link 28: house hunting in the hague
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february 2013
magazine of the hague university
of applied sciences
28
House Hunting in tHe Hague Including 8 tips to find your way
En
glish
Ed
itio
n
Southern Europeans surviving the crisis
Catering test
Learn more about your Dutch lover
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2 H/LINK • 28
28 • H/LINK 3
BackpackingIf you travel on the metro in Amsterdam, you might notice a deco-
rative sign at the Nieuwmarkt station that says ‘A place to live is
a right, not a privilege’ and a fake sledgehammer that’s been put
next to the tracks for dramatic effect.
These are reminders of protests that were held in the area during
the 1960s, when the city of Amsterdam wanted to demolish the
houses around Nieuwmarkt to make room for four-lane, quick con-
nection to Amsterdam Central Station. The neighbourhood is still
standing, and the road the city wanted now ends at Waterlooplein.
Housing is a right. That’s for sure, but space is limited in the
Netherlands and the demand is great. And, despite all of the well-
intended plans, student housing remains scarce. My advice is to
look at things differently. Try thinking of the hardships associated
with student housing the way you would think about the (mis)
adventures you’d have while backpacking. A backpacking trip to
India, for example, is only truly complete if you have spent at least
one day in a bus full of chickens, isn’t it? That’s the moment when a
vacation becomes a journey, a true experience.
My own ‘backpacking’ adventures involved, among other things:
illegally adding a wall so that my roommate wouldn’t have to
sleep in the kitchen – (the remaining kitchen was roughly the
same size as the toilet, but only a real complainer notices such
things); trying to cook dinner in student housing after picking up
a whole chicken (to save money) only to discover that the closest
thing to a knife in their kitchen was a potato peeler and deep,
intimate kissing with a classmate at the bottom of the stairs in an
effort to irritate her oversuspicious landlady.
You see? It’s just like backpacking. You can’t expect to take a
luxurious cruise in Rajasthan. It’s not going to happen, but if
you were expecting overcrowded buses you may find that your
tiny student apartment is actually paradise. Try to
enjoy those hot showers that come to an abrupt
end when someone else turns on the tap, and
enjoy the sudden visits of desperate lodgers
who were thrown out by their shady landlords,
because they make the journey more
memorable. •
René Rector
Editor-in-chief
EditorialContent6 taste test
THU switched to Eurest catering. Revamped restaurants and a restyled coffee corner are the result. What do students think about the flavors of the food court?
10 how to find a house in the hague Link investigated the housing situation of international students and visited two in search for suggestions. Including 8 tips.
14 surviving the Euro Crisis An exchange student from Greece and a student from Italy talk about the situation back home and a brighter future in The Hague.
8 Reduce the drop-out rate; stop pampering
16 Getting the IT Department in order
18 Prize-winning essay about internationalization at THU
Columns
4 Valentine’s Day in pictures
5 On the line with… Jolanda Lütteke about Enactus
17 Melting pot: dancing around the fire on Aruba
20 Gems: where to go out in The Hague, learn more about Dutch lovers and win a Piranha 3DD DVD
22 Self-image: Lee Harris
23 Spotlight: Gemeentemuseum by night
Schoolstraat 212511 AW Den Haag
070 - 3 65 73 06www.stanley-livingstone.nl
link is published and produced by the communication & marketing department at the hague university. editors room: ovaal 1.02 address po Box 13336, 2501 eh the hague email: link@hhs.nl f: 070 445 7554 i: link.hhs.nl editors dieuwke de Boer (070 445 8851), rené rector (070 445 8813, hoofdredacteur), martine seijffert (070 445 8814), youri van vliet (070 445 8796), lotte hoes (070 445 8796, intern) student editors yvonne Bal, anjani Bhairosingh, ilse van Beest, esther Bliek, martin cok, patty elbersen, can guneyli, Kerttu henriksson, tim de Jong, stefan van Klink, martina Koleva, simone Krouwer, laura van langen, paul van leeuwen, yvonne rijff staff dave van ginhoven, martine zeijlstra, christin zitter comic margreet de heer images mieke Barendse, Quintin van der Blonk, Kim eijkelhof, thirjeet gurwara, Bas Kijzers design mustafa Özbek, Josean the pie print oBt bv, the hague advertisement Bureau nassau, achterom 100c, hoorn po Box 4130, 1620 hc hoorn e: info@bureaunassau.nl t: 020-623 0905 f: 020-639 0846 i: www.bureaunassau.nl issn 2210-7983 copyright it is not allowed to copy articles of images without permission of the editors. link is published monthly in dutch and twice a year in english.
