At an introduction market for international students, Mirte Brouwer noticed something surprising: among the university services there was also a commercial company trying to recruit customers. But that they had paid to be there was not immediately clear. According to her, the organisers have a responsibility here.
(Photo: Sam Rentmeester)
A few weeks ago I was at an introduction fair for international students on behalf of the TU Delft Writing Centre, where I work as a writing coach. The fair was held at X and featured all kinds of TU Delft services, for instance Studium Generale, alumni relations, the student psychologists, and Delta. In a separate hall there were booths from student sports clubs and societies: improv theatre, modern dance, and many others. If I had attended as a student, I would probably have found it a nice introduction to the city and TU Delft.
But among the university services there was also a stand that didn’t quite belong. The large pull-up banner gave it away: it advertised a cashback deal if you signed up and opened a bank account with another company. Not what you would expect from TU Delft, although it’s debatable whether new students would recognise that. The company provided OV (public transport) chip cards. They offered a discount on travel, but it was still more expensive than buying directly through the NS (national railway). Students could sign up on the spot, and quite a few did.
In their position, I might have done the same. The booth stood among familiar and trusted TU Delft services, as if it were an organisation there simply to help students. Except it wasn’t a TU Delft service at all, but a commercial company that had paid for a place at the fair. This wasn’t immediately obvious to the students walking by.
Students should know who is there to give them information and who is there to sell them something
Research shows that people are most likely to switch brands in periods of major change like moving to a new place or having a child. Starting university certainly belongs on that list. For many students, it is also the first time they are signing contracts or making financial decisions on their own. That makes introduction events an attractive opportunity for companies to reach new customers. And in itself there’s nothing wrong with that: students are also looking for services, so it makes sense for supply to meet demand. The problem arises when it isn’t clear who the commercial parties are. Students should know who is there to give them information and who is there to sell them something.
This isn’t about that specific company – which is why I won’t name it. The real issue is that for many students, both first-years and internationals, the (Dutch) system is already hard enough to navigate. They are likely to assume that anything offered during an official introduction event is meant to help them, especially when it is presented in the same way as TU Delft services. As budget cuts in higher education push these events to rely more on external funding, the risk of confusion between university and commercial services will only grow.
That places a responsibility on organisers to be transparent about why organisations are present at these events. And it places the responsibility on TU Delft to evaluate whether companies that participate in introductory activities are genuinely contributing to students, or just trying to profit from them. At the very least, students should know who is there only to support them, and who is there to target new customers.
Mirte Brouwer is a master’s student in Industrial Design Engineering at TU Delft and a master’s student in Dutch Literature and Literary studies at VU University Amsterdam.
Do you have a question or comment about this article?
m.c.brouwer@student.tudelft.nl
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