‘A Christmas present for all PhD students’

‘A Christmas present for all PhD students’

Give all PhD students a Christmas present, even if they are not officially employed. This is one way that universities can make it clear to PhD students that they are part of the community, says the PNN interest group. Many PhD students are employed by universities. They receive a salary and build up a pension. But there are also PhD students who are on scholarships and for whom this does not apply. The Dutch PhD Network has been fighting these poor terms of employment for years. A Christmas present may seem trivial, but it has a symbolic value. ‘It can be incredibly painful to see that all their colleagues get a Christmas present while they get nothing,’ writes the PNN today in a report on ‘non-standard PhD students’. (HOP, Bas Belleman)