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Aan het College van Bestuur van de Universiteit van Amsterdam Amsterdam, 18 juni 2015   Geacht College, De recente berichtgeving in de media over het declaratiegedrag van leden van uw College, alsmede soortgelijk gedrag in andere delen van het hoger onderwijs, hebben bij medewerkers en studenten van ondergetekende groeperingen tot grote verontwaardiging geleid. Kennelijk zijn […]

On June 11, a debate about ‘the future of the university’ was held at Tilburg University, organized by Academic Forum on behalf of the university’s executive board. This debate was eventually organized after a number of critical academics of the university launched a petition a year earlier, criticizing the executive board for a lack of […]

Amsterdam, 12 juni 2015 Geachte mevrouw de minister, Met deze brief willen wij onze bezorgdheid uiten over de modus operandi van de Raad van Toezicht in het huidige hervorminsgsproces aan de UvA. Op 25 mei 2015 schreven ReThink UvA, De Nieuwe Universiteit en Humanities Rally een brief aan de Raad van Toezicht waarin we onze […]

ReThink UvA proposes an urgent and fundamental transformation of the current organization of teaching and research. The following two position papers identify major problems and suggest solutions. They are meant as a starting point to reflect on the current state of affairs regarding the academic profession and its future. We want to invite all individual […]

Today, DNU blocked the entrance to the Maagdenhuis to support the rights of UvA flex-workers and oppose their impending redundancy. The action came as a surprise to ReThink UvA. Nonetheless, today’s action highlights the tension between longterm ongoing institutional processes within the university, and urgent problems that require immediate response. ReThink UvA supports UvA flex-workers’ struggle […]

ReThink UvA, De Nieuwe Universiteit, and Humanities Rally sent a joint letter to the Supervisory Board on the issue of the appointment of a new rector for the UvA and a new chairperson for the Executive Board. The letter was sent on Tuesday, May 26st. The Supervisory Board has not yet responded. [Scroll down for English] Geachte […]

The preparatory working group for the Finance Committee has presented its proposal for the Finance Committee this afternoon with the purpose of consulting the academic community. The proposal consists of a mandate and a composition, including names of candidates, and is the result of weeks of deliberation and constructive discussion among representatives of all parties involved […]

Following the earlier announced course of action, the parties involved in the preparations for the Finance Committee met with financial experts for consultations, last Tuesday, 13 May. The meeting was productive and generated useful ideas on how to further define the contours of the committee. The parties will meet again on Wednesday, 20 May, to […]

Representatives of COR, CSR, De Nieuwe Universiteit, Humanities Rally, ReThink UvA, ASVA, and the unions had a third meeting on Wednesday, 29 April, to continue preparations for the establishment of the Finance Committee. The parties have reached consensus on the draft mandate and exchanged thoughts on the composition of the committee. They agreed on the […]

Following the joint declaration  on the establishment of two independent committees at the University of Amsterdam, the involved parties—COR, CSR, De Nieuwe Universiteit, Humanities Rally, ReThink UvA, and the unions—have initiated a series of meetings with the aim of preparing the establishment of these committees. After an introductory meeting on Wednesday 8 April, it was […]

Actiegroepen: “Dit is het begin van een nieuwe UvA” Actiegroepen blij met aftreden Gunning Morgen persconferentie actiegroepen over toekomst Amsterdam, 19 april 2015 – De actiegroepen aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam (ReThink UvA, De Nieuwe Universiteit en Humanities Rally) zijn blij met het aftreden van Louise Gunning. Door deze stap te zetten maakt Gunning de […]

[please scroll down for English] ReThink UvA heeft vandaag kennis genomen van het besluit van de Gezamenlijke Vergadering van de Centrale Studentenraad (CSR) en de Centrale Ondernemingsraad (COR), waarin deze organen de Raad van Toezicht adviseren dat het College van Bestuur in zijn huidige samenstelling onvoldoende vertrouwen geniet. De medezeggenschap heeft hiermee een doorslaggevende keuze in […]

In an open letter published this morning in NRC Next, UvA professors Ewald Engelen and Olav Velthuis criticize the Executive Board of the University of Amsterdam for insisting on the forceful eviction of the Maagdenhuis even after the students had stated that they would voluntarily leave the building at the conclusion of the Science Festival. […]

[scroll down for English] Protestmars naar aanleiding van ontruiming Maagdenhuis: De Nieuwe Universiteit, ReThink UvA, Humanities Rally en University of Colour organiseren een Academische Mars op maandag 13 april om 15 uur, REC complex, Roeterseiland, voor CREA. Afgelopen weekend werd het vreedzame Festival of Science and Humanities onverwacht door een overweldigende politiemacht verstoord nadat het […]

ReThink UvA expresses its solidarity with the members of De Nieuwe Universiteit who have been held by the police since Saturday 12 April, and who were moved today (14 April) to immigration detention. We condemn the police for the unnecessary arrest of peaceful demonstrators, and the CvB for initiating the unnecessary eviction that led to the […]