Ab
OU
T L
Ink
Valentine’s DayWow! The lovely images submitted
this month are heart-warming.
Information Services & Management
(IS&M) student Jeske Woudstra [1] – with a rose – found that romantic
boyfriends do exist. PABO (Education
in Primary Schools) staffer Marie
Hijmans [2] enjoyed a romantic ballet
moment. European Studies student
Tomas Miko asks the question:
‘why should Link feature Monika
Dimitrova’ [3] and provides the
answer: ‘because she is beautiful
and I love her!’ Fellow ES student
Noelia Caro delivers an ode to her
boyfriend Kris [4] who she says is,
without a doubt, ‘the cutest and
sweetest man in the world.’ Ingrid
van Ruyven, also from ES, has only
known Laurens [5] a year, but she’s
sure they’ll be together for a long
time. Lisanne Fioole from Human
Kinetic Technology [6] had just been
dumped when she met Roel, and
they’ve been ‘super happy’ for two
months. Bram van der Linden from
Marketing is ‘secretly in love’ with all
his girlfriends [7] but Denise (at the
bottom) is his favourite. Maike Mak
(IS&M) will be skipping Valentine’s
Day because her boyfriend [8] is
living in Macedonia and only after a
six-month separation was she able to
see him on New Years. But, the prize
for the most charming embrace goes
to Amber Swensen from PABO and
her boyfriend Robbert van Putten [9]. ‘We’ve been together for 9 years and
we’re still smitten,’ she writes, and it
certainly looks that way.
[1]
[2]
[7][8]
[9]
4 H/LINK • 28
In pictures
Win 50 eurosComputers have become an integral part of our daily lives
and are an essential part of your studies. Link is curious about what your desktop looks like (and we forbid you from cleaning it up first). Is your wallpaper a beautiful
nature scene, or do you spend your days looking into the eyes of a boy/girlfriend on your desktop as you work? Is it
neat and tidy or chock full of documents and files?
Send us a screenshot by Tuesday, 26 February at link@hhs.nl. Let us know who you are and be sure to
describe the image to us. The best screenshot will win 50 euros.
[6]
[3] [4]
[5]
28 • H/LINK 5
On the line withJolanda Lütteke
‘Enactus: a win-win situation’Improving the quality of life: that’s the goal of Enactus. Last year the organisation was called SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise). Former European Studies student Jolanda Lütteke is the driving force behind Enactus at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. story Lotte Hoes • image Quintin van der blonk
Enactus has been in place at THU for about twenty months. What have you achieved so far?We initiated a project to help an Armenian woman start her own
business as a music teacher. Although the project was successful it
didn’t last long, because she returned to Armenia. We are currently
organising a job interview workshop for young people from the low-
income Schilderswijk area and we’re involved in a project to promote
affordable childcare in the Laak district. The idea is that this should
give mothers more time to work; in return, we ask them occasionally
to act as host parent and babysit other people’s children.
What prompted you to change your name? SIFE didn’t express our ambitions clearly enough. Enactus is an
acronym for Entrepreneurial Action Us, which is a much more
effective illustration of what we do. ‘Entrepreneurial’ means that
students identify opportunities to use their talents and put them
to use; with ‘Action’ we mean that students are prepared to take
action and the ‘Us’ reflects the sense among our members of being
part of a larger whole.
What are your plans for 2013?The first thing we want to do is recruit more members so that we
can launch more projects. We are considering setting up a project
with the school’s catering facilities to enable young people with a
disability to gain employment experience here. What’s good about
Enactus is that it gives students an opportunity to help other people,
and because we join forces with leading partners such as Schiphol
and Ahold this will add points to your CV. It’s a win-win situation! •
If you would like more information about Enactus at THU or want to join, send an e-mail to j.l.luetteke@hhs.nl. You can also attend an information meeting on 21 February from 4 to 7 p.m. in OV.k.53.
6 H/LINK • 28
A nyone entering the building for the first time
this year would probably never guess that
the central restaurant in the atrium looked
completely different last year. The same goes for the
Beans coffee corner just inside the main entrance,
which has undergone a metamorphosis, with its
tattered red leather chairs making way for a sleek
new design. On the third floor of Slinger, a whole
new canteen (food outlet) was realised last summer.
