The
Boomerang October 2019
Campus Disposal: Explained by Saskia Vrensen The news that was announced on Monday 23rd of September in Dining Hall Lounge, to a small gathering of no more than 40 people, quickly spread across the entirety of campus. As the few of us who hadn’t heard any rumours at all walked slowly from the far side of campus towards classes, almost everyone we encountered along the way somehow already knew, and if they didn’t, we became their informants. In shocked, low voices and with wide eyes, the phrase ‘Campus is being sold’ passed from lips to ears probably hundreds of times. What followed was a string of rumours, pulled from thin air like handkerchiefs from a magician’s sleeve. Some were just simply ridiculous and some seemed plausible, but no one really knew where they had come from. Truth be told, very few people actually know very little about anything. What I mean is, there is little to know so far, and very few of us are actually, properly informed about it. If you would like to be informed about the small quantity of information regarding the disposal of campus that is available as of now, I invite you to continue reading. As I sat down with Irene van de Hoef (of ASC
"But What Ifs are meaningless at this stage; the decision has been made and it will not be reversed." fame but also on the Management Team), she explained that the decision to sell and move from campus by 2025 was largely driven by numbers. In order to understand the decision-making process, a larger lens is needed. Come, burst the
Illustrations © Lotte Schuengel
bubble with me, and we will venture into the unknown territory of UU bureaucracy. A couple of years ago, the University Utrecht reported that it was aiming for less than 15% of total costs to be spent on buildings. As seen in the Utrecht University Real Estate Strategy published in September 2019 (only available in Dutch as of the day sent to press), if no changes are made, the UU will be spending more than 20% on buildings by 2027. If minimum investment is adopted, still then the UU will be spending almost 20% of the budget on buildings by 2027. In other words, budget spent on buildings is on an inclining trajectory, and severe cuts and changes have to be made to keep to the under 15% aim. This means selling buildings, as well as investing 800 million euros into making new and existing buildings more sustainable, so that they can remain within the 15% limits. When considering these statistics, it makes a little more sense why the UU decided that an
entire campus needed to be disposed of. Essentially, on a financial level, there was no other option but to sell University buildings. According to Anton Pijpers, President of the Executive Board at the UU, “Doing nothing is not an option. We do not want our estate costs to rise so high that we have to cut spending on education and research.” While I struggle to fault this logic, I equally understand the concern of many UCU students as to why our campus was targeted.
Irene told me that as well as the clearly influential financial motivations behind this decision, there were six key values that the Executive Board and the University Council kept in mind during this process, namely ‘Functional Quality, Safety, Flexibility, Sustainability, Controllability and Affordability’. Admittedly, this seems and is, in practice, rather vague for everyone involved. Who knows how large of a part these values really played in the decision making process. It does humanise the decision more, elevating it above just arbitrary numbers, and I find comfort in that. What makes me uncomfortable is the thought that had other values been chosen and focused on - such as, oh, I don’t know, ‘Community’ - the decision may have been very different. But What Ifs are meaningless at this stage; the decision has been made and it will not be reversed. And who made this decision, you ask? Who was applying these values to This article continues on page 3F
Dissecting the U-Shape Orthodoxy
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Debt Hangover
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Missing your Family: Tips and Tricks
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The History of Halloween
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Discovering Romania
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Volunteering in Vietnam
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BUBBLE A First Year’s Perspective on the Sale of Campus
The Boomerang | October 2019
university campus being contained within a single building to be quite dissatisfying and very clinical. It came off to me as having less personality. And personality goes a long way. The character of this campus shouldn't be understated. We are a community of subcommunities built into each respective residential and academic building, each with its own units and classrooms. And this categorization is malleable, being transformed on a yearly basis, with a biannual injection of new students and cultures too. Our campus gifts us with distinction. A distinction that simply couldn't exist at a campus like that of LUC and EUC, where the entirety of the university is housed by a single large, daunting complex. Regardless, I should reiterate and stress the fact that, had UCU offered a campus identical to that of LUC, it is very likely that I would have selected LUC instead. I highly suspect that this experience is not unique
specific choices in an attempt to meet this 15% goal? Who decided that, when push comes to shove, our campus is disposable? Well, this is a question to which no one really knows the answer.
to just me. Since the academic powers-thatbe insist on this absurd focus on issues of finance in our education, it certainly is pertinent that the exceptional and distinctive campus of UCU is a major selling-point of the university college.
"The character of this campus shouldn't be understated" I suppose the bottom line, according to those who truly are in control of our education, is that our campus is just too expensive. Hey, you know how it goes… cut costs and raise prices. We'll just have to wait and see what our college’s new home will be. Perhaps capitalism is capable of bringing us commieblocks just as well.
I believe we, as a community, should see it as our responsibility to make sure tomorrow’s campus is as good as, if not better than, our current one. This ranges from improving sustainability to making our teacher’s offices more comfortable, and possibly removing mice from our living rooms! As the UCU student body hasn’t been given a say in the disposal of campus, we need to do our best to show we care. LijstVUUR, Vidius, UCSA, ASC and CAR have combined forces to facilitate this process. Reaching the individuals in the decision-making positions as a UCU student is almost impossible, but with the help of the on- and off-campus bodies, we can make our demands heard. First off, there is the unique combination of our official student representatives. Technically, ASC is in UCU Faculty Council, granting them official power to represent UCU students to the Management Team, and through that, to the UU Executive Board. If we want to make a legitimate statement, request or demand as the UCU community, we need their help. Yet the destruction of our campus and cessation of our campus life is far more than an academic issue. Although it isn’t officially a UCU student body, this topic is essentially CAR’s singular purpose: representing students concerning all campus-related matters.
But I believe we cannot do this alone. The decision made by the Executive Board was one made for all 30,000 UU students as well, affecting many more students, faculty and staff than just UCU. Having LijstVUUR and Vidius on our side will not only guide us through the UU’s red tape and provide crucial information on the real estate strategy, but will also give our request more weight. Vidius is Utrecht’s student union, representing more than 65,000 students across 80 years, and knows all about representing student’s interests. LijstVUUR is one of the 4 student parties that we - yes, UCU students as well - can vote on every year to represent us in the student council. These students are crucial in the university’s decision making, as they represent one third of the vote in the council. From voting on the budget to having a say in the future of internationalisation of the university, all major decisions go past this council. If
In the absolute simplest of terms, for anyone as clueless as I was a couple of days ago; the body who makes the final decision is the Executive Board. The co-governence body, the University Council, is an advisory board that also has the power to consent (or not) to specific decisions made by the Executive Board. For the purpose of this article (and again in the absolute simplest of terms) this means that the University Council gave opinions and feedback about different budget cut routes that were being considered, and the Executive Board used these opinions and feedback to decide that campus should be
As I briefly mentioned before, no one really knows whose opinions were taken into consideration. After that crash course on the division of powers of the UU, let me throw a slight spanner in the works. That being that a secret, four person subcommittee consisting of two students and two staff members within the University Council were the only ones discussing and providing opinions to the Executive Board during the entire decision making process. Secret, meaning that we don’t know who they are. Four person, meaning that only four people had the fate of many, many faculties and most importantly for us, our campus, in their hands.
makes the final outcome hurt even more. We don’t need anyone to point our fingers at, but we would like explanation and context for this decision that will have an emotional toll on many UCU students, past, present and future. I hate to conclude this explanatory piece with another big question mark. It seems that this ongoing process will involve many question marks, which is not the comfort we need right now. That being said, while there is no one to blame for the loss of our beloved campus, and finger pointing and anger are a waste of energy, I urge you to hold the UU accountable for the transparency that they owe us, whenever it is possible.
We do know for sure that neither of the two secret students were from UCU, because there are no UCU representatives in the University Council as of now. This poor practice and lack of transparency is really quite shameful, and it
Dissecting the U-Shape Orthodoxy
by Alberto Delgado Abello
by Casper de Haes
Ironically, the disappearance of the campus they represent is making them more relevant than ever. Yet these bodies don’t embody what makes the ‘International Campus Utrecht’ UCU’s home: the social life does. The UCSA represents us in the broadest sense, working hard every day to make the campus a better place to live, study and party, acting as the proverbial ‘glue’ holding us together. A joint committee tackling this issue has the power to represent all students, make sense of what is best for a future campus and present it convincingly to the Management Team and UU.
We have reached our destination, finally; the confusing world of UU bureaucracy. I was quite ashamed when Irene had to explain it to me with many hand gestures, but to be honest the Dutch titles of the boards are enough to dishearten anyone (don’t worry, the translated titles will be used here).
disposed of. Of course, the Deans of each faculty also had input, but obviously they were each defending their own little corner of the UU, and so the less personally motivated opinions of the University Council were likely valued more highly within the decision making process.
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Illustrations © Lotte Schuengel
Students’Action and Input in Campus Disposal Campus is being sold, and we need to accept this as a fact of life. With this in mind, what are our options?
