When the going gets tough... - Wageningen UR

2 >> labour of love>> FRANS + BLUESFrans van de Goot, financial controller Social Sciences‘Variety is our strong point’Thursday evening practice with the guys has been afixture in bass player Frans van de Goot’s life for 17years. And now and then a performance with his bandDouble-U-Blues (formerly Gazzary). It’s all about havingfun with music. Blues because it’s so relaxing, and awide variety of covers. The ‘Double-U’ stands for the Wfor Wageningen of course (see www.double-u-blues.com). RK / Foto: Guy Ackermans(Do you have a colleague with a passionate interest? Let usknow: roelof.kleis@wur.nl)RESOURCE — 31 January 2013

COVER PHOTO: MANON BRUININGA>>CONTENTSno 11 – 7th Volume>> 4‘CHERISH THE DISSIDENTS’Outgoing education director: ‘Weshould be more open to criticalreflection.’>> 20THE LONELY HALFHow do partners of international stafffare? ‘Wageningen is not very lively.’>> 27VERA COMES HOME‘Well, you’ve had one Tripel too many,’said Willem-Jan.AND MORE...2 Labour of loveblues4 News and opinion8 Science11 Resource.wur.nl12 Leading lights16 In the picturegoose game18 Sustainability20 The lonelier half22 IMObasic grant24 Student29 Column32 Typical DutchDutch doctorNO CHOICESo that’s how it goes when a merger is unscrambled. This is the last Resource tobe distributed to VHL. There will be no more stories about the solar boat Sinnfretter,student research on barn fires or war relics in Mariëndaal, or lack ofconfidence between the VHL board and the staff council.That’s it, folks. Over and out. We have no choice, and that is how it feels too. Wehave built up relations with student reporters, administrators, teachers and theparticipatory bodies. Take Emma Holmes, for example. She lives in the Bennekomresidence Beringhem. She knows the Wageningen pubs and the internationalstudent community. She cycles around the campus, attends lectures in theForum. She is a columnist for Resource (see page 29) and writes with humour –often directed at herself – and verve. But she’s out of a job now. Because Emmais a VHL student.Emma, as far as we are concerned, you are welcome to pick up a copy of Resourcein the Forum. But keep it under your hat!Gaby van Caulil>> And the goose gets away again. A reconstruction of Hollandas a goose heaven – in the form of a goose game. | p. 1631 January 2013 — RESOURCE

newsWageningen UR should have thecourage to be more open to criticalreflection and listen to the ‘dissidents’within the organization.That was the key message that educationand research director AbGroen put across in his farewelllecture on 24 January.Groen was not afraid to reflecton the directors present in theroom. For instance, he said it was‘hilarious’ that university directorsand researchers advocate autonomyand self-monitoring ‘in view ofthe recent failures in self-monitoringin the case of directors’ payand scientific fraud.’Such contradictions raise thesuspicions of the general public.Groen thinks that you can onlychange this by paying more attentionto the individual motivationsof students and researchers. He isagainst the abolition of the basicgrant, selective admissions andsetting up so-called honours programmes.Such measures are turningthe universities into ‘Humboldtinstitutions’ - ivory towers -whereas they should be developinginto networking knowledge institutions.Universities also need to makesure they do not lose contact withthe students. ‘The biggest challengefor universities now is to beaware of the trends among youngpeople.’ He mentions the use of ITas an example. ‘A lecturer found itirritating that students were messingaround with Facebook andTwitter during practicals. I don’tagree. Sixty percent of new studentshave mobile internet. So itshould be the other way around -the lecturer should start tweetingwith them instead. WageningenUniversity should invest more inthe use of social media in the learningenvironment so you are givingenough support to the ITtrendsetters among the students.’That is why you need a structuraldialogue between the universityand its students ‘starting with theacknowledgement that young peopleshould have a say,’ argues Groen.He feels consultations between theboard and the student council aretoo much of a ‘ formal exercise’ without‘the intrinsic willingness todiscuss key policy decisions.’The university directors shouldorganize such questioning of itspolicy themselves, says Groen, whoacted as an advisor to the board forthe past seven years. ‘Make surethere is sufficient critical reflection.’He says managers become lazyif they aren’t confronted with resistanceor dissidents, or else theythink they can get away with anything.‘A strong organization isprepared to make room for dissidentsbecause they improve thequality of the decision-making process.’According to Groen, it is thosevery critics who throw a differentlight on matters and who canexpose the weak points in policychoices. ‘We must have the courageto have honest differences ofopinion. There needs to be a culturegrounded in commitment andcreativity in which staff feel safe totake risks and take action. Resistanceis about voicing your own views andseeking links with others based onyour own sense of worth.’ ASAb Groen has spent more than30 years at Wageningen University,first as a student and thenas a lecturer in the Animal Breedingand Genetics group and laterhead of teaching within AnimalSciences. He has spent thelast seven years as director ofCorporate Education, Research &Innovation at Wageningen UR.As of 1 February, he will bechairman of the board of Helicon,a centre for pre-vocationaland vocational agricultural education.RESOURCE — 31 January 2013

