We do not want to take anything away from the impact and seriousness of those experiences. We have never prohibited students or staff from speaking to the media. However, we do feel the need to mention that we do not recognise parts of the article and that they are factually incorrect. Proportionate measures are always taken in these kinds of situations, ranging from engaging in a conversation to suspension.
Vice-chairman of the Executive Board and portfolio holder for Safety and Behaviour, Marcel Nollen: "Intimidation, exclusion and violence are absolutely not tolerated on our campus. I find it particularly painful that there are students who report having experienced otherwise. That is why I keep stressing, report to us if you experience feelings of insecurity or have experienced harassment, exclusion or violence. Every report will be followed up. Our campus is precisely a place where everyone should be able to feel safe and free to develop and be who you want to be."
Anyone on our campus who encounters transgressive behaviour or feels unsafe can report to the academic advisor, confidential counsellor or the coordinator safety and behavior. They will have an exploratory conversation about what is going on, what is the question for help, what are the possible solutions. They investigate, conduct interviews, hear both sides of the argument and see what necessary (proportional) action (such as suspension) we can take. They offer help and support and, if necessary, help to file a report. The colleagues who provide students with help and support in this regard feel a strong commitment to the welfare of our students. We therefore find it very embarrassing that the article calls into question the professionalism and integrity of colleagues who are ready to help students day and night. Moreover, because of their confidential position, they cannot speak out openly about this.
For reasons of privacy, we cannot comment further on the content of reports known to us. This is difficult because the need for clarity is felt, but we feel that the confidentiality and privacy of those involved weigh more heavily here. Calling names or going into issues would affect the integrity of the desks and undermine the very confidentiality that is supposed to tackle cross-border behaviour. We do want to point out that we are aware of tensions between students. Just as polarisation is on the rise in society, we also see that differing political ideas among a section of students create divisions and a toxic situation. We are deeply concerned about this. We believe that different ideas are allowed to exist and political debate is allowed to chafe, but this should never come at the expense of someone’s space to be who you want to be. Once again, intimidation, exclusion and violence have no place here.
As a university, we believe it is important to give students the insights and tools they need to be able to have the difficult conversation with each other. We continue to offer those involved a helping hand and hope they will take it. At the same time, we continue to invest in having this conversation with each other. This is necessary to create a healthy and safe basis on which we can build further together.
Margrethe Jonkman, Marcel Nollen and Jeroen Geurts