![A picture of a tree in summer, with small green leaves](/sites/corporate/files/styles/responsive_w50/public/2024-08/tree_a.jpg.webp?itok=ZAHof65k)
It’s been quite the (academic) year. The world once again faced great challenges, disasters and intense events. Many of those - national and international - events had an impact on our community at Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, like the massive earthquake in Morocco, and the shooting at Erasmus MC in September. The continuing war in Ukraine has a big impact on the world, on the Netherlands, and on our community as well. The attention from this war was shifted to the escalating conflict in Israel and Gaza, which again impacted our university and our community.
At IDEA Center - Erasmus University Rotterdam, our unwavering commitment lies in fostering an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible university environment. We want to emphasize that we see, feel and acknowledge the pain and grief of those in our community who are affected by these events. We are thinking of you and we hope you feel free to reach out to us, with everything that’s going on in the world. We strive to make our campus and our university a place where you can share your emotions, your hopes, your grief. A place to share our feelings and thoughts, and to support and comfort each other.
More than ever, it is important to emphasize that we stand for freedom of speech, for recognizing the value of diverse perspectives, for social equity, and that we are committed to eliminating harassment and discrimination. We are dedicated to creating a safe and pleasant environment for everyone, regardless of their background or identity. We are all Erasmians, and we look after each other.