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by Noa Idema
It was in early 2019 that I found myself faced with a three-pronged fork in the road. I had applied to UCU, LUC and EUC. Initially, I had seen LUC as my ideal choice, since I had formerly lived in Den Haag and loved the city. It was after some lengthy deliberation though, that I changed my mind. I came to see UCU as the optimal choice for me, as there was one major deal breaker for me in this thought process. As you could have guessed, it was the campus. See, I had always idealized my university experience in the American fashion, with my perception of what campus life is like mirroring that. I always expected a campus like that of most US colleges, and that of UCU, where there are a variety of buildings and facilities all close to each other. Dutch universities however have campuses spread out across their respective cities, or like the other University Colleges, contained within one single superstructure. Thus, I found the prospect of my entire
A University College Student Association Magazine
anyone knows about the intricate details of the changes upon us, LijstVUUR can help us out. UCU’s future is intrinsically linked with the campus it is housed at. Whether you think it should change or it should stay the same, campus shows what UCU and its students are all about. UCU is not just another field of study at Utrecht University but that it encompasses much much more, which we haven gotten to know as this feeling of ‘community’. Taking pride in this fact is only justified if we voice our opinions and show that we care about the long term view. Continuity is what underlies this feeling of community. That’s why we all need to come together to ensure that all of us can equally decide the future of our campus. This monday, 4th of November, is the night to be heard. A Student Inputsession will be held, to gather your opinions and views on the future of campus. From a mice-less living room to having a quad with at least as many pebbles as we have now, voice whatever you think is important.
Illustration © Tara Sitindjak
During the last year of high school, my friends and I played Mario Kart in the back of the classroom. We brought our DS to class and started a tournament whenever the mood struck. The game itself was fun, but the meta-game of keeping watch on the teacher and strategically pausing and resuming made it even better. That was a fun use of the privacy we had in the traditional classroom, but we often used it for more “important” matters. We would explain things to each other, criticize the teachers, comment on presentations. We didn’t sit down and passively take in the classes. We engaged with each other during class, and it augmented our experience. We learned to teach, to be discerning, to be critical, to be funny, to be witty, and to do all that within bounds: we hardly ever actually disrupted the class, and even though we occasionally spoke to each other and played video games, we mostly paid attention. We didn’t need a formal structure to make it happen; just some privacy and leniency. In UCU, such things are impossible. We have small classrooms, which reduces privacy quite a lot, but we also have that thoughtlessly hallowed U-shape. This classroom layout is one of the reasons I came to UCU, but now I think it is a bad thing. It ensures that both the professor and the students on the other side of the classroom have direct
line of sight to you at all times. If you talk to a classmate, you must be quick and quiet. Since any face you make might be seen by fifteen people, you must control your reactions to what’s said (perhaps even your thoughts, lest your face betray them). Like me, you might feel like you’re always expected to say something, or like you can’t even doodle in peace without distracting your neighbors. This university is full of hypocritical contradictions, but this panopticon built into every classroom is among the most concerning. This might be worth it if the arrangement delivered on its promise, but it does not; it cannot. The U shape is there for discussion, but discussions shouldn’t happen every class. Many courses do a lot of lecturing, which often makes sense. In others, the teachers ask for opinions and examples often. This also happened in school, it’s not better here, so the U shape doesn’t improve that. The one area where this arrangement could shine - proper debate - is shunned by teachers who either don’t consider them, don’t know how to organize and lead them, or fear what might happen if they hold one. After all, in a real debate, you must directly address and dissect your classmate’s arguments back and forth, and UCU culture has no stomach for that. At any rate, we had more debates in my former university, and when we held them,
Illustration © Idalina Lehtonen
we simply moved the tables around to form two sides, a U or a circle, as appropriate. The very act of moving the tables around made the coming moment feel special and important, marking the debate as something deserving special respect and engagement. It’s even possible that the U-shaped classroom makes teachers feel exposed and therefore insecure. UCU teachers are, on average, less assertive than those at my former university and earlier high school, even though they have better credentials. It makes them sound like they know less than they do, like anything they say is just an opinion. It’s unsurprising. There’s a reason why we design classrooms as classrooms and parliaments as parliaments. One is designed to focus attention front and center, bolstering the position of the speaker; the other is designed to elicit discussion by positioning everyone so they are both listening and ready to speak. Lecturing in a classroom with the latter design is a contradictory experience. Teachers should start being more thoughtful about how to organize their classrooms in order to best benefit our learning, always deciding from scratch how the classroom should be arranged for this or that class. They should not feel afraid to go against the local orthodoxy on the matter, and at least dare to experiment with different layouts, including the traditional one, from time to time. As for students, we should be thoughtful about what this design does to us, find some privacy in our own minds and not be afraid of what others may think, perhaps we should also bring the issue up with each of our professors.
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The Boomerang | October 2019
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Agony Aunt
Alumni Reflections on Campus Being Sold by Laura Hoogenraad
How do I tell my flat mates to stop bringing so many guys to our flat? It’s been one week and there have already been like 10 (and we’re in kh). Before I get started, I am going to assume that this is about your flatmates bringing guys around on a purely ‘friend’ basis, as anything else could get slightly more complicated (although the same kind of advice still applies.) Now you aren’t saying that your flatmates should never have people over and live in complete solitude, which may be a tad unreasonable, as the problem isn’t about them having friends, but about them constantly forcing you to be around them. Although technically it is their living space so they are allowed to have people around, what they and you need to remember is that you have to live there too, meaning that you have as much right to be comfortable there as anyone else. Whilst you could always go down the route of dropping subtle hints, removing the sofas so that no one can sit down or playing obnoxiously loud metal music to scare the males away, I honestly believe that being direct is the best path to take. This doesn’t have to mean face to face confrontation, but even just dropping a message explaining how you feel should do the trick. As your flatmates, they should be willing to take your feelings seriously and do something to better the situation - but if not, I hear UCSA lend out some great speakers for any metal blasting needs. I started seeing someone recently but I’m still not over a boy I used to have feelings for. It would never have worked out with the boy though because he liked another person. How can I get over that boy so I can focus on this new thing that is happening? Now don’t get me wrong, a nice kiss and cuddle with someone new can work as the perfect distraction from past loves that didn’t work out, but that’s all it is - a distraction. I’ve seen many friends jump straight into a new relationship when their old one ended in heartbreak, hoping to be whisked off of their feet and away from any previous pain, but let me tell you, 9/10 times, this doesn’t work. Using someone else to try to ignore how you really feel will not only lead to you getting hurt more, but will most likely hurt the other person involved too. So, if you really do see something happening with this new boy, it might be best to take a break with him until you are really ready to fully commit. In terms of moving on from boy numero uno, a good old social media purge is the first place to start. Now I know you may be thinking that this is too ‘extreme’ but trust me, even if you can ignore the urge for a 1am instagram stalk, seeing his name pop up on your screen is not exactly going to help get him out of your head, so get that boy blocked. On a more serious note, just keep reminding yourself that you deserve to be someone’s first choice, so this if past boy hasn’t seen that by now, then he is not worth your time - and the sooner you realise that, the sooner you can move onto someone who is.