And at the new vending machines you can even get a
fresh-brewed cup of coffee.
All of these changes are the result of a new catering
policy and two new suppliers. From the 2012-2013
academic year, THU switched to Eurest after having
employed the services of Sodexo for many years.
Furthermore, vending machine specialist Selecta is
the new contractor for the institute’s snack and drink-
dispensing machines. So what do students think
about the changes? To find out, the Facility Manage-
ment Services Department (FB) put out a survey in
early December which students could complete on the
online portal. A total of 1,220 students and staff mem-
bers took part. René den Dulk of the FB expressed
satisfaction at both the number of respondents and
the results. ‘Last year we also surveyed satisfaction
and we’ve seen a clear improvement in the scores. For
taste testAt the start of the new academic year, many students were pleasantly surprised by the revamped restaurants and restyled coffee corner. Both are the result of a five-year contract between The Hague University of Applied Sciences and new caterer Eurest. So what are the initial reactions? story Martine Seijffert / kerttu Henriksson • images bas kijzers
Mitchell Horsford23, ArubaInternational Public Management, 1st year
I rarely eat at school, but if I do, I always eat the great tuna sandwich from the canteen. Also the pasta from the restaurant is very good for its price. In general, I think that the food is better than last year and the prices are reasonable. I don’t find anything especially missing. For me, the variety is fine for a school restaurant.
Catering
28 • H/LINK 7
the restaurants, respondents gave an overall score of
6.5 this year, compared to 5.7 last year [on a scale of 1 to 10, ed.].’
The higher scores seem connected particularly to the
factors of hygiene and tidiness, the availability of hot
drinks from the vending machines and the freshness
and quality of the products. Respondents were also
positive about the new option to pay by switch card in
addition to paying by chip card. But there is criticism,
too. Since paying by switch card takes more time, the
queues have also gotten longer. Nonetheless, Den Dulk
believes things are moving in the right direction. ‘We’re
now past the rush of the start of the academic year.’
The next step will be to follow up on the survey re-
sults, Den Dulk emphasises. ‘We’ve asked our suppli-
ers to develop an action plan based on these results,
and when we conduct the survey again next year
we expect to see higher scores.’ One of the aspects
surveyed that offers little room for improvement,
according to Den Dulk, is that of ‘price’, which scored
just under passing at 5.6. ‘If you simply ask about pri-
ces and nothing else, the response will always be that
they’re too high – even if you’re only charging 1 euro
for a sandwich,’ he explains. ‘In fact, the most expen-
sive sandwiches are our bestsellers.’ Den Dulk also
points out that prices have not gone up since the new
caterer took over. ‘Actually, overall, they’re lower.’
The new coffee corner has taken on the considerable
challenge of filling the shoes left by the trusted Mocka-
More, while also contending with competition from the
fresh-ground coffee vending machines. MockaMore
offered a wide range of coffee flavours, which students
miss at the new Beans coffee corner. On the plus side,
you get a complimentary biscuit with your coffee or
tea. And if it’s your birthday and you can prove it, you
can even get a free cup of coffee and a muffin. •
InternationalUntil last year, international students were most critical about the catering services. European students scored these facilities with a 4.9, and students from outside Europe slightly higher at 5.2. But as the latest survey shows, things have improved, with scores of 6.6 and 6.4, respectively, from a total of 141 international student respondents. Among the measures taken since last year is the labelling of products in English in addition to Dutch.
Veronika Bendulova19, SlovakiaInternational and European law, 1st year
I’m eating a chicken sandwich, which is one of my favourites. I think they are very tasty! In Slovakia, we only
have a proper lunch served, but here I can also just grab a snack. They
also offer healthy products; different salads and juices, for example. The
prices are more expensive than in Slovakia, but then again, so is
everything else. For a school canteen, I think the prices are reasonable.
taste test
8 H/LINK • 28
Study succes
no more pamperingFor years, The Hague University has invested in a series of projects related to study success, with the hope of reducing the number of drop-outs, getting more students on track in their progress and getting more students to graduate on time. In fact, they seem to have the opposite effect. Study success is a tough nut to crack. story Dieuwke de boer • image bas kijzers
‘W e’re here to challenge students to
get to the next level,’ declared Alma
Clayton-Pederson, while speaking
at the Study Success conference on 14 December.
