A campus for everyone — column by José Sanders
University campuses are still not a pleasant and safe place for everyone to study, work and visit. In late March, Voxweb reported that new figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) show that as many as 44 per cent of female PhD candidates in the Netherlands experience undesirable behaviour such as bullying, discrimination, or sexual intimidation. Male PhD candidates, too, experience undesirable behaviour at an above-average rate of 26 per cent, compared to staff in general.
Barely two days later, another worrying report appeared. Over the past ten years, academic freedom has declined significantly, and the Netherlands has also dropped sharply on the Academic Freedom Index (AFI); in particular, the sense of safety is under pressure, the AFI survey shows. Furthermore, in early February, the Task Force on Combating Anti-Semitism published a report showing that some Jewish students and staff do not feel safe at their university. That is very serious.
Anti-Semitism, as well as Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination, are all unacceptable. No student or employee should have to deal with undesirable behaviour. This is especially true for students, and PhD candidates who are at the start of their academic careers and often find themselves in a vulnerable position compared to established scholars and professionals. Unfortunately, it does happen; even at Radboud University. But thanks to the efforts of many, things are changing. The most recent student and staff surveys show that students rate social safety at 8.35 and the percentage of staff who have experienced transgressive behaviour has fallen from 21 to 18 per cent.
These are small steps in the right direction, but the uncomfortable truth is also that a truly socially safe and inclusive campus cannot be achieved overnight. I need not remind anyone on campus of the terrible incident of 7 May 2025, when one of our students was bitten by a police dog whilst posing no threat whatsoever. It has now been almost a year, but for many it feels like yesterday. The Public Prosecution Service is set to prosecute the officer responsible. Earlier that same day, a security guard was attacked, for which someone is also being prosecuted.
Safety on campus sometimes seems like a kind of Echternach procession: three steps forward and two steps back. Or to use a slightly more familiar image, working on social safety is like sharpening your mind through lectures and research, or training your muscles in the Sports Centre: you have to work at it consistently to see results and keep your spirits up when faced with an obstacle or a setback.
As a university, we are systematically working on training and perseverance, including through the Prevent Care Cure project. For example, a new, accessible platform is being launched for questions and reports regarding undesirable behaviour and integrity: Safe@RU. This is because there is a need for a single clear and independent platform where you can seek advice and where reports are handled with care. Another small step in the right direction and if it is up to me, we will keep taking these kinds of steps. Meanwhile, we will continue to make academic debate accessible to everyone, regardless of the background or nationality of participants — something the Task Force on Combating Anti-Semitism rightly called attention to.
We are committed to an open and safe campus for all, with attention and care for one another. Where we can engage in substantive discussion with one another, where we can fundamentally differ in opinion, whilst at the same time, regardless of those differences, continuing to respect the dignity of every individual as a person.
Something that inspired me in this regard was yet another article on Voxweb. Editor Ken Lambeets visited a celebration of Sizdah Bedar, the Persian Day of Nature, for his column ‘Kenschetsen’. There he tasted aash, a traditional Iranian soup, but above all witnessed how the shared meal brings people together and fosters mutual understanding. A campus for everyone, where we not only learn but also eat! That fits perfectly with our new strategy, in which we express our ambition to ensure that our campus is the centre of a vibrant community — a home for everyone.