“I was hoping that my children would eventually go to UCU on our campus,” said alumnus Colin Mellis (class of 2003). Whoever is reading this might just have started UCU, you might still be trying to feel at home between the doors of Locke and Voltaire, still trying to perfect your unflattering walk on that damned quad, and you might still be scared of Diederix’ gaze. This is an effort to collect alumni reflections, to show current students, teachers, staff and especially the UU’s executive board how twenty generations of UCU alumni feel about campus. Our campus. Whose meaning is invaluable. Enjoy your trip down our memory lane. The selling of campus has shocked the University College Alumni Association (UCAA) page on Facebook. More than 280 reactions; 181 sad, 50 shocked and 46 angry. And a rigorous debate in the comment section on how to mobilize the alumni network to save it. My personal favorite; “So, can we buy it?” Indra Spronk (2006) is the translator for UU news site (DUB). She had to translate the article about campus and keep quiet for two days until the embargo was lifted. “It was hellllll,'' she wrote. “I needed others to share my pain and misery! This was our home for three years, at such an important time in our lives. I can't imagine it being gone, or housed in soulless new crap buildings in the boring-ass Uithof.” The fifty or so reactions to my request to collect reflections were similar, and roughly categorized in three similar arguments. Firstly, the agony about a possible move to the Uithof was widely shared. “Not only does it feel like UCU isn't valued by the UU, but I think it will change the UCU experience for new students,'' wrote Annemieke Janssen (2016). “If UCU
is moved to the Uithof, or anywhere else, it will be much more difficult to foster that sense of community.” The campus is also a vital part of UCU’s reputation as a prestigious college. “What would Oxford be if it were housed in newly-built highrise flats?” said asks Roderick Groenewoud (2009), “The Uithof does not have that”. Secondly, without campus, the spirit of UCU would be lost. That was beautifully described by Emmeline Long (2018): “The unique and most important core component of UCU is its campus. It's like Romeo (Campus) and Juliet (UCU) and we all know how that ended…” It “would be like hacking off one of UCU's limbs, harming one of the most successful academic programs in the Netherlands,” wrote Eline Wildöer (2016). Lastly, it was a collection of memories, of emotions and sentimentality. “It's not only the place where you studied; it's the literal space that helped form me (or us, if I can be so bold to speak as such),” wrote Charlotte Champion (2009). Naomi van den Berg (2016) agreed: “The campus is essential in creating this safe space, and creating this community with all of its elements being physically close together, allowing for a maximum amount of (often random and amazing) encounters and interactions.” “[It is] a fucking tragedy,” was Anna Taimr’s response (2019). “If, one day, the students who call themselves UCUers will not have the space to cultivate the true essence of what it means to go to UCU, we may have been the lucky ones to have experienced the golden age of our college.” Is this indeed the end of the golden age? When scrolling through dozens of reactions and memories, the sense of community overwhelms. Those who freshly gradu-
ated and those who graduated ages ago and have children and serious jobs, are connected by the same experience they shared on that square kilometer. It is hopefully still possible to mobilize a force to convince the executive board that they are making a major mistake, and for them to (wild suggestion) include opinions of alumni and current students alike before they decide to sell a home. “Often I think about ways where and how I could find such tight-knit community out in the 'real world' again, but truly, UCU campus is unique,” said Sofie Ros (2015). “The UU needs to reconsider, asap.” To end this on a slightly more positive note; a collection of memories described by Natascha Nieuwenhuis (2003), in which every alumnus can recognize their own UCU journey: “Group yoga on the grass. Lounging on couches in the sun. Many spontaneous parties in the dorms. Soccer and other sports on the quad. Theme parties in the college bar; too many to name. Musical and cultural evenings. Beach party, proms and anti-proms. Going from a college bar party to class, before going to bed. Changing computers back to English from Chinese. Waving at cars from the Wall windows. Parking your first car on campus after getting your driving license. Movie night, painting in the tower and weekend eggs and bacon. Teaching foreign students how to ride a bike. And introducing them to Koningsdag. Last day on campus driving off with the couch strapped to the roof of the car.” And to end on a pessimistic note, as Myrte Vos (2012) described: “If you want to quickly ruin something that took twenty years to build culture, reputation, institutional knowledge - this is the way to do it.”
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Illustration © Lotte Schuengel
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The Boomerang | October 2019
A University College Student Association Magazine
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Missing your Family: Tips and Tricks by Kate Cammeraat
Selling Campus = Selling Us by Rafaella Karadsheh
Selling campus can be a way to right some wrongs (…in theory) by Elisa Barzotti Nobody here needs to be told that living on campus comes with problems. Malfunctioning heat, lack of hot water, the absurd number of washing machines per capita in Kromhout, the risk of break-ins, and, of course, mice: the average UCU student has to go through at least one of these things. In addition to that, this campus is not very eco-friendly – some lights that cannot be switched off, and most windows are non-insulated, which drives the heating costs to unnecessary heights. Then there is the fact that we all pay the same high price for rooms that can vastly differ in living quality, by, for example, charging the same amount for the glorified broom closets in Tower and the huge spaces in the academic buildings. Plus, we get fined extra amounts for ludicrous reasons (see the fifteen euros to replace a 5.99 table). Lastly, a less general point that I came across when I had to use a wheelchair for two months last year: this campus is extremely difficult to access for the physically disabled. Nearly all of these issues are systemic: they have existed for years, and those in charge either have their hands bound by the restrictions of monument sites, don’t want to put in the necessary long- term investment to change the infrastructure, or just like our money. With all of this in mind, the idea of selling campus off and using the resulting funds to create a living space with better, more accessible, and more ecologically sustainable infrastructure, and perhaps with a company that is not bent on wringing students dry (yay for wishful thinking), seems amazing. In theory, building a study environment that is viable in the long-term should have happened twenty years ago, but better late than never. However, and that leaves aside campus issues existing no matter who owns it, the vision of a campus adapted to the needs of UCU and correcting the woes of old can only be realised if the UU administration is aware of, and willing to act on them. And seeing how they keep the precise details of why the International Campus is being sold under wraps, and omitted to have anyone from UCU involved in the process, I am doubtful. The possibility of creating a great campus is right there, but whether anyone in charge cares enough to approach it in a considerate way is a different story.
way to meet people. You can also take that leap and join a board. For many, myself included, this was a huge plus to my campus experience. They’re a group of people with whom you can organise fun events and share similar interests, and you see them on a regular basis. Asking your Dutch friends to show you around the country is also a fun way to explore the Netherlands with a local. It’s also a call to Dutch students on campus: take your international friends home with you! It is always nice to share your home with one of your friends. Your room is also an important part of feeling at home on campus. An element that you can forget, however, is to bring something specific from home that helps you stay in touch. This can be silly things such as your “favorite cereal bowl” but it can help you feel closer to home despite the distance. Amidst the hecticness of UCU, and certainly immediately after introweek, it is important not to forget about ‘me, myself and I’. Self-care doesn’t have to be you lying spread-eagled on your bed with a mask on your face... unless that’s exactly what you need. Plan events each week. This way you have something to look forward to. In the week you should have standard ways
you can treat yourself. Make a special dish on the weekend, have a movie night, etc. Even if you don’t feel like you have the time, it is important; make room for these moments no matter what. Get out of your room! Without noticing you can easily spend hours at a time in your room, inside. It is important to opt for a change of scenery whenever you can. This can even be studying in Voltaire (however dreadful that sounds). Now, some last reminders to round off these wholesome tips. Missing your family and home is okay! It means you’re a normal human being with emotions. It is also nothing to be ashamed of. Just because you’re a student doesn’t mean you immediately transform into an independent adult. Lastly, a suggestion for you all reading this article: if you feel like events are lacking on the weekend then go out and take initiative! I think there is a lot of room for chilled out events designed for everybody. UCU is constantly open for improvement and the UCSA, CAR and ASC platforms are there to encourage ideas. Many international students would greet new ideas with open arms!
Illustration © Vedika Luthra
Yes, this is another article about campus being sold. I can’t promise you it’s the last one you’ll read, but I can promise you it will serve as a reminder of the importance and emotional value our campus has. Earlier this week I heard someone say that if campus is all that UCU has to offer, then we need to rethink what defines UCU. Well I am here to tell you how very wrong that sentence is. First off, UCU has a lot to offer; great education, an incredible community -- the list goes on. But let’s be real here for a minute; campus makes all those things a lot better. Let’s start off with how this campus is the cornerstone of our little community. I remember observing how people interacted with each other during my introweek. At that point, I was pretty sure I was going to leave UCU and study somewhere else, but I was drawn to the connection I saw between older students. I noticed how they seemed to see a friendly face wherever they went, nodding or smiling at passersby. That was what made me realise that campus is a place that many called home, and a place I can call home. Soon enough, it was. From 3am walks across campus only to discover Adam Smith hall, to looking at the stars on a warm evening during summer term, campus became my home. And the history behind this campus- how could we forget that? Campus is a national landmark -- a beautiful one too. There are also signs of some of the first students at UCU written on the walls (literally). Names were scratched onto the Dining Hall bathroom doors ten years ago, just below small sentences that are mildly entertaining to read. And of course, history decorates the ceiling of our beloved bar. Trinkets are strung up on the ceiling tiles, their stories lost in the years that passed. Some students made their mark 20 years ago, some only 2. But regardless of when a mark was left, it is still the beginning of UCU history. With one wrecking ball, all of that is going to be gone. Of course, we can’t forget just how beautiful campus is. Yes, dining hall looks a little grim, and yes, campus has too many mice. Downfalls aside, campus is quite stunning -- honestly, it makes walking across the quad for a 9AM easier. The buildings are spread out just enough for campus to look like its own village. And there are so many beautiful spots to enjoy. The brick paved sidewalks are beautifully painted with coloured leaves in the autumn, and the green grass offers some colour on a gloomy winter day. Flowers blossom on the trees when spring rolls around, and soon enough the they offer shade from the hot summer sun. The list goes on. Campus is arguably one of the main attractions for prospective students. But most importantly, it is a place that they, and all of us, can call home.
With the high of introweek slowly dying down, many first years may experience a dip somewhere in the coming weeks. I know in my case it had a lot to do with difficulties in “finding your people” and the lack of the constant support you find from your family at home. With that being said, I thought it would be nice to give all students on campus some tips on feeling lonely and missing your family. These tips come from a couple of students who stay on campus every weekend and are experts with regard to missing home. Firstly, and what might seem a little obvious is to be social! Of course this isn’t always the easiest thing to take initiative with, but here are some ideas to help you along: Stay in touch with your parents and friends back home; there is no shame in calling your parents everyday! If you come from another area in Europe, you can get your friends and family to come visit UCU throughout the year. This way you stay in touch and you can look forward to it once it is planned in. Your introweek parents still exist! They’ve probably gone through the same feelings and can help you rationalize your thoughts. Join a committee! Most committees are a great
What are your chances of dying in the next 10 years? by Julie Clar Welcome to Clar Seminar, the new science column where I will discuss scientific discoveries and debates! If there was a test that would determine your expiration date, would you want to know? In August, researchers from Leiden University were able to predict with 83% accuracy the likelihood of a person surviving another five to ten years. They discovered the existence of metabolic predictors of long-term mortality in the blood of over 44,000 individuals aged 18 to 109 years old. A biomarker is a measurable indicator of a biological state or condition in the body by which a specific physiological phenomenon can be identified. Researchers worked with biobanks around the world to measure fourteen metabolic biomarkers in each blood sample, including inflammation, fluid balance, and fatty acid metabolism. They combined the measurements to form an unprecedented single “score” with which to assess the prob-
ability of an individual’s death within the next decade. Up until now, weight, cholesterol, and blood levels were used to predict mortality in younger patients only. For older patients, doctors tended to rely on imprecise measurements of functionality, such as grip strength, to evaluate a patient’s physical state. The biomarkers used in this study produced consistently accurate scores for patients of all ages. Despite the promising results, the study specifies that the technique would not be readily available to predict mortality until more follow-up studies are conducted. This tool is intended to “indicate the risk of vulnerability, especially if that information provides opportunities for an improvement in lifestyle or better treatment.” Doctors could use this prediction to assess the feasibility of certain surgical interventions, or to make more effective treatment decisions. These biomarkers could also facilitate the testing
of novel medication on the risk of mortality, particularly for the elderly. There is, however, a flip side to this technique’s promising application, because there are implications beyond the medical field that would raise serious ethical concerns. It goes without saying that many would rather not know how likely they are to survive the next decade. Additionally, private companies could replicate the blood-sampling procedure and sell the mortality scores to individuals. The scores could also become a common currency if insurance companies were ever to get ahold of their clients’ results. Cost estimations and risk evaluations based on individual expiration dates don’t really sound like a good idea. Not only would human dignity be at stake, but so would the technique’s legitimacy in the event of fraudulent measurements and false scores.
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The Boomerang | October 2019
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The Sentimentality of Selling Campus An interview with Dean James Kennedy by Saskia Vrensen In light of the Campus Disposal news that stunned many (and left others simply shrugging), I decided to sit down with our Dean and spokesperson, James Kennedy, to discuss how he felt about the decision. Saskia: There are a lot of rumours going around about this ‘campus disposal’ so I thought it would be a good idea to sit down with you and set some things straight. What were the main deciding factors behind this decision? The Dean: I think there’s really only one; in the last couple of years, the University made a calculation of the total cost of ownership. It reviews how much buildings cost over many decades. They take a look at what things are going to cost structurally until the end of their useful lives, across the whole UU. Of course, when you have monumental buildings, there is no end to them, [meaning] that you have to maintain a campus indefinitely, which exceeds what can be justified in the budget. S: Do you have any insight as to why students were not able to give any input regarding this decision before it was made? It is likely impossible that this decision could be reversed? D: As far as I know, I don’t think any students [at all] were consulted. Keep in mind that this decision is not just about UCU. This is about reducing the square meterage across the [UU], and making the whole University shed footprint. It’s getting rid of a lot of square metres, and while the disposal of this campus is the most draconian step that they’ve taken, it's not the only step that they’ve taken. I think as they drew up their plans, the consultation process [was excluded] for the sake of getting the best possible debate. The decision just had to be made, and they will work on the community consultation later. I think the decision making process was very limited across the board, not exclusively at UCU. That may be no comfort to people who think [our input] ought to have happened, but we weren’t specific victims of this policy. S: Just to be clear, if that policy had happened, it wouldn’t have changed the decision?
Comic © Annelise van den Akke
D: Again, to streamline the decision-making. This is what the Executive Board of the University decided was the best way to go, I mean that’s how they would justify it. I think the Executive Board was inching towards this decision for a number of months, and ultimately that decision was made in the early summer. S: Was that hard for you to watch happen? D: Sure it was. You give your input, trying to find ways of having a sustainable campus, but yeah, of course it is difficult. You don’t always win your battles in administration, not even as Dean of the College. I certainly impressed upon the Executive Board what a loss this campus would be, so I think they understand that. S: I feel as though UCU sometimes sees itself as quite separate from the UU; we call it the bubble for a reason. I have no idea how the UU sees us, but I can imagine that we also seem a bit apart from them. Following that, how much were you able to press your views and our views? D: We were able to voice our opinions on this on multiple occasions. The bottom line is that we’re only a very small part of the total UU. That means that the interests of this college are balanced up against the interests of other parts of the University. We are and were only a small part of the jigsaw puzzle that the University was trying to solve. S: What can we expect a future UCU to look like? What could the campus look like? How do you think community life there would differ? D: These are wide open questions to which I cannot possibly give an answer at present. We can say, and have said that we think some things are very important. We want a residential campus that’s integrated with the learning functions, that is very important. We need these things to be sustainable. We want there to be a way that the campus is configured that promotes community, and that we develop facilities for that. What kind of things do we want to have? That is something that the community is going to have to help decide, in the future. You all will have a part in that. S: what would you want the new campus to look like in an ideal world? D: Well, in an ideal world I’d want it to look like this one. I love the classic look, I’d like to have that kind of stately, collegial place. I also have to keep an open mind about how this place could be improved upon. I do think that the teachers and staff are way too spread out from each other, I’d like to see a more integrated place where teachers and staff can come together and maybe also commune more with students. I hope that doesn’t happen in a highrise, so how do you do it? But those are the kinds of things I’d like to see. We’ll see what will happen, but it’ll be a tall order. S: How likely is it that that dream comes true? D: I don’t know. I do think that having disposed of this campus, the University does have a great responsibility, and also feels that responsibility, to make a very heavy investment in making the new campus as optimal as it possibly can be. We cannot settle for a so-so campus. That would be indescribably sad and detrimental to the future of the college. S: How do you feel about the emotional toll that this has on students-current students and alumni? D: I certainly feel the pain now because I’ve lived it so I imagine [I feel] the same as people are now. The hope is that as we go into the future and as more concrete plans are drawn up for a future campus, that will also give some hope, some things to look forward to. I think that’s something we need very badly. I hope that time will come sooner rather than later.
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Important Opinions on Important Movies by Sam de Visser With Halloween season coming up, I felt it was appropriate to dedicate this first film column to one of my favourite spooky scary movies: a little-known Japanese movie called Onibaba (Kaneto Shindo, 1964). It’s a movie that’s supposed to be a horror movie, but isn’t particularly scary. It does however leave me very unsettled every time I watch it though, due to a few very effective elements. Onibaba is set in a medieval Japan torn apart by civil war and fully takes place in a field of susuki grass, which obscures most of the action of the movie. The result is an incredible feeling of isolation. This movie has only three main characters, two women and one man. Only the man is named. We don’t know anyone in this empty world. Arguably, the real main character in Onibaba is the field of grass it takes place in, and the sound of the wind constantly howling around it. More than any modern blockbuster, this movie feels as if it takes place in a destroyed, post-apocalyptic world. The two unnamed women are related: the younger woman is the daughter-in-law of the older woman. They barely get by through ambushing and killing isolated soldiers and selling their belongings in exchange for some food. The man is Hachi, a soldier who returns from the war with the news that the older woman’s son, the younger woman’s husband,
has been killed. Most of the movie is about the older woman’s growing feelings of isolation and jealousy. As the younger woman and Hachi grow closer together, the older woman begins to feel left behind. It’s really a very simple story, not particularly scary either, until a demon mask comes into play. The word ‘onibaba’ actually means ‘demon hag’, which quite accurately summarises the ultimate conflict of the movie. The older woman comes into the possession of a mask and starts using it to try and scare the younger woman away from Hachi. The mask plays a large role, and just like the grass, is almost a character in itself - permanently stuck in a creepy grin, its expressions seem to change in impossible ways as the mood of the people wearing it changes. This all culminates in the last ten minutes of Onibaba, in which the grass, wind, mask and jealousy all combine to create an insane ending - despite the rest of the movie not really being very eventful at all.
grass and a wooden mask - is enough to make Onibaba incredibly atmospheric and memorable. This is a movie that feels like it takes place in a post-war world. There’s nothing left in the Japan portrayed here, except for negativity, poverty and death. Yet there’s also the idea that if we don’t make things too hard for ourselves, we can be happy despite everything around us. The lush field of grass this movie takes place in makes this world feel both empty and a little hopeful. There are no people left here, and those who are here are kind of terrible, but in the end, life still goes on.
And that’s the thing with Onibaba: in the end, it’s not the best movie in the world. The characters are flat, the plot doesn’t really kick into gear until an hour in. But despite this, the combination of just two elements - a field of Illustration © Emma Kuijpers
Discovering Romania Traveling from country to country to explore interesting cultures and meet new people is becoming increasingly accessible these days. When my best friend told me that I should just hop onto a plane and come visit her in South Korea, I felt that (after having put aside that money) it was possible and easy to do! I love listening to all of my friends’ travel stories, such as my gap-year friend going to South East Asia for a few months and experiencing the most amazing things in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. Additionally, I love immersing myself in all the summer stories from friends doing an internship in Spain or going on a road trip on the East Coast of the United States. Recently, I have been hearing a lot of people mention their (either bought or won) interrailing travel tickets, ready to embark on an adventure lasting a couple of weeks, giving them the opportunity to explore interesting places in Europe. When I say Europe, I actually mean the whole of Europe: they travelled from the Netherlands all the way to Eastern Europe and then to Italy or Spain and then back to the Netherlands with a stop in France. Interestingly enough, there are always a few countries that everyone seems to go to. Perhaps because of the countries’ interesting culture,
by Natalie Borcea
their rich history, or maybe even because they have heard so many other people visit that specific city or country, that they want to see it for themselves. All of these are pretty solid reasons to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. However, some countries remain undiscovered, even for people with a train pass that can take them literally anywhere in Europe. Therefore, it was up to me and my group of friends to go to one of those countries that is as of yet undiscovered by most tourists. When we arrived in Romania, I was the tour guide. This makes sense, since I am partly Romanian, and I have been travelling to Romania from the Netherlands at least once a year my whole life. I was very much looking forward to introducing my friends to the interesting culture, introducing them to the people I always have around me there, and of course the delicious food. We went to all the sightseeing hot spots in Bucharest (not Budapest, although even Michael Jackson made that mistake during a concert in Bucharest…) and we took a train to Sinaia, a town in the mountains, where we visited a castle that could have come straight from a fairytale. I also took my friends on a little trip to my grandma’s home in Curtea de Arges, a beautiful city in the Muntenia region (named for the Carpathian mountains), where we explored
the Transfâgârâsan mountain road and the peaceful city with its monastery. Since I was not planning on writing this article to tell you about all of the places you can visit in Romania, I will just let you know that my friends really enjoyed the trip. Not just because we were together, or because of the great weather, or because we found really cheap drinks at a rooftop bar, but because they got to experience a country they had never been to before. So my advice to anyone who has the opportunity to travel all around Europe (or anywhere, really) is to remember to look for the hidden gems in this world. The hidden gems that people may overlook, but will definitely be worth the trip.
Illustration © Sofie Ryan
D: Well, that is difficult to say. If you organise a decision-making process in a super transparent way, you also create all kinds of ways in which people can object to your plans. So, it would have been a lot harder to come to this decision if you had made it open for everybody to see. But, given the decision of the University to invest in more sustainable, compact square meters, I think the logic indicates that the decision would’ve been the same.
S: When was this decision finalised and why have we only heard about it now?
A University College Student Association Magazine
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The Boomerang | October 2019
UCU is reorganising, and this is what that looks like by Laurens Triesscheijn, Academic Student Council 2019 - 2020 At the end of summer term last year, a large crowd of UCU staff gathered in Dining Hall to attend a presentation by the Dean on something really, really big. Since the beginnings of UCU 20 years ago, there had never been a major overhaul of its organisational structure, and now the Dean would present the management’s reaction to a long-awaited report arguing for just that. ASC 2019-2020 was there too, and it would be the start of our involvement in the reorganisation process. What is the report about? The objective of the report was to review the governance structure of UCU - the system of who is responsible for each part of the organization when it comes to curriculum, HR, finances, etc. As the Dean explained, UCU has developed more or less organically over the years, and it was time to see if the structure that had formed was still suited for the college’s mission. The report noted - as many had expected - that the current organisational structure at UCU is unnecessarily complex and cluttered. In particular, it recommended separating the so-called “horizontal” (education and research) and “vertical” (people and resources) structures of UCU – structures which it remarked are now badly tangled. In this light, it made several specific recommendations to the Dean for a new organisational structure. What is happening in this reorganisation? While there are multiple changes planned, the most important one concerns the way tracks are
supervised at UCU. Currently, tracks are supervised by a “Fellow”, who is in charge of the structure of the track and manages the in- and outflow of teaching staff. Tracks are then grouped into the familiar three departments, each supervised by a “Head of Department”. Supervision for the entire curriculum is in the hands of the Director of Education, and final responsibility for the college is carried by the Dean. Since the report was critical of the number of hierarchical layers that this created in such a small institution, it is the intention of the reorganisation that the role of Fellow and Head of Department merge. Tracks are to be grouped in 5 to 7 “clusters”, each with their own supervisor. Next to reducing hierarchy, this new structure is also supposed to bring the staff of different tracks under one umbrella, stimulating interdisciplinary curriculum innovation. When and how will the reorganisation happen? For the completion of the reorganisation process, the management has set a timeline of one year. On the 1st of August 2020, the new organisation should be in place and operational. Before that, the reorganisation team is consulting the community of staff in a series of meetings to form ideas on how to implement the new cluster structure. So far, ASC has played an active role in these meetings and is currently pushing criteria for the new structure that would safeguard the interests of students, such as proper management of the ability of tracks to provide pathways to master’s programs.
Around February, the College Council, of which ASC forms 50%, will have to approve of the final implementation plan. What are the implications for students? What is important to realise is that these intended changes are organisational.While the disappearance of the role of Head of Department may sound synonymous with the disappearing of the departments themselves, it is not. Currently, there are no plans attached to this reorganisation (or even on the horizon) that would alter the way UCU students choose their major or receive their graduation requirements. However, the reorganisation would not happen if it would not have the intention of facilitating better education at UCU. Students might thus come to experience its indirect effects on their education over the years. As said earlier, ASC is committed to making sure that the process will consider all student interests regarding their tracks, and that the new structure will have in place proper elements of supervision for safeguarding these interests. Staying in the loop Over the course of the reorganisation, we will continue to update you on its developments via our ASC Updates. Do you have questions about the reorganisation and ASC’s role in UCU governmental affairs? Send us an email at asc@ uu.nlor drop by during Office Hours.
So Long, Campus by Sam de Visser
Allow me to list some of the greatest modern tragedies of the world: World War II, the Holocaust, 9/11, the Rwandan Genocide, UU’s decision to sell the UCU campus. One of those might not sound right, and that’s because I put it in there sarcastically! Because, let’s face it, losing campus might not have to be such a huge disaster. The whole “this whole thing won’t even be relevant to us because campus isn’t gonna be sold until 2026’”-argument aside (it kind of defeats the point of this article, doesn’t it?), I really feel like getting rid of our beloved campus doesn’t have to be so bad. Our association of campus with great UCU memories seems to have made us forget about some of its more problematic aspects. It’s really not okay that half of us are in giant rooms and the other half are in tiny ones, yet we all pay the same amount of money. It’s also really not okay that some of us do victory dances in the beginning of the year, while others go as far as asking on
"getting rid of our beloved campus doesn’t have to be so bad"
UCU Students if anyone wants to switch rooms. And it’s also really not okay that some units are riddled with mice, that some buildings don’t have warm water for days on end, and that some of us have eleven unitmates and others have just one. Illustration © Sofie Ryan
When UU says that our campus is old, run-down and unsustainable… they’re right! And yes, I get that their objective most likely is just to save money and that their whole sustainability spiel is an excuse, but it rings true all the same. Our campus consists of either a bunch of rickety former army buildings, or shoddi-
ly-built student homes that somehow resemble army barracks more than the actual former army barracks themselves. Would it really be so terrible for UCU to start over with a clean slate, on a campus that presents far more equal and high-quality living opportunities for everyone? And yes, I also understand the risk of UCU losing its unique selling point: the calm, green, cozy campus. But UU is a business-minded university. They know that the campus is the main thing that UCU has to offer to students who otherwise might have gone to any other UC. I’d be very surprised if they don’t put us in a place that is just as good as, or perhaps superior to our good old former army base, if only because they don’t want to lose face. Of course change is hard. UCU is home to many of us, but the real value of UCU isn’t in the campus, it’s in the people. In the end, the grimy old hospitals, mouse-infested brutalist blocks of depression that we meet those people in don’t matter. And truly, in the end, campus won’t go anywhere (did you know it’s a listed monument?!). UCU will keep changing, and that might just be a better thing than it seems.
