Independent journalism about VU Amsterdam | Since 1953
25 December 2025
Magazine
Nederlands

Campus & Culture

Students 20 October 2025

Culture shocks and small comforts

Missing spicy peppers, paying for toilets, sharing beds – Amsterdam can take some getting used to. Six newly arrived international students share how they’re settling in. 
Campus 10 October 2025

Less room for heroes at Martin Luther King Lecture

Who are our heroes, and should we even worship them? With this question, Nani Jansen Reventlow, human rights lawyer and founder of the Systemic Justice NGO, delivered the keynote address at the annual Martin Luther King Lecture on October 9.
Staff 7 October 2025

VU staff often feel unsafe because of students

Many employees who feel unsafe say it is because of students. Often, this is related to Gaza and sexism.
Students 7 October 2025

SRVU no longer allowed to manage Studentendok

Due to a number of violent incidents during the student council elections and to meetings of VU for Palestine, members of the participation council say, SRVU is no longer allowed to manage the workspace and meeting area for student organizations.
Campus 26 September 2025

VU acknowledges genocide in Gaza

VU Amsterdam does not want to speak out explicitly, but in an open letter, the university indirectly acknowledges that Israel is committing genocide. VU’s management writes that it sees no reason to question the UN’s conclusions.
Education 24 September 2025

Dangerous books in the university library

From Harry Potter to the Quran, the newly openend Banned Books collection of the VU Library contains books that for some reason or other are banned by institutions and governments all over the world.
Society 21 August 2025

Welcome to the woke university!

How woke is VU Amsterdam really? Well, pretty woke, we can tell you. On the basis of 13 locations at the campus we prove that VU Amsterdam is working hard to create a society in which everyone has equal opportunities,…
Key People 20 August 2025

‘Moving to a new country can be lonely’

Alissa Hiegentlich organizes the introduction week for international (pre-)master’s students, exchange students and independent freemovers. She helps them find their way at VU, in the city, and introduces them to Dutch culture.
AD VALVAS 22 July 2025

Have a great summer

With only a few resits left here and there, lecture halls are empty, and the campus square is quiet. Ad Valvas is also taking a short summer break.
Campus 1 July 2025

Iranian researchers feel alone

How do Iranian students and staff feel about the recent outbreak of war in their country, and how are their families and friends doing? Three Iranian researchers from VU are disappointed that so far, nobody has asked them these questions.