SCOPE Maastricht
SCOPE Maastricht is the official study association (in the legal form of a Dutch vereniging) of the School of Business and Economics (commonly abbreviated as SBE) at Maastricht University, representing over 4.000 students and organizing social, academic and career-oriented activities and events. Since 2017 the study-specific associations SCOPE | 3MA (Marketing, Management, Organization), SCOPE | Economics (Economic Studies), and SCOPE | FOCUS (Finance, Accounting, Controlling) merged with the former umbrella association. Combined as SCOPE, the association operates on a non-profit basis and forms in terms of absolute members and consolidated revenues one of the biggest study associations in Europe. Revenue is generated through membership fees and sponsor contributions by local and multinational companies.[1]
 | |
| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-Profit Organization |
| Focus | Study Association |
| Location |
|
| Origins | Merger of EFM Academy and FAME Cooperation |
Area served | Maastricht University, School of Business and Economics |
Members | 4.000 |
Key people | Jonathan Rusch (President of Executive Board), Rendy Jansen (Chairman of Advisory Board) |
Revenue | ca. EUR 500,000 (fiscal year 2016-2017) |
Volunteers | 150 |
| Website | http://www.scope-maastricht.nl/ |
History
SCOPE Maastricht was created in 2011 as a merger from study associations EFM Academy and FAME Cooperation. Back then, FAME Cooperation used to be the umbrella organization for study associations at the School of Business and Economics, operating a bookstore inside the faculty building. Other study associations under FAME included: 3MA (later: SCOPE | 3MA), FS FOCUS (later: SCOPE | FOCUS), IES Network (later: SCOPE | Economics) and Vectum (later: |SCOPE | Vectum). EFM Academy was formed as a vereniging under Dutch law in 2002 in a merger of EFM Alfa and EFM Imperator, two study associations that focused on Dutch and international students of the faculty respectively. EFM Academy focused on all first and second-year bachelor students in the B.Sc. programs International Business and Economics. Effectively, most students became member of EFM Academy in the beginning of their studies and stayed in the association for two or three semesters, before their membership was transferred to a study association specialized on their major or study track.[1]
Mission and goals
SCOPE Maastricht's mission statement reads as follows: "SCOPE aims to be a community for personal and professional development for all SBE students, covering the complete student journey and beyond.".
SCOPE Maastricht tries to achieve its mission by providing students with a large number of events, activities and services throughout the year. The activity portfolio constitutes three pillars: Academic, career, and social. It is also important for the association to give an opportunity to its active members, who can learn teamwork and organizational skills by organizing the events and activities. Many international companies, consultancies, banks and recruiting companies have used the study associations to get access to the general student body and recruit talented students.
Membership
General membership
General members of SCOPE Maastricht attain reductions on all admittance fees of career events organized by SCOPE Maastricht, as well as a discount on study material prices in the SCOPE Bookstore, which is located at Tongersestraat 12 in Maastricht and operated in cooperation with Studystore. The majority of students at SBE becomes a member of SCOPE, most of them during the Faculty Introduction Days at the beginning of the year. Online registration is, however, possible anytime.
