Digital autonomy is not a luxury, it is essential. This was the message communicated this summer by researchers from the Rathenau Institute to Dutch knowledge institutions in a report about digital dependence on foreign technology companies. Delta asked ICT director Erik Scherff about the university’s position on this. His reply: “The current geopolitics forces us to negotiate.”
The ideas at the festival held by the Climate Action Programme on Thursday were primarily about solutions. Keywords were motivation and inspiration. But should the tone not be more concerned?
No forced redundancies, vacancies that will not be filled, and doing less maintenance of equipment. These measures are how the faculties and services are planning to meet their cost reduction requirements as can be read in plans that were published last week. Staff members are concerned about increasing workloads, not having a voice, and losing control.
Will the Works Council and the Student Council have enough of a say in the austerity plans? The representation bodies fear not. This is why, at a public meeting with the Executive Board last Thursday, the Works Council Chair, Ronald Kuil, pushed for sufficient time and opportunity to express their views.
Action group ‘TU Delft for Integrity’ has launched its own hotline for ‘cases of academic complicity and unsafety at TU Delft related to Palestine’. The group of staff and students has noticed a pattern and wants to make that transparent.
The EEMCS Faculty (Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science) building has been nominated as a new listed building. TU Delft is in charge of several other monuments. What makes a building valuable to keep for the future? A stroll around the campus with retired architectural historian Herman van Bergeijk.
A merciless Inspectorate report, cutbacks, and a relationship with the former Chair of the Supervisory Board. Marien van der Meer’s first and only term as an Executive Board member at TU Delft was everything but tranquil. “I am now more aware that I am high in the hierarchy, which means that some things can come across as hard.”
The tallest building on the TU Delft campus is one of 15 sites nominated as a listed monumental building on Thursday. And this while the Executive Board wanted to have the building demolished a few years ago.
There was much euphoria about TU Delft taking part in the Amsterdam Canal Parade. A month later, the question arises as to its effect on the queer community at TU Delft.
