Headlines

The Minister for Education, Loek Hermans, has received a Cabinetgreen light to spend an extra NLG 1.4 billion on education. Thiswas revealed in the national budget published last Tuesday, on whatis traditionally known as Princes' Day. Collectively, highereducation will eventually receive about one third of the total. Inthe coming year the universities can count on receiving NLG 120million extra, rising to NLG 160 million in 2004. The minister willspend 50 million of the extra money on the student grants system, aconcession made under great parliamentary pressure. The Lower Househad demanded more flexible arrangements for students onsupplementary grants. A spokesman for VSNU, the NationalAssociation of Universities, said the budget had been greeted with"mixed feelings". We will have to do a lot more for relativelylittle money. "More students will have to be taught, we will haveto invest more in ICT, as well as having to introduce the newBachelor/Masters degree system". The student unions are alsodisappointed. "In reality, higher education will receive no extramoney at all," is their conclusion.

Veritas

The University Regents have ordered the Student Service Center(SSC) to start an investigation into an freshers' week incident atthe Veritas student society. Last week it was alleged that one ofthe leaders of an orientation camp had deliberately extinguished acigarette on a freshman's arm. Before the start of everyorientation period society management committees invariably receivestrict orders from the University Regents to guarantee the "safetyand welfare" of their new members. If anything happens incontravention of this order, the Regents take disciplinary action.The outcome of the SSC-investigation is to be made public thisweek.

Rooms

KRO television station is obviously intent on targeting ayounger audience. On Monday a special issue of its regular TV guidewill be distributed at the university. The issue is titled "A roomof your own or stay at home?" and presents a National OpinionResearch survey into student accommodation. Six out of tenfirst-year students decide to stay with mum and dad. Increasingly,according to the researchers, students regard money and beinglooked after properly as important factors.