Rector Tilburg University shares cris de coeur with Tilburg politicians
Opening Student Election Debate night on Wednesday, Rector Magnificus Wim van de Donk seized the opportunity to share three cries from the heart with the political parties attending the event. The three short texts capturing these heartfelt wishes concern key issues that Tilburg University is keen to see reflected in the city’s prospective administrative agreement. By launching its appeal, the Executive Board hopes to inspire Tilburg politicians to give these issues their proper due in the coming years.
Student housing
Tilburg faces a serious and pressing shortage of student accommodation. The number of students seeking to live in Tilburg continues to grow, and it is imperative that more temporary housing becomes available for both Dutch and international students as well as for graduates. Tilburg University hopes that by 2025 3,500 student housing units will have been built. To absorb the rising number of students, which peaks at the start of every academic year, swift solutions are urgently needed – such as using vacant office buildings and other properties.
Social safety
Tilburg is a vibrant and diverse student city that aspires to be a place where all its students, regardless of their city, region, or country of origin, feel comfortable and safe. That is why together the City of Tilburg and Tilburg University stand up against international students being treated unequally (‘Dutch students only’) in their search for accommodation.
Knowledge with impact
Knowledge centers in Tilburg matter, because it is there that education, entrepreneurship, and social impact join forces, as they do in the Spoorzone. More internship opportunities and better jobs on the side must be generated for students, as well as creative forms of cooperation between students and the job market, both in Tilburg and regionally. In this way, students use their knowledge and skills in practice, and we hold on to them in Brabant. It is through closer collaboration with Tilburg University that more impact can be achieved.
Student Election Debate
On Wednesday, February 23, 2022, Student Election Debate night took place. The event was hosted by Magister JFT | Juribes, Fractie Front, and the Studentenraad (the Tilburg City Student Advisory Council) working together with Studium Generale. With political reporter Thomas van Groningen acting as moderator, Tilburg politicians debated key themes as well as subjects that inspire controversy in Tilburg’s academic community.
The following political parties attended: CDA, D66, GroenLinks, Lokaal Tilburg, Partij voor de Dieren, PvdA, SP, and VVD. Lijst Smolders could not be there due to illness.