27 October 2023
Friday 27 October 15:00 – 17:00
Campus Dialogues by the Central Diversity Office
Many of us are affected by the horrific events in Gaza and Israel. To promote dialogue and mutual understanding, the Central Diversity Office (CDO) is organising Campus Dialogues where you can come together in a safe context and share your emotions in a facilitated dialogue.
Friday 27 October 12:00 - 13:30
Teach-in at UvA REC C.002: International Law and the Right to resist
Join academics and other experts for the teach-in “History is Not Context, It’s Reality” – On Israel/Palestine. A three-week interactive lecture series about the political and social reality in the region and how we got here.
Friday 3 November 12:00 – 13:30
Teach-in at UvA OMHP D0.09: EU and Dutch Discourses on Israel/Palestine, and alternative voices
Join academics and other experts for the teach-in “History is Not Context, It’s Reality” – On Israel/Palestine. A three-week interactive lecture series about the political and social reality in the region and how we got here.
20 October 2023
Many people in the AUC community, including students, staff members, parents, alumni and student boards, have expressed their deep concerns regarding the violence and armed conflict in Israel and the Palestinian regions.
The Management Team of AUC shares the concerns surrounding these developments. We do so with anxiety and worry: our hearts are heavy to see the escalation and the lives that are being lost. We are aware that the continuous influx of distressing images and news of violence and its victims are affecting all of us. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to all those affected, whether through personal ties, personal beliefs, or from a humanitarian perspective.
AUC is a joint initiative and our two parent universities, the University of Amsterdam and VU Amsterdam have each equally expressed their concerns (UvA message and VU message), along with listing options for support. While students and staff members can certainly use the support options offered by both institutes, we want to emphasise that AUC also offers internal support to anyone affected within our community (see below). Furthermore, we echo the sentiments expressed by UvA and VU, meaning that we recognise the importance of fostering an environment of empathy, understanding and safety on campus for all students and employees.
In this context, we want to highlight and clarify the following:
AUC's Student Life Officers have made efforts to reach out to students in our community whose nationality may suggest ties to the regions affected. Team leaders have similarly reached out to staff members from the region or who are known to have close ties to the region. At their request, we will maintain contact with these students and staff members, and we will continue to closely monitor the situation as it develops.
If we have not reached you for whatever reason, please do not hesitate to contact the Student Life Officers directly. They are here for you to provide a listening ear and can assist in exploring further support options should they be necessary.
We want to continue to emphasise the importance of treating each other with respect and maintaining a safe and inclusive campus environment. This also includes the student residences of AUC. Hate speech, discrimination and violence are unacceptable and will not be tolerated at AUC. Even when emotions are running high, AUC students are expected to behave in ways that demonstrate commitment to respect, tolerance and engagement with others, and that help to create an environment where every member of our community feels safe and comfortable. If the expectations are unclear, you can consult the AUC Social Code of Conduct for more information.
If students or organisations want to support a humanitarian aid initiative, or information about academic gatherings, and want to do so by promoting it through a flyer, poster or other means of communication, then we want to clarify that there are specific policies in place. AUC student boards, committees and other student-related initiatives are permitted to display information about their events or opportunities on the designated student event poster boards (these are on the ground floor, first floor and second floor). The spots in the sign holders on toilet doors are reserved for official announcements from AUC and for the newsletters of the AUC Student Council and AUC Student Association. Any other posters in the building must receive approval from the AUC communications team before they can be distributed.
There is additionally one free-to-use poster board by the ground floor stairs for various opportunities or initiatives that students may want to make other students aware of. As long as the message does not have a political or commercial purpose (and does not promote or condone hate, discrimination, harassment or violence) it too can be freely used. This specific poster board will be monitored and posters may be removed if deemed inappropriate.
AUC intends to organise one or more academic seminars focused on this subject for staff and students after the upcoming class-free week. More information and the exact times and locations will be shared on student.auc.nl once known. You can also monitor the UvA and VU (student) event pages for more upcoming discussions, debates and information sessions on the respective campuses.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we navigate these challenging times as a community. Our commitment to creating a safe and supportive environment for all students and staff members remains our utmost priority.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions, are seeking help, or need support. We are here for you.
On behalf of the AUC Management Team,
Martin van Hees
Dean, Amsterdam University College