Unfortunately, the latest statistics show that, since
the start of the Study Success Programme in 2009, the
university has actually seen fewer students making it
to that next level. The number of first-year diplomas
(called propedeuses in Dutch) that students have
earned on time, for instance, has fallen by five per
cent since 2009, instead of rising by thirteen per cent
as desired. Meanwhile, the university has made new
agreements with the Minister of Education that are
less ambitious in nature. Now, it is hoped that the
number of dropouts, the number of students who
switch studies and number of students who graduate
within four years will remain stable. The question is:
how do you make sure that happens?
Too looseAccording to Programme Director Bieke de Mol and
Senior Researcher Wâtte Zijlstra, ‘there is no single
answer’ and ‘it depends on the situation.’ The efforts
made during the past few years were not in vain,
they say. ‘Now we understand that this is a complex
problem that requires a comprehensive approach,’
says Zijlstra. In his eyes, many of the measures taken
in recent years were ‘too loose’.
One thing that seems clear is that it is difficult to
reach the right students with non-committal projects.
Statistical analysis of academic results indicate that
factors like gender, previous education and ethnic
background are important study success indicators,
but in order to offer equal opportunities and avoid
discrimination, it was decided in 2009 that many of
the measures would be opened up to all students. As
a result, ‘when it comes to things like tutoring, we see
the more ambitious students taking advantage while
the students who really need the help are less likely
to go after it,’ according to Bieke de Mol. This begs the
question: ‘What are we going to do about it?’ Zijlstra
says: ‘I don’t want to discriminate, but it is true that
we need improvement in certain groups of students
more than others. If you take a generic approach, you
dilute the effect.’
Problem analysisAccording to a recent report on the results of the
Study Success Programme, THU staff think that, so
far, the programme has taken a scattershot approach
that is too broad and ineffective.
There are no clear explanations for the continued lack
of study success, but THU staffers have suggested a
number of possibilities. Many think that the level of
the university’s incoming students is lower than it
used to be. Others suggest that students are sim-
ply not putting enough into their studies. Teachers
interviewed for the study said another major problem
is the lack of a clear understanding of the reasons why
students fall behind or drop out, a factor they think
28 • H/LINK 9
could have been addressed if a better problem analy-
sis had been conducted at the start of the programme.
The desired problem analysis may now be available,
thanks to recent research by Hans Siebers, a professor
at the University of Tilburg. Last year, he investigated
the link between ethnic differences and study suc-
cess and related study success issues at The Hague
University. He concluded, based on questionnaire
data, that THU students have the right characteristics
to be successful in their studies. Siebers’ research
attempts to explain why THU hasn’t managed to take
the favourable factors in the student body and turn
them in to study success. Along the way, he rules
out the factors that are most often seen as the
cause of disappointing results, including stu-
dent motivation, work habits and investment
in terms of time and study skills. In exonera-
ting the ‘usual suspects’, Siebers implicitly
casts a reasonable doubt on the approach
taken by the Study Success Programme,
which mainly focused on interven-
tions intended to improve student
study skills.
PamperingIf, indeed, none of the factors
above are the cause for the
lack of study success, what
else could it possibly be?
According to Siebers, the
real culprit is the fact that
students are not being
stimulated or challenged at
THU. ‘Do you want to pam-
per your students, or treat them
like adults?’ he asked, critically,
while presenting his findings during
the conference. He thinks, for example,
that teachers are far too accessible for
students. He says that because teachers try so
hard to be there for students, ‘students don’t have
the faintest idea how hard their teachers actually
work and it takes away the incentive for students to
make an effort to perform for their teachers.’ His re-
commendation is to make education about achieve-
ment and restore the authority of teachers, as well
as a professional distance between them and their
students.
Siebers’ study is but one of dozens of research pro-
jects conducted on the subject of study success. A
new workgroup is going to have to go through every
report in the pile and analyse the data within. In
March, they will report to the Board of Directors with
recommendations.•
10 H/LINK • 28
Housing
Gap Vivasitburi (29), is studying for a Master in International Communi-cation Management. He is from Thailand and moved to the Netherlands in August 2012.
