The invitation of the fossil industry to the Career Expo caused quite a stir. Following the announcement of the participating companies, action group University Rebellion announced that they were going to occupy the Auditorium if the university refused to comply with their demands. With a megaphone in hand, the action group made their demands known: namely, that the university sever all ties with the fossil industry and exclude them from the career fair. If University Rebellion were to actually proceed with the occupation, it would be the third time they have done so on campus. 

According to the action group, the invitation of fossil companies is in conflict with the Executive Board’s sustainability plans. The Executive Board feels it is crucial to maintain ties with the fossil industry in order to develop sustainable solutions. However, the university only wishes to collaborate with fossil companies on projects that contribute to a sustainable energy transition; the “greatest societal challenge ever.”  

Requests from students 

The Career Expo is organized by Wervingsdagen, which represents nine study associations. Representatives from these study associations sit on the Supervisory Board and may issue advice on which companies get to participate in the event. The final decision lies with the Wervingsdagen board, which also consists of TU/e students. “In making this decision, we take into account the wishes of the study associations,” says spokesperson Stefanie Sturm. The desire to invite the fossil industry was also discussed in this process. “They (the study associations, Ed.) agree with the list of companies that we have selected.”  

In response to the question of how they arrived at that selection, Wervingsdagen offers a brief statement. In it, the organization calls the selection of companies for the Career Expo a “rigorous process,” in which various factors must be taken into consideration. “Such as a diverse range of companies, equal representation for the different fields of study and requests from students.” Afterwards, the participating companies are evaluated and the selection process is repeated every year.  

Differing views   

The occupation by University Rebellion falls within a series of announcements of similar actions against university partnerships with the fossil industry. For example, action group End Fossil: Occupy! Recently occupied a TU Delft faculty building. Occupations are expected to take place at the universities in Utrecht and Amsterdam as well. The fact that Dutch universities have this issue high on their agenda is also evident from the announced policy revision at Leiden University. The university no longer wishes to cooperate with companies that “are not demonstrably committed” to the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement. 

The announced occupation by University Rebellion and the differing views on partnerships with the fossil industry prompted Cursor to conduct a poll among its audience on Instagram. Although the poll is not representative of the entire university, it does paint a picture of the differing views on these types of partnerships. Check out the results of the poll below.