Thank you to all of you for your understanding, flexibility and ingenuity over the past week, following our decision to close the Academy until 06 April 2020 as part of the wider social strategy to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus COVID-19.
We have updated our Q&A for staff and students covering frequently asked questions, including the continuation of studies, international travel and what to do with your library books. Below you can find the most recent updates considering COVID-19 and DAE.
Travel update
The heads of the EU decided on 17 March 2020 to close the EU external border to most non-EU residents. Some individual countries, such as France, Poland and the Czech Republic, have also closed their borders to citizens from other EU countries. The borders with Belgium and Germany remain open for the time being.
It is still possible for most people to travel to their home country if they wish to. We advise you to contact your embassy if you have any concerns. You can find a list of international embassies in The Netherlands here.
Wherever you are, we expect you to be available online to continue your education.
Lectures cancelled
All DAE lectures are postponed or cancelled while the academy is closed. This includes the lecture by Intellectual Property (IP) attorney Gregor Vos of Brinkhof Lawyers that was due to take place on 24 March 2020, which will be rescheduled once DAE reopens. We are investigating online alternatives for other scheduled talks.
Master’s departments
The master’s departments would like to extend a special thank you to all of their students for embracing the challenge and continuing their projects for the second trimester as well as providing tutors with images and videos to allow their work to be evaluated during Finals, which took place this week. They have shown resilience and creativity in this difficult moment.
This coming Monday, the MA programs will continue as planned with the start of the third trimester. The departments have been working on adapting their assignments and teaching strategies to the situation. There is no doubt that students, tutors, coordinators and heads will develop new ways of working and new skills in the coming weeks.
Bachelor’s applications for the new academic year 2020-2021
Our BA application rounds took place as planned in the two weeks before DAE closed. Thankfully, they were very successful. Approximately 350 students from all over the world have already been interviewed via Skype and we still have more interviews planned for the coming week. We have been privileged to talk to inspiring candidates with great portfolios, who are full of enthusiasm and have shown us a part of their world. Thank you to all of the admissions teams for their hard work in these unusual circumstances.
DAE building closed
The entire DAE building is now closed. All the administrative and organisational work that keeps the Academy running is being done remotely by staff working from home. We are following the government's advice to stay at home as much as possible. Meetings are still being planned and taking place via Skype and other platforms. To date, there have been no reports of COVID-19 infections within DAE.
Appeal for solidarity
There is a lot of pressure on our care, welfare and education sectors in The Netherlands and internationally. At DAE, many of our heads, coordinators, teachers and staff are going above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that we can continue to provide an education to our students in difficult circumstances. Providing childcare at home during working hours and looking after sick relatives makes this even more challenging.
Some people are able to do less than they usually would, and others are being asked to do more. We ask everyone to be understanding and show solidarity during this period. We will eventually be able to return to work at the Academy and we will need a united and committed team to help us get back to normal.
The Academy is currently building an internal system to help us keep track of supply and demand and take into account employees who are juggling extra jobs or who have capacity to help more.
Email phishing/virus warning
There is an email circulating at the moment with the subject line: "Warning! CORONAVIRUS. Presentation VBS COVID-19. This email contains a .RAR file that it claims contains important information. DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS. The RAR file is malware/ransomware. Report the email to your email provider if you can. Please stay alert during these turbulent times and when in doubt, don't open a suspicious attachment or website link.
Reporting obligation reminder
In the case of a possible contamination, there is a reporting obligation. DAE is required to report to the GGD. Therefore, your cooperation and information is crucial to DAE. During the closed period you can also reach out to Olga Pullens (Dean) – (+31 6 44594717).
Further questions
If you are a student and you have any questions, please consult the coordinator of your department or Olga Pullens (Dean) (+31 6 44594717).
If you are a tutor and you have any questions, please consult the coordinator of the department or Emke Molnar (HR) (+31 6 83372689).
If you are staff, head or coordinator and you have any questions, please consult your supervisor or Emke Molnar (HR) (+31 6 83372689).
If Emke or Olga cannot be reached directly by phone, please send them a text message.
Finally
As of 15 March 2020, the Dutch Government has called on Universities of Applied Sciences to suspend offering on-site education up to and including 06 April 2020. This is part of its strategy to control the spread of the novel Coronavirus Covid-19. We believe the right decision is to close the academy and postpone all on-site teaching up to 06 April 2020.
Please make sure you have read our previous update #2, as it explains many things about our responsibility as a school, hygiene measures and more info on how to check if you are infected.