The participants were clearly not in favor of introducing English as the primary language during the third year of the bachelor's program. `You registered for a Dutch program and you expect to get that. There are also a lot of people, including professors, with an unsatisfactory grasp of the English language.' The students suggested a better preparation for the English-language masters' and a gradual introduction of English into the bachelor's program.
The final issue of debate was a practical one: should an alternative library be built in the city, especially now that the library in the Vrijhof is being renovated? `We already have a temporary library in Langezijds, don't we?' someone queried. `But there are no good places to study there; it's too noisy,' someone else countered. Some people think a library in the city is a bad idea, because it does not fit the campus concept. `If you insist on studying in the city, you can use Saxion's facilities,' a participant added. The discussion shifted to the practice of faculties' restricting access to their computer facilities to their `own' students. Because a faculty invests a lot of money in these facilities, they are banning students from other programs. Ridiculous, many feel. UReka will introduce this topic during the next meeting of the university council: the university should provide students with good study facilities, even with the Vrijhof under renovation.
Trans. Jeroen Latour