A University College Student Association Magazine
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Debt Hangover by Rosa Soeterbroek
The Dutch loan system, presented to us students as an improvement of the out-of-date grant system and an investment in the quality of education, has not turned out as positively as expected. What a shocker. Recently, one of the left-wing parties that initially supported the implementation of the loan system, the PvdA, has publicly recognised that, in retrospect, it was actually not such a great idea. Dutch students will know what I am talking about when I say end-of-the-month money stress, taking out maximum loans and incurring sky-high debts. In the last week of the month, all Dutch students “receive” money from the government to pay for their tuition fees, campus fees and living costs. These monthly deposits are actually loans from the government, and every month that money is added to your balance. Every time I log onto my ‘DUO’, the government website we use to keep track of our loans, I flinch at the number standing there. Boom, 20k staring in your face. To be fair, the conditions of paying back the loan are fairly easy. Students get 35 years to pay back their debt, and monthly repayments are calculated based on your income to gradually pay off the loan. The interest rate is currently 0.0%, and if I graduate UCU in 2020 it will be held at this rate for five years. But who knows what will happen to interest rates in the coming three decades? I also want to emphasize that my situation is certainly not representative of others that do not have their parents’ savings to support them and have to work next to their already demanding studies. What so infuriates me is how the parties that I can vote for now that I am finally allowed to – I was 15 when this loan system was introduced – supported the implementation of this law. These parties, among which left-wing Groenlinks and as mentioned above PvdA, supported this program without looking at the consequences for students after they built up these enormous debts. What
happens when you finish an expensive school such as UCU with your diploma in your pocket, accompanied by (at least) a 30k debt? The youth platform of the Dutch Social and Economic Council studied the situation of students in 2018 compared to 10 years ago and presented shocking findings. The results show that young people have more difficulty finding jobs, live with their parents longer, experience higher rates of anxiety and stress and buy their first house later. Naturally, this is not all to blame on the loan system, but it most definitely affects the situation students find themselves in once they enrol in a higher education program. With a high debt, it is far more difficult to buy a house, for example. Similarly, having such a crushing debt on your mind surely won’t alleviate any mental health issues. Most importantly yet, is that students are insecure about how to start up a life after graduating, due to increased job insecurity in the past years. There can be no mistake, the current loan system has serious negative consequences. More annoying, even, is that if – not when – the government decides to improve the loan system to truly accommodate students instead of placing them in impossible situations, I, and many others that have started their studies after 2015, will very probably not be compensated for the mistakes made. The study cohorts between 2015 and 2017 already missed out on the newly implemented 50% tuition fee reduction for students starting their first year. What it all boils down to is that I am afraid. I worry about the financial problems I will likely be facing after UCU because my supposed welfare state government is not helping me through these issues. Although I am privileged to be able to study at UCU and I chose this expensive college myself, I question how fair it is that I am worrying about gigantic loans while I am still young and trying to
enjoy student life. currently pushing criteria for the new structure that would safeguard the interests of students, such as proper management of the ability of tracks to provide pathways to master’s programs. Around February, the College Council, of which ASC forms 50%, will have to approve of the final implementation plan. What are the implications for students? What is important to realise is that these intended changes are organisational.While the disappearance of the role of Head of Department may sound synonymous with the disappearing of the departments themselves, it is not. Currently, there are no plans attached to this reorganisation (or even on the horizon) that would alter the way UCU students choose their major or receive their graduation requirements. However, the reorganisation would not happen if it would not have the intention of facilitating better education at UCU. Students might thus come to experience its indirect effects on their education over the years. As said earlier, ASC is committed to making sure that the process will consider all student interests regarding their tracks, and that the new structure will have in place proper elements of supervision for safeguarding these interests. Staying in the loop Over the course of the reorganisation, we will continue to update you on its developments via our ASC Updates. Do you have questions about the reorganisation and ASC’s role in UCU governmental affairs? Send us an email at asc@uu.nlor drop by during Office Hours.
Inside the Wall
by Ivan Ryan
With campus being sold in a few years, I thought it’d be important to memorialise one of the hidden gems we have for future generations of students to remember. Hidden behind Spinoza and Voltaire, Wall is home to a significant portion of campus and forms an integral part of its culture. Students often quiver with fear when discovering the new unit they’ll call home for the next year, but alas no one should be afraid. Living with ten other unitmates is a blessing in disguise! You get to know them all so well since there’s only so much space you can crowd that many people into. You also learn how to save space easily (a very important life skill) as sharing a fridge with that many people entitles you to do so. Some students living next to the kitchens in Wall often complain of not being able to sleep whenever one of their unitmates wants to have a snack there. But don’t worry! This is meant to be the case! Even if you don’t have a 9am lecture to attend, your unitmates will always ensure you are abruptly awoken so you can get your studying done early in the day. And if one of your unitmates has invited friends around who won’t leave until 2:00 in the morning,
join them! Improve your social skills and get to know people. Isn’t that what living on campus is for? Another mistake students often make in Wall is complaining about the unsolvable rat ‘infestation’. What people fail to understand is the purpose of the rats: they’re meant to be pets. Having pets has been shown in numerous studies to improve psychological well being, which is crucial to maintain when studying at an institution as demanding as UCU. Some rats have even recently given birth this month, ensuring residents will continue to have pets in the coming years. Another important feature of living in Wall is the greyness of everything. Students will claim this contributes to depression and a loss of faith in the campus housing system, but greyness has been proven to foster creativity! How else would you be enticed to put up decorations to ensure your home isn’t a bleak mess? The final complaint which is widely heard is the frequency of fire alarms going off. Whenever anyone takes a hot shower the entire unit is engulfed in
piercing screams of anger. How dare anyone have the gall to have a warm shower?! The icecaps are melting you idiots! In other areas however, the fire alarms are significantly more forgiving. Accidentally set fire to your soup, causing clouds of smoke to choke everyone inside? Don’t fret, the alarms know you’d never try that again so they won’t go off whenever this happens. Everyone’s an adult here and surely knows how to cook without setting the unit on fire!
"What people fail to understand is the purpose of the rats: they’re meant to be pets" So all in all, living in Wall is a treasure to behold. It is something everyone should experience at least once in their lives. And thanks to UCU’s housing system, most students probably will before campus is gone.
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The Boomerang | October 2019
A University College Student Association Magazine
Dinner Table Politicians by Julia Silveira
by Stanley Ward
1. NINE - Blink-182 I don’t really get pop punk, and I don’t really get this record. These guys are too old for this shit, the audience is too old for this shit, we all liked All the Small Things but now it's time to stop. Please. (The drums on this thing are pretty good though.) 2. Angelic 2 the Core: Angelic Funkadelic/ Angelic Rockadelic - Corey Feldman I feel marginally worse shitting on this record, as it's the only ‘non-professional’ album on this list. Recorded by former child star (the one with glasses in Stand By Me) Corey Feldman in his home studio, this record makes the cut because it’s just so bad. Incomprehensibly bad. So bad that since discovering its existence I’ve read everything I can to gain insight into this man, and why he created this thing. Just read the album name. It’s a 1 hour and 30 minute
long dubstep clusterf*ck featuring Snoop Dogg. associated with this pile of garbage forever. Nothing about anything on or about this album makes any sense. The live performance on The Today Show is unwatchable. It makes me angry 5. Keith Urban - Graffiti U and sad and confused all at the same time. Please help me. You can’t talk about music that shouldn't exist without talking about pop-country. Keith 3. The Cosmos Rocks - Queen Urban has been peddling this drivel for a while, but Graffiti U takes things further than even Hey! Wanna hear an uninspired rehash of self-parody territory. On this record, there’s so every rock ‘n’ roll trope ever for 58 minutes much going wrong, that I don’t have the heart to that effectively shits on the band’s legacy while talk about all of it. Instead, I’m going to briefly simultaneously killing the genre dead? This mention the ‘woke’ ballad ‘Female’. Here’s some record was released in 2008, and no record lyrics: released in the 21st century should dare sound “When you hear somebody say somebody hits like this. Replacement vocalist Paul Rogers like a girl helps hammer the final nail in the coffin of the How does that hit you? artistic respectability of Brian May and Roger Is that such a bad thing?” Taylor, proving that the already overrated band Deep bro. The lyrics get even more patronshould’ve really stopped existing after Mercury’s ising, but my word count and sense of taste death. The plot to the film Bohemian Rhapsody won’t allow me to share any more. Country should’ve really been the trial and execution of music doesn’t have to be like this. If you don’t the remaining members for releasing a record believe me you can hear some actual feminist that sounds this lame. country, (made by actual women, not a bro with a soul patch and a desire to remain relevant) 4. Supermarket - Mac DeMarco and check out the new Highwomen album. It is arguable to say that Supermarket is an album by the rapper Logic. On Spotify, you will find Supermarket as part of Logic’s discography. However, while Supermarket was technically released by Logic, I don’t solely blame him for the existence of this album. If Logic makes an album, that album will be bad. However, if Logic offers a pile of money to Mac DeMarco to help produce the record, Mac DeMarco should say no. Mac DeMarco didn’t say no. Mac DeMarco should’ve known better, and now his name is
I guess from this experience I realised that in order to recognise quality, you have to be familiar with what the bottom of the barrel sounds like. Listening to these records makes me respect every mediocre band out there, because at least none of them made anything as bad as anything on this list.
