The Boomerang February 2020

from February 2020

Do Climate Change

by Maarten Diederix

I was asked by a much younger Boomerang writer to shed my thoughts on climate change in general. Of course I have my thoughts and mostly wrong assumptions, as it is a fluid dilemma that changes with time. But the main question is: what to do? As an almost 60 year old man I have almost, but not quite, seen the change from a pre-highway world, traveling by boat, to seeing the Concorde streaking by in Heathrow in the '70s.

However I have also seen other ‘systems’ needing energy during my time in Africa. At the end of the sixties, myself and my three brothers needed a regular bath. This was achieved by burning wood beneath a barrel that was built in a chimney outside. The expanding hot water then reached our bathtub and two by two we achieved cleanliness. We also had two laundry sinks with scrub boards, in which the laundry of a family of six was done, and no air conditioning system in the 38 degree heat. During my military service we needed to charge the huge heavy batteries of our radios by cycling a dynamo using our feet, a long and arduous task that went on for hours. If you wanted a little light on your bicycle you put the dynamo on the tyre and needed to cycle just a little more vigorously to achieve this.

And here lies the reason for and solution to the issue: we have completely forgotten how much work making or creating energy, in whatever form, takes. Forgotten and/or ignored (even worse) what is needed to achieve a puddle of light, a cooled room or a hot shower. If we really want a change this is the way to go; remove these effortless “luxuries” and give them true value by “forcing” us all to remember the efforts needed to create energy.

So stop flying to meetings to talk about climate change and instead DO CLIMATE CHANGE. Wear that sweater and lower the heating, go for a day without electricity, stop buying products from far-far away that are completely off season: the list is endless. In short, we, the users of energy, the customers and consumers, have the solution in our hands. Becoming a member of any climate change club is unnecessary if we all just keep it simple and use energy sparingly and consciously.

Gender Balance on Campus: How Progressive is UCU? by Reinier Derks

Two years ago, Menno Beekman, the UCSA Chair of 2017 to 2018, wrote an article investigating gender equality on campus by evaluating the gender ratio within committee boards. Back then, there were 127 female and 60* male board members across campus, which is quite balanced relative to the gender ratio of the UCU population. Of those boards, 21 of them had female chairs, while 17 of them had male chairs. While this seems to be balanced at first glance, comparing it to the general student gender ratio

I Can Hear Music FOAM: Adorned Brexit: Eras of Faillure

suggests it is not. Of course this assumes, for the ease of comparison, that most UCU students identify as either woman or man.

Let’s take a look at the gender ratio in current boards**. Regarding the chair position, there are currently 30 female and 9 male chairs. We can see that compared to two years ago, the number of male chairs has nearly halved. The ratio of chairs is currently 77% female to 23% male, which is more skewed in favour of women compared to roughly 65% female to 35% male gender split on campus.

This article continues on page 3F Besides looking at committee boards, the UCSA board itself provides some interesting statistics. Since its founding, 22 years ago, there have been 65 female and 55 male board members. When looking at the chair position, the gender imbal

3 7 9 Crisis in the Sahel 11 2019-nCoV 13 Independiente del Valle 14

Independiente del Valle: The Story Behind the Newest Copa Sudamericana Champions

by Ivan Rzonzew

For those of us who follow football in the new continent, it is no surprise to read headlines about the successes of clubs like Boca Juniors, Santos, and River Plate, all teams which -for decades- have proven themselves to be among the “greats” of South America. A headline that did take many by surprise, however, was the recent proclamation that the Ecuadorian team Independiente del Valle were the champions of the Copa Sudamericana.

The small team from the working class suburb of Sangolqui in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito, only reached the first division of Ecuadorian football in 2010. Until 2014, the team went through troubled years of adaptation in the Ecuadorian first tie, barely managing to avoid relegation. Ever since 2015, however, they consistently battled for the national championship in the Liga Pro Ecuador. Finally, last November the team achieved their most remarkable feat in their short period of existence as a first division team, when they won the Copa Sudamericana and became the second Ecuadorian team to ever win a continental tournament.

But what makes Independiente an exceptional club, beyond its athletic success, is its work as a social project. Life for those who train at the team’s complex in Sangolqui -for many of whom it is the only way out of povertyis not all about football. Every year, following try-outs for the youth divisions, all new players are registered to the team’s very own school, where as a condition for their continuation in the club, they have to finish their studies.

