University grapples with internationalisation

In his New Year speech, given on January 8, UU President Anton Pijpers acknowledged that PVV's win in the Dutch elections came as a shock to many. It remains to be seen how much the future cabinet is going to value science and education. He also recognised that international students and employees are worried about the landslide victory of right-wing parties, wondering what this will mean for them. After all, the political parties trying to form a coalition associate migration with the influx of international students and teaching staff.

Pijpers' speech made it clear that UU's board is grappling with the topic. The university's president named a few bottlenecks, such as accessibility, language and housing. "The accessibility of Dutch higher education must be guaranteed for Dutch students," he stated. "Universities are part of the Dutch society as they prepare students to play a part in that society. Therefore, command of the Dutch language remains of utmost importance for all students."

Pijpers added that Dutch universities have been working together to address these bottlenecks, which is why their association, UNL, has a workgroup dedicated to the topic, of which Pijpers is the chair. For example, Dutch universities should establish enrolment caps for English-taught degrees, while Dutch programmes will remain accessible for all. More Dutch-taught programmes or tracks should be launched alongside English-taught Bachelor's and universities should adopt Dutch as the official language of instruction – or be at least bilingual, like UU.

In Pijpers' view, making sure that the bill Internationalisation in Equilibrium, drafted by the outgoing Minister of Education, Robbert Dijkgraaf, is approved by the Parliament and Senate is paramount to implementing these measures.

Gaza and democracy
Pijpers' New Year speech also talked about the war in the Gaza Strip. The conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to protests at the university. The university refused to take a stand like the protesters wanted it to and the speech showed one more time that UU is not going to change its mind. However, the UU President said that there should be as much room as possible for protests, as long as they respect "existing parameters". Pijpers: "We find it essential that the university remains a safe space and that goes for all our students and employees, regardless of their origin, background or political preferences. We monitor and facilitate independent thought, as well as critical debates and analyses, hoping that this will result in ideas and solutions about how things can change."

The Executive Board hopes that the violence spiral (and the human suffering it entails) ends as soon as possible. The board considers it its duty to support students and employees, especially those who have ties (family or otherwise) to Israel or the Palestine territories. 

Lastly, Pijpers announced that "democratic values" will be the theme of the university's anniversary this year (last year, the theme was "climate change"). A current topic, as the unwritten rules of democracy are expected to play a significant role in the negotiations to form a coalition in the Netherlands. Pijpers already gave a taste of what is to come by saying that pushing and enforcing certain opinions does not reflect democratic values. "There should be room for different perspectives and sentiments. Just because you can say something, it doesn't mean you should say it. Let's try to smash polarisation through a respectful dialogue in which we listen to each other."