Through this decision the university hopes to be able to limit the use of locations outside the campus for evening classes and lectures as much as possible. According to Monique Kuyck, head of Operational Services of TU/e, the rapid rise in student numbers has been causing problems in the timetable scheduling of educational activities for a long time already. “We need to find solutions for that, and this is one of them.”

What it boils down to is that the Blauwe Zaal will as of the next academic year be reserved for education on all weekday mornings as well as on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Apart from evenings and weekends, that leaves only Wednesday and Friday afternoons free for other ‘in-house’ activities, such as graduation ceremonies, conferences and programs of Studium Generale.

In practice, for that matter, keeping the Blauwe Zaal available for lectures will apply especially during the first four weeks of a quartile. “After that period, student numbers often decline and there are enough smaller halls available to accommodate them”, explains Jessica van de Ven, team leader educational planning within Education & Student Affairs.

Monique Kuyck thinks that TU/e is quite willing to help find other locations for university events, which will before long miss out at the Blauwe Zaal. “Still, when on occasion it is necessary to find other locations outside the campus, we will first have to reach agreement about the financing of such events.” In the past, rooms would occasionally be rented out to external parties for a price in line with the market, she says, “but in principle we don’t do so anymore”.

Reservations that have already been made for the Blauwe Zaal for the coming period will be upheld as much as possible, she emphasizes. “If not, we shall contact the persons involved ourselves.”

Defense ceremonies

The former defense ceremony halls (lecture halls 4 and 5) in the Auditorium are reserved in principle for educational purposes. From now on, defense ceremonies will take place mostly in the Senaatszaal, the film room of De Zwarte Doos or the great hall in Kennispoort.

“Although the starting point for a while was that defense ceremonies were also going to take place outside the campus, for instance in hotels in the neighborhood, we have gone back on that decision.” Kuyck adds that last summer a number of conference rooms in Traverse were converted into teaching halls as well.