A researcher under fire, a controversial debating competition and a Belgian princess

Let’s start with the good news. Belgian Princess Eléonore is coming to study at University College Utrecht (UCU). The English-taught Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences is a selective programme that lets students tailor their own curriculum to a large extent. It has not been disclosed whether the princess will live on campus like all the other first-year students. The university emphasises that King Philippe’s daughter went through the standard selection process.

USC party gets out of hand
There was less pleasant news as well, such as USC's 390th anniversary party, which ran from 12 to 21 July at Vechtse Banen in Utrecht, disturbing the Overvecht neighbourhood. USC members fell into the water and exchanged blows, according to RTV Utrecht. A freelance journalist working for DUB also caught USC members urinating in public. The fraternity has apologised and taken measures to prevent similar disturbances from happening again, according to the local news site Duic.

Paid by Red Bull
A UU researcher came under fire this summer. According to Investico, Trouw and De Groene Amsterdammer, the pharmacologist Joris Verster accepted payments from companies such as Red Bull. As a result, he almost always published positive news about their products. Utrecht University states that it will “conduct a critical review of the scientific culture and scientific quality policy within the research group in question”. UU intends to examine secondary employment, funding transparency, and conflicts of interest.

Israelis not welcome at debate competition
At the end of July, a European debate competition for students caused controversy. Utrecht University provided venues and accommodation for the competition. Around 90 students from Israel were among the participants, sponsored by their university. This prompted pro-Palestinian activists to protest against their presence during the event's opening ceremony on 26 July. A few days later, UU and TivoliVredenburg – where the final was due to take place – withdrew their support. Both are boycotting the participation of Israeli institutions. Utrecht University states on its website that the European Universities Debating Championship (EUDC) had not properly informed the university of the presence of Israeli students. The Israeli students did not lose their accommodation at UCU.

UIT
The Utrecht Introduction Week (UIT) is already behind us. This year, the programme took into account students still living with their parents who need to take the train back home. Similar events in other university cities were also revamped to better reflect the diversity of the student body, as reported by Trouw. More and more orientation weeks now also include quiet activities, such as visiting museums, solving puzzles, playing board games or watching movies. After all, not all students want to be surrounded by noise all day long.

Controversy over right-wing radicals
The Greater Netherlands Students’ Association (GNSV), a nationalist organisation, was present in Leiden's Introduction Week. According to the university magazine Mare, its stall was smeared with foul-smelling sludge. The university is considering banning such associations from the event. GNSV espouses extreme ideologies, and one of its members was sentenced to prison earlier this year for illegal possession of weapons.

The group was also going to have a stall in Nijmegen, but that is no longer going ahead, according to the university magazine VOX. A protest has been announced and, as a result, the university can no longer guarantee people's safety.

Looking for a room is worse than dating…
Many students are looking for a room this time of the year, especially if they have to travel a long way to university. Several media outlets have published articles about this search. The housing crisis is far from over, and viewing flats is no easy task. “This is worse than dating”, says a student on their third attempt. Perhaps the care home has a spare room? If you're new to Utrecht University, DUB has published a feature on the local housing market, talking about how severe the room shortage is and where you can turn if you’re looking for a roof over your head.

… and you become a target
Scammers often take advantage of this situation. For example, they will ask for a deposit for a room that doesn't even exist. Students need to be careful: don’t believe everything you see on TikTok.

Some landlords operate in a grey area. The Tenants' Association warns against a company that allegedly circumvents rent protection by making students pay a whole year’s rent in one go.

Sloppy science
The pharmacologist wasn't the only scientist under scrutiny this summer. The social psychologist Yannick Griep, who works in Nijmegen, also came under fire. According to the university magazine VOX, very little of his research actually held water. As editor-in-chief of a journal, he even faked the peer review of his own articles.

More students seem to be opting for teaching careers
For the second year running, the number of first-year students on university teacher training programmes has risen. Last September, 568 students enrolled on the course. The Netherlands suffers from a teacher shortage, so every little bit counts.

Interest in teacher training programmes also increased at universities of applied sciences for the second consecutive year. Nearly 6300 first-year students enrolled there. 

International news

Cambridge professor under fire
Cambridge sociology professor Jason Arday was accused of plagiarism and scientific misconduct. Things went from bad to worse: his CV also proved inaccurate, and he had exaggerated sporting achievements and charitable work. He resigned and was found dead a few days later.

Arday was Black and autistic. By his own account, he could not speak until he was 11 years old. His rise in academia was like a fairy tale of equal opportunities in the United Kingdom, and he soon faced fierce backlash from conservative and racist circles. He stood out, and that may explain how eagerly some media outlets jumped on this scandal.

Cockroaches rise up…
What do you call the many unemployed Indians with good qualifications? "Cockroaches", said India’s chief justice last May. Soon, the Cockroach People’s Party was formed, and a revolt broke out.

In India, parents pay through the nose for tuition courses so that their children pass university entrance exams. However, against all expectations, highly educated young people are more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the population. Moreover, this year’s entrance exams were declared invalid due to fraud.

Tens of thousands of young people flocked to the capital to demonstrate against the government, carrying cockroach symbols. This only ceased when Prime Minister Narendra Modi sacked his Minister of Education.

India now faces the question of how to tackle exam fraud, fake qualifications and massive youth unemployment. The pressure has not yet completely subsided. Demonstrations are still being held here and there.

Harvard wins court case against Trump
Harvard has secured another legal victory over the Trump administration. The US President believes that Harvard is not doing enough to tackle anti-Semitism on campus, but the judge saw only a few isolated cases and therefore no grounds for government intervention.

Trump is expected to appeal. He has done so in previous legal cases against the university concerning the withdrawal of research funding and the exclusion of international students.

Foreign graduates must pay to stay in the US
The Trump administration is working on a plan to make foreign students pay 100,000 euros if they wish to continue working in the United States after graduation. The rules for student visas are also becoming stricter: students can no longer remain in the US for the duration of their studies, but are given a strict four-year deadline.

In China, specific courses teach students how to stay on their guard in the US. What should you do if Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) suddenly drags you out of bed and throws you in prison, for example? In these courses, students learn how to deal with kidnappings, hate crimes and ICE raids, according to the daily newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws.