The Netherlands longest intro

At nine days, isn't the Kick-In too long? so ran the headline on the U-Today website. The University Education Committee has been wondering this following an evaluation among participants at the last Kick-In.

Almost half of those taking part in the bachelor's Kick-In - as the intro at Twente is called - said they felt the introduction period was too long. "We have the longest introduction period of all the Dutch universities, nine days. But this is the first time this sentiment has been expressed in the survey," says Kick-In committee president Sabine de Winter. More investigation is needed going forward. The next Kick-In in August will also be nine days long.

“Harry Potter is a Jesus figure”

You can read the Harry Potter books as the exciting adventures of a young magician. But anyone who digs deeper into the story will find all kinds of links and with ancient mythology. The Groningen professor of Religious Psychology Hetty Zock gave a lecture on the subject at Radboud University Nijmegen. VOX interviewed her.

“I look at how literature and popular culture can help people who are searching for meaning in their life. These books can help them deal with existential questions and difficult situations.”

Zock: “You can call Harry Potter Christianity's light: Harry is prepared to do a great deal for others and even to sacrifice his life. He is brave and determined. For some scientists this is grounds for comparing him with a Jesus figure.”

No kissing in the workplace

It’s not uncommon for people to meet their romantic partner in the workplace. How do you avoid running into issues when you start a relationship with a co-worker? Ukrant interviewed lovebirds and colleagues at Groningen University.

Discretion does mean that some people won’t know about your relationship, say Hanneke Wigman and Klaas Wardenaar. One co-worker thought he had ‘caught’ them having an affair, says Wigman. She laughs: ‘We were just celebrating our fifteenth anniversary at the restaurant where he saw us.’

Folia tracks down mysterious street artist

For months it was puzzling: who was the mysterious JW, the artist who was sticking his wooden paintings on the front of buildings on the Roeterseiland campus and in other Amsterdam streets? Folia tracked him down and spoke to the street artist: “It's a shame that the UvA keeps taking down all my work”.

‘At night he walks the city streets armed with a sealant gun and a bag full of artwork. He is looking for spots on buildings where he can leave his small painted panels, sometimes dozens a night, sticking them up with a generous amount of sealant. “My main aim is to make people happy. I have hung up art at the UvA, because I think it looks pretty ugly and sad there. I want to cheer up the streets of Amsterdam with my pictures. Everyone is preoccupied with themselves these days, rich and poor alike. That's why my works often include kind words like ‘Sleep well’ and ‘Buy a present for your mother’.”

Exam called off at the eleventh hour

Around 300 Dutch-language students on the Psychology and Educational Theory Master's programs turned up for their exam on Thursday last week at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Unfortunately, their trip was fruitless, as there was no exam in the Dutch available, writes Erasmus Magazine. The university had managed to arrange an English-language version, so the international students were scribbling away inside.

“I never thought I’d be so upset about not being able to take an exam,” student Nienke Raaijmakers says with a wry smile. According to her, for a lot of master's students this was actually their final exam. “This makes it feel like we have to do a resit.”

Unfortunately most of the articles we refer to in this overview are available in Dutch only.