{"id":89975,"date":"2018-09-25T17:01:25","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T15:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=89975"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:06","slug":"ook-rotterdamse-wetenschappers-geven-openluchtcolleges-voor-woinactie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/09\/25\/ook-rotterdamse-wetenschappers-geven-openluchtcolleges-voor-woinactie\/","title":{"rendered":"Rotterdam academics give open air lectures for #WOinActie"},"content":{"rendered":"

Several academics from the Erasmus School of Law are supporting the protest actions by #WOinActie. On Tuesday morning, Fiore Geelhoed, assistant professor in Criminology, gave the first open air lecture in Rotterdam by the pond in front of the Erasmus Pavilion.<\/p>\n

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Fiore Geelhoed giving an open air lecture for #WOinActie<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTim Ficheroux<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

On the flip chart in front of the pond, there\u2019s a slide with a graph showing rising student numbers and decreasing government expenditure per student. The master students on the course Qualitative analysis of a legislative process: introduction<\/em> are reading the PowerPoint presentation on paper. Apart from a red square on the flip chart and Geelhoed\u2019s sweater, it\u2019s just a normal lecture, but in the sun and with wasps. Only one student is on Facebook and just before the break another student lights up a cigarette.<\/p>\n

Red squares<\/h2>

Since Monday, several Rotterdam academics have been wearing pinned red squares, the sign that academics at most Dutch universities have been wearing since the start of the academic year to draw attention to their workload and to protest against budget cuts. \u201cWe want to give voice to #WOinActie,\u201d says assistant professor Federica Violi, whilst taking pictures of Geelhoed\u2019s open air lecture. \u201cSince 2000, there\u2019s been a rise in the number of students and a decrease in the government budget per student. That produces a lot of pressure and overworked staff. And in the end, it will have a negative influence on the quality of education.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping pace with international standards is becoming harder,\u201d adds lecturer and Master\u2019s coordinator Jennifer Riter. \u201cAs academic staff, we have more administrative tasks and more students, so it\u2019s becoming harder to maintain focus.\u201d Violi and Riter do not understand budget cuts in higher education. \u201cIf you have more and more students, why would you cut funds? Investing in education should always be a priority,\u201d says Violi. Riter points to the students who are listening to the open air lecture: \u201cThese are the people you should be investing in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research during holidays<\/h2>\n\t
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\n\t\t\u2018For several years, I used most of my holiday leave to do research\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

During the break in the lecture, Geelhoed says that it\u2019s a last minute decision to join #WOinActie this way. \u201cThis morning we decided to give this lecture here. I think that lecturing outside is pretty symbolic: the university is being undressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Normally, Geelhoed is not the first one to protest, but she fears the consequences of increasing student numbers and decreasing resources. \u201cIf a university depends on other means, such as contract research, perverse incentives may arise. There\u2019s also a risk that you\u2019ll end up with a model where students have to graduate as quickly and easily as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Geelhoed also fully supports the other purpose of #WOinActie, demanding attention for the workload of academics. \u201cIn the past, I worked at another university where I really had to do my research in my spare time. For several years, I used most of my holiday leave to do research. The work\u2019s great fun, but there was too much pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The initiators of the Rotterdam #WOinActie are planning to give more open air lectures this week.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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