News in Brief – Delta 2

21 percent of the 475 students surveyed said that on at least one occasion they were asked to pay an incorrect price for their lunches, while 57 percent said that on at least one occasion they were unable to ascertain the price of a product on display. The survey also revealed that faculty workplaces are less than satisfactory, with 53 percents of those surveyed saying they cannot always find an available workplace in their faculties. Moreover, 62 percent said workplaces with computers are even more difficult to find.

Red-light tax
With all the budget cuts around the country, the Dutch government has told prostitutes working in the windows of Amsterdam’s (in)famous red light district to expect a visit from the taxman – but on official business only. The Netherlands legalized prostitution in 2000, but now in the desperate search for revenues the government says prostitutes must pay their income taxes. Janneke Verheggen, a Dutch Tax Office spokesperson, said they will ‘increase compliance’. Enforcing compliance in this cash-in-hand business is expected to difficult, however.

Binding advice
TU Delft should set the binding recommendation for the continuation of studies (bindend studieadvies, often referred to by its abbreviation: bsa) at 45 instead of 30 ECTs. This is one of the many tutorial recommendations intended to prevent students from studying for too many years. The tutorial also advises that BSc programmes be taught in modular courses instead of in parallel courses. Students moreover should be asked to sign a code of conduct in which they pledge to prepare for their lessons and exams. 

Lost for marbles
In the final presentation for second-year students, known as the Marble
Factory, the students learned about the convergence of mechanics, electronics and informatics, as they struggle to make an automated installation to sort marbles. To read the full article about this event, see pages 14-15 of this newspaper.

Nuclear waste storage
TU Delft is participating in a research programme aimed at finding suitable layers for the long-term storage of nuclear waste. By 2014 a European guideline is expected, demanding that EU member states present their plans for nuclear storage.

Protests
The VSSD student union estimates that some 3,000 TU Delft students will join the protests in Den Haag this Friday against government cuts in higher education. The student protests will be preceded by a special meeting in Den Haag of university professors, who will wear their traditional professorial robes. TU Delft Rector Magnificus, Karel Luyben, says that many Delft professors are willing to attend.

Helpful inferno
In an interview in Delta, the former dean of the faculty of Architecture, Wytze Patijn, said the fire that destroyed the former faculty of architecture building actually proved helpful in bringing about change at once. “The fire gave people the energy to tackle problems together,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot from the fire: under pressure you can do a lot.” He added however that he was disappointed that the Executive Board has yet to spend all the insurance money on restoring the damage incurred by the faculty.

Drunken rats
A researcher at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia (US) has discovered the most effective cure for a hangover. Professor Michael Oshinsky’s research included giving rats hangover-like headaches by forcing them to ingest small amounts of ethanol. Ethanol causes headaches due the chemical acetate it produces. Prof. Oshinsky then gave his hung-over rats doses of caffeine and anti-inflammatories (aspirin) and found this blocked the acetate and relieved the headaches. He told the journal New Scientist ‘none of the commonly cited causes of hangovers could have caused this response’. His research also revealed that despite a long-held belief among many, dehydration is not a cause of hangovers, as Prof. Oshinsky’s drunken rats weren’t dehydrated during the experiments.

Instellingen die kunnen aantonen dat ze de kwaliteit van hun onderwijs goed in de gaten houden, mogen hun opleidingen in het nieuwe accreditatiestelsel beperkter laten keuren.

Ze kunnen dit recht ook voorwaardelijk krijgen. Het wetsvoorstel dat ter goedkeuring bij de Tweede Kamer ligt, gunde ze aanvankelijk drie jaar de tijd om de toets alsnog te halen.

De fractie van de SP wilde weten of dat niet erg lang was, als de kwaliteit van de instelling mogelijk niet in orde is. Voor de val van het kabinet schreef minister Plasterk het daar ‘bij nader inzien’ mee eens te zijn. Hij wilde de termijn terugbrengen naar één jaar.

Ook nieuwe opleidingen die – in bijzondere gevallen – voorwaardelijk zijn goedgekeurd, moeten hun definitieve keurmerk in een jaar tijd definitief hebben verdiend. Plasterk schreef drie jaar ook in dit geval te lang te vinden. Dat zou immers kunnen betekenen dat studenten een wo-bachelordiploma behalen bij een opleiding die nooit volledig geaccrediteerd is geweest of waarvan het keurmerk zelfs helemaal is ingetrokken.