Active membership
Active members of SCOPE Maastricht are responsible for organizing the events and services. Working as an active member is voluntary and not paid. An average of 130 active members is organized in committees that specialize on certain activities. Each committee has its own chair person and a responsible board member is also attending the weekly committee meetings. These two persons are responsible for leading the committee. Committees are appointed by the board based on an intake conversation with the incumbent committee members. The list of committees consists of the following (as of 2011): Education Committee, Social Committee, Magazine Committee, Foreign Trip Committee, Study Trip Committee, Master Committee and External Relations Committee. In order to increase social networking among its active members SCOPE Maastricht offers active member activities, from which non-active members are banned. These active member activities take place three to four times a year and are free of charge. In addition, a yearly active member weekend is organised in the fall semester. Furthermore, all active members are invited to get free drinks once a week for an entire night (general members are not allowed to join in in this activity either). The other SCOPE associations have their own active member community with similar committees and activities.[2]
Executive board
The association is led by an executive board of nine full-time board members:
- Jonathan Rusch (President)
- Mathilde Lallemand ( Vice president, Secretary & IT Manager)
- Julia Steijn (Treasurer)
- Nora Dorsman (Career Activities Commissioner)
- Elise Abraham (Academic Activities Commissioner)
- Aïsha Clément (Marketing Commissioner)
- Ruby de Witte (Internal Activities Commissioner)
- Lukas Vanhoutte (External Relations Commissioner International)
- Marlouke Zandbelt (External Relations Commissioner Netherlands)
The board carries responsibility for all operations. As required by Dutch law board members are elected during the biannual General Member Assemblies – usually for a period of one year – and are bound to the association by contract. Their tasks are described in the association's domestic regulations. The board meets weekly, but its board members are obliged to work for at least 40 hours per week in the office of SCOPE Maastricht. SCOPE in total has seven offices in the faculty building, the necessary infrastructure is provided by the university. Each board member is specialized on different fields. The positions are: President, Secretary, Treasurer, Academic Activities Coordinator, Internal Activities Commissioner, Career Activities Commissioner, Marketing Commissioner, External Relations Commissioner International, and External Relations Commissioner Netherlands.[3]
Control Body
The Control Body of SBE Study Association (CB) is the highest executive body and serves as point of contact for communication with the faculty. CB meetings are scheduled every block with the Managing Director of the faculty. Many prominent professors have joined the meetings in which decisions with respect to strategic alignment and ongoing matters are discussed. The CB has seven members, the Chairman or President of every SCOPE associations and the Treasurer and Secretary of SCOPE Maastricht. The Student Representative to the SBE Board has an advising role. The President of SCOPE Maastricht chairs the meetings and therefore acts as the President of SCOPE as a whole.[4]
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board (AB) is responsible for guiding the SCOPE Maastricht Board. All members have been former board members. The role of the AB is to provide advice whenever needed, to approve certain decisions of the board and assist in case of unexpected events and emergencies. The Advisory Board receives weekly briefings on the state of the association.[5]
Internal Control
To ensure transparency when it comes to financials SCOPE has implemented an extensive system of internal control. The Internal Accounting Control Committee (IACC) consists of former board members, who guide the Treasurer and needs to approve the completeness and correctness of the bookkeeping and financial statements. The External Accounting Control Committee (EACC) consist of faculty Professors form the department of Accounting and Information Management, who half-yearly check the financial statements of all SCOPE associations.[6]
Event portfolio
SCOPE Maastricht offers curricular-related programmes to increase specific skills, career-orientation activities, and social events. While its portfolio is frequently adapted to changes in demand, it usually entails the following: Extra Tutorials, Exam Trainings, Study Trips to destinations like Barcelona or Milan (usually three to four companies are visited during these trips), Foreign Trips for example to Budapest, parties in and around Maastricht (including special events like cave or boat parties), workshops on presentation skills etc. The other SCOPE associations organize similar events, however these are designed to suit the needs of the students represented by the association. Special emphasis lies on recruitment, e.g. through the Maastricht Business Days. In contrast, SCOPE Maastricht organizes events for the whole student body. Many international companies, consultancies, banks etc. have used these events to recruit business and economics students from Maastricht.[7]
References
- "About SCOPE". SCOPE Maastricht. Archived from the original on 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- "Active Membership". SCOPE Maastricht. Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- "SCOPE Board". SCOPE Maastricht. Archived from the original on 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- "Control Body". SCOPE Maastricht. Archived from the original on 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- "Advisory Board". SCOPE Maastricht. Archived from the original on 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- "Accounting Control Committee". SCOPE Maastricht. Archived from the original on 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
- "Benefits of membership". SCOPE Maastricht. Archived from the original on 2012-02-03. Retrieved 2012-04-15.