EUR considers barring university of applied sciences students and pupils

EUR is considering a policy that would make study spaces on campus Woudestein only accessible to EUR students during the busy exam periods. The Executive Board will make its definitive decision on the matter on Thursday.

More on the shortage of study spaces

• ‘Time cube’ to tackle lack of study places in Polak building
• ‘Creating additional study spots in Polak Building is impossible’
• ‘Overloaded’ study places on campus due to Polak closure
• Young Socialists wish to create additional study spaces in containers

The policy wouldn’t apply to all exam periods. The closed-door policy would only apply when exams are scheduled for multiple or for large faculties: in October, December, June and July. It has not yet been announced how EUR would enforce this closed-door policy or which buildings it would involve.

Students have been complaining about the lack of study spaces on campus for some time now. This in spite of the fact that the number of spaces has grown considerably: from only 1500 spaces a few years ago to 2600 now. This number doesn’t include approximately 1200 unofficial spaces used for studying such as the Theil hall and the corridors of the Van der Goot Building.

These figures mean that the university has roughly one study space for every ten students, as approximately 27,500 students currently study at campus Woudestein, not counting students of Medicine. At the Erasmus MC Education Centre, students are already required to display their student ID card on the table so employees of the centre can confirm they are actually students.

Complaints

According to Sandra Klarenbeek of Real Estate Service, they regularly receive complaints about pupils or university of applied sciences students occupying study spaces. “I hear this on a regular basis. I’m not sure if it’s true, but the students believe it is so we have to take it seriously.” More information will be available in the coming weeks regarding closing the doors of campus Woudestein to non-EUR students.