There are still study spots left in the faculties
It is not easy, creating study spots in times of corona. Building managers must take into account distance rules and time slots, set up registration systems, and ensure that people do not get in each other’s way when the next group of students arrives. More decentralised study spots are becoming available at the faculties, though. ‘It seems that there are now enough faculty study spots’, says facility manager Marleen Iemhoff of the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences. ‘Usually there are places left.’
GMW has converted the temporary canteen under the Nieuwenhuis building in the Grote Rozenstraat into a study location. There are also study spots available in the Gadourek building. The 133 spots in the new Heymans building are also very popular. There are now a total of 215 study spots. Of course there are peak times, she says, but that was also the case before corona. ‘That’s what you get when everyone wants to study between ten and two’, jokes Iemhoff.
Arts and economics
For the time being, the supply at other faculties is also greater than the demand. Arts mainly focused on redesigning the study spots that were already available in the Harmonie building. That was quite a hassle, says facility manager Rein van den Bos. ‘At the moment there is a good match between supply and demand. That was difficult to organise. But we’ll gladly do it again if the demand goes up.’
There is also enough room at the Faculty of Economics and Business. The usual places are available and there are a number of extra rooms available, such as computer rooms, which were already being used as study spots during exam periods before corona. Should demand increase, there are further possibilities to scale up.
It’s not clear why the faculty study spots aren’t more in demand. ‘Perhaps the students don’t know about them’, Van den Bos speculates. The Student Portal provides information on the available study spots, but that may not be enough.
Linnaeusborg
The Faculty of Science and Engineering did identify some shortages, which is why – in addition to the usual spots in the Bernoulliborg – it has converted the Linnaeusborg canteen into a study room. Each room is good for thirty spots. Another thirty will be added in the Bernoulliborg. Andrys Weitenberg, housing manager at FSE: ‘At the moment it seems to be enough, but it is not yet clear whether this will be the case during the busier periods.’
A number of faculties have special dispensations for students who really need a place to study, for example because they have concentration problems, bad Wi-Fi at home, or because they have mental health problems.
Law and arts students can report to their study advisor, who will then assess whether they qualify for a special permission card, which ensures them a study spot. At FSE, thirty spots in the Bernoulliborg have been reserved for students with dispensation.