{"id":166606,"date":"2024-04-17T11:27:04","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T09:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=166606"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:17","slug":"delft-university-magazine-takes-article-about-misbehaviour-offline-following-legal-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/04\/17\/delft-university-magazine-takes-article-about-misbehaviour-offline-following-legal-pressure\/","title":{"rendered":"Delft university magazine takes article about misbehaviour offline following legal pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"

The editorial office of university magazine Delta has been forced to remove an article from the website. It detailed how a duty of confidentiality concerning a dysfunctional director imposed on staff members led to a breach of trust with the Delft University of Technology board.<\/p>\n

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Monday morning, Delta published the article \u2018How confidentiality led to anxiety among I&IC staff and a loss of confidence in the Rector\u2019. It raised the issue of transgressive behaviour by a director, but also of how the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) Executive Board approached this problem. One of the things the Board did is impose a duty of confidentiality on staff members who had complained, asking them to \u2018focus on the future once more\u2019.<\/p>\n

Libel<\/h2>

Yesterday evening, the editorial office took the article offline. A lawyer representing the director threatened to press charges of libel or slander against the editorial office, Delta writes<\/a> in a statement. TU Delft\u2019s legal department also said it would hold Delta\u2019s editor-in-chief \u2018personally liable for any damage incurred by TU Delft\u2019.<\/p>\n

In Delta\u2019s opinion, this approach illustrates how the university deals with social unsafety. At the beginning of March, the Inspectorate of Education said that the university of technology is neglecting the care for its staff. The board is alleged not to take sufficient measures to improve safety at the university. The inspectorate concluded it concerns a case of \u2018mismanagement\u2019, which allows the minister of Education to intervene.<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\tThe article can still be read at archive.org\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Intense talks<\/h2>

As it happens, that same minister said in the House of Representatives on Monday afternoon that he had had \u2018intense and good talks\u2019 on the subject with the TU Delft Supervisory Board. According to the minister, \u2018the Executive Board itself must also show a change of leadership, of culture and direction, and that also demands a fair bit of self-reflection.\u2019<\/p>\n

TU Delft must submit a plan of action to the inspectorate by mid-May. This needs to constitute a \u2018verifiable, objective and demonstrable\u2019 improvement of social safety by the Executive Board. The minister will report back to the House on how this is going before the summer.<\/p>\n

Under protest<\/h2>

The Delta editorial office says it still stands behind \u2018every word\u2019of the removed article. It has taken it offline \u2018under protest\u2019. \u201cWe did this not because we submit to legal intimidation, but because we are of the opinion that TU Delft can use its money and time in better ways than starting legal proceedings against its own employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier, TU Delft also threatened to take the Inspectorate of Education to court, but the university changed its mind<\/a> following a lot of protest<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t

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UPDATE:<\/p>\n

TU Delft’s Executive Board has now apologised to Delta’s editors via a statement on its own website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t