Science Faction Council speeches & blog

Onze raadslid Thereza Langeler herdenkt Anda Kerkhoven, de bekende jonge pacifiste uit Groningen, op de 71e sterfdag van haar overlijden. Dit leidt tot een urgente en belangrijke reflectie over de rol en visie van de universiteit in de context van veerkracht en veiligheid (Veiligheid en Weerbaarheid) in deze turbulente tijd. / Our council member Thereza Langeler commemorates Anda Kerkhoven, the renowned young pacifist from Groningen, on the 71st anniversary of her death. This prompts an urgent and important reflection on the role and vision of the university in the context of resilience and security during these turbulent times.

Speech by our cuncil member Marcello Seri on the New Digital Workplace. We strongly support the university’s vision for data sovereignty and independence from foreign companies. But we express alarm that the new digital workplace initiative, intended to increase flexibility, instead deepens dependence on Microsoft’s ecosystem—particularly Windows 11 and Azure Virtual Desktop—risking long-term lock-in and higher costs. While it is too late to stop this needed update, we urgently advocate for adopting open solutions, repurposing functional computers with alternatives like Linux, and ensuring sustainable, responsible disposal or reuse of hardware to avoid waste and support both environmental and financial sustainability.

Speech by Marcello Seri, reporting from gathering feedback with staff members and raising important points of attention in the process of setting up the CTL.

Speech by Marcello Seri for the advice discussion on the Smart Academic Year plan. We reiterate some of the issues that went through the development of this plan and our hopes to learn from them in future harmonization processes.

Speech by Marcello Seri on the consent discussion about the AI Network proposal. We raise our praise for how the process unfolded and reiterate how important it has been to have an open line of discussion with people in the field to be able to revise the proposal successfully and find common agreement.

We urge the Board to present a vision that the academic community of Groningen can truly rally behind. A common goal for us all to work towards, instead of a sad state of affairs. In our view, all the talk of merging has clouded an important reality that most staff and students actually agree with: that the University is indeed hampered by bureaucracy, and that harmonisation of processes across the different faculties could promote more and better cooperation between units.

In this post, Marcello Seri pulls back the curtain on what it is like serving on the University Council: the rewarding collaborations, the exhausting debates and the need to reach out to those directly affected by the Council and Board decisions. In this he goes over some important changes that are coming and how we really need to start working together to make the university a better place.

The Science Faction warns that the University of Groningen is steering into a financial storm. While faculties have already tightened their belts, the Board hesitates to make tough cuts, relying instead on natural attrition and short-term fixes. With student numbers set to drop and deficits ballooning, the Faction demands urgent action — before the ship hits the rocks.

The smart academic year is an opportunity to revise a rather intense study and teaching schedule. In the process to design the new recommendations however, it seems that something has gone wrong. Are there reasonable worries or suggestions that should have been given more thoughts? Can we use this as a learning moment to avoid the same problems in the future? Marcello Seri explores some of these issues in this speech at the council discussion.

The AI Network is a plan for a centralized AI office to shape the policy of the university and oversee and coordinate work on AI. We had a close look at the proposal and Marcello Seri collected feedback from many researchers and educators which he consolidated it in the speech he gave at today's council. You can find the whole speech here.