It is not Sophie Hermans (VVD) who will temporarily serve as Minister of Education, Culture and Science, but the Groningen Provincial Executive Member Gouke Moes (33) of the BBB. Moes will therefore be leaving the Groningen Provincial Government building for the “education tower” next to the central station in The Hague. Moes was formerly a blacksmith and machine operator and has experience in education: he taught technology, English, physics and chemistry in the provincial town of Appingedam for many years. Moes said in a response to RTV Noord that he received a text message from BBB party leader Van der Plas asking if she could call him. “I expected that she wanted suitable candidates, but when I saw that the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science had approached us, I knew what was coming. When I joined BBB, I met Van der Plas. I talked to her at length about education. So she knows that I have an interest in that.” Last year, Moes came under fire for comparing a rainbow crosswalk to a swastika (in Dutch). (DW)

On Monday afternoon between 13:00 and 14:00, the start of the Alternative Opening of the Academic Year was live-streamed in the REC A building. The event, organised by the trade unions and WOinActie in Utrecht, is an annual counterpart to the official opening of the academic year, which is also scheduled for today. One of the speakers at the alternative opening is UvA philosophy lecturer Yolande Jansen. The theme of this year's edition is the cuts to higher education. (TH)

On Monday afternoon at 12 noon, a brief protest took place on the Roeterseiland campus, during which participants called on the cabinet to take a stronger stance against Israel. An estimated two hundred lecturers and students, many dressed in red, gathered in the ABC main hall, after which they walked to the bridge to the sound of loud clattering pots and pans. Once outside, Asva chair Sahand Mozdbar announced a minute's silence to commemorate the Palestinian victims. The action lasted about fifteen minutes, after which the area gradually emptied. (TH)

Radboud University Nijmegen (RU) is calling on students not to cycle home alone during the introduction week. The reason for this call is an incident earlier this week in which a female student was almost pulled off her bicycle and into a car. This was reported by the Dutch news agency NOS. The exact details of what happened are unknown. The RU says it is aware of the incident. The student is understandably very shaken and is receiving support from the university in reporting the incident to the police. A confidential advisor has also been called in. Students are trying to keep an eye on each other, for example by sharing their live locations, and mentors are asking students to let them know when they have arrived home safely by sending a “toothbrush selfie”. If someone needs to be taken home to ensure their safety, that will be done, according to a mentor. (DW)

The UvA supports the new campaign We demand the night (We weisen de nacht op), which was launched after the murder of 17-year-old Lisa in Amsterdam. The initiative draws attention to the safety of women and girls in public spaces and aims to put lasting change on the political agenda.

In addition to raising awareness, the campaign focuses on providing concrete help. Together with behavioral scientists, psychologists, and communication experts, an information line and practical tools are being developed. The UvA is calling on experts and scientists from its network via LinkedIn to contribute to the campaign.(MvdV)

Outgoing Minister for Green Growth Sophie Hermans (VVD) is the new (acting) Minister of Education, Culture and Science, succeeding Eppo Bruins. The ministerial post became vacant last Friday after the already outgoing Schoof cabinet lost another coalition party, namely NSC. Hermans will take over the OCW portfolio until a new cabinet is formed, which could take up to six months. Her party colleague Mariëlle Paul is State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science. During her career in parliament, Hermans has been involved in many dossiers, but not previously in education, where difficult dossiers such as the extensive cutbacks in higher education are awaiting implementation. The controversial issue of internationalisation and the Internationalisation in Balance Act has also not yet been resolved. Sophie’s father, prominent VVD member Loek Hermans, was also Minister of Education, Culture and Science at the turn of the century. Hermans, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, is an alumnus of the UvA, where she studied political science between 2000 and 2006. (DW)

At 2:30 p.m. today, the first boat of the Pieremachocheltocht will sail past the Roeterseilandcampus on the Plantage Muidergracht. The Pieremachocheltocht is part of SAIL 2025 and is a parade of homemade boats through the city. A ‘pieremachochel’ is a vessel that just stays afloat, often creatively decorated. The theme for this edition is ‘animal kingdom’. Some of the boats will have music. The public watch from the quay walls and bridges of the campus and wave to the boats.

There is also a small boat in the colors of the the Palestinian flag with two protesters on board. One of the protesters is shouting pro-Palestinian slogans and waving the flag.

At the end of the parade, a jury selects three prize winners in the categories: most beautiful vessel, most original vessel, and the vessel with the most bad luck. (MvdV)

Room prices in Amsterdam have risen by five percent compared to the second quarter of last year. This is according to figures released today by the room rental website Kamernet.nl. Where a room cost an average of €900 last year, this year it costs €945. 

At the same time, the supply of available rooms has fallen sharply, with almost 27 percent fewer rooms available. Nationwide, the supply of rooms has fallen by only two percent compared to last year.

The five percent price increase is striking, because room prices actually fell slightly in the last quarter of 2024, according to AT5. Prices are particularly high in cities such as Amsterdam, Nijmegen, and Tilburg compared to the rest of the country. (MvdV)

The UvA has sold seven properties on Nieuwe Doelenstraat for a total of 15.5 million euros. These properties include Hotel Le Coin, a hotel that the UvA has operated since 1995 for the benefit of guest lecturers, who were able to stay there at a reduced rate. In recent years, however, the hotel has been used increasingly for commercial purposes. The UvA has stated that the reason for the sale is that the costs are simply becoming too high. “This means we have to make other choices. We will not keep buildings that we do not use for educational purposes forever.” The buildings have been sold to hotel operator The Tradesmen.The buildings housing Studentist, a student dental practice, and Café Katoen are included in the sale of the series of buildings, but the rental contracts with them will be continued by the new owner, according to a UvA spokesperson. (TH/DW)