Saturday 9 March 2024
ChatGPT is here to stay
While ChatGPT has been widely adopted among students, the university still seems unsure of how to deal with the chatbot. ‘A lot of time has been wasted.’
Monday 4 March 2024
First this fence collapsed, then the Berlin Wall: how one picnic brought down the Iron Curtain
Political scientist and ‘border nerd’ Matthew Longo wrote a book about how a barbecue in a remote field on the Hungarian-Austrian border tore the first hole in the Iron Curtain. ‘That picnic was the spark that ignited it all.’
Thursday 22 February 2024
What are the limits of academic freedom? ‘Some conflict is acceptable’
Should academics speak out about Gaza or the climate crisis, or not? And occupying a highway in your academic gown, is that a good idea? Mare explores the limits of academic freedom. ‘Do you want to save the world? That’s great, but then you should become an activist and quit science.’
Thursday 22 February 2024
How Asian students celebrate the Year of the Dragon
Saturday, February 10, marked Chinese New Year. How do Asian students celebrate the Spring Festival? ‘I’ve been hyping up my boyfriend for three years now.’
Wednesday 31 January 2024
How student party LVS blew itself up after a double coup
An escalated feud over a merger has caused student party Lijst Vooruitstrevende Studenten (LVS) to implode. Three members have been expelled; dozens have terminated their membership. Until the elections in April, the party will be absent from the participation body. How could this happen?
Monday 29 January 2024
Why you should never relocate animals
How did a drug lord cause a hippo plague? And why are storks that no longer migrate to Africa for the winter turning increasingly red? Professor Raf De Bont will share all the answer at the Moving Animals science festival.
Tuesday 19 December 2023
‘We will definitely come back’, say students occupying Lipsius
On Thursday 23 November, students from action group End Fossil occupied two classrooms in the Lipsius building. Their demand: the university must cut ties with the fossil industry. ‘Don’t let it end in chaos.’
Monday 27 November 2023
Screening academics from risk countries brings discrimination into Dutch universities
The Dutch government wants universities to strictly screen academics from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. That is discriminatory, ineffective and a waste of taxpayer money, argues George Miley.
Tuesday 21 November 2023
‘That protest was scary,’ say Jewish students: ‘All I could think was: I have to get out of here’
What do Jewish students and lecturers think of the increased tension, the pro-Palestine protest and the way the university is handling the conflict? ‘I don’t know if I can continue my studies.’
Tuesday 14 November 2023
Actor and rocker David Duchovny performing in The Hague. ‘I was scared to sing in front of an audience’
Actor David Duchovny achieved world fame thanks to the television series The X-files and Californication. A lesser known fact: he is also a musician and will be performing in The Hague this week. ‘I’m not a natural singer, but I’ve worked hard to get everything I can out of my voice.’
Friday 13 October 2023
Cut fossil ties? We don’t have the time!
From a moral standpoint, it may seem the right reflex to end collaborations between the university and the fossil industry. But that would cause unnecessary delays in the required energy transition, argue Sense Jan van der Molen, Marc Koper and Victor van der Horst.
Friday 13 October 2023
Dilemma: what to do with internationals?
Five years after universities themselves asked for ways to control the intake of international students, there is a bill on the table that is much more drastic than they would like to see. How could this happen?