Jo Ritzen, President of the Executive Board, hasn’t give any explanation yet, but fact is that he will leave Maastricht University in February. He doesn’t aspire a third term as President. What were his strengths and weaknesses?

PVV, the ‘Freedom Party’ of Geert Wilders, emerged as the third force in Dutch politics last week. Wilders wants to be a part of the government. But what if? Wilders’s party is controversial. His film Fitna, about Islam in the Netherlands, received international attention. And some time ago he dismissed Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan as a “total freak”. Will a government involving the PVV damage Dutch society and its international reputation?

Fourteenth place in the semi-final. That’s as far as the Dutch contestant Sieneke got in the Eurovision Song Contest, which was won by German singer Lena. Critics claimed that Sieneke didn’t stand a chance against the modern English songs most countries presented. The Dutch entry was written by Pierre Kartner, who is known as Father Abraham and for the Smurfs song. It was labelled as old-fashioned and lacking in international allure.

The interview with the only survivor of the air crash in Tripoli – the nine-year-old boy Ruben – has cost Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf thousands of subscribers (670,000 copies a day). Many people were very critical about the press coverage – not only by De Telegraaf but also by other Dutch media – of the accident that killed 103 people, including 70 Dutch. They called it sensationalism, irresponsible and a violation of privacy. So are they right or wrong?

Last week the Dutch government apologised to Selma Wijnberg, the only Dutch survivor of the Nazi extermination camp Sobibor. After her marriage to a Polish Jew, the Dutch ‘aliens police’ no longer considered her Dutch, and she and her husband were threatened with deportation to Poland. She accepted the apology, but also said it came too late. Does an apology years after the event still have any value? Or is there no point to it?

Last week, two Dutch politicians said that they preferred family life to their careers. Wouter Bos (former Minister of Finance) and Camiel Eurlings (former Minister of Transport) both quit politics. Bos wants to spend more time with his three children, Eurlings is planning to start a family with his girlfriend. Should more fathers take a step back?

Right-wing politician Geert Wilders visited London last week to show his anti-Koran film Fitna in the House of Lords. At a press conference prior to the presentation, he called the Turkish prime minister a nut and the prophet Mohammed a barbarian, a mass killer and a paedophile. Is this rude (or direct, as some might say) way of expressing yourself typically Dutch?

A hundred free parking places for students of Maastricht University in Randwijck. That’s how the municipality and UM want to solve the parking problems in Maastricht. But is this a solution that will work? The right-wing party VVD doubts it. They plead for a railway connection between Maastricht and Aachen. Let students take the bus or the train, and all parking problems will be solved.

 Next week it’s voting time. The Dutch are heading for the polling stations to vote in local government elections. Registered non-Dutch can also take part, but will they do that?

Last week a student house in Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands, burned down. One student was killed and several others were wounded. The mayor of the town has asked for an investigation. How safe are the houses in Maastricht?

In May 2008 Jo Ritzen, the president of Maastricht University’s Executive Board, rented a bike in The Hague for €6.50. He also bought a map of the city for €1.95.

Last week, the Board published an overview of the costs its members incurred in 2007 and 2008. It had to, because the regional broadcaster L1 had appealed to the Government Information Act (Wob). But what’s the deal with this law, which aims to provide ‘transparency’ in governmental behaviour? Isn’t it ridiculous that Ritzen needs to let us know about the two cappuccinos he drank at the Kruisherenhotel and the dinner he had with a dean?

Google wants to stop censoring itself in China now it has become clear that the Chinese government has been trying to hack into dissidents’ Gmail accounts. Isn’t this a little too late? Wasn’t it wrong from the start to deny the Chinese people access to certain sites? Or was this a strategic move: starting with a censored Google and then bit by bit hoping to offer full access?

The Dutch National Student Union is scared. Why? The Minister of Education is considering getting rid of the basic student grant, about €260 a month. If this becomes reality, Dutch students will have to turn to their parents, start working longer hours or take out loans. Are Dutch students spoiled? Is it ridiculous that the government contributes to students’ living costs?

Our society is becoming more and more individualistic. The modern world, with its internet, e-mail, Twitter and so on seems to bring people together. But it creates a safe distance between you and me. We now can speak without being seen, without showing ourselves, anonymously. The expression of emotions and vulgarities is easier; speaking without respect is possible without being rapped over the knuckles. This foregoing is part of the speech that the Dutch queen Beatrix gave on Christmas Day. Does she have a point, or has she lost contact with our world, as her opponents claim?

Ministers are butting heads in Copenhagen, but isn’t it time the university made a bigger effort in saving the planet? The heating in UM’s buildings is fixed at 21 degrees Celsius. Just one degree less would make a huge difference.

Knowledge of the Dutch language is not necessary for integration in Maastricht. This statement was made by rector Gerard Mols in the latest meeting of the University Council. So is he right?

Last week, a 14-year-old Dutch boy was murdered in a small village in the Netherlands called Urk. Three other boys, the oldest being 15, are suspects. What should the judge do if they are proven guilty? Treat them as adults and send them to prison for a very long time, given the severity of the crime? Or stick to the law concerning minors?

The number of students registering for programmes at Dutch universities has risen significantly this year, according to the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU). The most apparent reason seems to be the feelings of insecurity that the current economic crisis has brought about. Instead of going on a world trip after graduating, many young people seem to be working meticulously on their future careers. Are you afraid you won’t be able to get a job? Or convinced that you will, given that you have a university degree?

This Saturday, Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten will arrive in Maastricht by boat. This holy bishop, who lives in Spain, is the greatest friend of all Dutch children. On his birthday, 5 December, his black servants climb the rooves of every house and throw presents through the chimneys. Is Sinterklaas just a nice Dutch tradition, or should we prevent children from getting the wrong impression: the nice bishop is white, while his servants who carry rods around are black?

The ethics of today’s young people are declining. This is the conclusion of a study conducted a few weeks ago by global accountancy firm KPMG. As a recent example, the food-delivery service Just-Eat suffered a loss of €30,000 after students discovered a loophole in the money-transfer system IDEAL, which turned out to be an ideal way to save some money by replacing the actual amount to be paid with €0.01. A great opportunity for a limited budget, but are the students of today really immune to a good moral foundation?

Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is well known for his sexual escapades and for not giving a damn about freedom of press. He sues critical newspapers and runs his own commercial TV stations and the national broadcasting station RAI like a little Napoleon. Journalists held a protest march in Rome earlier this month. And this week, members of the European Parliament have organised a debate on Berlusconi and the freedom of press. Should Europe rap him over the knuckles?

Seven per cent of Dutch students (at four universities) use Ritalin: for fun and to help them study. That’s the result of a study by Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Ritalin is a drug prescribed for people with ADHD to help them to concentrate. But when healthy people take it, Ritalin works the other way around; they get an energy boost. Is it a good idea to take Ritalin before your examinations?

Image damage, bad rankings in national and international magazines and, ultimately, fewer students choosing for Maastricht University. Will this be the result of all the problems with the automation system, Maastricht University Student Lifecycle (MUSL)? 

The construction of the university campus in Randwyck has come to a halt, because housing association Servatius, which financed and planned the campus, has financially hit stormy weather. Now, some questions arise as to why it was necessary in any event to ask a famous architect like Calatrava to design the campus. Why all the fuss about an architectonic tour de force? Wouldn’t it be a better solution to build a sober building with affordable student rooms?