Students don’t pay an energy bill, so why should we listen to their opinions? Do they even have an opinion on this particular theme, nuclear energy? That’s what we, Universitas Students Opinion Forum, are trying to figure out.

Nowadays it seems like we have to answer the energy issue by choosing between bad and worse. On the one hand there are considerable costs alligned to renewable energy, on the other hand there are ‘cheap’ nuclear power plants, causing the dangers of radiation. We now see an epic battle on every possible level (media, politics,…) between the proponents and opponents of both solutions.

The scale of the consequences of the Fukushima-disaster is difficult to estimate. In Belgium the debate on a nuclear exit strategy has been on the agenda for quite some time [4-5]. But what should we do? Where are we heading? Are smart-grids [6-7] the deus ex machina for our problems, or should all Belgian rooftops be covered with solar panels in a decade?

Students and nuclear energy:

No bill, no opinion?

Universitas would like to invite you to think about this problem, we have selected some guiding questions: how will the use of nuclear energy evolve in Europe the next decades? Can we switch to renewable energy, without causing an excessive burden on the current and future generations? Is this switch even necessary, or is the health risk worth it? And should we make this switch now, or should we rely on fossil fuels, until they are worn-out? Can we depend on other countries for our energy supply?

Universitas Students Opinion Forum would like to invite all students to share their thoughts with us, based on their (whether or not academic) background and opinion. You can do this by sending us a mini-paper, or something similar containing the core arguments of what they think. Once we have collected these ‘mini-papers’, Universitas will organize several debate sessions with the authors, giving you the opportunity to discuss each others opinions and arguments. This will be highly interesting debates, and we might see some fascinating outcomes!

Call for papers or opinions: deadline 6th May: you can upload them right here.
You can find more information on the way this works right here.
The debates will be held from 9 to 20th of May.

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[1] Liesbeth van Impe. De keuze voor zonne-energie was fout. De Standaard. 18 april 2011.

[2] http://www.nuclearforum.be

[3]Helen Caldicott. How nuclear apologists mislead world over radiation. The Guardian. 11 april 2011.

[4]Pascal Sertyn. Ik wil weten of het licht zal uitgaan, Magnette aan zet in heikele kernenergiedossiers. De Standaard. 16 april 2011.

[5] Licht zal niet uitgaan na de sluiting van de kerncentrales in 2015. De Standaard. 18 maart 2011

[6] http://www.supersmartgrid.net/

[7] http://www.roadmap2050.eu/

Facts don’t lie: only in 1960 was Sirivamo Bandarankiake of Sri Lanka elected, thereby becoming the first female Prime minister in the world. Fourteen years later Isabel Peron of Argentina became the first female President, and even today there are only a dozen or so female presidents in the whole world.

The lack of a natural balance in gender is not only limited to the highest level of political representation, it is apparent in almost all aspects of society worldwide: the Catholic Church (this issue also presents itself in other religions), corporate life, even within our own university only 10% of the professors are female yet female students out number males ones. Gender activists are claiming that women are (or could be) active protagonists for change in today’s society, if the same opportunities are presented to them as to men. Why, you may ask, are gender inequalities so universal?

Gender is a concept that has seen a steady rise the last couple of decennia, but what do we make of it? The past 50 years or so, almost all gender related policy or program deals almost exclusively with the place/role of women in society. Does this really embrace the full concept of gender? Doesn’t gender mean much more than just women? Like the feminists who fought not only for a better status for women, but also demanded a complete overhaul of power relations in contemporary society, and therefore questioning society as a whole. Should Gender activists follow the same path?

Is our society as we know it even capable of pursuing gender equality? Or are certain fundamental reforms necessary in order to provide men and women with the same opportunities? Do we have to look at gender issues as a threat to society as we know it, or as an opportunity to implement the necessary reforms taking into account the need for a sustainable future?

Three acute questions emerge:

• What does gender encompass, and how does this influence the relationship between woman, man, lesbian and gay?
• Why are gender inequalities so universal? What holistic fundamental changes are necessary from governments, activists, church, science, and education to ensure that we have a gendered approach to leadership?
• Is today’s society capable of restoring the balance, or are fundamental reforms necessary? Are these reforms a necessary evil, or an opportunity to restructure society in a sustainable way?

Call for papers and other ways of expression: feel free to comment below!

Last Thursday, Belgium was in the middle of the international press attention with its humoristic way the Belgians celebrated their world record ‘government formation’. The Monday after that ‘Champions party’, a hangover is all that rests. Whatever may be claimed or stated of the modern millennium student, the political crisis in this country leaves nobody cold.

Regret to all social media and humoristic actions, for a lot of students the Belgian crisis is difficult to take up one’s position. The Belgian crisis is more than only a political crisis. It raises many questions, often of interdisciplinary nature:

• What does a government mean to us? And does our generation still need a country?
• Can science help us out in this debate?
• What is the role of political instability on our generation, and who will pay for this?
• Does Facebook ‘change’ society & politics?

Universitas, the Leuven Students Opinion Forum, invites all students write down their thoughts on this issue, preferable from their scientific background. Once all this ‘mini position papers’ are collected, Universitas brings students together to discuss each others opinions, analysis’ and views. Fascinating debates guaranteed with unpredictable but special conclusions at the end!

Call for papers: deadline 18th of March: upload them here.
More information about how it works can be found here.
Discussions will take place from half March to half April