Because of its relatively young age, an important ceremony at TU/e has a very different cachet. It feels a bit tacky when the beadle with staff walk into a TU/e lecture hall to end a defense by speaking the words “Hora est!” It doesn’t feel quite right, an old tradition in a modern lecture hall. Besides, many techies have little affinity for classical languages and were not trained in Latin at the Atheneum ;-p  

Anyway, upon entering the Donders room, the deputy rector, promoters and committee members were already seated at the table. When I put on my gown’s bef, the deputy rector reprimanded me because it looked sloppy. The man in question had a distinguished appearance, spoke like a newsreader from the 1970s and blended perfectly into the decor of the Academy Building. I tried something along the lines of “I can't get the top button of my shirt closed.” But the deputy rector was not receptive to my excuse.  

By now I was dissatisfied with it myself. The incident made me realize: wearing that gown is a tremendous honor. My nonchalant behavior was inappropriate. After all, Dutch universities have managed to maintain the gown tradition. And people like the deputy rector ensure that that tradition remains.  

I am certainly not the only one undermining the toga tradition. The “everyone professor” movement is also the “everyone gown” movement. One of its most prominent proponents is our dean of Applied Physics. “Everyone dean!”? Despite my conviction that academics who manage research programs and supervise doctoral students should have promotion rights, I have mixed feelings about trivializing wearing a gown.  

Can we agree to uphold tradition? If so, I will purchase a new shirt and neat shoes to wear with the gown. Or, along the “everyone gown” tack, we seriously overhaul the tradition. But then I may wear my own attire: a T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, with occasional crutches.  

Willem Mulder is a Professor of Precision Medicine at TU/e. The views expressed in this column are his own