{"id":8275,"date":"2014-11-26T09:09:37","date_gmt":"2014-11-26T09:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress72\/?p=26483"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:27","slug":"eur-changes-appearance-of-pieten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2014\/11\/26\/eur-changes-appearance-of-pieten\/","title":{"rendered":"EUR changes appearance of Pieten"},"content":{"rendered":"
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EUR has decided that it will change the appearance of some of the Pieten accompanying St Nicholas at this year\u2019s party for staff and their families at EUR. Besides the traditional brown coloured Pieten, the Executive Board has decided that \u201cseveral trainee Pieten with soot smeared on their faces\u201d will take part in the celebrations on the campus.<\/b><\/p>\n

Trainee Piet<\/b><\/p>\n

In a written statement, the Executive Board says that it has \u201clistened to the social debate which has taken place in recent weeks and watched editions of the Sinterklaasjournaal\u201d, which showed \u2018trainee Pieten\u2019 with just black smudges on their faces. These trainee Pieten were also present at the official arrival of St Nicholas and his entourage in Gouda. <\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Commotion<\/p>\n

At the end of October, EUR announced<\/a> that it would not make any changes to the appearance of the Pieten and that it did not feel it was necessary to engage in the debate about the figure of Zwarte Piet. According to Pieter Kuijt, head of the Department of Marketing and Communications, the policy amendment not only responds to developments in the social debate but also to last week\u2019s commotion among EUR staff. In a post<\/a> on this website, some employees expressed their dissatisfaction with EUR\u2019s decision not to become involved in the Zwarte Piet discussion.<\/p>\n

Other manifestations<\/b><\/p>\n

The university does not exclude further adjustments in the future. \u201cWe will also take into consideration other manifestations which ensure that the St Nicholas celebrations are and continue to be enjoyed by everyone\u201d, according to the Executive Board. EvR<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n

Image: Sinterklaasjournaal (NTR)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t

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