City Campus in Ebbinge Quarter 

The RUG seems to be starting a new campus in the Ebbinge Quarter, joining the City Centre, Zernike and Healthy Ageing campuses. Usva, Sportcentrum and University College are already moving to the area, and the medical school and the Faculty of Behavioral and Social Science will have facilities there within the next few years.

The proposed move is part of a long-term housing plan for the RUG, which should be made public this month. When the faculties may move is not yet known.

UB no longer for everyone

Changes to access to the UB – including new gates – are coming. For secondary school students and adult learners, access will be limited. As of 1 January, Hanze students can only study there if the Hanze provides study spaces for RUG students in the city centre. Hanze chairman Henk Pijlman says plans are being developed.

As of now, the University council estimates that 5 to 10 percent of the visitors are non-RUG students during peak periods. SOG and Calimero have been asking for limits on access to the UB for a while, especially during the exam periods.

Dentistry on the chopping block 

The dentistry programme is being massively overhauled following complaints about a culture of fear in the school. Frank Abbas, the head of the centre for dentistry and dental care, and bachelor coordinator Nynke Blanksma will step down.

The commission formed to address the problem has recommended changes to repair the atmosphere in the programme. In the future, the head of the centre for dentistry will be responsible for education, research and patient care – currently, those tasks are divided. Among other changes, a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy for unprofessional conduct by lecturers will be adopted and lecturers will be required to have proper certification.

Earthquake causes damage on campus

Another earthquake shook the city today, but damage from a 2.8 earthquake at the end of September is still being assessed across the university. About 25 reports of damage from the September quake were submitted, mainly cracks in frames, facades and interior walls. The Linnaeusborg, the Academy building, the University museum, the Usva and the philosophy department had damage, among others. In the Nijenborgh building, a four-meter-long crack formed in the floor – the floor is a meter thick.

The costs for repairs is unknown. Future construction projects must be earthquake-proof, but one existing building, the Bernoulliborg, is worrying: it’s in the earthquake prone area and built largely out of glass.

Student athlete rules for entrepreneurs

In order to allow student entrepreneurs to develop their business while studying, Bernard Wientjes, chairman of the entrepreneurship organization VNO-NCW, wants universities to extend the special status granted to student athletes to student business owners, too.

Currently, student athletes are entitled to a modified class schedule, extra tutoring and financial aid. The RUG board of directors agrees that entrepreneurs should also be entitled to this, but how to evaluate when a student entrepreneur deserves that flexibility remains to be seen.