Talking Point

Will the situation ever change, or is this the status quo?

A friend of mine recently graduated and threw an afstudeerfeestje (graduation party), inviting all his friends. Anyone entering his house would’ve immediately noticed the total separation of Caucasian and Chinese guests. My friend is a Chinese guy, but was born and raised in the Netherlands, so many of his friends at the party were Dutch natives.

While I was sitting on a couch in the corner of the room, a mutual friend of ours, Patrick, offhandedly remarked, “Hey, this is like the Chinese corner.” How true, I thought. Upon reflection, I realized the two groups of guests, Caucasian and Chinese, had been taking turns at the Playstation located in the dining room. Never was there a moment when the two groups merged together as one, except when the host acted as a link. The Caucasians took up most of the living room, while the Chinese occupied a corner that was also the study area.

The above scenario was no surprise to anyone concerned. It only served as proof of how we’ve all been in denial over the state of integration. The lack of it doesn’t seem to affect the natives much. And some foreigners certainly don’t themselves trying to learn Dutch or about the country’s culture. Integration certainly isn’t working out, but nobody seems to care much. It takes two hands to clap; but two limp hands definitely need the help of a third. And who is better suited for the role of that third hand than TU Delft itself?

But before we blame everything on the university, let’s first ask ourselves one question: Is TU Delft obliged to integrate its students? And for that matter, is any university really obliged to?

I recently spoke to a TU staff member who told me that it’s unusual for any university to feel obliged to integrate their students. I thought about other universities, here and abroad, and indeed, activities organized to bring natives and foreign students together were the efforts of the students themselves. Twente University for example, organized an event to introduce all students to the cuisine of countries the foreign students came from. And who should organize it but the student body itself? And who should cook the food but the foreign students themselves? Although it wasn’t extremely successful, it certainly wasn’t because students weren’t interested. Rather, the event was poorly publicized.

Just imagine what a similar event can do for TU Delft’s students. Yes, I’ve heard the arguments against it (such as that there isn’t a suitable place on campus to host such an event). But where there’s a will, there’s a way. If students are persistent in their efforts to integrate, a well-organized, comprehensive publicity campaign should prompt the university management to help. The university could, for example, set aside a specific campus venue that can be used by all students to host parties and other activities, free-of-charge. Isn’t it time the university makes a serious commitment to the social integration of all foreign and Dutch students?

I sometimes hear foreign students complain, “the natives aren’t so friendly….” As a foreigner, I can say that’s nonsense. Foreigners come here expecting people to be friendly and speak English all the time. Well, here’s a wake up call: not everyone has the sweet disposition to deal with people they don’t know, much less be friendly to them. Just because you’re feeling more vulnerable than usual doesn’t mean that others have to leave their own comfort zones to suit you. If foreign students really want to befriend the Dutch so badly, why don’t they make a real effort to learn Dutch? Every Dutch person appreciates your efforts to speak their language.

A change of mentality in the students themselves would act as a catalyst to integration. Although help is needed from TU Delft, the majority of the effort must come from the students. So, come on and get with it, integration must come from all sides, starting with the foreign students themselves!

Shinyie Lim, student from Singapore

It’s been quite some years since TU Delft was opened to foreign students. Yet, it’s obvious that racial integration remains one of the major problems facing the university, as it tries to rise in the ranks of international universities. Will the situation ever change, or is this the status quo?

A friend of mine recently graduated and threw an afstudeerfeestje (graduation party), inviting all his friends. Anyone entering his house would’ve immediately noticed the total separation of Caucasian and Chinese guests. My friend is a Chinese guy, but was born and raised in the Netherlands, so many of his friends at the party were Dutch natives.

While I was sitting on a couch in the corner of the room, a mutual friend of ours, Patrick, offhandedly remarked, “Hey, this is like the Chinese corner.” How true, I thought. Upon reflection, I realized the two groups of guests, Caucasian and Chinese, had been taking turns at the Playstation located in the dining room. Never was there a moment when the two groups merged together as one, except when the host acted as a link. The Caucasians took up most of the living room, while the Chinese occupied a corner that was also the study area.

The above scenario was no surprise to anyone concerned. It only served as proof of how we’ve all been in denial over the state of integration. The lack of it doesn’t seem to affect the natives much. And some foreigners certainly don’t themselves trying to learn Dutch or about the country’s culture. Integration certainly isn’t working out, but nobody seems to care much. It takes two hands to clap; but two limp hands definitely need the help of a third. And who is better suited for the role of that third hand than TU Delft itself?

But before we blame everything on the university, let’s first ask ourselves one question: Is TU Delft obliged to integrate its students? And for that matter, is any university really obliged to?

I recently spoke to a TU staff member who told me that it’s unusual for any university to feel obliged to integrate their students. I thought about other universities, here and abroad, and indeed, activities organized to bring natives and foreign students together were the efforts of the students themselves. Twente University for example, organized an event to introduce all students to the cuisine of countries the foreign students came from. And who should organize it but the student body itself? And who should cook the food but the foreign students themselves? Although it wasn’t extremely successful, it certainly wasn’t because students weren’t interested. Rather, the event was poorly publicized.

Just imagine what a similar event can do for TU Delft’s students. Yes, I’ve heard the arguments against it (such as that there isn’t a suitable place on campus to host such an event). But where there’s a will, there’s a way. If students are persistent in their efforts to integrate, a well-organized, comprehensive publicity campaign should prompt the university management to help. The university could, for example, set aside a specific campus venue that can be used by all students to host parties and other activities, free-of-charge. Isn’t it time the university makes a serious commitment to the social integration of all foreign and Dutch students?

I sometimes hear foreign students complain, “the natives aren’t so friendly….” As a foreigner, I can say that’s nonsense. Foreigners come here expecting people to be friendly and speak English all the time. Well, here’s a wake up call: not everyone has the sweet disposition to deal with people they don’t know, much less be friendly to them. Just because you’re feeling more vulnerable than usual doesn’t mean that others have to leave their own comfort zones to suit you. If foreign students really want to befriend the Dutch so badly, why don’t they make a real effort to learn Dutch? Every Dutch person appreciates your efforts to speak their language.

A change of mentality in the students themselves would act as a catalyst to integration. Although help is needed from TU Delft, the majority of the effort must come from the students. So, come on and get with it, integration must come from all sides, starting with the foreign students themselves!

Shinyie Lim, student from Singapore