Some of ESE staff relocating again

On Friday, a part of the staff of the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) are relocating for the second time in a short while. Staff from the capacity group Applied Economics and from the Dean’s Office are leaving N building after less than a year a year. Applied Economics is moving to the eighteenth floor of the Mandeville building, while the Dean’s Office is joining the rest of the faculty in E building.

Due to the plans to renovate the Tinbergen building, the ESE had to move out in March last year. Most of the staff went to E building, but the capacity group Applied Economics and the Dean’s Office went to N building. However, their new accommodation did not prove satisfactory. “N building is very outdated; so much needed to be done to get it to the desired level,” says director of operations Sarah Wilton. “For example, it’s difficult to keep clean and the windows don’t close properly.”

In N building, the faculty has also faced problems with leaks and noise. “When it rained, dangerous situations arose due to water near equipment. It was also very noisy. In summer, we had to keep the window open, otherwise it got too hot. However, but when there were classes going on at Erasmus Sport, we could clearly hear them,” says Wilton. The air quality was another issue, which was even investigated. “Objectively there’s nothing wrong with the air quality,” says Wilton. “But it’s so difficult to get the right temperature – it’s either too hot or too cold.”

The student associations MAEUR and FSR also complained about their new offices in N building. They have now moved from N building to locations in H and G building. According to a university spokesperson, it will only become clear what is to happen with N building later this year.

Sharing rooms

In Mandeville building, Applied Economics is getting a very nice floor, but not without some compromises. The floor only has large rooms that can accommodate three people. “We had a lot of discussions about that,” says Wilton. Sharing your room with a colleague is new to most of the academic staff in the faculty. “Now no one can have their own room. Even professors have to share,” she continues. “So we now need to see how we can divide up the working days, incorporating flexibility like working from home. Some people work together every day anyway, so it’s useful to sit together.”

Back to Tinbergen building

The ESE is ‘delighted with the relocation’, but the faculty would prefer to return to the Tinbergen building once the renovation is finished. “But then we want to go together,” Wilton adds. It isn’t yet clear when exactly that will be. After the failure of the tendering process for the renovation last year, the project was temporarily halted. According to a university spokesperson, the renovation of the Tinbergen building should be completed by the end of 2024.