In Delta 28 Devin Malone mentions ‘the pressing need to renovate the Civil Engineering building’. I wonder, has Devin visited other buildings on campus? Take Chemical Engineering for example, constructed soon after WWII.
The colorful layers of paint cannot mask its age, and it has the layout of a maze. If that was all, it would be ok. But it is not.
The building is leaking everywhere, especially in the basements where project rooms are located. Do not be surprised if you are welcomed by a little lake after some rainfall. Besides that, it also turns the rooms into nice fungi breeding halls; undoubtedly a healthy atmosphere to work in.
While water is coming in, heat flows out. The majority of the windows are single layered. And do not be surprised to see a hot radiator, control valve stuck at open, directly below an open window. Another surprise: The heating system has two options: on and off. Result: The lecture halls often have the atmosphere of a small gym after 500 people had a two hour spinning exercise while entering the hallways feels like undertaking a polar expedition.
Luckily, University Management knows this… construction plans were made around 1975. A good and 35 years of deferred maintenance later (we’ll get a new building – why bother making large repairs?) not a brick has been put in place.
In the past years I’ve seen plans for a new building at two locations; TNW-south and TNW-middle. Both were quite detailed; South was too expensive. Then, while on the verge of knocking part of applied physics down to make way, suddenly middle was abandoned, and South is reconsidered.
Adding all planning costs and energy waste over the years, we could have had a gold plated high tech facility. The suggested option of burning down the building might speed things up. If it happens, for sure the majority of the Dutch population will freak out like they did with the Chemie-pack fire. (Typically, this is the same people that burn tires to celebrate spring). Knowing the buildings history and contents, this time they might have a point however.
But let’s refer from such drastic approaches. Maybe we should have some faith in management; soon construction of a modern building, reflecting TU Delfts ambitions regarding energy, safety and reputation, will start, right? Well, I doubt it, and regarding history, have all the right to do so.
Cees Haringa, MSc student Chemical Engineering
Het Nederlands Dagblad ondervroeg 1600 studenten die lid zijn van een christelijke studentenvereniging of die een opleiding volgen aan een uitgesproken christelijke hogeschool. Driekwart van de respondenten was vrouw.
Studentes die de anticonceptiepil gebruiken, hebben in meerderheid (55 procent) geen problemen met seks voor het huwelijk. Vorige week meldde het dagblad overigens dat die studenten het meestal bij één partner willen houden, maar nog niet meteen in het huwelijk willen treden. De studentes die géén pil slikken, zijn minder progressief: van hen vindt slechts vijftien procent dat seks voor het huwelijk is toegestaan.
De helft van de vrouwen die de anticonceptiepil slikken heeft een vaste relatie, maar is niet getrouwd. Tien procent is wel getrouwd en de rest heeft geen vaste relatie. Eenderde zegt de pil “om gezondheidsredenen” te slikken.
De ondervraagde studenten zijn lid van landelijke verenigingen Ichthus of CSFR, de Groningse GSV of het Utrechtse Ultrajectum, of ze studeren aan de Christelijke Hogeschool Ede, de Gereformeerde Hogeschool of Driestar Educatief.
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