Executive Board member Wijnand van den Brink made it clear in the previous Central Representative Board meeting that he intends to seriously tackle the problem raised by the students. Students at Kralingse Zoom experience both a shortage of places to study quietly and places where they can work on group projects with others.

Each school had its own rules

Apart from the fact that there is not much space available yet, in many cases empty rooms were not opened to students because they were not enrolled at the relevant school. Each school had its own rules with regard to the use and reservation of rooms.

This practice has now come to an end. As of this week, all rooms will be open to all students.

‘Good example of an integral working method’

‘We want to meet the students’ demand for more project rooms and study areas. The doors of the project rooms will therefore be open from now on!’, says Zakia Guernina, the Board member who has been responsible for the Rotterdam Business School, the fusion of economic schools, since the start of this academic year.

Guernina: ‘This is a good example of the new, integral working method made possible by the economic study programmes joining forces.’  The Rotterdam Business School (RBS) is the result of the merger between the four economic schools and the Business Innovation knowledge centre. This merger will be officially completed on 1 September 2019.

The problem became worse after the closure of building section C

The perceived shortage of work areas is not a recent development. Last spring, Central Representative Board member Patrick Luijten, among others, drew attention to this problem, which had become worse after the closure of building section C.

In the new situation, lecturers who want to use the project rooms for education activities are still given priority, even if these activities are not scheduled. Students can reserve project rooms at the front office (B2). These students are given priority over students who have not made a reservation.

‘The first rooms were already unlocked on Wednesday’

Central Representative Board member Luijten is satisfied with the decision. ‘The first project rooms were already unlocked on Wednesday. I assume that the decision will be in full effect from January onwards and Rotterdam Business School students will feel free to work in the entire building. You might also meet students from another study programme, but I think that would be a good opportunity to learn something.’

The fact that ‘only’ the project rooms are open at the moment and not the classrooms is not considered a problem by Luijten. ‘A change process always takes time, but we’re headed in the right direction. We should monitor this development.’

Efforts to create additional work areas

Luijten is pleased that the Executive Board and the deans at Kralingse Zoom see the need for more work areas. In writing about the decision to open the project rooms, Fred Feuerstake reports on behalf of the deans of the Rotterdam Business School that efforts are being made to create additional work areas for students in consultation with the FIT service.

Jos van Nierop