Today OccupyEUR is taking action in the hall and auditorium in the Erasmus Building. Below is the response from the Executive Board of Erasmus University Rotterdam sent to OccupyEUR around 18:00 on 9 May 2023.
The DNA of Erasmus University Rotterdam
As the Executive Board of Erasmus University Rotterdam, we take our responsibility when it comes to sustainability. Our ambition is to be one of the most sustainable universities in the Netherlands. In February of this year, by underlining the climate emergency, we showed our commitment to further accelerate our sustainable ambitions and we are working hard to achieve this. Partly as a result of OccupyEUR's earlier occupations, these have gained additional momentum. We find it disappointing that OccupyEUR has so far proved unwilling to engage in a substantive conversation.
This year there will be 14 university-wide dialogues with all faculties in which we will discuss sustainability and its ties to the fossil industry. There will be room for all opinions. We hereby cordially invite protesters to join the conversation and academic debate. If you would like to participate, please send an e-mail to dialoog@eur.nl.
We make the biggest impact by weaving sustainability into education. Therefore, we are working on educational programs focused on sustainability that prepare students for tomorrow's work. We also strive to integrate the theme of sustainability into all degree programs at all levels. In 2022 there were 64 masters, minors, (elective) courses, honors programs and MOOCs on sustainability. We are convinced that everyone studying here at Erasmus University Rotterdam must have thought about this important and relevant topic. Our goal is to embed sustainability in everything we do and make it part of our DNA. We also implement this in the operations of the entire university.
Many of the issues OccupyEUR is calling attention to are high on our agenda, as we as the Executive Board have repeatedly stated recently. We would like to hereby explain the current vision of the Executive Board, the actions we have already taken and initiated regarding ties to fossil industry, student debt, precarity and accessibility.
Fossil industry
The sensitive issue of whether or not to cut ties with the fossil industry, what exactly is meant by it and under what conditions cooperation can or cannot take place, is precisely part of the sustainability dialogues that will take place in the near future. In an academic community, debate is the starting point for new insights and positions. The starting point for starting our sessions on cooperation with the fossil industry could be the approach taken by the VU.
Erasmus University Rotterdam does not invest through the Erasmus Trust Fund. The Trust Fund is independent with its own management and supervisory board. Their investments are EsG-certified and a small portion of the packages contain indirect ties to the fossil industry.
Student debt
The decision to cancel student debt is a responsibility of the Cabinet, primarily the Ministries of Education, Culture and Science, and Finance.
Precarity
In previous collective bargaining agreements, we have already made great strides in providing more permanent jobs. We generally support the need and necessity to increase the number of permanent contracts. Long-term temporary contracts can have an adverse effect on the perception of work pressure or on job satisfaction. Therefore, we are in negotiations with the unions to further reduce the number of long-term temporary contracts and see it as a huge priority to address this.
EUR has worked very intensively and successfully in the Administrative Agreement to get more initial funding to reduce workloads and support faculty and free research. As a result, a large number of university lecturers are eligible for start-up grants this year.
Accessibility
Accessibility of EUR for students and staff with disabilities is not yet good enough. Therefore, last year the EB drew up an action plan and appointed a coordinator to make EUR more accessible to this group. There is also a sounding board group with students and employees with disabilities within the EUR community with whom we have already made improvements, and we are actively working to raise awareness on this issue among all employees. We are working on building access and investing in digitization to provide customized access to education. We are therefore confident that we will make EUR more accessible in the coming period. Our ambition is for students, staff and visitors with disabilities to feel at home at our university; the inclusive university is our top priority.
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OccupyEUR action ended
The demonstration at the Erasmus Building on the Woudestein campus has ended. The police provided support in the process. An OccupyEUR group had been demonstrating in the hall of the building since Tuesday morning. The university's house rules were shared with the demonstrators, including the building's closing time at 7:30 pm. At the beginning of the evening the protesters were also asked several times to leave the building. Most of those present complied. A small group was removed from the premises by the police and arrested. This involved 11 students.
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