Lily George new president of Asva

Asva once again has a new president. Yesterday at the general membership meeting, the members of the student union elected general board member Lily George (27) as their new leader following the recommendation of the board. “This was the easiest thing to do in practical terms, and the members also had confidence in me,” explained George, who was an employee at Asva for the two years before her board position. There were no other candidates.

The cultural anthropology and development sociology student at the UvA succeeds Izabella Voortman, who resigned earlier because of “mutual disagreements.” Exactly what these were about remains undetermined, but George let it be known that they were unrelated to the discussion surrounding Palestine and Israel, currently a hot topic at the UvA. In addition to being Asva president, George is also a member of the Activist Party.

Dangerous divide

Just two weeks ago, George wrote an opinion piece on the Iranian-Palestinian issue in Het Parool, in which she argued that “the university is creating a dangerous divide.” This was prompted by the closing of the university doors during a pro-Palestinian demonstration to ensure the safety of students and staff. “A clear political choice,” is how George described that action in Het Parool.

George plans to continue Asva’s current policies in the upcoming period. “We are not going to suddenly change our goals or tasks just because the president has stepped down.” By electing George president, the student union is opting for an interim pause. Applications for the new Asva board will open in a month and the board will take office at the end of August.

A new board member to replace the outgoing George has not been chosen. As a result, the Asva board is temporarily shrinking from five to four members.