"Without UCU, It’s Not Chris’ Anymore. I’m Quite Sure of It." by Betsy Middeton
Since Chris’ first opened in the summer of 2013, UCU has been a part of the business. He remembers it began with two Italian guys that August. The next day they brought their friends. The following year, Chris undertook his biggest order ever for the annual Golden Keys event and “UCU found Chris’ and Chris’ found UCU”. Since then, students from campus have made up 30-40% of Chris’ customer base. As he recalled his highlights, and the students he’d hired and become friends with, the smile fell from his face: “The loss of UCU is like losing the best part of Chris’. Without the students, it is just a typical snack-bar. It’s not the same spirit… No spirit.” Although we like to talk about our campus as a remote bubble, the community spirit that UCU evokes reaches beyond our gates, and
even beyond Chris’. As a member of the wider community of Utrecht Oost, he fears that many businesses will suffer, and the neighbourhood will change significantly; “All the conversations with customers around the neighbourhood, hearing things, new thoughts about how we can make this world better. A lot of people around here are stuck in their jobs. They don’t have time to think about the kind of things that you make your studies on. It’s going to be a great loss.” Chris recounted the students he’d hired over the years, the events he’d catered for, and the fun he’d had. “We made something beautiful here with UCU. It has been seven years of fun, but I won’t be here for another seven. I’m not in a hurry to leave, but when it gets in your mind, it’s like planting a seed.”
Family get-togethers can be very nervewracking experiences. If you disagree with me, that’s sweet, but I know you’re lying. My family consists of four siblings, three aunts, three uncles, and twelve cousins, not including my mom’s side. My family members are ‘highly opinionated’ and sometimes loud, individuals who disagree on just about everything. Be it the more trivial things, like whether me getting highlights would be a good idea, or the more important, often politics related dilemmas about our home country of Brazil. The battleground for these heated debates is the most toxic environment known to man: the family WhatsApp chat. The clear benefit of our disagreements being digitized is that you can always employ big dick energy and leave the group for a few days if it all becomes too much (unfortunately, this is something you cannot do in real life situations). A few weeks ago, my cousin, an almost 40-year-old man with a wife and child, came to visit. His family is lovely, and we all had an amazing time catching up and talking about how the rest of the family was doing back home. Yet somehow, I found myself stepping on eggshells
around him for a good part of his stay. My cousin is pretty supportive of Brazil’s current president, who is known for having some pretty controversial standpoints. Though I do not share this support, I recognize that everyone is entitled to their own political opinion, and am by no means shunning him for his. On the other hand, I do wish he had been a little more open to other perspectives, or at least listened a little before immediately shutting them down. The thing is, I feel like this is something we all do, whether we are aware of it or not. When my cousin started telling me about how criminals need to be put down like dogs, I immediately stopped listening. I didn’t say anything back, because I didn’t feel like getting into an argument, but it was obvious I disagreed. I refused to try and consider his reasons for making such a statement which, in retrospect, is not any better than what he did. All humans deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and personally, I am not a fan of murder. Nevertheless, as a police officer, my cousin, who is confronted with crime on a daily basis, may have a very different perspective of
the issue. Who am I to say that his opinion that we need to do everything we can to demolish crime in Brazil is wrong? I feel like if we’d had an open discussion, we may have realized that both perspectives are valid, and the issue is much more complex than we’d originally believed. I guess this is partially why the world is so messed up — we like to think there is one simple answer to all problems – our answer. Yet nothing is ever that simple. Even when writing this article, I tried my best to stay objective, but I feel like I have expressed a bias with regards to my personal beliefs. Perhaps this discussion is more about empathy over sympathy. Given that we have vastly different and clashing worldviews, I doubt I'll ever sympathize with all of my cousin’s perspectives. On the other hand, maybe if I try to empathize with the background, situation, and experiences that have led him to these views, I will eventually be able to break down the political wall between us at the dinner table, and experience him as the genuinely cool guy he really is.
The History of Halloween by HistoryCo
Before we start drinking excessively, watching scary movies, and eating themed food in order to celebrate Halloween, let us speak shortly about the origins of this peculiar celebration. Halloween was traditionally a pagan holiday, celebrated towards the end of October. It marked the end of summer and, with that, the end of the beloved harvest season. It is no wonder that such a dark time has always gone paired with the theme of death, something still visible in today’s holiday. Halloween is based on the old Celtic festival of Samhain specifically. On this one night, the Celts believed that the line between the world of the living and the world of the dead would blur. As a result, the ghosts of the dead would be able to return to their beloved for one single evening. Funnily enough, most of the records that we have, describe the practices of druids who believed that on Samhain, their powers would strengthen, rather than describing the traditions of the holiday. However, we have learned that the festival
centered around offerings to the dead - crop and livestock mostly - and used bonfires and torches to ward off evil spirits that may come with the ghosts of loved ones. The use of fire as a way to ward off evil is nowadays seen in the celebration of the New Year. Halloween focuses on scaring away evil, mostly by dressing up and placing jack-o’-lanterns. When Christianity came around, the pagan holiday was outlawed. In an attempt to diverge attention from the popular festival, the Pope, in 609 AD., created a new holiday honouring the saints of the Catholic church: All Saints Day. This day would soon be followed by ‘All Souls Day’, which was created to fill the gap the pagan festival of mourning had left. All Soul’s day came to closely represent Samhain in its traditions of bonfires and autumn feasts. The festival gained popularity, and soon, the evening before All Saints Day would become part of the festival under its Old-English name, ‘Allhallowmas’, which soon became Halloween. In the centuries following, the festival
grew, flourishing in the ‘New World’: the United States. In modern times, with the large-scale commercialisation of the holiday, Halloween is almost unrecognisable as either a Christian or Celtic pagan festival. However, many traditions have remained intact: bonfires, dressing up, witchcraft, feasts, and ghost stories represent the old. Candy and alcohol are an improvement that is inseparable from the modern Halloween.
Campus Word Search by LogiCo
Illustration © Idalina Lehtonen
“Oh sh*t, this is the death of Chris’ Lunch en Snacks. I will have to find something else,” was Chris’ first thought when he heard the recent news of campus’ move. Arguably, his cosy snack-bar has been integral to our campus as an institution for the last seven years. You’re bound to have eaten Chris’ food in introweek, as your Friday hangover cure, or on campus at one of the many events he’s catered for. On a cold Saturday evening, I asked how he had felt when he heard the news over our postshift beer. Ex-UCU student and employee Tom Veltman had mentioned it to him nonchalantly over coffee; “I was in shock, and kinda mad at Tom - he broke my heart! Then I thought in the moment: maybe this is a sign. Nothing lasts forever.”
13
Silveira Linings
Stan’s sad boi songs I was feeling divinely uninspired for this column when I heard that Blink 182 recently released a new album even though literally nobody asked them to. It got me thinking about what makes an album bad - there are so many different kinds of bad records. There are records that are so bad they’re good, like the Shaggs’ Philosophy of the World. There are records from popstars with lofty ambitions that just don’t pan out, like Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods. There are ‘songs’ made by Jake Paul. Below, I’ve compiled a list of five records which are just the pure bad kind of bad. I suffered for this, so you should too.
CULTURE
14 Dearest Campus, It won’t be much longer that an Editor-inChief of the Boomerang can start their editorial off that way. This saddens me deeply, because I know how important and integral Campus has been for me during the past two years I have spent at UCU. I won’t list all of the stereotypical Campus anecdotes to illustrate this; we are all too familiar with them, and how much many of us will miss them. As if the news of Campus’ disposal hasn’t been discussed enough, a large portion of this edition of The Boomerang is dedicated to explaining, debating and cherishing what this Campus means, and has meant, to so many UCUers. So, if you were planning on bursting the bubble this month, sit tight and dedicate just a bit more time to Campus while you still can. On a lighter and much more fun note, I would like to warmly welcome our fresh batch of lovely columnists to The Boomerang team. Keep an eye out for Julie Clar’s Seminars on all things science-y, Sam de Visser’s (not ScreenCo promo) film column, Michelle Verstraaten’s delicious student recipes, Betsy Middleton’s crazy cultural column and our very own Julia Silveira splashing her personal life onto your pages. So, read this edition at your favorite spot on Campus and reflect on how lucky we all are to be here right now! Future UCUers will probably be reading this as an old edition in their fifteenth floor bedroom in the brandspanking new UCU highrise at the Uithof. Let us keep some perspective and appreciate what we have while we still have it.
Yours always, Saskia Vrensen Editor-in-Chief
The Boomerang | October 2019
by Nathalie Simons
by Mariana Abreu
One might recognize these names. They are three out of the 47 journalists killed in the last two years. Going back to 2008, the numbers add up to 300.
