In a time where religious motives seem to form a base for terror, I was deeply touched by the virgil of peace organised by Maastricht University’s student chaplaincy. Several days after the attacks in Paris, Christians, Jews and Muslims gathered here to pray for peace. It formed a stark contrast with the images that I would see on German television later that night. The number of Germans that has joined the PEGIDA movement, a movement that blames the increased security threat on Islam in general and Syrian refugees in particular, is steadily growing. 

Maastricht, Netherlands is hosting 600 refugees, in a camp that used to be Netherlands first prison built on the basis of the Prisoners Act, focusing on rehabilitation. A grey building, located behind a tall brick wall with steel window frames. Inside the building the atmosphere is tense, the air clogged. Two little girls run towards me as I walk in, one of them try to hide behind me while the other runs around me holding a plastic cameleon. She tries to scare her friend with the toy. I wonder if they are aware of how illustrative this fear is to their lives. I walk further in to meet Nour. 

Berlin is a fun place. Several of my friends and colleagues have visited it during the last weeks and months. And they were not alone. In 2015, a record number of more than 12 million tourists visited Berlin, most of them staying for a few days. Why has the city become so attractive? First of all, it is a cultural hotspot. It has three opera houses, four major symphony orchestras, more museums than New York and countless hip clubs for younger generations. Secondly, the history of the city is very interesting. It has been the stage for some of the most pivotal historic events, especially during the last century: the roaring twenties, the Third Reich and the country’s separation during the Cold War. And last but not least, Berlin has become a very innovative and offbeat place. 

The end is near – at least the end of the Dutch language – if we are to believe some of the discussions taking place in the Netherlands. 

I really envy Luc, our rector, he is not only very smart and running much faster than I ever could, he also has a nice office with a glass frame that allows you to see if he is there, with whom he is in a meeting or what he is doing. This creates a sense of transparency that represents the openness of a university. 

Maastricht is experiencing a new dynamic: student en stad, a project that addresses the usual issues inherent to a university city, such as the specific needs of the young, diverse student population and the negative side-effects, commonly summarized by the Dutch term “studentenoverlast”. The Maastricht student council’s efforts to build bridges between the traditional city inhabitants and the student population have seen major progress in facilitating dialogue between the two parties. Last weekend I attended an event hosted by the student council together with the representatives of the city quarters. I was extremely impressed by the fresh wind that students bring into the debate on how to transform Maastricht into a true university city. Of course, the problems caused by a large part of the student population were also addressed: too many bicycles lying on the street, problems with garbage disposal, noise. The discussion was heartwarming and it assured me that this initiative will help bring people closer together.

It’s that time again when national chauvinism takes over – the football World Cup is here! Pubs and entire streets are made up in orange and I am glad that I “naturalized” my German car with yellow license plates years ago (it would otherwise be too dangerous in my street…). The fan composition within the executive board is very interesting: Dutch, German and Belgian nationalities forming a good mix of supporters rooting for the stronger teams that at least made it to the knock-out round. Luc and I are of course also cheering for Oranje… unless of course they’re playing against Belgium or Germany…

Extra money: simply divvy it up or find a special use for it? The Executive Board and the deans did not have to think long when the question arose recently. Setting it off was a message from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science “that in the supplementary budget 2014 a substantial adjustment in the resource allocation 2014 and subsequent years is to be expected based on the number of students”. In short: there are more students in higher education than were previously estimated and thus higher education institutions will receive more money. In UM’s case around 4 million euros for 2014. 

Scientific research involving animal testing at Maastricht University caused a lot of commotion last week. A group of animal rights activists mobilized, according to their own sources, more than 100.000 people to sign a petition to halt experiments involving dogs in particular. Emotions got so heated that a rational discussion about the pros and cons of animal testing became completely impossible. At a time when science needs a rational discussion regarding this topic. Why?