The University Council submitted an extensive unsolicited advice to the Executive Board following a recent article in regional newspaper Tubantia titled ‘Serious social safety issues at a faculty of the University of Twente’. The article describes a long-running conflict within the Faculty of EEMCS.
During the meeting, the council did not focus on the specifics of the case itself. ‘But if we categorise this under the umbrella of social safety, we have to conclude that this is not an isolated case,’ said council chair Herbert Wormeester. ‘We must ensure that our community has confidence that problems are addressed and not swept under the carpet.’
Trust
As a result, the discussion ultimately centred on trust. Staff and students must be able to assume that their concerns and complaints will be handled with integrity, care, and safety, the council wrote in its letter to the Executive Board. ‘An institution’s credibility is determined not only by the values it publicly promotes, but also by the way it responds when those values are put to the test in practice. UT’s reputation is at stake,’ the letter states.
The University Council also questioned the ability of those involved, particularly the faculty board and Human Resources, to resolve such a conflict. Once again, the issue comes down to trust. The council’s recommendation to appoint an independent party to investigate the matter was rejected by the Executive Board. Executive Board President Gregor Halff said responsibility rests with the EEMCS faculty board. ‘We trust that problems should be resolved where they arise. We are a learning organisation and believe that the faculty board is capable of repairing the situation.’
Out of touch
Halff listed several measures UT is taking to ‘strengthen, signal, and repair’ issues. He referred to the Culture and Behaviour working group established under the institutional plan, an action plan in response to the Labour Inspectorate’s letter, and an evaluation of the university’s ombuds function and code of conduct. According to Halff, both Human Resources and the faculty board are critically reviewing their own actions. They will engage in what he described as ‘introspection’.
Several council members were unconvinced. After all, it is akin to marking your own homework. Moreover, said council member Catalin Popa (Campus Coalition), ‘showing this much confidence in Human Resources does not correspond with the level of trust the community has in HR. It feels like the Executive Board is out of touch.’
'Learning organisation'
Nevertheless, the newly appointed Executive Board President stressed the importance of UT’s capacity to learn as an organisation. ‘An individual case certainly does not tell the whole story. A signal like this is an opportunity for the system to learn. Alongside a well-functioning support structure, we expect there to be a certain awareness among everyone in leadership positions: how do we deal with friction and conflict, and how do we develop the capability to address these kinds of issues before they reach our support structures? That is a question we need to answer together.’
Labour Inspectorate letter
At the same meeting, the University Council also issued unsolicited advice in response to the recent warnings from the Labour Inspectorate. The council wanted to see concrete steps and be able to trust that UT would resolve the issues within the stipulated deadlines. That assurance was given: an action plan is currently being developed. The Executive Board and the University Council will discuss the plan in December.
