According to the Executive Board, the occupation of the Erasmus building on 9 May disrupted lectures, exams and doctorate conferrals. Climate activists also allegedly harassed employees and activists are said to have distributed footage ‘against the wishes of those involved’. A spokesperson for the Board declined to comment when asked exactly which incidents the Executive Board was referring to. “We have a duty of care in dealing with any issues related to the persons in question and we will not be making any further statements on the matter”, the spokesperson commented. Chair of the Executive Board Ed Brinksma said in a University Council meeting that an activist allegedly threatened a security guard.
House rules
According to Ellen van Schoten, Vice-Chair of the Executive Board, students are permitted to protest on campus as long as they observe the house rules. “They are not permitted to disrupt teaching activities and must leave the building at the closing time of 7.30 p.m. We do not allow overnight stays”, Van Schoten explains. “We made these house rules known right at the start of the occupation of the Erasmus building, so they did not come as a surprise.”
Fourteen dialogue sessions
The Executive Board stresses that it has made several attempts at having a constructive dialogue with OccupyEUR. “We very much wanted to engage in a dialogue but unfortunately this proved to be impossible. It’s regrettable, because dialogue is crucial – particularly within an academic community”, says Van Schoten. “It allows us decide in what direction we want to go together.”
The Executive Board has called on everyone to take part in ‘a respectful dialogue’. This year, EUR will be hosting 14 sustainability dialogue sessions, intended for both students and staff. “We want to start a conversation with the entire university community to ensure that sustainability truly gets embedded into our DNA”, says Van Schoten. The dialogue sessions are expected to begin in September, but dates have not yet been announced.
