‘Executive and Supervisory Board members, regain our trust’

Dear members of the Executive and Supervisory Boards,

It has been a month since the Plan for Change was finalized: a first step towards improving social safety at TU Delft. As this Plan is still very vague, and given everything that has happened over the last months, we currently do not have trust in the Executive and Supervisory Boards. We, Students and Staff for Safety, ask you to reflect on your own role in having created a socially unsafe environment and for transparency regarding the appointment of the new member/members of the Executive Board.

Your initial response to the Inspectorate’s report of going to court made many people lose their trust in you. Trust further dwindled through other incidents, such as the appointment of the supervisory committee (begeleidingscommissie), and its disbandment, the role of the Executive Board in the situation at I&IC, the censorship of Delta, intimidation of Delta employees on multiple occasions, and the process regarding the reappointment of the Rector Magnificus. This loss of trust was also confirmed in our poll.

Public self-reflection still seems to be lacking, as you only offered apologies after being corrected (‘stumbling forward’). Furthermore, regarding socially unsafe behaviour the Plan for Change states: ‘There are also suggestions that this applies to the Executive Board as well’. You mention that managers show unwanted behaviour, but for you yourselves, you leave it to ‘suggestions’.

‘We are uncertain about whether we can trust you to appoint new board members’

Furthermore, the comment of the Rector Magnificus at the staff meeting of 1 March, “Hoe haal je het in je hoofd om intimiderend te zijn?” (“How dare you be intimidating?”), shows no sign of self-reflection. Reflection is clearly needed, as it later turned out that he himself had intimidated the members of I&IC’s management team and employees of Delta.

We address our concerns regarding the appointment of the new member/members of the Executive Board directly to the Supervisory Board. You should have been more critical towards the Executive Board over the years and last few months. There is a reason that Minister Dijkgraaf pointed out in his letter (in Dutch) that you should keep distance. We have not seen any sign of your critical attitude since then, so we are uncertain about whether we can trust you to appoint new board members.

This is even more pressing now as we need to find a new member for the Executive Board in the near future. This process should, in contrast to previous appointments, be transparent. New Board members need to prove to TU Delft students and staff that they share the values and ideas in the Plan for Change if they are to gain their support and trust.

We therefore urge you to take time for self-reflection and to act accordingly. Ask yourselves whether you will be able to regain our trust, and if so, take immediate public and transparent action to do so.