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Life in a new city in another country and studying at a new university with different rules than your own can be confusing for new international students. A lot of the current student advisors do not have the knowledge to assist international students with all their specific problems. Even though the RUG experiences a rising number of international students, most studies do not have an international student advisor who is specialised in the needs from international students. Calimero finds it very important that foreign students will be supported better with issues regarding their study. That is why we say: employ international student advisors so that foreign students can be better supported in both practical and educational matters.
A second problem that international students face is that important information is too often only available in Dutch. Calimero does not understand why this has not changed over the years, as everybody on this University speaks English, while not everybody speaks Dutch. If it was up to us, all information, from cafeteria prices to e-mails, should be available in English.
Thirdly, the results of various surveys show that many foreign students miss integration with Dutch students. At the moment, very little is done about this by the university itself. Time and again, it appears that the main impediment for the integration of foreign students is the language barrier. The present group of international students is the front piece for future foreign students. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that RUG will find solutions for this problem. That is why we say: RUG must offer courses in Dutch language skills at discount prices to foreign students who study at Groningen University.
Finally, Calimero is worried about developments that concern both Dutch and International students. Our great student environment is threatened by recent government and university policy changes. Lijst Calimero thinks that the main focus must once again be on inspiring and qualitatively good education that leaves you enough space to develop yourself in various aspects of life. We think that the main focus must once again be on inspiring and qualitatively good education that leaves you enough space to develop yourself in various aspects of life. The University of Groningen must not turn into a McDonald’s where, once you are in, everything is done to get you out again as soon as possible in order to make room for new customers.
Because Lijst Calimero thinks that international students are an important part of the RuG family, we customised an English version of our spearhead program for international students under ‘Spearheads’. The candidates who are running for the university council, you’ll find under ‘Candidates’.
