The Board was not going to let it happen a second time. Earlier this year, demonstrators from End Fossil barged in on the university's anniversary celebrations uninvited, climbed the stage in the Pieterskerk church and raised their banner next to Rector Hester Bijl who was making a speech. The banner read: ‘Cut ties to the fossil industry now.’
Bijl was visibly taken aback: ‘Could you sit down?’
But during the opening of the academic year on Monday, the demonstrators’ presence was seamlessly scheduled into the programme. End Fossil activists had set up a stall in the Pieterskerk, where the public could engage in a discussion with them after the ceremony during the drinks reception.
GESTURES
In her opening speech, president Annetje Ottow acknowledges the sound of chanting activists at the door, which echoes through the Pieterskerk. ‘In the background, you may hear the protesters outside. I was just talking to them. The conversation resonated deeply with me.’
But amid these gestures of goodwill by which the Board is determined to show that it is open to discussion, one big question remains unanswered: what will happen to the ties with the fossil industry?
Following multiple protests by End Fossil, the university published a list of all its collaborations with the fossil industry this summer, which includes Shell and TotalEnergies. Opponents want the university to sever those ties completely.
The university’s stance does not seem to be fully mapped out yet but leans more towards collaboration than severing ties.
‘On the one hand, an unconditional “no” is the obvious answer’, Ottow says. But on the other hand, looking at our projects, almost all of them involve research into renewable energy. So is it worth it? Or is it just greenwashing, like the protesters say? And how does collaboration, or non-collaboration, relate to academic freedom? This is not the time to retreat into isolation, but rather to connect and innovate and push forward together.’
EVEN MORE SUSTAINABLE
Compared to outside, where Extinction Rebellion’s megaphone wails like a siren, it is like a climate party inside. The tone remains unabatedly optimistic.
The Board presents one sustainable initiative after another: from living labs to sustainability in the curriculum. Vice-chairman Martijn Ridderbos talks about plans to make the university's operations more sustainable. ‘Or rather: even more sustainable.’
He then shares a list of ambitions: a 65 per cent reduction of the ecological footprint compared to 1990 ('a step further than the Paris Climate Agreement'), 25 per cent fewer business trips compared to 2019, and more sustainable laboratories. In addition, attendees are treated to a slideshow of completed projects, accompanied by an upbeat synthesiser tune, including pictures of the green roof on Snellius and a circular bicycle parking facility.
Finally, Ridderbos presents a gift. ‘To fulfil our responsibility as change agent, we have placed so-called Billie Cups at the exit for everyone present. With these, we bid farewell to the widespread use of cardboard cups at the university. Starting today! So make sure to grab one, otherwise you won’t be able to have a drink later.’
The most prominent message is not about climate change or fossil fuels, but internationalisation. National politics wants to reduce the number of international students, much to the discontent of universities. ‘Internationalisation is in our DNA’, says Ottow.
Hester Bijl delivers her speech in English, even though simultaneous translation is provided throughout the entire opening: ‘International orientation is in our core, after all.’
‘I can hear you thinking: aren't we being too optimistic? Aren't we patting ourselves on the back too much?’ says Ottow after all the speakers have spoken. ‘You’re absolutely right.’
ENGAGING IN CONVERSATION
Because the university ‘also wants to give critics a voice’, a number of critics are featured in a pre-recorded video message.
In it, activist group End Fossil calls for cutting ties with the fossil industry: ‘So no more collaborating on research, nor inviting those companies to events or assisting them with greenwashing in other ways.’
In addition, some employees urge the university to bank sustainably: ‘It’s low-hanging fruit.’
‘Here in Leiden, we think it’s incredibly important to engage in conversation’, Ottow says.
That conversation is planned for another time: on 27 September, the university is organising an open debate on collaborations with the fossil industry.
Anatomy lecturer Paul Gobée has won the annual LUS Teaching Prize. He will receive 25 thousand euros to spend on educational development. In his speech, he talked about how he struggled for years with the question of what to do with his life.
‘I want to say something for students who have doubts about their choice of study or think: what should I do with my life? I was like that for seventeen years; I would think about it day and night. I looked at a lot of other programmes and even went into counselling with doubts about whether I should start my clinical placements. I eventually decided to do so. But once I had become a doctor, I thought: now I really have to do something about it. As a newly minted doctor, I started over as a first-year at TU Delft.
‘I found a job in education, and thought: thank God, there’s something I can do. But I didn’t feel true ambition until I found my current job. It was very clearly a temporary job, but I quit my permanent job for it anyway. That day marked the end of my years-long struggle.’
‘I’ve been here for 23 years now. I had to give up my dream of having the status of a practising physician because education is at the very bottom of the ladder. But to anyone in doubt, I would like to say: follow your gut and whatever direction you are drawn to. Because I believe that when you find what suits you, you become happier, do your job better, and in the end, you’re more useful to society.’