At TU Delft’s academic year opening, harsh realities are briefly forgotten

Disappointed faces just before the opening of the academic year in the Aula. Groups of students and a staff member here and there stand in front of the doors of the auditorium, but may not enter. Behind them, the row of interested people slows down and gets stuck. A little ahead, professors in gowns are waiting for their honourable entrance. The first row of seats is reserved for them.

But the rest of the enormous auditorium is packed to the brim, says a security officer. And the fire safety rules cannot be overridden: nobody else may enter. Luckily for the latecomers on the staircase, a livestream is available in lecture halls A and B.

Stamping to the music

People wanting to hear some of the speeches and listen to the music on the stage, or who have quickly had enough, are walking in and out. Under the bright lights they may pick up something of the atmosphere in the auditorium, but they are not part of it. When the students and staff members in the auditorium stamp to the music under the direction of Vanessa Brockotter, a music teacher, or clap after a motivating speech, the arms of the people in lecture hall A do not move. Still, it is better than nothing, whisper two students to each other. They should have come earlier.

The programme starts with a welcome speech by Hans Hellendoorn, Vice-Rector Magnificus of the Executive Board. “Start your study today and you will experience a lot of pleasure,” he says to the first years. The course is certainly doable, he says, but not without discipline. This is not secondary school, he continues. Studying at university means taking responsibility, actively taking part, applying knowledge, working in a team, and defending your ideas. He points the students to values such as dedication, respect and safety.

Human touch

This year the presentation is in the hands of Mirte Brouwer, a student and Delta columnist. How did she get chosen? “They knew me from my column and thought it would be nice to invite a student for a change,” she emails a couple of hours in advance. “Maybe it’s useful to say that the presentation was done by an AI voice the last two times. So I’m one of the few people who has taken a job over from a robot. They thought it would be nice to have more of a human touch again.”

This human touch is a returning aspect in all the speeches. Hellendoorn admits that, despite 10 years of dedicated practice, he still has no talent for playing the piano. Jefta Vriend, an alumnus and CEO of his company Glimp for breathing exercises, openly talks about his partner’s burnout. And Cynthia Liem, Associate Professor and pianist, ends her keynote speech about the importance of your own interpretation of knowledge warmly. Her interpretation of Chopin’s music even stills the soft murmuring in lecture hall A.

Demonstrators removed from the hall

Just like in other years, the harsh reality is briefly far away during the opening. The financial malaise in higher education that will also hit TU Delft hard, the high workload, lack of social safety, protests against collaboration with Israeli universities, are not touched on.

This is different at other universities. In Enschede, demonstrators were removed from the hall during the opening of the new academic year. They were protesting against the presence of Dick Schoof, the outgoing Prime Minister.

Before the event, he briefly spoke to the protesters who had preferred him not to be there. There were dozens of empty seats of staff members and students who boycotted the event. Other demonstrators disrupted the speeches by shouting. They were angry at populism, the cutbacks, and the genocide in Gaza where they believe the Cabinet is not doing enough.

There were also protests in Eindhoven. At least four demonstrators were removed from the hall by police officers when Ruben Brekelmans, the outgoing Minister of Defence, delivered a speech.

Trust in science

Criticism of the Cabinet also came through in various speeches. In Utrecht, Executive Board Chair Anton Pijpers said that the Cabinet’s cutbacks were undermining ‘the future of the country’.

Erasmus University Rotterdam presented a strategy with which they hope to regain trust in science. “Make no mistake, it is under pressure all over the world, including in the Netherlands,” said Annelien Bredenoord, the Executive Board Chair.  She wants the university to be more engaged in society.

Peter Paul Verbeek, Rector Magnificus of the UvA, also mentioned that ‘the societal value of academia is now not taken for granted, which it had been for a long time’. His university will take various actions, including redefining the ‘community values’ of the UvA. The hope is that, despite many demonstrations, the university ‘will remain a good and safe place’.

Delta, Saskia Bonger/HOP, Olmo Linthorst