In the Netherlands, there are a number of networks for PhD students such as LAIOO (Landelijk Aio Overleg) at national level and TAB (Twents Aio Beraad) at UT level. If you are an oio you will say that these organisations are only for aios but that is not the case any longer. For the TAB there is no difference between aio and oio. The TAB is for all PhD students.
The TAB consists of a board and representatives from UT's faculties. Faculty representatives help to distribute information and signal matters that are of importance at their faculty. The board and faculty representatives meet every six weeks or more often in some circumstances, e.g. at the time of the aio facility plan debate. The UT's PhD students are represented in LAIOO through one TAB delegate. There is also a political wing of the TAB called Utemp that has a delegate in Uraad (University Council).
The TAB aims to be a very active presence in the life of PhD students in Twente providing useful information on, among other things, campus life, the UT organization, and PhD student regulations, and acting as link between students and administrative, governmental and educational bodies of UT, i.e., P&O, Board of Governors (CvB), and Rector Magnificus (see scheme below). Regular meetings, up-dated news via e-mail from the faculty representatives and informative sections in booklets like 'Doing your PhD at the UT' (in English) or the magazine "Uthesis" accomplish this goal.
More details about TAB are on the web site www.utwente.nl/tab. If you did not receive any e-mail from the TAB until now, you can find out who is your faculty representative and how contact him or her by accessing the internet. In an effort to help PhD students the TAB is to become larger, including non-faculty representatives, PhD students carrying out specific tasks for example in preparing the "Symposium 2001" (for details on this see the website). You are kindly invited to join. All your input is welcome.
Circulating information and solving problems involve TAB as an important key to decision-makers.
