The interview, which lasts 25 minutes and was held in English, can be listened back to as a podcast, and contains interesting information for both international and Dutch students and PhD candidates. For instance, rector Baaijens says that even though the university is currently working hard to make most of its education available online, it won’t be successful in every area. “Online isn’t a solution for areas of education which include experimental work in laboratories,” Baaijens says. “We have to accept that, and we need to come up with a different solution for this,”

When Andy Baroja, a first-year student of Architecture, Building and Planning from Spain, asked Baaijens whether students should return home at the request of family and friends to lend a helping hand, the rector answered: “I understand these kinds of requests very well, and it seems like the right thing to do for exchange students. However, I believe it’s better when students currently following a Bachelor’s or Master’s program stay here in the Netherlands. It would still be possible to follow part of the education online in the home country, but there are also parts for which you need to work together in small groups, and that isn’t always possible.”

He advises students to look into off campus possibilities for that. “You could still meet in small groups of three to four people. This is still allowed by the government at this moment, our country isn’t under total lockdown, as is the case in Italy or France, for example. You do need to comply with the hygiene measures that have been imposed, naturally.”

When Limi Kalapurackal, third-year student of Chemical Engineering from Austria and columniste for Cursor, asked whether there was anything else TU/e could do for internationals, Baaijens was unable to provide her with an answer. He says that the university is definitely looking into this, but that the options are limited. He did urge students to maintain mutual contact, both online and physically in small groups. “I do that as well with my family and friends,” Baaijens said. “But the same applies here: be sure to comply with every measure.”

He was unable to give a definitive answer to the question whether this crisis and the shutting down of TU/e will have an effect on the decision whether or not to maintain the binding study advice. “This will be discussed on a national level within umbrella organization VSNU tomorrow, Thursday March the 19th.”