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newsIn 2011 the university used: 10,612chickens, 1254 mice, 7558 fish,367 pigs, 215 rats, 185 cows, 14horses, 13 cat and 43 birds. Total:19810 animals used in educationand – above all – research. A recordnumber, the university’s averagebeing about 15,000 animals peryear.The reason for this peak in 2011was an increase in behaviouralresearch on chickens. According tolicense-holder Rob Buré, this cameabout partly as a result of the banon battery chickens. In 2011,Wageningen studied the behaviourof nearly 15,000 chickens,including the positive effect ofdust baths or pecking behaviourdirected at members of the samespecies. According to Buré, thissort of research causes the animalsmild distress. Blood is taken, forexample, to measure levels ofstress hormones, but no majoroperations are performed.Wageningen does a lot of animalresearch compared with otherDutch universities. Only threeuniversities used more animals inexperiments: Utrecht, Groningenand Nijmegen. DLO institutessuch as CVI, Imares and Rikilt arenot included in these statistics.But that is due to change. In 2008,a joint code of transparency aboutanimal experiments was signed bythe universities, academichospitals and the Dutch academyof sciences. This will lead togreater transparency acrossWageningen UR as well. NextMonday the executive board will bediscussing a report on animalexperiments and dilemmas inanimal research. This includesdata about the use of animals byDLO institutes. It is the first timethe organization has made thesefigures public. Its own spokesperson, logo andpresentations. And no more Resource.The hiving off of Van HallLarenstein Applied Sciences Universityfrom Wageningen UR isstarting to take shape. At the endof 2012, the applied sciences universitygot its own supervisoryboard and executive board. Negotiationsare now going on aboutfurther steps to undo the merger.As of the beginning of 2013, VHLstaff and students no longer receiveResource. VHL has plans forits own magazine, preferably tostart as soon as possible. Nor willthere be any more input from VHLfor the alumni magazine WageningenWorld. Furthermore, the appliedsciences university will nowdo its own public relations and theWageningen UR logo will no longerbe on presentations and newbrochures. ‘Some ties are easy to break,’ sayshead of Communications Marc Lamers.‘Others take a little longer.’For example, people at Communicationsare still figuring out howVHL’s access to the intranet can becancelled. ‘These are technicalplatforms and adjusting themtakes a bit more than a push of abutton.’In other areas the ending of themerger is more complicated. Talksare going on, for instance, aboutICT and other support services. Asto how these negotiations aregoing, the university is keeping itsmouth firmly shut. The only thingLamers will say is that they are conductedin a very friendly spirit. ‘It isnot a question of pulling the plugout, and “goodbye and thank you”.We are looking together for the mostsensible way of organizing it.’ RESOURCE — 31 January 2013

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scienceWageningen microbiologists getinto top journals quite often. But apublication in a top medicaljournal is more unusual. Thisweek, they and their Amsterdammedical colleagues explain in TheNew England Journal of Medicinehow you can cure the moststubborn bowel infections. Thesecret? Faecal transplants.The experiment revolvedaround a group of diarrhoeapatients suffering from persistentbowel infections with theClostridium difficile bacterium.Doctors usually treat this ailmentby blitzing it – repeatedly – withantibiotics. But about 20 percentof the patients do not respond andevery time the infection comesback, their chances of recoverydiminish.An alternative to antibiotics isthe faecal transplant, anintervention in which patients aregiven new gut flora from a healthydonor. In more graphic terms:diluted faeces are pumped intotheir intestines (after colonicirrigation) via a nasal tube. Thistreatment has been in sporadicuse for decades but has neverreally caught on – possibly becauseof the ‘yuck factor’. By 2011 therewas still no verdict on it from theCochrane collaboration, whichassesses the evidence for the valueof medical treatments.However unappetizing the faecaltransplant might sound, the testwas a resounding success. Researcherscompared three groups ofpatients who were healthy, apartfrom their diarrhoea. The firstgroup took the usual antibiotics,the second was also put throughcolonic irrigation, and the lastgroup received new gut flora afterthe antibiotics and the colonic irrigation.MASSIVEIn the two control groups, between23 and 31 percent of the patientsgot better. But in the group that gotthe transplant, the diarrhoea disappearedin a massive 81 percentof cases. In the second round, thisfigure went up to 92 percent.The differences were so big thatthe experiment was stoppedhalfway. With such big differences,it would be unethical to withholdthe best treatment from two thirdsof the patients. These patientswere allowed the transplants aswell.In the microbiology departmentthey were ‘very pleased’ with thepublication and a bottle ofchampagne had already beenuncorked in its honour, says ErwinZoetendal, assistant professor ofMicrobiology. Their task was toidentify the gut flora of patientsand donors. ‘In the patients youcan see that their intestinal floraare totally disturbed,’ explainsZoetendal. ‘The composition isdifferent and the diversity ofbacteria is much lower. In thesecond round, after the transplant,they look much more like normalgut flora.’ RRFires are frequently started in theforests of the Pakistan province ofHaripur. The government forestservice blames the arson onlivestock holders who are thoughtto start the fires in order to obtaingrass for their stock. Butsociologist Arjumand Nizamithinks otherwise. Nizami workedfor years for NGOs in the field offorest management and got hisPhD last week in the RuralDevelopment Sociology chairgroup at Wageningen University.Trying to get to the bottom ofthe fires is a complicated business,says Nizami. ‘Everyone points tosomeone else as the culprit.’Livestock holders deny allinvolvement and say they only startfires on open ground. The landlesspoor point the finger at forestowners, who are forbidden byPakistani law to fell young trees ontheir land. After a forest fire,however, the owner is allowed tosell the wood from the now deadtrees. So fire can be lucrative forhim. Corrupt government foresterscould be implicated in the firestoo.According to Nizami, there is onlyone group that is above suspicion:women. Women also stand tobenefit the most from the forests,the sociologist explains. All thefirewood needed for cooking iscollected by women. The forestalso provides food in times ofscarcity, when the women pickwild vegetables and herbs there.The forest also produces wildpomegranates, the seeds of whichbring in an income as aningredient in Asian spices.So women are really the mostimportant forest managers,concludes Nizami. ‘I have seenthem with my own eyes, puttingout forest fires by hitting themwith branches.’ He thereforeadvises Pakistani foresters toimprove their collaboration withwomen. But there is a very longway to go, he admits. ‘In ruralPakistan, women hardly have a sayin anything.’ RESOURCE — 31 January 2013