However, Europe and the United States might be catching up to the trend. Last April, an investigation led by the French journalism group Disclose proved that French weapons sold to Saudi Arabia were being massively used in the war in Yemen, particularly against civilians, which was contrary to official reports. In the weeks that followed this reporting, three journalists were facing charges for “compromising national security”. On the same note, it is always worth mentioning Assange’s story. Earlier this year, Ecuador revoked his right to asylum, allowing the UK to initiate his extradition process. The Wikileaks founder had been under the protection of the Ecuadorian embassy in London for over seven years. His crime: exposing war crimes committed by the US during both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Or, in other words, “compromising and threatening national security”. We are to ask ourselves where freedom of speech stands nowadays, both on a global scale and on a European scale. In European countries, it is well known
that about 95% of media communications are concentrated in the hands of the same people and corporations. How can one get transparency? Where do democratic values stand? Journalists today are confronted with a terrible amount of intimidation, coercion and fear. Trump incessantly encourages an aggressive rhetoric towards journalists and reporters, portraying them as “nasty” and “purveyors of fake news”. After the killing of Galizia, a group of 45 journalists came together in secret to complete and publish the investigations of the Maltese journalist. In her article, Lauren Richard, founder of Forbidden Stories, speaks of the network’s mission: to take over and conclude the work of any and every journalist whose investigation is cut short. “Cooperation is without a doubt the best protection. What is the point of killing a journalist if 10, 20 or 30 others are waiting to carry on their work? Whether you’re a dictator, the leader of a drug cartel or a corrupt businessman, exposure of your crimes is your biggest fear.” She says, “Journalists are the enemy of the corrupt ecosystem that you have constructed. But what if this exposure becomes global, and the message amplified? Wherever you go, you will be questioned by the world’s press. Whatever you are trying to hide will be magnified.
In May this year, I was fortunate enough to travel to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and participate in a series of volunteer projects for four weeks with the volunteer organization The Green Lion. I knew this experience was going to stand out as one of the best I ever had, not only from a cultural and social point of view, but also personal, as I was going to be challenged to step completely out of my comfort zone.
this was the only chance to access quality education outside their small communities.
Despite being a communist country, Vietnam is experiencing a strong economic growth internationally and domestically. This is something that can be clearly seen in the emerging metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, where the economy is buzzing. In an effort to integrate the country more into the global economy, millions have been invested in “Project 2020” to ensure students learn foreign languages; especially English. Two of my volunteer projects involved teaching English to children, teenagers, and young adults.
Projects such as the National Foreign Language 2020 project are ambitious ones, aiming to improve the quality of English language teaching and learning, but they are at a stagnant point. There are a number of obstacles impeding the effective teaching of English, including the lack of teachers, no improved lesson plans and a shortage of equipment.
On Monday, May 27, it was time for me to start my first project. For this project, I was based at the Green Lions’ partner hospital Bệnh viện Trung ương Huế. My role with three other volunteers was the daily care of about twelve children from ages 5-18 with a range of disabilities, both mentally and physically. My two other projects involved teaching English. I taught children at Apollo international pre-school in Gò Vấp District in the first of the two projects. In the second one, I taught teenagers and young adults who were participating in an intensive English teaching summer program called “The Summer Soldier Program”. Often traveling from far-away villages, they were living on-campus for two months during the summer period to study English. For most of them,
Nowadays, students must pass an English exam if they want to get their Secondary School Education Certificate, and it is a compulsory course for university students. English-speaking individuals also have an advantage when applying for higher qualified jobs, for instance in tourism.
Plans to increase the number of places to teach English have been made. This is because from pre-school onwards, parents would be very eager for their children to learn the language, and are ready to pay for expensive bilingual or international schools. However, the lack of teachers, (or even unqualified teachers) was very noticeable both at Apollo pre-school and the Summer Soldier Program. Both schools rely entirely on the support of English-speaking volunteers to come teach English to the children. I got to see first hand how important it is for children to learn English, and the sacrifices parents have made to make this possible. People see it as a way to advance in society nowadays. Without a doubt, English has a high status in the country which cannot be ignored.
Illustration © Idalina Lehtonen
by Gerard van der Ree How do you confront your own privilege while visiting Tanzania? How do you open yourself to radical cultural differences, particularly when those seem to go against values that you hold dear? How do you sustain that openness, even if you feel overwhelmed by the experiences that you are having? And how do you navigate questioning your own background assumptions, even if your urge is to hide safely behind your comfortable judgements? These were key questions that I came to research during my short visit to the East Africa Programme in Sinya, Tanzania. I investigated them by developing reflection methods and tools for the participants of the programme, and applying them in several reflexive sessions. This led to some of the most beautiful and meaningful conversations I have ever had. One of those was the debriefing of a homestay, in which the students had spent two days living in a Masaai boma. We
de-briefed for well over two hours on top of a hill near the camp, while the sun was slowly setting. At first there were stories of beautiful encounter; of bridging cultural difference through wordless play; of appreciating beauty in radically different cultures. After that though, darker stories emerged. Those were stories of mental shut-down; of struggling to remain open-minded, of confronting difficult questions about privilege and power, of the anxiety that comes with starting to doubt your own certainties. It was amazing how reflexive these conversations were, and how they were able to generate deep insights about ourselves as well as our relation to the people we were getting to know. And I was stunned by the honesty and openness that we were able to hold together. It has taught me significantly about the power of reflexive learning and confronting who we are in the world in a radical way.
The Stewdent Chef
Recipe: Lemon Spaghetti with Aubergine Illustration © Amu Endo
After savouring a lemon cookie at a Parnassos storytelling class last week, I was plagued all night with such an intense craving for lemon-flavoured anything that it disturbed my peace of mind. I decided to browse the internet for recipes and as I typed “lemon pancakes” into the Google search bar, “lemon pasta” came up as a search suggestion. It seemed like a great idea so I followed it. Boy, was that a terrific decision! The very next evening, I adapted the array of recipes I’d come across to the ingredients I had on my shelf, and this delicious pasta dish was born. Ingredients • 200-250g spaghetti • 1 small onion, sliced
• • • •
1 small aubergine, sliced into strips 200g minced meat, optional Juice of 1 lemon 1-2 tbsp tahini (sesame paste available in the foreign section of supermarkets) • Cheese, grated Seasonings: e.g. salt, pepper, Italian herbs, paprika, piri-piri Directions 1. If using the meat, season generously and form into small balls with your hands. (Remember to wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling raw meat.) Fry in sufficient oil over a low to medium heat until browned and properly cooked through. Set aside.
2. In the same oil, fry the onion and aubergine over a medium to high heat until the aubergines are cooked and translucent. Season. 3. In the meantime, boil the spaghetti in salted water. When draining the spaghetti, reserve some of the liquid! 4. Add the juice of 1 lemon, and 1-2 tbsp of tahini to 2 tbsp of the liquid from the pasta. Mix well and adjust/season as desired. Mix the spaghetti, meatballs, sauce and aubergines and enjoy! Serves 2. Tip: The meat and cheese can easily be omitted or replaced to make this dish vegan.
by Michelle Verstraaten
Illustration © Greis Bylykbashi
Jamal Khashoggi was a journalist for The Washington Post. On October 2nd 2018, he went to the Saudi consulate in Turkey to obtain papers he needed to move forward with his marriage. His fiancée was waiting for him out front, but he never came out. The UN report says he did leave, eventually, his body torn apart in several plastic bags. It is highly suspected that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince played an important part in the killing. Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese journalist and anti-corruption activist. She had challenged many who hold power and influence in Malta, from mobsters to business people, not leaving out government entities. She was killed in a car-bombing. The Slovakian journalist Ján Kuciak was investigating political corruption linked to an Italian mafia group at the time of his murder. He and his girlfriend were found shot dead in their home. As the body count rises, so does the number of imprisonments. According to Article 19
(a human rights organization defending freedom of speech), 326 jail cells have been filled with journalists only in 2017. Erdogan’s Turkey ranks highest in these imprisonments, as it holds the record of the world’s most prolific jailer of journalists. Their charges: opposing the state.
Reflecting on Privilege, Fragility, and the Limits of Learning
Volunteering in Vietnam
Journalism and Freedom of Speech Threatened Khashoggi, Daphne Galizia, Ján Kuciak. Saudi Arabia, Malta, US, Slovakia, Turkey, and many more. 300 journalists have been murdered worldwide since 2008. As the number of imprisonments and killings rises, democratic values regress.
15
A University College Student Association Magazine
16 QUAD QUERIES
The Boomerang | October 2019
r “What would you ideal campus look like?”
“More campus cats” – Emma
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exactly like th one” – Betsy
“Pretty much
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“More la undry m ac Kromhou hines in t” – Kars
“Just Kromhout 23 nothing else” – Willem
THE BOOMERANG BOARD Saskia Vrensen | Editor-in-Chief Maya Homsy King| Managing Editor Ivan Ryan | Executive Editor Rafaella Karadsheh| Executive Editor Artöm Obenko | Creative Director – Layout & Design Iris Beijer | Creative Director – Art Julia Silveira | PR Manager
“Grass
“No scary lions fro – Renee
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m UCSA”
Boomerang uses wind energy printers The Boomerang is a periodical newspaper. It comes out eight times a year.