HR v EUR: ‘stealing’ study places at the Erasmus University
Gepubliceerd: 14 March 2017 • Leestijd: 2 minuten en 16 seconden • English Dit artikel is meer dan een jaar oud.Students of the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool Rotterdam – HR) and the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) live, work and study alongside each other throughout Rotterdam, but to what extent do they actually live together?
Over the next few weeks, Erasmus Magazine (EM) and Profielen will try and find this out in a special series. Today, part 1, about HR students using the EUR campus.
‘Why don’t those f****** students use the UB. Not having serious future options yourself, doesn’t mean you can disrupt someone else’s.’ The students in the film laugh about it, but Facebookpage EUR Confessions, used by EUR students to anonymously speak their mind, is filled with it: complaints and irritations about HR students using the study facilities on the EUR Woudestein campus.
‘You can recognize them by their typical ‘frikandelbroodje’ snacks, one of the students explains in the film. However, not all students put the blame on the HR neighbours. ‘The main reason is the renovation of the university library. There is nothing in terms of adequate replacement space,’ another student explains.
Refuse access to HR students?
Especially now, with the Woudestein university library closed for over 18 months, the battle for study places is more fierce than ever. The question more and more heard is: should it be possible to (perhaps temporarily) refuse campus access to HR students in order to keep the very limited number of study places available for EUR students to use?
No! An Erasmus University spokesperson is adamant. ‘We do not intend to actively refuse HR students. That would mean we have to implement control measures, such as checking student cards. This would also affect our own students and, more importantly, that is not how we want to interact with each other.’ Despite the fact that no measures will be implemented, the EUR and HR most certainly discuss the increasing numbers of HR students. ‘We have contacted HR about improving the study facilities on both sides – when equal levels are achieved an increase of HR students can be prevented.’
New build
HR is very aware of the sentiments on the Erasmus campus. ‘EUR students do actually notice that there are HR students and we know for a fact that HR students use EUR facilities,’ policy adviser for the HR FIT department Martijn Baarendse says. ‘How many of them do, we do not know. Why they do it? On the one hand, because we do not have many spaces available due to the new build in progress, on the other hand because the facilities of the Polak building better meet the students’ needs.’
Baarendse expects the ‘problems’ to be solved in the near future as a result of the renovation and extension of the Kralingse Zoom location of the HR. The new build has to be completed in September. ‘Our new building will meet the need for common areas and study places for HR students, in part because of the various study plazas that are being created in the new build. We are currently consulting with representatives of the various study programmes and the multimedia library about the ‘where’ and ‘how many’ of the study places to be created. Compared to the current situation, the number of spaces will definitely increase. ’
Wi-Fi and power outlets
In addition, it goes without saying that the places where students can use laptops will also increase. Baarendse: ‘Meaning: with Wi-Fi that works well and sufficient power outlets.’
Text: Jos van Nierop
Illustration: Demian Janssen
Dear Profilien,
I believe this article is very interesting, not in the sense of the outlined differences between HR and EUR students but how wrong I was about the equality between the two institutions and its students. I believed Rotterdam to be a city of open mindedness and integration with students from all ethnic backgrounds as well as educational abilities.
It is true that a lot of HR students use the Polak building for study and partly this is based on the fact the Kralingse Zoom building is currently being renovated. Our two institutions have an understanding to allow the sharing of facilities (to which I greatly appreciate especially the sports facilities) and if they thought this would be a problem then surely this cooperation would not happen.
Instead of stereotyping that HR students eat ‘frikandelbroodjes’, which to my understanding is a typical Dutch dish instead of one for particular students, some might say this is discrimination, and what right do you have to discriminate against students that are here to learn and find themselves as people? This mantle that some EUR students believe they stand on is nothing more than a cry for attention and it is important for the future of this country that integration and cooperation at all levels is done fairly. It saddens me to read this as I didn’t believe I was judged as inferior to students who wanted to focus on a more theoretical study. I passed high school with the ability to enter either institute and decided on a more practical education as I saw that best suited me. Should I be discriminated for that?
I understand everyone has the right to their opinion and that freedom of speech is important, however I feel that this article is judging students from a particular institution as a whole not unlike what we have recently seen in the newspapers regarding certain religions, and well this simply is not true and painful to comprehend. Your education is of course an important part of your future, however everyone is different and is successful in different ways, this is what has made the World what it is today.
Christian