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sciencePHOTO: GUY ACKERMANSThousands of ecologists the worldover use Cajo ter Braak’s statisticalanalysis model Canoco to processtheir research data. At the end ofJanuary he presented the latestversion of his software: Canoco 5.Even researchers with littleknowledge of statistics can workwith this version.So what does Canoco doexactly? An example. If you want tostudy the negative impact ofpesticides on aquatic life, you willoften be dealing with an ecosystemwith at least 200 species in it. Thatmeans 200 graphs plotting theeffect the poison has on all thelittle water creatures. And that isnot what you want; you want anoverview of the response of all thecreatures at a glance. And you canonly get that with Canoco, saysecotoxicologist Paul van den Brink.He uses the relevant method inCanoco, and indeed helpeddevelop it, as a longstand ingcolleague of Cajo ter Braak’s.Ter Braak, who works at PRIBiometris, laid the foundations forthis software package back in thenineteen nineties. His publicationfrom 1986, in which he combinesseveral methods of statisticalanalysis with the prototype forCanoco, unleashed a revolution inthe processing of research data.Together with Czech researcherPetr Šmilauer, he went on todevelop better and more advancedversions of Canoco. Thousands ofscientists make use of Ter Braak’ssoftware, witness the 4,000licenses sold for it. In the EU,Canoco has become a fixture forthe analysis of certain complexdatasets. And the analysis modelturns up in countless scientificarticles, making Ter Braak, withabout 27,000 citations, the mostcited Wageningen scientist.Nevertheless, previous versions ofCanoco – up to version 4.5 – wereby no means child’s play to use.For the connoisseurs: it was basedon canonical correspondenceanalysis – hence Canoco – whichTer Braak combined with a handfulof other statistical methods.‘You don’t just get that under yourbelt on a Monday morning; it takesyou a week to get to grips with thebasics of Canoco,’ says Van denBrink. ‘But after that you can dosomething other people can’t do.’Van den Brink loses thatadvantage now, because Canoco 5is considerably more user-friendly.Where researchers used to have tocall on Ter Braak to advise them ona regular basis, the Canoco Advisercan do that job now. The digitaladviser evaluates the researchdata, chooses suitable analysismethods and tests the researchoutcomes, complete with areliability check. ‘You no longerneed to be an expert to be able touse the software,’ says Ter Braak.Canoco has come of age, ‘and I amits grandfather.’ In recent years,the programming has been doneby Šmilauer, with Ter Braakchecking his work and helping towrite the new manual.And what is the grandfather ofCanoco doing now? Solving crosswords?No: he has been workingon genetic algorithms for yearswith the aim of extracting informationfrom vast and complex datasets.Using the Markov Chain MonteCarlo version of an algorithm,with the aid of Bayesian theory. Ah,yes of course. ASWhen modern life clashes with traditionin Africa, the number of accusationsof witchcraft increases,suggests research in Sierra Leone.A team of Wageningen developmenteconomists and anthropologistspublished their findings in theJanuary edition of African Affairs.The researchers worked in anarea in which small villages havetraditionally been the fiefdoms ofpolygamous ‘big men’ who alsoowned most of the land. Othermen worked on the land – formerlyas slaves and later as a punishmentor as a service to be rewardedafter about 10 years with marriageto one of the chief’s daughters.The arrival of the market economyoffers these ‘marginal’ men an escaperoute. They become wage labourerson plantations or theygrow cash crops, which leaves thebig men with less free labour attheir disposal.In villages where the marketeconomy clashed with the old patriarchy,there were more accusationsof witchcraft and witch doctorswere consulted more often. Invillages where one set of values wasdominant – whether the traditionalor the market-oriented one –these things happened less often.The study does not offer an explanationof the phenomenon. Inthe literature the researchers encounteredtwo hypotheses: traditionalistsuse old customs to discouragethe pioneers, or these pioneersresort to accusations ofwitchcraft because they feel guiltytowards the community. RRRESOURCE — 31 January 2013

Dolf Weijers is thrilled to bits. Besidesbeing a successful plant scientist, he isalso the best teacher in Wageningenthis year. The jury praised his enthudiscussion

12 >> featuresRESOURCE — 31 27 January augustus 2013 2009

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14 >> features‘I know people we have been working withfor years on sustainability issues, who can no longerrelate to the noises coming from Wageningen’ningen UR is now distancing itself from such people. Andthat hurts. ‘I am not happy with the way the organizationhas been in the news recently.’ One of the developmentsthis is a reference to is the recent discussion about foodsecurity and the media image of Wageningen as standingfor a heedless intensification of agriculture. Dicke: ‘Thereare all sorts of problems in the world, and Wageningen istrying to contribute to solving them. At Entomology, forexample, we are trying to find solutions to the malaria problemand to the problems of crop protection and theworld food supply. These are complex issues and bydefinition the solutions to them are manifold. But atthe moment it seems as though Wageningen looks aswhat is perhaps the most complex problem of them all,how to feed the world, and puts forward one simple solution.Namely, that you can do it by just increasing production.’In Dicke’s opinion, Wagengen is alienating itself fromthe people who feel a bond with it. ‘I know people we haveworked with for years on sustainability issues who can nolonger relate to the noises coming from Wageningen.There are even partners who say: I don’t want to have anythingmore to do with an organization like that.’Dicke talks a bit about the collaboration between hisgroup and a large organic chicken producer. The entomologistsget chicken blood from the company in which tobreed the mosquitoes which can spread the West Nilevirus. ‘You have to have bird blood for that. So you need acompany that breeds organic chickens, because we don’twant any pesticides or hormones in the blood. But lastweek our partner abandoned the collaboration because ofAalt Dijkhuizen’s statements.A real pity, says Dicke. ‘It was not that easy to get hold ofa company of this kind and we had built up a good workingrelationship. Of course we are going to explain thatthere are other perspectives at Wageningen UR than thisone, but this just shows how fragile it is. I find that hard totake. This will definitely have a broader impact, with peoplethinking Wageningen has turned into a bio-industryclub.’As far as Dicke is concerned, Dijkhuizen has every rightto say that intensive livestock farming is in some waysmore sustainable than organic farming. ‘There are argumentsto support that. But he neglects to add that lots ofother developments could contribute to a solution. Thereare many examples - let me take one that is close to homefor me. A life cycle analysis of mealworms shows that itRESOURCE — 31 January 2013

