No attendance requirement during national day of action against budget cuts

Students are not required to attend classes on 14 November, due to protests against budget cuts. Staff are permitted to take special leave on that day. Exams will proceed as scheduled.

The university’s administration sent an e-mail to all students and staff on Wednesday, stating: “The Executive Board and the deans of EUR fully support the protest and stress the importance of Dutch universities.”

On Thursday, 14 November, unions and WOinActie are organising a national day of action in Utrecht against budget cuts in higher education. The cabinet previously announced plans to cut 1 billion from the higher education budget.

Exams and practicals will continue

Following consultation with their supervisors, staff members may take special leave to attend the protest, according to the email. This way the leave will not be deducted from their regular leave balance. Travel expenses to the protest will not be reimbursed, however.

Moreover, students are not required to attend classes that day. But any missed material must be made up at a later time. Exams, mandatory practicals, and patient care will continue as usual.

Cuts are unwise

In anticipation of the government’s plans, Erasmus University announced significant budget cuts. According to vice-chair Ellen van Schoten, the abolition of starter and incentive grants in particular will hit the university ‘disproportionately‘.

With this email, the university administration explicitly supports the demonstration against the cuts. A spokesperson for the Executive Board commented: “We all recognise that cutting more than a billion from education and research is unwise. It’s not good for students, and it’s not good for research, development, and innovation.” A similar email was sent out by all universities in the Netherlands.

The protest will take place in Utrecht on 14 November from 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm. The exact location will be announced at a later date.