New building finally finished

The new building for the Faculty of Behavioral and Social Science on the Grote Rozenstraat is finished. Construction lasted 10 months, creating study space for students with mobile work stations downstairs and upper floors reserved for employees.

Its completion marks the beginning of a game of musical chairs among several faculties: once Behavioral and Social Science moves to the Rozenstraat, then Sociology – currently in the Bouman building – will move into the Munting building. Eventually, teacher training will be the permanent tenant in the Munting building.

Fewer Rosalind Franklin Fellowship positions

There will only be two Rosalind Franklin Fellowship positions this year in the faculty of the Arts. There are normally four spots available. ‘We want to be sure the candidates can be placed into study fields that we have a need for’, dean Gerry Wakker says.

RFF candidates – female professors who receive a tenure-track position – can keep their positions in the midst of job cuts in the Arts department because they are funded by the RUG and the EU. Still, candidates need support from within the faculty, which Wakker says they can only provide if there are fewer positions.

Students plan to file official complaint

Students who took a Qualitative Research class taught by Professor Gert Haanstra last semester are preparing to file an official complaint.

The students say that it was poorly organized: there was a so-called “running document” instead of a syllabus, which changed throughout the semester, insufficient preparation for the final exam and uncertainty about which assignments would be graded and how. Haanstra said that this was the first time the class had been given in this manner, but the students won’t accept that as an excuse.

Assault suspect goes to court

The man, a 26-year-old Groninger who was arrested in October under suspicion of assaulting and raping several students, will likely appear in court next month.

Two girls were attacked in the vicinity of the Albertus student organization last year and the suspect was arrested after assaulting a third woman. The date of his court appearance is to be determined. ‘We are busy planning a date for the hearing, but it will probably be held in March’, according to a spokesperson for the public defense.

Tax authority employee arrested

An employee of the tax authority has been arrested in connection to the DigiD fraud case.

The 54-year-old man, originally from the Groningen town of Westerlee, was arrested, along with his 53-year-old wife. A 27-year-old man from Winschoten was also detained. The extent to which the tax authority employee was involved in the fraud case is being examined. In total, there are now eight suspects in the identity theft case.

Experts and students agree: the RUG is just average

The RUG is ranked 9th out of 15 universities in the latest Masters Choice Guide. Researchers compared the quality of various Masters programs at Dutch universities and scored them based on a maximum of 100 points.

Among the master programs nanoscience scored the highest with 98 points, but law and psychology scored the lowest with 52 points.

• Applied Physics: 66
• Archeology: 54
• Art, Culture and Media: 58
• Biology: 64
• Biomedical Sciences: 62
• Business Administration: 64
• Chemistry: 66
• Economics: 58
• Fiscal Law: 64
• History: 64
• Human Movement Science: 72
• Information and Communication Law: 58
• International and European Law: 66
• Law: 52
• Linguistics: 74
• Medicine: 64
• Molecular Biology: 58
• Nanoscience: 98
• Neuroscience: 76
• Notary Law: 62
• Pedagogy: 56
• Pharmacy: 62
• Physics: 62
• Population Studies: 80
• Psychology: 52
• Real Estate Studies: 56
• Sociology: 62
• Sport Sciences: 68
• Technology Law: 58
• Theology: 74

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