It is important that the higher education press can operate independently. These were the words of outgoing Minister Dijkgraaf on Tuesday at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Culture and Science in response to questions by NSC Member of Parliament Hertzberger.

Knotweed, yarrow and narrow leaf plantain. Until recently, you did not come across these on campus. Green managers now leave them be(e) in order to attract insects. But on the chilly, wet and windy Biodiversity Day, bees and bugs were hiding.

In July, the Olympic Games will be held in Paris. TU Delft top athletes are ready to compete. What are their lives like and are they ready? Part 3: rower Laila Youssifou.

Since Thursday afternoon, pro-Palestine activists have set up tents on the roof of TU Delft’s university library. They plan to stay until the university meets their demands, the most important of which is severing ties with Israeli educational institutions. In this liveblog, Delta reported on the first two days.

After TU Delft announced that it will not reconsider its ties with Israeli universities on Wednesday, the demonstrators ratcheted up their fourth protest on Thursday. “We get the feeling that this is really needed.”

In the elections debate organised by TU Delft, the new Coalition Agreement weighed heavily in the discussions on the energy transition. “The VVD says they want to use European money for innovations. How does that reconcile with their plans to give less money to Brussels?”

In July, the Olympic Games will be held in Paris. TU Delft top athletes are ready to compete. What are their lives like and are they ready? Part 2: hockey player Justen Blok.

The Netherlands Labour Authority concludes that universities have only taken ‘minimal’ action in dealing with excessive workloads and undesirable behaviour since 2020. If they do not demonstrate improvement by 2025, the Authority will start enforcement procedures. What have the universities done and not done, and what does the Netherlands Labour Authority suggest that they do now?

The planned meeting between pro-Palestinian protesters and the Executive Board on Thursday was limited to handing over the demands and setting a date for a new meeting. Afterwards, almost 100 people joined a protest march.

A high proportion of teaching and academic personnel at universities in the Netherlands suffer from a heavy workload and undesirable behaviour. Universities have not been able to improve things over the last few years. This is the conclusion of the Netherlands Labour Authority in a damning report. Universities are given until 2025 to comply with their legal obligations for staff welfare. Should they not do so, the Labour Authority will enforce it.