From the moment the relocation of the educational section from the Bloemstraat to the Heymans wing was brought up, employees began warning the board of potential problems, the staff delegation says in their letter. But they feel these warnings were ignored.
The lease on the temporary lecture rooms at the Bloemstraat is up, and new housing at the Healthy Ageing Campus has fallen through. As a result, the faculty board has decided that the offices in the Heymans wing have to make way for more lecture rooms. But the personnel party says that despite repeated protests and assurances from the faculty board, alternative locations were never considered.
The staff delegation feels that this means that the promises made by the faculty board were not fulfilled. ‘We feel it is incumbent on us to once again notify the faculty board of the dissatisfaction among staff and to share our viewpoints with our colleagues’, the employees write.
Education
The psychology staff has previously made it clear they were not happy with the plans. In a letter to the board – signed by 120 employees – they write that they feel the faculty board not doing enough to safeguard the interests it represents: the quality of education and research at the faculty.
According to the personnel party, the psychology staff told the faculty board on multiple occasions that they felt ‘poorly informed, passed over, cheated, and in some cases even deceived’.
Dean Kees Aarts can confirm he received the letter, but refuses to discuss it with the UK. ‘The BSS faculty board has not yet answered the faculty council’s staff delegation’s letter. I don’t think it would be proper to argue with our faculty council via the UK. The council is having a meeting on 23 May, and I’m sure this letter will be discussed.’