‘a friend of mine studied in groningen and was really excited about his time there. Because of
him i also signed up for a master abroad in the netherlands. When i enrolled at thu, they sent
me to duwo. i asked whether i could get a studio or an apartment for myself, but that wasn’t
possible. so they just assigned me to this room. i live in an apartment on the 19th floor of the
stamkartplein tower. i share this apartment with one roommate. my bedroom is in the same
space as the kitchen, my roommate has a separate bedroom. i would have preferred my own
apartment or at least my own place to sleep. i don’t have a lot of privacy here. although it took
me some time to get adjusted, i’ve managed to make myself feel at home here. i have the thai
flag and a picture of the king of thailand here. i also have a picture of my family on my desk.’
‘i don’t have a lot of privacy with my bedroom being in the kitchen’
28 • H/LINK 11
HouSe HunTinG in The Hague
It’s not easy to find a place to live in The Hague. For international students, it can be even harder, especially when they are confronted with a strange city and confounded by regulations and information that is usually all in Dutch. Link investigated the situation of international students and visited two in search of suggestions. story Martine Seijffert / Yvonne Rijff • images Mieke barendse
I t’s a rainy day in August. May arrives at The
Hague University of Applied Sciences from China
with two large, pink suitcases. She had only just
decided on attending THU in July and, as a result, she
was too late to register for housing with the Duwo
housing agency. Now she’s here, standing in the
Dutch rain with no place to live. Luckily, she meets
another student from China who does have housing.
The other student takes May home, where she will
spend the first few months of her studies sleeping on
the couch.
To be fair, May might not have gone about things
in the best way, but this is just one example of the
kinds of hopeless situations that some international
students find themselves in when they arrive in The
Hague, especially if they aren’t properly prepared.
First-year students who register with Duwo on time
are guaranteed Short Stay Housing for a year, but
what if you weren’t able to register on time, or if the
year is over and you have to move out? And what, for
that matter, do you do if you have to find a place on
your own?
The best advice is to start looking sooner rather
than later, because space is limited. Back in 2010, it
was discovered that The Hague has a vast shortage
of student housing. At least three thousand new
places were needed. The municipal government
said in its Housing and Spatial Development Plan
that it aims to end this shortage by 2020. This year
will see the completion of the ‘Rode Dorp’ (Red
��You can find everything you need to know about finding a place to live, in English, at www.ikzithier.nl/en.
��If you’re too late to register for the towers on the Waldorpstraat, keep a close eye on www.studentenwoningweb.nl, because it’s possible that some of the students who are moving to the Waldopstraat are leaving older Duwo rooms empty and available.
��The Hague’s Student Union has published a booklet full of housing tips. You can request it, and request assistance at info@haagsestudentenvakbond.nl.
��Check the website www.housinganywhere.com, where students who are going abroad for a while, often sub-let their rooms to other (international) students. This is particularly ideal for exchange students. ti
ps
12 H/LINK • 28
Village), a project by Staedion, in the Schilderswijk
neighbourhood. Duwo has already realised two
new towers on the Waldorpstraat and Rob Brons,
head of THU’s Board of Directors, is in talks with
the owners of the old Tax Service (Belastingdienst)
building just across from the front entrance to
Den Haag Hollands Spoor station. ‘It hasn’t been
finalised yet,’ he says, ‘but we have a terrific plan to
create accommodation for 300 students.’
These construction projects are creating new
possibilities, but Qushal Bansraj, chairman of The
Hague’s Student Union (Haagse Studentenvakbond)
is still worried. ‘I’m not convinced that things are
moving fast enough,’ he says, ‘Granted, 2020 is a
ways off and the 3,000 places that were promised
may be coming, but The Hague University is trying
to attract more and more international students and
I am not convinced that 3,000 homes will be enough.’
Rob Brons, on the other hand, is optimistic about
the efforts made by both City Hall and the housing
corporations to address the shortage. ‘We have close
contact with the municipality of The Hague and I’m
familiar with their plans,’ he says, ‘and they are hea-
ding towards 4,000 new homes.’ He also sees new
opportunities for student housing in some of The Ha-
gue’s empty office buildings. ‘A quarter of the offices
in The Hague are unoccupied at the moment. So far
it hasn’t been possible to convert them into student
housing because of regulations and red tape, but
thanks to the pressure on the housing market, that
will probably change,’ he says.
The current housing shortage is not the only problem
facing international students. There is also a shortage
of clear information, which creates a gap between
the expectations of incoming students and the reality
of available housing. In particular, internationals are
often disappointed about the costs. Duwo is another
subject that isn’t always popular (see the story about
Gap on page 10), even though the housing organisa-
tion has been trying, in a combined effort with THU,
to improve things since 2011. Students no longer have
to pay a year’s rent to THU in advance, for example.