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162000. Honk honk! Afamily gathering. Everyyear 50,000 NorthEuropean speciesoverwinter here.2001. Ban on goose hunting.Farmers are to becompensated for damage infuture. A nice surprise:waddle on four places.Hunters fear fortheir image andwithdraw forconsultations.The G8 becomesthe G7. Yippee.Waddle on to49.The costs of mainthangout spots forgeese go sky high.foraging areas is toption, accordingback three square2012. The goose survivesa hunter’s bullet, whichhits a Wageningen GPStransmitter on a collararound its neck. Free as abird! Move on threesquares.2005. Special foragingareas are allocated to you.A peaceful place to spendthe winter, with the tablelaid for you. It’s lovelyhere: skip a turn.On Texel island, Alterra proves thathunting does not help. The only way toreduce goose populations is to catchthem or gas them. A period ofinaction: skip a turn.2009. Alterra says you are cheating: fourout of ten geese spend the winter outsidethe designated areas. Silly goose! Wait hereuntil another player overtakes you.Until 1900. You like to overwinterin the Netherlands.The climate is mild andthere is plenty of waterand grass. Fly on threesquares.RESOURCE — 31 January 2013

1990s: you make enemies. Farmers are fedup with the damage you do to their land,grass and crops. Hunting you is nowallowed. Your own fault: go back sixsquares.< 17ainingwinter. Abandoninghe cheapestto LEI. Moves.2013. Too muchopposition to gassinggeese: the agreement iscancelled. Kiss the diceand throwagain.A coalition of farmers,nature conservationists,government bodies and hunterswants to reduce numbers of summergeese from 280,000 to 100,000. Gulp!Back to square 30.1975. A hundredbrooding pairsalready. Getting cosy.Provincial governments andthe G7 reach an agreement on geese.Go-ahead for the gassing of 350,000geese. Back to square one …1961. You are backin the Netherlandsafter fifty yearsaway. Getbreeding, throwthe dice again.2010. How do youconduct a mass cull ofgeese in a bird-friendlyway? Gas ’em, advisesLivestock Research.Get out of here.Jump to 34.You have a personality! Whenit comes to foraging, there arepioneers and followers,according to the university. Sochoose: throw again or moveon four places.1950. The IJsselmeerpolders are created: gooseheaven. Thanks, Mr Lely.1910. The greylag goosedisappears as a broodingbird. Back to square one.31 January 2013 — RESOURCE

18 >> featuresSustainability at the topHow do you measure sustainability? Companies, NGOs and scientists are working on thisquestion in something called The Sustainability Consortium. Wageningen UR has beencoordinating this global collaboration for over a year now. Time for an introduction.text: Roelof Kleis / illustration: Yvonne KroeseTSC is an important development. Since WageningenUR was designated European coordinationcentre, Aalt Dijkhuizen wastes no opportunity toannounce this. Confirmation came recently froman unexpected quarter, when Scientific Americanpronounced TSC one of the top ten ‘world-changing ideas’of 2012. Game changers that ‘make the impossible possible’,said the science magazine. Koen Boone (LEI) is leadingthe team that coordinates TSC in Europe. Here is hisstory in seven key words.MEASURABLETSC wants consumer products to become more sustainable.Measurably more sustainable. A key task for the consortiumis therefore to develop a measuring system forsustainability, with indicators for different types of product.In other words, to obtain measurable data: targetfigures that buyers and suppliers can work towards together.With the whole world speaking the same ‘language’.In practice it boils down to TSC measuring the sustainabilityof each product category on the basis of the availablescientific research. Boone: ‘We find out which aspects ofsustainability are relevant, to what extent, and what theprospects are for making improvements. And not just toone part of the process, but throughout the entire chain.On the basis of this dossier, indicators are established.This has now been done for the first group of 70 categories.Walmart is working on that now in discussions withsuppliers. And retail chains in Europe are setting to workon it too. Ahold will soon be starting a pilot scheme in theNetherlands.’TOYSAn example: packaging is a source of frustration andwaste. The packaging of toys is particularly notorious. Youhave just given your daughter a lovely doll and you cannotget the thing out of its package, which it is tied into withcountless fine wires. Infuriating, and very wasteful intothe bargain. Walmart talked to suppliers about this andthe problem was solved, says Boone. Peanuts? Not at all.Every year the company saves enough wire to circle theearth eight times. There are advantages to large scale:‘Because Walmart buys in such massive quantities, theenvironmental impact of this saving is big. So it is aboutrelatively simple things, precisely because there is somuch that can be improved.’LABELWill TSC’s work lead to another ecolabel? No and yes. TSCis first and foremost a business-to-business initiative, toborrow a bit of management jargon. And in terms of sustainability,the biggest potential gains are short-term,according to Boone. Suppliers and retailers egg each otheron produce their goods in more sustainable ways. And itcan make them look good in the eyes of their customerstoo. Boone: ‘On the basis of our indicators, Walmart wantsto put a sustainability score on its products, a kind ofweighted average between 1 and 100. They can do that, butit is an individual member’s action. A score of that kinddoes not automatically come out of our indicators. A retaileris keen to stand out from the crowd for consumers.’Communication with consumers is indeed the TSC’s ultimateaim, says Boone. ‘But the chances of our launching alabel that indicates which products are sustainable arevery small indeed.’MEMBERSHIPTSC started in 2009 as an initiative by Walmart. There arecurrently 107 members worldwide, including giants suchas Tesco, Disney, BASF, Coca-Cola and L’Oréal. The Dutchmembers are DSM, Unilever, PRE Consultancy, Grodan(steel wool suppliers) and Ahold. And on the NGO side, theWWF and People 4 Earth, which have their headquartersin the Netherlands. Ahold has ambitious plans for TSC, andwill be revealing them soon, says Boone, who hopes Aholdwill be a motor of change in the Netherlands and Europeas a whole. As Walmart has become in the United States.DILEMMAAny company, institution or organization with its sightsRESOURCE — 31 27 January augustus 2013 2009

