Less than a week ago, on late Friday afternoon, the TU/e board announced that students and staff members aren’t allowed to travel to China anymore. It will no longer issue travel permits. On behalf of Cursor, I went to Education & Student Affairs on Monday morning to ask for the figures with regard to that measure.

How many students and scientists from TU/e currently reside in China? What’s their exact location? Did we have contact with them? How many TU/e students and staff members travelled to China during the last couple of weeks and are now back in Eindhoven, sitting behind their desks or in their study areas? And where in China did they stay? How many students and staff members are planning to travel to China this month (the measure is in force until March 1 for the time being). How many students from China were planning to travel to TU/e in the coming period to follow a program, or to study for their PhD?

It turns out that these figures can’t be produced at the push of a button. In fact: it’s already Thursday afternoon till they are reported to me. Each individual department has to look hard for the exact figures, and that proves to be an extremely time-consuming procedure. It makes me wonder whether we shouldn’t set up a central registration system for all the students and staff members who travel abroad every year to follow an education program or an internship, to provide guest lectures, to attend conferences, etcetera?

Another additional task, many people will say. But when we keep a central database – who has travelled where and for how long, we will have an up-to-date overview at our disposal, which will allow us to communicate with all those involved in case on a calamity like the one we’re seeing in China right now. And what’s more, I would have finished my article on Monday afternoon already.