Another change is the possibility to use Duwo’s re-
servation system to look at available homes. Gijsbert
Mul, director of the local Duwo office in The Hague,
has noticed a decline in the number of complaints. At
the same time, he points out that, starting this sum-
mer, many older Short Stay facilities will be replaced
by spaces in the new tower across from the Megasto-
res on the Waldorpstraat. This will reduce the number
of shared rooms – a positive development given that
few students favour living, eating and sleeping all
in one room, together with someone else. ‘This way,
there are more choices and students will only have
to room together if they choose to do so,’ says Mul.
International students who want to rent a room after
their Short Stay period ends will still have to take care
of that themselves, though. Mul advises that, as soon
as students arrive, they should register at
www.studentenwoningweb.nl.
The Hague University is also trying to help students
manage their expectations, which can be a little too
high at times. The university’s website even goes so
far as to say that finding a place to live is both difficult
and expensive. However, Rob Brons is keen to point
out that THU is here to provide access to education
and research, not housing, saying that, ‘If you choose
to come and live here, you do have to take some of the
responsibility.’ •
��Arrange your own student house. A house with 1,200 euros rent may seem out of reach at first, but if you can fit four people into a house, the costs aren’t bad. Look at expat websites like www.expatriates.com, www.expatica.com or www.expatrentals.eu.
��Investigate whether or not you qualify for rent subsidies at www.toeslagen.nl. You have to meet certain conditions (like an independent living situation). Go through this information with someone who speaks Dutch, because a lot of important informa-tion isn’t mentioned on the English version of the site.
��You might find a place to live through squatting prevention initiatives (what the Dutch call Anti-Kraak). You don’t have the security of other rental agreements, but you usually get an attractive price. You may want to check out www.adhocbeheer.nl, which arranges these rentals, but one of their conditions is that you have to be referred to them by someone already renting a home from their organisation.
��Check the Facebook pages for your study programme, many of which can be found on the THU Facebook page, as well as the bulletin boards at school where people post requests and offers for housing.
We have a terrific plan to create accommodation for 300 students
28 • H/LINK 13
Aleksander Aleksandrov (24) studies International Communication Management at The Hague University. He is from Bulgaria and moved to the Netherlands in September of 2011.
‘a friend told me about this great apartment for rent at the housing agency ocean Blue. i moved in within
a week. my roommate petar and i share a spacious living room of approximately forty square meters. We
spend most of our time in there, as it’s very comfortable and cosy. to remind me of Bulgaria, i have the
Bulgarian flag and a lot of photos from home. i always keep holy water in the house, as this is a family
tradition. When i moved here, i used the water to bless every room.
i’m more than happy with this living situation. We pay approximately 460 euros each, including gas,
electricity, water and internet. i would advise students looking for a house to come to the hague at least
one month before the semester starts. you’ll have enough time to find a home and there are more places
available than in september.’
‘i’m more than happy with this living situation’
14 H/LINK • 28
Crisis
eScaPinG THe euro criSiS
I nternational & European Law student Mihailo
Jovetic (19) is really happy to be studying at The
Hague University of Applied Sciences. ‘Italy is
not very study-friendly. Students attend lectures
with hundreds of students. At THU, I know my
teachers.’ But the biggest problem in Italy, accor-
ding to Jovetic, is not studying. The bad situation
starts when students have their bachelor or masters
degree. ‘It is very unlikely that you’ll find a good,
fulltime job. If you have the opportunity to leave
Italy, you do.’ In Italy, it was common to get a per-
manent contract and job security after graduating,
says Jovetic, but not anymore. ‘The government is
reducing costs by getting rid of permanent contracts.
It brought Italy into a social crisis. I would be lucky
to get any job after I finish my bachelor degree.’ Star-
ting up his own company is not an option either. ‘No
bank is willing to give you a loan. You would have to
be super-qualified and that’s not possible for starters
with a brand new degree.’
Jovetic packed his suitcase full of books and went
to study Law at THU. He is not the only one. A lot
of exchange students from these countries are also
heading for higher education in the Netherlands
and THU is no exception. The number of exchange
students from Greece, Italy and Spain varied from 76
in 2009-2010 to 94 one year later, and 86 this year. The
number of bachelor students from Southern Europe,
however, has more than doubled since 2010.
