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March 11, 2004
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News
Fraud prevention
The Exam Commission of the Leiden Faculty of Law has uncovered serious fraud during exams. The faculty board of the Law School has decided that as of April 1, 2004 students will be required to present a different form of identification other than the student id card during exams. Only a valid passport, driver‘s license, or identity card in combination with a student id card will be accepted during exams. When a form of identification other than the ones listed above is presented during an exam, the student will not be allowed to take the exam and the student will be removed from the exam room.
International student conference
This May, at the initiative of student association Minerva, Leiden University will welcome 200 foreign students from the League of European Research-intensive Universities, which was founded by the University of Leiden.
Together with 50 Leiden students, the visitors will take part in a large conference revolving around the theme of Europe. On 6 and 7 May, in the Pieterskerk, the Academy Building and other locations, they will discuss matters such as ‘European Innovation‘, ‘Europe‘s Role in the World‘ and ‘European Identity‘. A number of recommendations will subsequently be set down in writing. Students cannot register as participants in the conference: they will be selected. Member of the organising comity, Sophie Knijnenburg explains: ‘Each university will send a delegation of 20 students, who will be selected based on study results, motivation, language skills and extra-curricular activities. They have to be top students.‘ As the organizer of the conference, Leiden is entitled to a delegation of 50 students, half of whom will be selected by the university and half by Minerva. The League of European Research-intensive Universities was founded in 2002, and its members are the universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Geneva, Heidelberg, Helsinki, Leiden, Louvain, Milan, Munich, Oxford, Stockholm en Strasbourg.
Sailing ban
Following a collision between the Njord Ladies Eight and a barge on Wednesday night last week, the police have imposed a sailing ban between sundown and sunup. The sailing ban applies to the whole of Leiden, and means that student clubs Njord and Asopos de Vliet may only row if they adapt their lighting to meet stricter requirements. The accident occurred on Wednesday, 3 March, at around 8 p.m. on the Vliet, near Delftse Jaagpad. The first-year Ladies Eight, which was not moving at the time, was hit by the barge and broke into three pieces. All eight rowers and the cox were thrown into the water, but were able to climb out alone or with the assistance of their coach and people living nearby. Two of the rowers were taken to the Rijnland hospital by ambulance, with symptoms of hypothermia, but have recovered in the meantime.
‘Lucky 100‘ Chinese
Who‘s afraid of the Asian invasion? Dutch politicians it seems, as the Great Wall of Dutch visa bureaucracy and high cost of studying here means that only half of the Chinese students who want to study here actually ever make it into a seat in a Leiden U. lecture hall.
Michal Meulenberg
The hot news in Dutch newspapers this past week is the fact that Chinese people who want to come to the Netherlands face many barriers when trying to enter this little country. The newspaper De Telegraaf reported last Friday that the "high residence permit demands cost the Netherlands millions". Rich Chinese who spend lots of their money in jewellery shops in Amsterdam are good for the Dutch economy, but because of the Netherlands‘ bureaucracy and complicated visa procedures, more and more Chinese are shying away from coming here. And Chinese travel agencies have moved from the Netherlands to Germany and France, because it‘s much easier to get visas in those countries.
Not only tourists, but also Chinese students who want to study in the Netherlands, find it extremely difficult to get a visa. The newspaper de Volkskrant recently reported that "it‘s very expensive for the Chinese, but parents are prepared to invest a lot in the academic education of their children." Chinese really want to come to study here because of the prestige associated with having studied in Europe; unfortunately, only a few succeed in actually studying here. What‘s the situation in Leiden?
"The university has about 100 Chinese Master students, plus some undergraduates, and PhD students." says Tao Yue, international program officer at LUWP (Leiden University Worldwide Programmes). These Chinese are the ‘Lucky 100‘, because another 100 students who applied to study here were either not accepted or accepted but couldn‘t make it to the Netherlands. Tao: "I know it‘s very sad, but only half of the applicants can finally come here. Many of them just can‘t pay the costs or get strangled by the visa problems."
