Fine costs university millions

Fewer students have enrolled at the RUG than at other universities due to the threat of a €3,000 fine against students who take more than four years to achieve their Bachelor’s.

That has consequences for the university’s budget, which is in proportion to the national totals of enrollments and degrees awarded. ‘That means that in 2015, there will be a decrease of 4,8 million euros from a budget of 400 million‘, according to university board member Jan de Jeu. University board chairman Sibrand Poppema said that the RUG has to attract more master’s students to avoid further cuts.

Coca-Cola can couch acquired by Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola has acquired a couch, chair and table created by Aswin van Woudenberg from 1,292 empty Coke cans to use for promotion in supermarkets.

After his Coke furniture appeared in the UK Magazine in March, the software developer got a big response – even from Coca-Cola themselves. The company has already picked up the furniture, and Van Woudenberg has received 120 new cans of Coke to start on his next batch of furniture. He was so stunned that the giant soda company was interested that he didn’t ask for compensation, even though the soda cost him 85 euros.

Academic year opening party changing location

The opening ceremony for the academic year will move to the Martini Church this fall. For years, the school term has been officially opened in the Academy Building and a party for the students was held on the Broerplein.

During the ceremony, the Aula is crammed full of professors, leaving little room for anyone else in the audience. Relocating to the Martini Church means more room, so more students can be involved. The new ceremony will have a parade from the Academy Building to the Martini Church, various speakers, and a toast to the new school year.

Sharing exams is allowed

The RUG won’t take any action against copied exams being posted on studeersnel.nl, a site for sharing lecture notes, summaries and old tests.

In January, it was ‘raining tens’ for the information science students when their professor reused an exam that was posted online. The University board questions whether or not the site violates author’s rights by distributing old tests and plans to speak with different departments about how the RUG should proceed. ‘Old exams are a great tool for studying, and therefore we would rather decide for ourselves whether or not to share them’, Poppema says.

Invalid exam declared valid again

The information science exam was declared invalid in January and students had to retake it. Some thought that was unfair and went to the Board of Appeals for Exams.

‘On Monday morning, all parties presented their sides, and that afternoon we heard that our appeal had been accepted’, says information science student Léon Melein, who gets to keep his 10. The exam commission doesn’t agree with the reversal, saying that now they don’t actually know how well the students understood the material. Be that as it may, the highest grade students received is the grade that will be counted.