Five alumni and one former professor will take seats in the future government led by Rob Jetten. Claudia van Bruggen (D66) studied Law at the UvA and is now the designated State Secretary for Justice and Security. At the same ministry, VVD member David van Weel will take office as Minister of Justice and Security. He studied History at the UvA. Eelco Heinen (VVD) will remain in his post. The former Economics student at the UvA is beginning his second term as Minister of Finance.
Mirjam Sterk of the CDA will take up the role of Minister for Long-Term Care, Youth and Sport. In the late 1990s, she studied Theology at the UvA. Sophie Hermans (VVD) is making a move: the former Political Science student at the UvA is currently Minister for Climate and Green Growth, but in the Jetten cabinet she will become Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport.
Finally, there is Hans Vijlbrief of D66. He was appointed Professor by Special Appointment of European Economic and Financial Policy at the UvA in 2018, but stepped down in 2020 when he was appointed State Secretary for Finance. In the Jetten cabinet, Vijlbrief will become Minister of Social Affairs and Employment. (TH)
Former UvA student Isabelle van Elst will compete today at the Winter Olympics. Tonight, she will skate the 1000 meters, against competitors including Suzanne Schulting, Femke Kok, and Jutta Leerdam. Van Elst, who represents Belgium, studied art history at the University of Amsterdam until 2023. At the time, Folia spoke with her about her studies and skating career.
The 1000-meter race starts tonight at 17:30. Van Elst holds the Belgian record for this distance with a time of 1:14.72, and her best time this season was 1:14.83, set in Salt Lake City, USA. She will compete in the seventh heat, alongside Kazakhstan’s Elizaveta Golubeva. (DH)
After the introduction of the student loan system, students at colleges and universities were more likely to continue living at home throughout their student years. This reports the NOS, based on research by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI).
The loan system was introduced in 2015, requiring students to borrow money to finance their studies. Due to criticism of the high debts that students were accumulating, the basic grant was reintroduced in 2023.
Of the students who graduated in 2023, 43 percent had lived at home for the previous five years. In 2016, that figure was 31 percent. Students who did move into student accommodation did so later, after the introduction of the loan system.
According to Maaike Krom, chair of the National Student Union, the high number of students living at home is not only due to the shortage of housing, but also to the high prices of student rooms. It has previously been found that students are increasingly giving up hope of finding a room. (SvdB)
The National Chamber of Associations (LKvV) is dissatisfied with the promise in the coalition agreement to cap interest rates on student loans at 2.5 percent. According to the LKvV, a zero percent interest rate had been promised.
“A maximum sounds like protection. But an interest rate of 2.5 percent on a debt of tens of thousands of euros is still a huge amount,” chairman Jochem Hilckmann told the Hoger Onderwijs Persbureau. “That means that, over a period of 35 years, students will ultimately pay almost half of their loan in interest.”
The LKvV fears that students will no longer want to do committee work or a board year because of the fear of mounting student debt. This trend is already underway. At the University of Amsterdam, too, interest in study associations is declining. (SvdB)
Universities, colleges and vocational colleges in Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe and Flevoland are (partially) closed due to slippery conditions. The University of Groningen has closed its buildings, and lecturers are deciding whether lectures will be cancelled or given online.
All locations of Stenden University of Applied Sciences (Friesland) will remain closed until at least 12 noon. Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen will give online lectures until 1.30 p.m., after which the buildings will open and lectures will continue as planned. Practical lessons and examinations have been cancelled.
A code red weather warning is in effect this morning in the northern provinces due to black ice and slippery conditions. The weather warning will remain in effect until around 14:00 afternoon. Train and bus transport in the north is also suspended for the time being. (YH)
The UvA temporarily opens two new silent rooms from March 17 to 20, because of Ramadan. The start of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, is expected to result in more crowds in the silent rooms at the UvA. The empty spaces, which give students and staff the opportunity to pray, meditate or find quietude, are frequently used. Ramadan is not only a time where no food is eaten between sunrise and sunset, but for the Muslim community a time to reflect and pray.
Despite being a holy month for Muslims, the UvA emphasizes in their communication that the silent rooms are available for to everyone, regardless of ‘gender or other characteristics’. You do need to bring your own prayer mat.
The additional rooms are located at the Roeterseiland Campus, building BCD, room B3.11, and Science Park, room D1.160. A complete overview of all silent rooms can be found here. (LB)
Students are at extra risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to research by Amsterdam UMC. One in five students in the Netherlands – from secondary vocational education, higher professional education and university education – has ever had PTSD, and more than 2 per cent are currently struggling with PTSD. By comparison, 1.3 per cent of the Dutch population is currently struggling with PTSD.
This is the first time that researchers have found that PTSD is more common than average among the Dutch student population. International research has previously shown that students may be at higher risk of developing PTSD.
PTSD can be caused by bullying, sexual violence and inappropriate or unwanted behaviour. According to researchers at Amsterdam UMC, the percentages among students are higher than average because, since MeToo, people are talking more openly about sexual and physical violence and inappropriate behaviour. Nightlife could also explain why students are more often exposed to interpersonal trauma. (SvdB)
Employees of university medical centers, including the AMC, will earn 7 percent more in salary over the coming years, reports NOS. The increase is the result of collective labor agreement negotiations between the unions FNV, CNV, and NU’91 and the hospitals, and will be implemented in two stages.
UMC staff will receive a 3.5 percent salary increase in July this year, with the remaining 3.5 percent coming in May 2027. In addition, allowances for irregular work and travel reimbursements will also rise. The new agreement also includes additional agreements regarding safety. (DH)
The Utrecht branch of the conservative Vrijmoedige Studentenpartij (VSP) is splitting from the parent party, Trouw reports. Local chair Lloyd-Leonard Opdam told the paper that the Utrecht members have decided to continue independently “after careful deliberation.”
The split follows the arrest of Marlon U., founder and chair of the VSP. He is suspected of assaulting a fellow student on the campus of the Vrije Universiteit.
At the University of Amsterdam, the VSP won two seats on faculty student councils in last year’s student elections. (DH)