parties. Moreover, it has also helped me to develop a larger professional network and more social skills and it has taught me to ‘just ask’ and not be afraid of being rejected. 
If this sounds interesting to you, or if you already have good social skills you want to put to use, apply for the position of Commissioner of External Affairs, and maybe you will be the one taking over my position next year! If you still have some questions, please reach out to me on externalaffairs@svcommotie.nl 

Lots of love,
Amber

If you have any questions or if you would like to talk about doing a board year at Commotie, don’t hesitate to contact me at externalaffairs@svcommotie.nl!

Marloes Bergmans, Study Advisor of CIS

A new academic year, a new board! As the board of a study association, you are not only an organizer of fun activities for the students of Communication and Information Studies, it is so much more. Commotie creates a connection between the degree progam(s) and students. As a study advisor I also regularly meet up with the board members. About the organization of information and introduction and other activities, but also to find out whether there are still issues among the students that I might be able to take action on. 

During your time as a board member you learn to independently make educated decisions and how to work in a project-based and structured manner. Organizing something from A-Z. You will also work together with a close-knit group of board members for a year. To become a board member you do not have to bring a load of board experience, even students who have not yet done much in this area can certainly apply. It is precisely governing from different backgrounds that makes it fun and informative, you do learn from each other!

A board year means an investment of energy and time. It is of course possible that less of both is left for your study program, but not necessarily. In consultation with me as a study advisor, you can see how you can combine both in the best possible way or how you can create space for your board position. Personally, I think that if you take a little longer to complete your studies because you have been in charge of Commotie for a year, you should not call it a ‘delay’. The experience of leading a mini-organization is so valuable that you will benefit from it in the future anyway.