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20 >> featuresThe lonelier halfMore and more international staff bring theirpartners along to Wageningen. But without thesocial network that comes with a job, it tendsto take a long time before they feel at home.‘Wageningen is not very lively. If you don’t havea job, you are pretty much on your own.’text: Alexandra Branderhorst / foto: Guy AckermansFrom left on:Muna, Gabriela andMaria Eugenis.‘We knew beforehand that it would be toughgoing for me in the Netherlands,’ saysMaría Eugenia Maldonado Hernández.The 36-year-old from Mexico met herDutch husband in Mexico nine years agowhen she was doing research for her Master’s in SocialAnthropology and he for his PhD. They married and stayedin Mexico City for another four years before his academiccareer took them to Wageningen via the United States.They have been in Wageningen since August 2012.Every morning, Maria has breakfast with her husbandand then goes shopping by bike. In the afternoon shetakes Dutch lessons or does voluntary work as the refugeecentre. Once a week she goes to a flamenco class. And shereads a lot. This is the first time Maria has been out ofwork. ‘I had always worked and had my own income andmy own friends. When you have a job you integrate fasterand you get to know people, as well as the language andculture. I don’t care about status but I do want to keep ondeveloping.’So Maria is frustrated that it is hard to get a job. ‘Weused to live in Mexico City, a hectic, bustling city full of art,culture, good food and night life. Wageningen is not verylively. If you don’t have a job, you are pretty much on yourown,’ she admits.FAR-FLUNG CORNERSMaria is not the only one to go through this. ‘More andmore staff and students from overseas bring their partnersalong,’ says Marijke Bouma, policy officer at CorporateHR. In 2011, the Corporate HR department InternationalAdvice & Support received a total of 60 applications fromstaff from outside the EU wishing to bring their partnerswith them. And then there are quite a number ofWageningen scientists – as in Maria’s case – who met theirforeign partners in far-flung corners of the world.It is not easy for international partners of staff membersto integrate in the Netherlands, explains Bouma.‘The image that you get from studies is that expats find theDutch open, friendly and helpful. But at the end of theworking day, that’s it. People here do not automatically dosports or go out in the evenings with their colleagues.’The Netherlands is a difficult country for partnersbecause of cultural difference, agrees Astrid van denHeuvel, policy officer for internal internationalization.‘The Dutch are fairly individualistic. But if the partner andthe family are not happy, the staff members do not staylong.’GET-TOGETHERSIn an attempt to help partners to start feeling at home inthe Netherlands a bit sooner, Van den Heuvel and BoumaRESOURCE — 31 January 2013

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22 >> M.I.HELLO...?The basic grant awarded to all Dutch higher education students is to be replaced with asocial loan system from 2014. Minister Bussemaker confirmed this plan, laid out in thecoalition agreement, in a letter to the Dutch parliament last week. The provision for freepublic transport for students is also to be cut down. Student organizations are up in armsabout the plans, but the average student goes no further than a bit of grumbling. Havestudents already thrown in the towel on this one?text: Rob Ramaker en Linda van der Nat / photo: Suzanne OverbeekWouter-Jan van RoosmalenMember of the Student Council (VeSte)‘Before we go into action we firstwant to know what we are protestingagainst. There is still no clarity at allabout the contents of the loan system,and exactly how social it isgoing to be. The national organizationsare still in the throes of talks with the government andas long as there is dialogue going on, you don’t start protesting.You don’t want to have used up all your ammunitiontoo soon, of course.I have my doubts as to whether there will be a big demonstrationon the Malieveld in The Hague. The demosagainst the slow students’ fine attracted a lot of troublemakers.And that is not good for the image of students.But if it does come to a Malieveld demonstration VeStewould certainly try to get as many Wageningen students aspossible to take part. I was very proud of myself for demonstratinglast time.’Eva ThuijsmanSecond year, Biology‘I noticed too that there weren’t anyinitiatives coming from student societiesand unions. Personally Iwould be keen to join in if demonstrationswere organized, becauseyou cannot do much as a solitary student.But I don’t organize anything myself either – whichis not very good of me, really.I do discuss with my fellow students how badly the plansare going to affect the students coming after us. I wouldlike us to make clear that we don’t agree – even if it’s notgoing to affect us. A visible demonstration strikes me as themost effective way. A big demonstration with banners –that would give the right signal. Meanwhile, I hope theunions are busy lobbying behind the scenes now.’Martijn van GervenFirst year, Nutrition and Health‘I think students have calmed downbecause the slow students’ fine is notgoing ahead. Three thousand eurossounded shocking but actually thecurrent plans will be even more costly.As soon as the social loan systemis really brought in, students will probably be up in arms. Ithink old-fashioned demonstrations do help. You couldsee that during the campaign against the slow students’ fine:the secretary of state came along and there was a lot ofmedia attention.If there are protests I will go along to the Malieveld but onlybecause my parents live next door to it. Otherwise I probablywouldn’t go beyond signing petitions. This measurewon’t affect me anyway for the next couple of years: I willkeep my grant and for my Master’s there is enough timefor me to make arrangements to cope with this. If theplans affected me directly, I would certainly protest.’Kai HeijnemanChair Dutch student’s union LSVb‘Students have not yet thrown in thetowel. After this was announced wegot a lot of emails and phone calls.But it is still far too early to speculateabout a big campaign. We first wantto wait and see what comes out of theparliamentary debates and to what extent the minister isRESOURCE — 31 January 2013