Eva Kavaliotou (22), an European Studies exchange
student, is one of the newcomers. She is trying to get
as much study experience abroad as possible. There
is nothing wrong with her own, Greek university.
‘The Athens University of Economics and Business
is better than THU, but a diploma from THU is worth
much more because it shows you have been abroad,’
Kavaliotou says. ‘I love Greece, but I can’t survive
The Euro Crisis has hit students from Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal hard. Cutbacks on education and high unemployment have encouraged them to pack their study books for some time abroad. Link talked to Eva Kavaliotou, an exchange student from Greece, and Mihailo Jovetic, from Italy about their situation back home and a brighter future in The Hague. story Martine Zeijlstra • images bas kijzers
28 • H/LINK 15
eScaPinG THe euro criSiSthere.’ It’s total chaos in Greece and in her university,
she says. ‘If we open up the classroom windows, we
hear people shouting and screaming at the police. A
lot of demonstrations take place in this area and that
makes it really hard to concentrate.’ Due to cutbacks,
there are very few computers available for students
‘and if you have to do experiments in the labs at our
university, there are so many students in the room
you can hardly move.’
The students that get a bachelor or masters degree
also have a lot of trouble finding a suitable job. ‘My
friends who have already graduated in Greece and
found good jobs, get a very low salary,’ says Kava-
liotou, ‘one of my friends got a good job at an office.
She has her bachelor’s degree and speaks three
languages, but still she only gets five hundred euros
a month! And she is one of the lucky ones. Most stu-
dents can’t find a job after graduating and have to live
with their parents.’
A lot of people believe they have better opportunities
if they go abroad. The economic crisis makes students
decide to leave Greece. As an exchange student, Kava-
liotou gets a better CV. ‘I’m learning to communicate
in another language and meeting different cultures.
I would very much like to come back here. THU is
so big and has so many facilities. And here I learn in
practice what I would normally only read in books.’
Both students say they chose to go abroad to take
their future into their own hands and avoid becoming
part of a lost generation, staying with their parents
forever. ‘My generation in Italy won’t get a job
contract at all,’ Jovetic says. ‘In the Netherlands, stu-
dents get a chance to have a contract if they perform
well during an internship,’ Jovetic thinks, adding
that: ‘This school prepares you for the real world by
teaching you the essence for the field where you will
work. You are not extremely dependent on very good
contacts to get a job, like in Italy. You just have to give
all you got. You get these opportunities as a student
in Holland. Not in Italy.’ •
In Greece, if we open up the classroom windows, we hear people shouting and
screaming at the police
16 H/LINK • 28
I t has been over seventeen years since The Hague
University opened its main campus in Laakhaven.
That might not sound like a long time ago, but
back in 1996 people thought it was pretty impres-
sive that they had an e-mail address. As IT director
Marianne van der Werke sees it, that is the problem
in a nutshell: the university was built with and for the
technology that was current at the time.
Since then, the entire IT landscape has shifted drama-
tically, in a way that couldn’t have been predicted in
1996. Over time, more and more programmes, functi-
ons and demands have been placed on the original IT
infrastructure. Consequently, seventeen years later,
the school has a complex, clogged and partially impro-
vised network where no one would dare to attempt
further changes for fear that the whole house of cards
might collapse.
Something has to change. At the moment, the servers
need improved security and there is no test envi-
ronment for software development. Some education
software is not suited to the Windows 7 operating
system used by school computers and only runs on
equipment that is no longer available. If something
goes wrong with the available equipment, there is no
way to replace it. ‘You have to seek out new alterna-
tives, together with the users,’ says Pieter Gremmen
leader of the ‘basics’ project, ‘you can’t keep a system
going like this.’
The fact that there are so many basic infrastructure
problems raises questions about how things could
get this bad. The IT Department is prepared to take
responsibility. For years, the department has been fo-
cused on problem solving and troubleshooting, leaving
little time to invest attention in a broader, long-term
strategy. ‘We’re always putting out fires, but we don’t
get around to fire-proofing for the future,’ says Grem-
men. In his eyes, it requires a new way of thinking
about IT. Wi-fi access is a good example. Everyone was
complaining about the strength of the wi-fi signal, so
the IT department expanded the network capacity.
