It won’t come as a surprise to anyone that the song Roller Coaster by Danny Vera took first place in the Top 2000 this year. Everyone will have experienced 2020 as a wild ride in a roller coaster, during which we often had to sit in the cart by ourselves. Online working and studying from home became the norm for employees and students, and the demands made on teachers and auxiliary staff members were considerable. The students of last academic year ended the year in front of their laptops, and freshmen who started in September had to try and navigate a hybrid learning environment, finding it hard to make contact with their companions in misfortune.

Sacrifices

Corona put an end back in March to Cursor’s usual practice of wandering around the campus, visiting scientists in their private biotope at departments, and attending on-campus events. Student associations had to make sacrifices on all fronts: conviviality, study, sports and culture. Even MomenTUm did not escape a cancellation and had to be attended from people’s home.

We left our editorial office in the Auditorium unattended and stared into each other’s eyes every morning during our regular 9 a.m. Skype meeting. There was more than enough to write about, because the corona virus caused an avalanche of restrictions, which had to be translated into measures by the Executive Board and the Central Crisis Team. We also very much wanted to know how students and employees were dealing with having to work from home almost permanently. It resulted in many beautiful and sometimes touching articles. Spring seemed to have started properly only after the labs were allowed to reopen on a limited basis.

Energy injection

Now that this abnormal year is coming to a close, we at Cursor are also starting to feel that our batteries are running out and that everyone is craving for an energy injection. Changes within the team are also upcoming. At the start of 2021, Birgit Span will leave the editorial staff after more than 21 years. She will start a new role within the Communication Expertise Center, where she will support the Executive Board in the dissemination of corporate news. In March, she will be joined by Monique van de Ven, who also worked at Cursor for almost two decades. We will certainly miss them both, and we wish them all the best in their new jobs. Lydia van Aert is ready to bring new blood to the team at the start of next year. In her role of editor, she will provide the staff with a fresh perspective on the organization and on our journalistic work.

The entire staff wishes employees and students a beautiful Christmas and a loving end to the year. Let’s try to remember the good things from 2020, such as the enormous decisiveness, energy and creativity that this year has brought about at our university. With that in mind, we’ll enter 2021 with optimism.