Education

Fraternities unfit for MSc future

The first blow is half the battle. So how’s Delft student life and the TU being introduced to MSc students? And why don’t they join the student fraternities? This week’s integration investigation topic: the importance of introduction.

International students who follow the regular five-year course in Delft are invited to experience Ontvangstweek (Reception week, or Owee) in August, the introduction week for all five-year TU courses. MSc students can’t profit from this first opportunity to mingle with the Dutch. Instead, they can join the summer introduction program.

However, this program’s emphasis isn’t on providing students with a sound knowledge of Delft student life. ,,We’re more concerned with integration among MSc students, since this is a new programme and they come from different countries,” Rik van Leeuwen of the MSc office explains. ,,Integration between MSc and Dutch students is not, or hasn’t yet been, a primary issue, because providing good courses is one of the most important objectives of the MSc programme.”

As the accompanying article on this page reveals, MSc students aren’t familiar with Dutch student societies, favourite cafeterias, or snack bars in Delft. No noticeable difference in knowledge emerged between those who did and those who didn’t attend the summer introduction. Moreover, less than half of all MSc students were familiar with ‘their own’ Delft International Student Society.

Time pressure

Although knowledge or even membership of a student society is certainly no guarantee of integration, it does show that the MSc introduction program differs significantly from Owee, which highlights student fraternities. Of all the respondents to the MSc survey, only one had ever been to a fraternity.

But then again, maybe MSc students simply don’t want to join: “MSc students have more demanding programmes and courses. They have less time for doing something else beside their study. Additionally, they’re relatively more competitive than Dutch students. So there is time pressure for them, while Dutch students usually have more time to relax and do other things, like joining student unions,” Van Leeuwen explains.

Under the new Bama structure, however, international students will become increasingly popular with the Delft student societies, who want to maintain their number of members [see last week’s Page 4 story].

Fortunately for them, one fourth of the survey respondents expressed an interest in the associations, although the initiation ceremonies are strange to them. ,,I think that initiation rituals aren’t good, because usually they emphasise seniority”, writes a, average age, 25-year-old MSc student, who would be older than his fraternity initiators.

Identity

TU’s executive board recognises this problem, but still wants international students to become members. President Dr. Nico de Voogd: ,,We’re not in favour of separate student societies. There is already an Indonesian and a Chinese club. We want them to become members of DSC, Virgiel, Jansbrug, and the others, because the high organisational level of student life is very special in Delft. But maybe some of these student fraternity’s should drop ragging for international MSc students,” De Voogd suggests.

That would be an enormous change for a few societies. Klaas Kerssemakers, president of TU Delft’s largest student society Virgiel: ,,Changing initiation rites will influence our whole structure, which is narrowly connected with our identity. But we’re aware that we must anticipate this development.” To admit them, these societies should also start allowing MSc students to subscribe independently of Owee, which is currently often impossible.

The Delftsche Studenten Bond (DSB) already has a second subscription period for undecided students, in November. ,,Maybe that’ll become a special period for MSc students,” president Guido van der Wedden says. As for integrating with international students, the DSB organised an international student party last night to get to know their foreign colleagues. Maybe integration is indeed on its way.

International students who follow the regular five-year course in Delft are invited to experience Ontvangstweek (Reception week, or Owee) in August, the introduction week for all five-year TU courses. MSc students can’t profit from this first opportunity to mingle with the Dutch. Instead, they can join the summer introduction program.

However, this program’s emphasis isn’t on providing students with a sound knowledge of Delft student life. ,,We’re more concerned with integration among MSc students, since this is a new programme and they come from different countries,” Rik van Leeuwen of the MSc office explains. ,,Integration between MSc and Dutch students is not, or hasn’t yet been, a primary issue, because providing good courses is one of the most important objectives of the MSc programme.”

As the accompanying article on this page reveals, MSc students aren’t familiar with Dutch student societies, favourite cafeterias, or snack bars in Delft. No noticeable difference in knowledge emerged between those who did and those who didn’t attend the summer introduction. Moreover, less than half of all MSc students were familiar with ‘their own’ Delft International Student Society.

Time pressure

Although knowledge or even membership of a student society is certainly no guarantee of integration, it does show that the MSc introduction program differs significantly from Owee, which highlights student fraternities. Of all the respondents to the MSc survey, only one had ever been to a fraternity.

But then again, maybe MSc students simply don’t want to join: “MSc students have more demanding programmes and courses. They have less time for doing something else beside their study. Additionally, they’re relatively more competitive than Dutch students. So there is time pressure for them, while Dutch students usually have more time to relax and do other things, like joining student unions,” Van Leeuwen explains.

Under the new Bama structure, however, international students will become increasingly popular with the Delft student societies, who want to maintain their number of members [see last week’s Page 4 story].

Fortunately for them, one fourth of the survey respondents expressed an interest in the associations, although the initiation ceremonies are strange to them. ,,I think that initiation rituals aren’t good, because usually they emphasise seniority”, writes a, average age, 25-year-old MSc student, who would be older than his fraternity initiators.

Identity

TU’s executive board recognises this problem, but still wants international students to become members. President Dr. Nico de Voogd: ,,We’re not in favour of separate student societies. There is already an Indonesian and a Chinese club. We want them to become members of DSC, Virgiel, Jansbrug, and the others, because the high organisational level of student life is very special in Delft. But maybe some of these student fraternity’s should drop ragging for international MSc students,” De Voogd suggests.

That would be an enormous change for a few societies. Klaas Kerssemakers, president of TU Delft’s largest student society Virgiel: ,,Changing initiation rites will influence our whole structure, which is narrowly connected with our identity. But we’re aware that we must anticipate this development.” To admit them, these societies should also start allowing MSc students to subscribe independently of Owee, which is currently often impossible.

The Delftsche Studenten Bond (DSB) already has a second subscription period for undecided students, in November. ,,Maybe that’ll become a special period for MSc students,” president Guido van der Wedden says. As for integrating with international students, the DSB organised an international student party last night to get to know their foreign colleagues. Maybe integration is indeed on its way.

Editor Redactie

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