On Monday, Pieter Duisenberg, the heavily criticised chairman of the VSNU (the umbrella organisation of Dutch universities) will come to Groningen.In response to the outrage over his appointment, Duisenberg has decided to do a tour of universities in the country. The discussion he’s willing to have, however, is one that is restricted to be among university board and university council, without the opportunity for influence or participation of critical students and staff.
In his time as a politician for VVD, Duisenberg was responsible for the abolition of the government scholarships, called the humanities ‘leisure studies’ and promoted the influence of multinationals in universities.
DAG has requested the meeting to be accessible to staff and students, but the request got denied. An open, democratic debate has been made impossible and a major part of the academic community is being ignored. Thankfully, DAG has found a solution: visit our Facebook on Monday around 13:00 and tune in for a livestream of the discussion, hosted by our faction members. Post your questions live and our representatives will make sure Duisenberg hears them!