In their school, the club works with the guidance of qualified professionals who have been specially prepared to push players to finish their education.

Every year the team promotes some of its best athletic talents to their first team, and those who don’t make it go on into the adult world with a high school degree in hand and the possibility of entering higher education in the country. Moreover, those who do make it into professional football, and particularly those who take the big step towards European football, are more prepared to succeed in a football industry that involves institutional frameworks, transactions and agents today more than ever.

At Independiente, they have understood many things. One of them is that education comes before football. Another is the reality of the country they work in, including the fact that many aspiring players have to leave their families at a young age to try to make it in the big leagues. This is why they also provide housing, uniforms, medical and psychological services to all their players.

“It’s a big effort for me, not only because I have to train hard and fight for a position with good players, but also because I miss my family.”

These are the words of Roberto Cabezas, a 13 year old boy of Independiente’s U-14 division who comes from the crime-ridden region of Esmeraldas. Roberto’s reality is not an exception in most formative divisions in Ecuador and most of Latin America. Unfortunately, few teams until now have made an effort to smoothen the transition of their young talents into the difficult world of high-performance sports. Independiente, however, as its motto states, is “un equipo diferente” (a different team), something that is reflected in the words of its founder and honorary president, Michel Deller:

“I've always had a lot of passion for football. We were in a very privileged situation when with a group of friends we decided to take on Independiente… We saw the possibility of having a greater structure, mainly formative, and having a club that worked in the social part, in the intellectual and human development of the players… while transmitting different values to the community... We decided that that was our role and we saw that there was room for … A club that proposed something different.”

The last years have shown that Independiente is surely to have a big impact in South American football and an even bigger one in the lives of many young Ecuadorians. In the dining hall where all the young players have breakfast together every morning, next to photos of the first team stars, a big poster displays the words: “Independiente, more than a team, a family.” They certainly are.

Congratulations Rayados!

Political Diversity on Campus by Michiel van Schagen

“What is the New Year’s Resolution you're most likely to break?”

“New Year's resolutions are bullshit” – Ann-Maj

“Respecting myself ” – Arne

“No dicks in January ” – Max

“Stop being a marble statue ” – August

“Do well in my thesis” – Sabine

“Not smoking weed” – Simon

“Dry February” – Anne-Marijn

“Staying in the EU” – Betsy & Stan

Are universities leftist bastions? According to some politicians, the answer is yes. The US Secretary of Education, Betsy de Vos, remarked that university teachers are telling students “what to do, what to say and, more ominously, what to think''. In the Netherlands, Forum voor Democratie politician Thierry Baudet complained that “we are being undermined by our universities”and opened a website where students can report leftist indoctrination by their teachers. More recently, fellow party member Paul Cliteur coined the idea of a quota for right wing social scientists, during a discussion on political diversity at the University of Amsterdam.

However, despite all these political claims of leftist bias and even indoctrination in our universities, “the evidence suggests otherwise”. Students’ political views apparently do not become more leftist during their time at American universities. And even though a recent study found that university professors are “more liberal and left-leaning than other

professionals”, that conclusion was nuanced by the finding that there is a similar diversity of opinions amongst them as was found in other occupations.

This does not mean that political diversity in university classrooms is not an important topic to discuss. If one fundamental goal of university education is to develop students’ capabilities of critical and reflexive thinking, then creating an atmosphere of open and free debate between opposing views is a key element of that education. Only then can students challenge each other’s assumptions and test their firmly held convictions and their arguments.

This is something that both teachers and students have to remain aware of. According to some students at the University of Amsterdam, students with opinions that diverge from the liberal a-little-bit-left-of-the-middle mainstream at social sciences, more specifically students with conservative or right wing

beliefs, sometimes find it difficult to speak out. Not so much because they think their teachers are trying to indoctrinate them with leftist propaganda, but rather because they experience peer pressure and ridicule from other students that ostracize them.

