In 2023, students filed a total of 172 appeals, objections, and complaints. In absolute figures, this is an increase of twenty compared to year before that. The report was discussed in the most recent University Council Meeting. All individual categories (appeals, objections, and complaints) in the report show an increase.

The original report contains a number of errors. For this reason, we are not providing a link to it here, but Cursor checked and the figures in this article are correct according to the author of the report. ESA will also publish an addendum to the annual report with the correct figures.

Student ombudsperson

Another thing that came up in the University Council meeting is that regulations for the student ombudsperson were published. Council member Martijn Klabbers says that “the Council is happy that regulations are now in place for the ombudsperson for students, in order to strengthen the position of both students and the ombudsperson within the ombuds process.”

The student ombudsperson is a relatively new phenomenon within TU/e. Roel Notten was appointed as such at the end of 2023. The students in Eindhoven have to ‘share’ him with those at Utrecht University, where he also works part-time as a student ombudsperson.

Klabbers: “In approving these regulations, we also communicated the University Council’s long-term goals for the university with respect to its social safety support structure. The board also endorses these. This means we laid a solid foundation for future regulations and enabled better protection of the position of the two ombudspersons, students and staff, and future whistleblowers.”

“We are happy with this foundation and confidently look forward to the next steps towards a central integrity desk.” Professor Ingrid Heynderickx is responsible for this desk. She was appointed as TU/e’s integrity ambassador in October 2023 and says she wants to launch the integrity desk before the summer of 2024.