Sinds vanmorgen circuleert onder medewerkers van de Universiteit van Amsterdam een petitie ter ondertekening om steun te betuigen aan het College van Bestuur. De petitie is opgesteld naar aanleiding van de open brief die Ewald Engelen en Olav Velthuis in NRC en NRC Next hebben gepubliceerd en die tot op heden meer dan 450 handtekeningen […]

Despite De Nieuwe Universiteit’s public and often repeated statement that they would peacefully leave the Maagdenhuis at the conclusion of the Science Festival on Sunday evening, the College van Bestuur of the University of Amsterdam decided to sign an eviction order on Friday afternoon, rendering presence in the Maagdenhuis illegal. Despite the mayor’s suggestion for […]

Staff from ReThink will be present and participating at the Festival of Sciences and Humanities, and, insofar as would be necessary, contributing to the safety at the Maagdenhuis. Students of The New University have invited the whole academic community to come to this event. They have scheduled an ambitious program filled with various seminars and workshops. We […]

The United Faculties Panel seeks to showcase how the spirit of the Maagdenhuis protest is spreading in workplaces across the UvA and other universities. At the first United Faculties Rally we heard many inspiring stories of local initiatives being taken across the UvA based on similar concerns. What has happened since – and where do […]

Yesterday morning, ReThink UvA, Humanities Rally, De Nieuwe Universiteit, COR, CSR and the unions had a first successful meeting towards the formation of independent committees for democratization, decentralization, and financial transparency at our university. Several hours before, De Nieuwe Universiteit called a press conference to announce that the provisional agreement with the CvB about ending the appropriation […]

On Friday, 3rd of April, the Rethink UvA general assembly discussed the process of setting up the two independent committees together with the other groups involved. The principles that we find important for the work of the committees are: diversity; hospitability; active and decentralized outreach; deliberation-based work; attention to ongoing processes; and inclusiveness. It was […]

Internationally renowned Dutch author Arnon Grunberg will visit the Maagdenhuis on April 5 (Easter Sunday)at 7 PM to converse with those in the building. Grunberg has lots of questions he wants to ask the students, and will talk about the work of South-African writer J.M. Coetzee.

On Monday 6 April, from 7-8 PM, Sally Haslanger will give a lecture in the Maagdenhuis. The title of her lecture is “Who Should Be Educated and How? Race, Gender, Class and Educational Opportunity.” Sally is Ford Professor of Philosophy and Women’s and Gender Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is currently Spinoza Professor at the UvA.

Today we have come to an agreement concerning the establishment of two independent committees. One committee will investigate the financial situation of the university, while another will explore options for a new democratic and decentralized governance structure. This is a direct result of the protests in the past weeks and a major achievement of the […]

COR, CSR, De Nieuwe Universiteit (DNU), Humanities Rally (HR), Rethink UvA and the unions have come to an agreement with the Executive Board (CvB) regarding the creation of two independent committees. This has opened a new phase in the conversations. The parties involved expect that this will be an important step to achieve further democratization […]

Yesterday, a joint delegation of ReThink UvA, De Nieuwe Universiteit, and Humanities Rally met with rector magnificus Dymph van den Boom and secretary Geke van Velzen, in an attempt to resolve the current crisis of trust at the UvA. The topic of discussion was the joint proposal recently adopted by the above mentioned parties regarding […]

After offering a stage to inspiring speakers like David Graeber, Joris Luyendijk, Arnold Heertje, Ewald Engelen, and others, the Maagdenhuis today had the honor of hosting renowned French philosopher Jacques Rancière. Rancière engaged in a Q&A session with students and staff members. Rancière’s presence is particularly apt in the context of the current Maagdenhuis appropriation and student protests. A former […]

A joint proposal by De Nieuwe Universiteit, Humanities Rally, and ReThink UvA. Context: achieved objectives, upcoming challenges The movement composed by De Nieuwe Universiteit, Humanities Rally, and ReThink UvA had an overlapping set of demands. After the CvB’s recent reactions, there is evidence of progress towards meeting several of them: University-wide, faculties and departments are engaged […]

ReThink UvA organiseert aanstaande vrijdag 20 maart om 16.30 uur een UvA-brede manifestatie in het Maagdenhuis met de titel United Faculties Rally. De manifestatie brengt medewerkers uit alle faculteiten van de UvA samen en is de eerste in een reeks stappen voor een universiteitsbrede beweging voor hervorming van de UvA. De recente ontwikkelingen aan de UvA laten zien […]

In response to the joint statement by ReThink UvA, De Nieuwe Universiteit, Humanities Rally and ASVA student union, we received a message from the Executive Board of the University of Amsterdam on Wednesday, 11 March 2015. The Executive Board states that it agrees that further steps should be taken and that the ten-point plan offers a good starting point. They […]