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24 >> studentIN THE RACKS PLEASEARGO REVEALS KEYTO SUCCESSWe mean no harm, of course. Butsometimes we are in a hurry.Quite often in fact. And then welike to park our bikes close to theentrance of the uni. And not inthe racks. Then other peoplecome back to find their bikeshemmed in. Irritating. I am sureyou recognize the problem. Themanagement at theLeeuwenborch hopes to tackle itwith signs painted on thepavement.Leeuwenborch caretaker Jork deVries understands what makesstudents park so messily. ‘Studentsarrive at the last minute; I’m thesame myself. Then they just wantto leave their bikes in front of thesheds; they don’t want to look for aspace.’ Pity, he says, because in theracks towards the back there isnearly always plenty of space.Student Nadieh Tubbenacknowledges the bike problem,but in her view it’s because thereare not enough bike racks. ‘Thereare never enough spaces. It is a tugof war to get your bike out again,and you damage your bike in theprocess.’A LOSING BATTLEWhatever the reasons for it, it isForum MorganaPHOTO: ROB GOOSSENSStudents don’t seem to take much notice of the new signs.always hard to get students tochange their behavior. Thetraditions signboards threateningthat ‘bicycles parks outside theracks will be removed,’ arecertainly not effective. Staffmember Maya Slingerland knowswhy not. ‘Everyone knows by nowthat those signs are nonsense.Bicycles are never removed.’ Thenew texts on the pavements do notthreaten any sanctions. Theysimply say, ‘No bicycles here’. Whoknows whether that will help? Thisweek there was too much snow forthe signs to be visible. But Nadiehhas her doubts. If you ask her, itwould have been a better idea toremove the posts in front of thebike sheds to create more spaces.‘No one takes any notice at all ofthose signs. Me neither. If thereisn’t enough space, there isn’tenough space.’ The caretaker isnot so sure about that. ‘It is alosing battle, but let’s hope itworks.’ MvdHLunching students couldn’t believe theireyes. Suddenly, to the tune of Arabmusic, a beauty straight out of the ArabianNights began to perform a steamybelly dance. Judging by the expressionson the faces in the background, it was amuch pleasanter sight than your matesmunching their sarnies. It turned out tobe a stunt organized by AIESEC, whoseNour project aims to promote understandingbetween the western and theArab worlds. Relations between themhave been under pressure since theattacks on the World Trade Centre. Thissummer, 25 talented students will leavefor the Middle East and North Africa towork on a summer project. Interested?Registration is open until 4 February.RR, foto RGWho? Madeleen BrouwerWhat? Argo jubilee symposiumcommittee member for PRWhere? The rowing club isholding a symposium as part ofits celebrations of its 100thanniversaryIt’s not every day that you hear of asport club organizing a symposium!‘No. We had a look and it does seemthat Argo has never organized anythinglike this before. We have invitedfour different speakers whowill be telling us what they see asthe key to success at the top in rowingand other sports. The themeis mainly about sport but we thinkthat what they have to say will beapplicable in other areas too. Yourcareer, for instance. The speakerswill cover subjects like the role ofmental aspects, diet, coaching andthe individual athlete. Of courseit’s also nice to see where youmight end up as a former Argonaut:the symposium is beingchaired by Gerrit Hiemstra, who isa former Argonaut, for example.’How many people are you expecting?‘About 200. They will mainly bemembers and former membersbut hopefully we’ll get other studentsand Wageningen residentsas well. Former Argonauts are stillvery involved, which is nice to see.All the speakers at the symposiumsaid ‘yes’ without hesitation whenwe asked them. Afterwards AlexanderPechtold will be auctioning artworks:four works made especiallyfor the jubilee celebrations will begoing under the hammer.Unfortunately he never rowed withArgo.’ LvdNRESOURCE — 31 January 2013

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26 >> studentKEEPING ABREASTVictoria’s Secret is taking a radicalstep: all the lingerie chain’s brasare going green. Well, greener. Inthe wake of a Greenpeace campaign,the company is banningtoxic substances from its underwear.Ironically enough, one categoryis the phthalates, which havebeen linked with hormonal disruption.Causing girls to developbreasts at a younger age.SPERMStudents, donate your sperm! Thefertility clinic at the Catholic Universityof Leuven is calling on studentsand staff to donate sperm.The demand for more sperm ismainly down to the fact that theclinic now caters for lesbian couples.In exchange, donors canexpect to pocket the generous sumof 50 euros.Housing association turns away StudentsThe Wageningen housing associationno longer provides housingfor students, in a new ruling thatcame into force on 1 January.Students may still register withthe association but they will nolonger be offered housing designatedfor young people inemployment. An unfair ruling,says VeSte. The student party isconsidering possible courses ofaction.As of 2011, the housing associationallocates 20 percent of itshousing by lottery (compared with8 percent before). How long youhave been on the waiting list (generallyat least 4-5 years) is no longerthe deciding factor and the lotteryis done with registration numbers.‘This was meant to help starters,’says Marion Gorlach, head of Rentalsand Sales. These are youngpeople who are not in higher edu-cation but who want to leave theirparental homes. ‘But increasinglywe were seeing students,’ says Gorlach.‘Then we thought, this is crazy.We are not a student housingprovider.’Student party VeSte has expressedannoyance at the ruling.‘Not fair,’ is the opinion of spokespersonAnneriek Simons. In herview it is not fair ‘just to exclude allstudents’. She understands thatthe housing market is not kind tostarters, but ‘there are not enoughrooms for all the students either.’Idealis has enough on offer forstudents, retorts Gorlach, pointingto the (temporarily) empty units inEde. ‘We think we are within ourrights,’ she adds. It is stated severaltimes in the business plan thatthe association is not intended tocater for students.‘We think it was bad that the rulingwas not clearly communicated,’complains Simons. Most studentswho have registered with thehousing association do not knowthat they don’t stand a chance. The‘It is not fairto excludeall students.’ruling is stated on the website andon housing adverts, however. Aswell as being clearly stated in allbrochures, adds Gorlach. ‘And wenever communicated to studentsthat we would offer them housingin the first place.’The housing association letsabout 350 houses a year. A tally in2012 revealed that about 7 percentof these houses went to students.The association decided to monitorthis. Gorlach estimates that atotal of about 60 to 65 houses arelet to students. These sitting tenantscan stay put. RRLOO ROLLStudents at Mahanoy Area HighSchool in Pennsylvania must nowsign for receipt of a loo roll andhand it back after they’ve ‘been’.Don’t suppose they like that much.Thing was, the boys’ toilets werecontinually getting blocked withtoilet paper. So headmaster ThomasSmith came up with this ingeniousway of teaching the studentsa lesson.TOP OF THE EVENINGTO YOU!Drinking laws in the Irish provinceof Kerry have recently changed tomake it legal to drive after 2 or 3tankards of beer. Many Kerry folklive in remote areas and have nooption but to go to the pub by car.The law is intended to prevent peoplefrom drinking alone at home,which is said to lead to depressionand suicides. The more lenient law,passed on 21 January, was proposedby councilor Healy-Rae. Whohappens to run a pub.COME DANCING . Whether you had two left feet or werean experienced dancer, you were welcome at sportsfoundation Thymos’s annual Dance Evening. Theprogramme included jazz dance, showdance, hiphop andpole dancing.A total of about 200 enthusiasts turned up – numberswhich Thymos chair Marianne Benning was agreeablysurprised by. ‘We do get between 150 and 200 students atthis activity every year, but what with the weather wethought more people would stay at home this time.Luckily for Marianne, the students were not put off by thesnow. LvdNRESOURCE — 31 January 2013

