Nibs

The students had to design a airplane for 49 passengers that was able to use ‘compact approach routes and short take-off and landing runways’. The Delft team’s design placed the engines above the wings, which allows the plane to fly extremely slowly. The Delft team received $1,000 for their third place finish. This was the first time ever that a team from a Europe university won a prize in the AIAA competition.
Linoleum

Architect student Hilbrand Wanders won a trip to Brazil in the ‘Lino Challenge’, a competition sponsored by the German architecture magazine ‘AIT’. Participants from 18 European universities had to come up with an original way of using linoleum in a public building. Linoleum is usually used to cover floors, but Wanders used the linoleum to cover the faade of a library. Wanders was one of six TU Delft participants in the competition.
Fraud

The HBO-fraud scandal that was subject to some intense political scrutiny the last couple of years continues. (HBO is higher education, just below university level.) It turns out that some HBO schools have done some fuzzy math when it comes to the number of enrolled students, Undersecretary of Education Mark Rutte reported to the Dutch parliament. Rutte doesn’t yet want to reveal the names of these 20 schools. But Rutte is sure that in at least 50 percent of these cases, regulations were being ignored.
Ombudsman

TU Delft’s Ombudsman will devote more attention to foreign students. In 2003, a large number of foreign students complained to the ombudsman. The students especially had complaints about the ‘service fee’ and with lecturers who simply read from textbooks, without engaging the students. TU Ombudsman Wil Knippenberg said: “We must realize that foreign students are perhaps more critical than Dutch students.” Many complaints focused on the 2,379 euro service fee the TU charges to arrange visas, insurance, housing and Summer School, and for meeting students at Schipol. Some foreign students asked if these services were necessary. Knippenberg: “For instance, students said they could find the way from Schipol to Delft themselves.” Moreover, despite paying service fees, problems persisted regarding visas and Summer School. “Foreign students don’t mind paying, but they want value for their money,” Knippenberg said. Foreign students also complained about certain lecturers who only read from the textbook. “Foreign students find this pointless. They say they can read the books themselves. They come to lectures to learn something extra about the subject from the lecturer.”
Pole dancers

Three students at Jacksonville University have been punished for installing a stripper pole in an on-campus apartment and having a pole-dancing party. About 12 women competed for a hundred dollars lingerie store gift certificate. None of the women took their clothes off. The male students bought the steel pole from a hardware store, built a stage and attached the pole to the stage and ceiling of their apartment. When university officials ordered the men to remove the pole, they agreed, but not before having a party. Signs reading ‘Pole Dancers Wanted’ were posted around campus and the men bought large quantities of beer. They charged five dollars entry for men, and women were let in free. The party ended when the beer ran out. A university spokesman said the party’s hosts broke university rules against indecent behaviour. The men, who received probation and were forced to write letters of apology, took down the pole and converted the stage to a ping-pong table.
Feedback

If you’d like to comment on anything appearing on the English Page or on a university-related matter, or if you have a question or suggestion for us, send your emails to d.mcmullin@tudelft.nl. We’re happy to receive feedback from our readers. Letters intended for publication should include your name and be no longer than 250 words. This edition of Delta is also available online at www.delta.tudelft.nl, where you can access the English Page archive.

Firefly

The airplane firefly earned students of the Aerospace Engineering Faculty third place in a design competition for students sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The students had to design a airplane for 49 passengers that was able to use ‘compact approach routes and short take-off and landing runways’. The Delft team’s design placed the engines above the wings, which allows the plane to fly extremely slowly. The Delft team received $1,000 for their third place finish. This was the first time ever that a team from a Europe university won a prize in the AIAA competition.
Linoleum

Architect student Hilbrand Wanders won a trip to Brazil in the ‘Lino Challenge’, a competition sponsored by the German architecture magazine ‘AIT’. Participants from 18 European universities had to come up with an original way of using linoleum in a public building. Linoleum is usually used to cover floors, but Wanders used the linoleum to cover the faade of a library. Wanders was one of six TU Delft participants in the competition.
Fraud

The HBO-fraud scandal that was subject to some intense political scrutiny the last couple of years continues. (HBO is higher education, just below university level.) It turns out that some HBO schools have done some fuzzy math when it comes to the number of enrolled students, Undersecretary of Education Mark Rutte reported to the Dutch parliament. Rutte doesn’t yet want to reveal the names of these 20 schools. But Rutte is sure that in at least 50 percent of these cases, regulations were being ignored.
Ombudsman

TU Delft’s Ombudsman will devote more attention to foreign students. In 2003, a large number of foreign students complained to the ombudsman. The students especially had complaints about the ‘service fee’ and with lecturers who simply read from textbooks, without engaging the students. TU Ombudsman Wil Knippenberg said: “We must realize that foreign students are perhaps more critical than Dutch students.” Many complaints focused on the 2,379 euro service fee the TU charges to arrange visas, insurance, housing and Summer School, and for meeting students at Schipol. Some foreign students asked if these services were necessary. Knippenberg: “For instance, students said they could find the way from Schipol to Delft themselves.” Moreover, despite paying service fees, problems persisted regarding visas and Summer School. “Foreign students don’t mind paying, but they want value for their money,” Knippenberg said. Foreign students also complained about certain lecturers who only read from the textbook. “Foreign students find this pointless. They say they can read the books themselves. They come to lectures to learn something extra about the subject from the lecturer.”
Pole dancers

Three students at Jacksonville University have been punished for installing a stripper pole in an on-campus apartment and having a pole-dancing party. About 12 women competed for a hundred dollars lingerie store gift certificate. None of the women took their clothes off. The male students bought the steel pole from a hardware store, built a stage and attached the pole to the stage and ceiling of their apartment. When university officials ordered the men to remove the pole, they agreed, but not before having a party. Signs reading ‘Pole Dancers Wanted’ were posted around campus and the men bought large quantities of beer. They charged five dollars entry for men, and women were let in free. The party ended when the beer ran out. A university spokesman said the party’s hosts broke university rules against indecent behaviour. The men, who received probation and were forced to write letters of apology, took down the pole and converted the stage to a ping-pong table.
Feedback

If you’d like to comment on anything appearing on the English Page or on a university-related matter, or if you have a question or suggestion for us, send your emails to d.mcmullin@tudelft.nl. We’re happy to receive feedback from our readers. Letters intended for publication should include your name and be no longer than 250 words. This edition of Delta is also available online at www.delta.tudelft.nl, where you can access the English Page archive.