If this is true, it has several implications. Teachers, who are already very much occupied with ‘safe spaces’ and ‘positive learning environments’, might need to check if there is a silent, disgruntled student in their group that finally wants to discuss the dangers of mass immigration to the nation state for once. Leftist students on the other hand could ask themselves the question: who is that student that is always (secretly) reading Ayn Rand, and ask them (politely please!) about their political ideas. Finally, right wing students should maybe not listen to their favorite politicians when they claim that their university is trying to indoctrinate them, but rather demand from their teachers and peers that their voices also be heard.

“A condom ” – Fin

“Not peeing in my sink ” – Marco

“To shift from red wine to rosé” – Geoffrey

THE BOOMERANG BOARD

Capricorn Ah Capi, you’re likely to stir up some shit today. If this happens it might be best to just pull out of the situation. I know it's tempting to passive aggressively tag people in shady Confessions, but it's really not worth the headache.

Taurus You must feel like some sort of inventor who has wild ideas that could help to revolutionize the future. Or some idiot who accidentally slept with their introweek parent on the first day. But today, Venus is in retrograde. Take your time to focus on activities that make you happy. Take the day to recharge and feel in touch.

Libra You’ve been on the fence about a lot of things lately. Don’t be afraid of making a mistake; remember the lie that the Dean told you on day one saying that you are here to fail? Well, maybe it’s time to find out. Better than missing out entirely, don’t you think? The Boomerang | February 2020

Cancer Cancer, you beautiful, no, gorgeous soul. Your creative energy is at a peak. Staying focused on one thing can be tough for you. But today's energy is giving you the concentration you need to get a creative project completed. Last time you took an edible it went iffy, you ate too many and saw god and the devil himself in the form of a lighthouse embodied by two lonely men. But today is the day, try it again; finish a project you’ve already started or start a new one! Have fun expressing yourself and be creative!!

Sagittarius A renewed sense of values and integrity may be present for you today. All of the embarrassing things you’ve done drunk at the bar have finally run their course and have been forgotten. Connecting with this can be extremely uplifting for you! You have a strong work ethic, which is a good thing, but can make you forget things that are important to you. Make the day your bitch and try to get in touch with yourself.

Aries Stop feeling sad about that one person you met at the bar who gave you chlamydia and ghosted you. It’s time to take charge of your life and own it. Focus on your goals! Take this day to look to the future; plan new experiences that you can enjoy with all the people you cherish in your life.

Leo Oh Leo, today your head is the clouds. Make an impression on the person you talked to at the bar once and you somehow convinced yourself is the love of your life. You can either make yourself out to be someone you're not, or you can be exactly who you are, which is difficult because you still don’t really know who you are. But ultimately you must feel comfortable and accepting of the fact that you should only really be around people who feel at ease with your natural way of expression.

Pisces You’re going to undergo some dramatic changes soon, which is going to make it difficult for you to focus on things that make your life pretty nice. Take time to appreciate the campus cat or that one person you’ve never talked to but still smile at every time you see them. Because at the end of the day, it’s about all the small things that you’ve never really thought of. When you emphasize things they will multiply and grow. Try it and see what rewards it’ll reap.

Virgo It’s a good time to look at your financial situation. Spending all your money on drugs and beer might seem fun in the moment, but look at your spending and ask yourself; are you where you want to be? Have you got plans in place for down the road? Do you have sufficient cash flow? Can you really afford to be charged another 70 euros for the microwave? Just take the day to think and see areas where you might want to improve.

Scorpio Your thoughts are not clear today. You’ve spent the whole day surviving solely off of coffee. Time to drink some tea and get some rest. It’s not productive to stay in Voltaire the whole day, scrolling through Facebook. If you can’t concentrate, there is a reason for it. Take a break for an hour or two and then try to get back on the grind with a clear mind.

Aquarius You’re feeling energetic today! It could be the day to get some cleaning done! Finally, clean the dishes that have been in the sink for a week, or the bathroom that hasn't been cleaned since the start of the year. Make the most of this energy by doing the most you can.

Gemini It’s time to get up and get moving! It’s been two weeks since you've left campus (going for groceries doesn't count). It’s gotten to the point where Pip has become the only thing you can cuddle with. Staying in the bubble not only affects your mental well-being but also your physical well-being! Go for a walk in the forest, go wander around in the city center or go extreme and leave Utrecht! Try something that breaks your daily routine, and take time to breathe in the air.