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28 >> student>> CULTWho? Popcultuur Wageningen What? Live music with OIIO,Koschka and Wolves Dressed in Sheep Where? Impulse, building115 on campus When? 21 February en 21 March Costs? FreeHow? See: popcultuur-wageningen.blogspot.nlCool shit at Impulse – at lastAt its formal opening Impulse did not yet look convincingly like a meetingplace for the whole academic community. Plenty of big shots andbusiness people but no students and no draft beer. Popcultuur Wageningenhopes to redress the balance. On 21 February and 21 March, they areholding two trial concerts. Don’t worry, they will do something about thecorporate aura of the place, says organizer Marjanne Zander. At previousconcerts Popcultuur succeeded in turning the rather bare BBLTHK (thetown library) into an intimate living room, with the help of soft lightingand Persian carpets.It promises to be interesting musically, too. On 21 February, good old OI-IO are playing. They played their acoustic Indie folk to a full and enthusiastichouse in the BBLTHK in September 2011. Zander most looks forwardto Koschka, a pianist who is lit as she plays by an artist with a projector.If it’s a success, such performances will be organized at Impulse ‘acouple of times a year’. And although she still cannot promise anything,there should be no problem getting a beer, draft or otherwise. RRKoschka>> THE WORKSCROQUETTES FROMTHE ‘DUTCH TOKO’Who? Elise Mennes, MSc Nutritional Physiology & Health StatusWhat? Research on the effect of aging on fat metabolismWhere? University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada‘Canada is vast. To go home for Christmas, students have to fly severalhours. Or their parents have to drive for 20 hours to come and visitthem. That made me realize how little we Dutch take advantage of thefact that there are so many beautiful countries and cities less than aday’s drive away from us.I wanted to go to an English-speaking country and I thought Canadianswere probably nice. And they were. They are incredibly polite. If twoCanadians bump into each other, they both say sorry. In the Netherlands,the standard response is, ‘Watch where you are walking’. Myfriend and I were known as ‘the European girls’. A Russian friend ofmine though we had more sense of style than the Canadians, who inher view all wear joggers, hoodies and Uggs. She did have a point.The students at the lab have a very informal relationship with theirsupervisors. They crack jokes and chat like equals. I had to get used tothat, as I am used to a much more formal relationship with my supervisor.And in Canada it doesn’t matter what time you arrive or what timeyou leave, as long as you do what you are supposed to do. There isn’t anine-to-five mentality. It is much less structured, there are fewer rulesand no one wears a lab coat.The Canadian accent too some getting used to. They say ‘aboot’ insteadof ‘about’ and ‘oot’ instead of ‘out’. It sounds strange at first. And they’llput all kinds of things in the toaster. From potato cakes to a raspberryand cream cheese toaster strudel. I tried out all sorts of strange productsthat were for sale in the supermarket. Great fun. And if I was tiredof trying out news things and wanted some typical Dutch food, I couldgo to a deli in Guelph called the Dutch Toko. They even had croquettesthere, although they were meant for the oven because they have neverheard of a deep fryer in Canada. That was a bit of a disappointment.The first thing I ate when I got back to the Netherlands was a real, deepfriedcroquette. Delicious.’ Suzanne OverbeekRESOURCE — 31 January 2013