How much does it cost to study in Leiden and what makes these procedures so difficult? Tao: "International students need to pay 10,000 euros for living costs. After the transfer of this money, the LUWP sets the visa application in motion." The problem is that if Chinese people want to transfer Chinese RMB (= Renminbi, the Chinese currency meaning "People‘s Currency") into euros, they need a visa! Hui Wang, 29, who studies International Taxation in Leiden, explains: "The only solution is to put some money in a deposit first, which means extra costs, then get a visa and exchange the money and get the deposit back." But there is more money needed than just for the living costs. Hui: "The tuition fees differ, my course was 13,000 euros." So, before even stepping into a plane a Chinese student has spent about 23,000 euros. Adding the costs of the flight, books, and insurance this is an awful lot of money.
Due to the fact that it takes so long before visa applications are finally approved, many students arrive in the Netherlands about three weeks late. This causes frustration. "The people in the classes I attended already knew each other because they‘d gone through the introduction week together. I felt like an outsider for the first couple of weeks because I missed all that," says Zhe Li, who has studied biology in Leiden since September.
Still, these high costs and complicated procedures don‘t scare the Chinese away. On the contrary, they seem to have an almost desperate desire to study at Leiden University. Why?
"The University has a long tradition and is known worldwide as a splendid place to study because of its high reputation," says Shufan Qi, 24. She found out about the university, like many other Chinese, by searching the Internet. She immediately fell in love with its long history and tradition. Whereas the Dutch don‘t care much about traditions and history, the Chinese value them intensely. Moreover, it seems that compared to other universities, Leiden offers many good courses. Hui Wang: "I couldn‘t find any other university with a course that had such a good curriculum; it fulfils my needs perfectly. In America, the courses were too much orientated toward American society. Leiden is much more international orientated."
Yet, when Chinese students arrive here, they soon discover that the university‘s reputation is not flawless and that the international aura has some black spots. Zhe Li: "I found it very disappointing that so many things are offered in Dutch only. I cannot choose from many courses simply because the professor doesn‘t speak English. This limits my possibilities. I don‘t think it‘s fair, because we pay more than Dutch students but get less." Hui Wang agrees: "It‘s the same with the information on the university website; sometimes I find interesting stuff but just can‘t read it, because it isn‘t bilingual. The pamphlets that advertise for activities frustrate me. I would love to go out to a concert for example, but again these pamphlets are only in Dutch. Not very international, if you ask me."
In addition to language problems, Hui Wang adds that it‘s hard for her to find food she likes. Whereas the Dutch are proud of our presumably international taste and like to think that we‘re quite Chinese when we eat in Chinese restaurants, Hui says that "the Chinese restaurants here don‘t offer the real Chinese food. They make one style only, which is a very commercial style. It‘s not fresh and not really Chinese. My problem is that I cannot get used to eating sandwiches twice a day."
Despite the visa problems, disappointment because of language problems, bad food and high costs, most Chinese students are quite happy here. Zhe and Shufan both want to continue their studies here. Zhe: "I think I‘m very lucky for being able to come here. Ok, it was hard and it‘s expensive but I‘m really enjoying my stay." Pu Jin adds: "I feel good, I love the Dutch culture, this beautiful city and the great courses. I think I want to live here much longer than just a year and maybe I‘ll try to get a job here after I graduate."
Lost in Leiden:
The Boekenweek phenomenon
From March 10th to the 20th, the annual boekenweek (book week) is held across the Netherlands. Its purpose is to help promote books (especially Dutch literature) and the buying of books. Each year, book week has a different theme. This year it‘s called ‘Gare du Nord, an encounter with France‘. During book week, you can get discounts on certain (Dutch) books and receive a free book - the boekenweekgeschenk (book week gift) - when you buy books worth at least €11.50. This free book is usually a short story or novella, written by a well-known Dutch writer especially for this occasion. This gift is available while supplies last, so be quick if you want one as a souvenir. Your book week gift, plus a railway ticket of €2, also allows you to travel freely throughout the Netherlands during this 10-day book week, because the NS train company sponsors this cultural event. But you‘ve done the math and know a week consists of seven days. So how come this week last ten days? Because booksellers want the ‘week‘ to include two Saturday shopping days. Other special events held during book week include a gala dinner for people in the literary business and a festival with lectures, debates and readings by writers. (ET)
