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Delft’s PvdA and GroenLinks political parties have asked Mayor Pechtold for clarification about the cooperation between the police and TU Delft. Delta revealed this week that TU Delft sometimes secretly passes on the names of demonstrators to the police prior to announced demonstrations. As yet, TU Delft seems to be the only university that does this.
TU Delft sometimes shares the names of students and staff with the police without their knowledge. This concerns people who want to participate in announced demonstrations on campus. Enquiries reveal that this practice falls within the scope of an agreement between the police and TU Delft. Amnesty International is critical: “Who demonstrates for what, is sensitive personal data that does not belong in databases.”
A PhD candidate at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering should not have received a ‘no-go’ decision in April 2024. That is the ruling of the court in The Hague. There were ‘many irregularities’. With this ruling, the judge has overruled not only the Committee for Doctorates, but also the Doctoral Arbitration Committee. TU Delft says it will not appeal and wants to consult with the PhD candidate.
Higher education media are losing readers to AI, just like other news websites. Tougher legislation could be a solution, but Gouke Moes, the minister overseeing the media portfolio, isn’t prepared to back them for now. There is also no mention of this in the coalition agreement.
Tim van der Hagen was Chair of the Executive Board of TU Delft for 10 years. He was also Rector for the last eight years. He bid farewell in mid-January. Delta interviewed him about what he has and has not achieved, and what he will and will not miss. He once again apologised for the lack of social safety.
The number of big earners in higher education has fallen sharply in recent years. In 2016, 112 professors, deans and directors received a top income, but by 2024 that number had fallen to just 39. At TU Delft, the number fell from 11 to 3 during the same period, all of whom were full professors.
As the death toll from the protests in Iran continues to rise, Iranian TU students and staff are unable to contact their loved ones in their home country, or can only do so with great difficulty. “The last I heard from my niece is that she went out onto the streets to demonstrate.”
More than twenty years after TU Delft agreed to the construction of a tram line across the campus, it now seems that it will actually happen. Tram 19 will start running in 2026, according to an information board next to the Aula. Test and trial runs with empty trams will start in March.
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