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30 >> serviceagendaThursday 31 January, 20.00THE REUSE OF BUILDINGS ANDBUILDING MATERIALSPieter Roza from the design firmRoza will be talking about the reuseof buildings and building materialsat the invitation of the SustainableWageningen Platform andTransition Towns Valley. Location:upstairs room of café-restaurantH41 (Heerenstraat 41 in Wageningen).Free admission, food anddrinks at your own expense.INFO: WWW.DUURZAAMWAGENINGEN.NL/LOKALEAGENDA.HTMLFriday 1 February, 20.00HAPPYDANCEHappiness4all will be organizing aHappyDance in Duivendaal 7 inWageningen (admission from19.45). We will start with a TimelessJourney, a group meditationsession that takes you on a surprisingexperience. This is a nice wayof taking a cosmic journey and experiencingwhat it is like to bemore than human. From 21.00 youcan boogie on down to music bothold and new, from the 70s, 80s,90s and now. Entrance 10 euros,including drinks and snacks.INFO: WWW.HAPPINESS4ALL.NLWednesday 6 February, 20.00INSECTS AND HEALTHThe demand for meat will havedoubled by 2050 but there is notenough agricultural land for a doublingof meat production, so doesthat mean we will all have to eatinsects? In the series of talks in Forum(room C222) Dr Johan Toonstra(Dermatology Department, UMCUtrecht) will be talking about allkinds of bugs and the currentthreats. Prof. Marcel Dicke (Laboratoryof Entomology, WageningenUniversity) will talk about maggottherapy.Thursday 7 February, 13.30CONFERENCE ON ‘CHOICES FORAGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCKFARMING’There has been fierce debate in themedia over the past few monthsabout the increase in intensive farmingin relation to global food security.The professional groups, organizedin the Dutch ZootechnicalAssociation (NVZ) and the DevelopmentIssues Study Group(SKOV), feel a need to delve deeper.Strategists in the fields of foodprovision, livestock farming andsustainability will be talking togetheron 7 February in the conference‘Choices for agriculture andlivestock farming: local or global,intensive or ecological?’ With supportfrom Wageningen URINFO: WWW.NZVNET.NL/OVER-NZV/DEBAT-7-FEB-2013Thursday 7 February, 20.45JAZZ IN WAGENINGENJazz in Wageningen presents theJasper Somen Group, 7 February2013 at 20.45 in Schouwburg Junushoff.They play creative lyricalEuropean jazz with an American‘bite’. On 7 February they will alsobe presenting their new CD ‘Sardegna’composed by Jasper Somsenand Bert Lochs - dedicated to thebreath-taking beauty of the Italianisland of Sardinia. Admission is€15 or €10 for students (on presentinga student card).INFO: WWW.JAZZINWAGENINGEN.COMThursday 9 February, 13.15WSR ARGO SYMPOSIUMWSR Argo is organizing ‘The key tosuccess in top-level rowing andother sports’ in the Aula to celebrateits 100th anniversary. WithGerrit Hiemstra in the chair, variousspeakers will share their ‘keysto success’ in sport. Various aspectswill be discussed, such asmindset, coaching and the importanceof good nutrition. This willbe followed by an auction of artwork.Alexander Pechtold will beauctioning various unique works ofart with the proceeds going to therenovation of Argo.INFO: WSR-ARGO.NL/SYMPOSIUMTuesday 12 February, 19.00DEBATING TRAININGIf you want to know what debatingtechniques there are, if you are interestedin the art of persuasion orif you want to learn how you canbecome a practiced debater thencome to the Young KLV debatingtraining session, the Art of Persuasion,at Impulse (campus).INFO: WWW.KLV.NLWednesday 13 February, 20.00INSECTS ON FILM AND INPHOTOGRAPHYAs part of the Insects and Societyseries of lectures (room C222), DrNina Fatouros (Laboratory of Entomology,Wageningen University)will speak on ‘Bugs in the picture’and Prof. Urs Wyss (Christian-Albrechts-University,Kiel, Germany)will give a talk entitled ‘Filming insectbehaviour: the dangerous lifeof aphids’.Wageningen UR zoekt:Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) Algal BiorefineryAFSG Bioprocestechnologie, WageningenVacaturenummer: AFSG-BPE-0007Laboratorium assistent MilieutechnologiAFSG Milieutechnologie, WageningenVacaturenummer: AFSG-ETE-0017Managementassistent(e)BC Wageningen International, WageningenVacaturenummer: BC-0004-2PhD Soil Information for Regional Land Use AnalysisESG Centrum Landschap, WageningenVacaturenummer: ESG CL-0180Jurist VastgoedFB Real Estate Construction & Maintenance, WageningenVacaturenummer: FB-0000-18Applicatie Ontwikkelaar.NETFB IT Information Systems, WageningenVacaturenummer: FB-0029Enthousiaste en gedreven VMware / PowerCLI specialistFB IT Infrastructure, WageningenVacaturenummer: FB-0008-1Afdeling coördinator/Senior NetwerkspecialistFB IT Infrastructure, WageningenVacaturenummer: FB-0009-1Postdoctoral Researcher in Farming Systems AnalysisPSG Farming System Ecology, WageningenVacaturenummer: PSG-FSE-0007PhD position: African Economic HistorySSG Agrarische Geschiedenis, WageningenVacaturenummer: SSG-RHI-0003Lecturer research methodology (0.8 – 1.0 Fte)SSG Educatie & Competentiestudies, WageningenVacaturenummer: SSG-ECS-0014Sunday 17 February, 14.15ANGELS & DEMONS CONCERTHeavenly choir music and devilishstudents combine in the Angels &Demons concert by the Dutch studentchamber choir (NSK), touringvarious major Dutch towns from 15February to 2 March. On Sunday 17February in the afternoon, the NSKwill be singing in the Arboretumchurch in Wageningen. Kurt Bikkembergswill be conducting theNSK for the first time, bringing anindividual touch to modern classicalmusic. The central theme in Angels& Demons is the contrastbetween good and evil. Angelicchoirs and devilish harmonies interminglein a programme that includesworks by Benjamin Britten,John Tavener, Veljo Tormis andRobbie Williams.INFORMATION AND TICKETS: WWW.NSKK.NLRESOURCE — 31 January 2013

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TYPICAL DUTCHILLUSTRATION: HENK VAN RUITENBEEKDon’t ask me, I’m a (Dutch) doctorHaving lived in the Netherlands for six years I have gone through my fair share of visits to Dutchdoctors.One of the first visits was about a problem which brought me one too many headaches. My GPsent me to several specialists for consultations. After several months of meetings and negativetests I found myself sitting in front of a dermatologist. She had done a test on her first guess at theproblem, which came out negative. When I arrived to pick up the results she casually said, ‘I don’tknow what’s wrong.’ Silence. I asked if it could be an allergy. She praised my analytical skills,saying I might be right and sent me off to do the tests. That was somewhat confusing for me - Igrew up with the notion that it is the doctor who knows best. Yet now I ended up diagnosingmyself.In another consultation I came prepared with a diagnosis. That took me some time, doing thereading beforehand. The doctor wasn’t getting very far so I offered my suggestion. He said I mightbe right and checked it on Google, just in case. He concluded that I was indeed on the right trackand I could do the test.I told a Dutch friend of mine about this, expecting to see her shocked. Yet she regarded it asappropriate that the doctors were listening to me as a patient. Had I known about the listeningskills of the Dutch doctors, I would have known about my allergy a bit quicker than after sixmonths… However, one question still remains: What if I were unconscious? Latina Percheva,Bulgarian MSc student of Environmental SciencesI offered my diagnosisand the doctorchecked it on GoogleDo you have a nice anecdote about your experience of going Dutch? Send it in! Describe an encounterwith Dutch culture in detail and comment on it briefly. 300 words max. Send it to resource@wur.nland earn fifty euro and Dutch candy.