There are fewer complaints, but no one has stopped
Trouble shooting
The IT facilities at The Hague University of Applied Sciences are out-dated. The shortcomings are so severe that the Information Technology Department has launched a new project under the title, ‘De basis op orde’ (Getting the basics in order). According to the department, ‘It requires a new way of thinking about IT.’ story René Rector • image bas kijzers
‘When i don’t hear any more complaints, i’ll know we’re on the right track’
Melting pot
28 • H/LINK 17
‘When i don’t hear any more complaints, i’ll know we’re on the right track’
to think about whether or not it is desirable to have
wireless internet everywhere. Van der Werke points
out: ‘I have even had some teachers ask if I could hang
up a signal jammer, because students are so busy with
their smartphones during class.’
The ‘basis op orde’ project will involve an expansion of
the IT department, with new workers coming in so that
the team can do more than put out the fires. New trai-
nings and procedures will help to keep the department
and the IT infrastructure on the rails.
No matter what happens, students and staff should be
able to expect that this year, service requests will be
handled more quickly, and as far as the physical infra-
structure is concerned, it is expected that THU’s house
of cards will soon be transformed into a manageable
and solid construction project. ‘We have to reduce the
number of bugs in the system,’ says Van de Werke. ‘An
IT system that just works is something we all want.
When I don’t hear any more complaints, I’ll know we’re
on the right track.’•
Dancing around the fire on ArubaWill Yue, a first year IBMS-student from Aruba, cooked us a traditional Aruban meal, Arroz con pollo. This dish is best served during a traditional Aruban party, after dancing around the fire. story kerttu
Henriksson • image bas kijzers
What are we eating today?Arroz con pollo, chicken mixed with
vegetables and rice and with fried
plantain on the side. All you have
to do is prepare the meat, rice and
vegetables, add some spices and
mix them together. Just like with
Spanish paella, you can adjust the
dish to your own taste. It is a tradi-
tional Aruban dish that is usually
served at traditional dinner parties
since it is so simple to make for a lot
of people.
What are traditional Aruban parties like?For example, on 24 June Arubans
celebrate Dera Gai. It is a more than
hundred-year-old harvest tradition,
which symbolizes the burning
of bad energy that people have
picked up in the last year. In the old
days, the celebration began with a
cultural dance around a fire, during
which a blindfolded person had to
beat a rooster with a stick while
dancing. After the rooster was beat
to death it was burned in the fire. These days we use plastic roos-
ters, because killing a real rooster is too cruel. Now, we only burn
all our garbage and we celebrate until the fire goes out. However,
because of my family’s Chinese background, our family traditions
mostly come from Chinese culture.
Does your Chinese origin influence on your cooking?Yes, I learned to cook by observing the cooks at my family’s old
Chinese restaurant. Although I also learned the basics of different
cuisines when I was previously studying hospitality manage-
ment, Asian cuisine is my favorite.•
Would you like to invite Link into your kitchen and tell us about your roots? Send an email to link@hhs.nl.
reciPe on link onlineFor the recipe and a short video on how to make Arroz con pollo,
go to: link-en.hhs.nl
45 minutes
mild, but can be made spicy
Around 10 euros for 5 people
Required cooking skills: none
Not vegetarian
arroz con pollo
18 H/LINK • 28
Prize-winning essay
Since the beginning of the 1990s, October 3rd has
marked Germany’s official Reunification Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit). Then, all over the country,
people celebrate the end of the socialist dictator-
ship. People recapitulate what they were taught
in public schools and what their parents told them
about the past.
Somehow, everybody writes his own national histo-
ry. This is what I believed in, what I did myself. But
then I went abroad – to the Netherlands, Russia,
and the United Kingdom. Living abroad has been a
fruitful experience and in a lot of ways, one could
argue that I got to learn so much about foreign cul-
tures, intercultural communication, cosmopolitan-
ism and other current buzzwords. Without a doubt,
my life was being internationalised.
However, celebrating Reunification Day in a foreign
country opened my eyes to a very different point of
view: internationalisation is not learning about oth-
ers, it is learning about yourself. By looking at what
internationalisation means in a higher education con-
text and what its main criticisms are, this essay deals
with the great potential that internationalisation has.
It might sound naïve, but I argue that internationalis-
ing higher education institutions such as The Hague
University of Applied Sciences helps to make the
world a more peaceful place – if policies can effective-
ly support individuals in reinventing themselves.
Internationalisation is most commonly defined
as ‘the process of integrating an international,
intercultural or global dimension into the purpose,
functions or delivery of post-secondary education’
The last English edition of Link included a challenge to students and staff to participate in an essay contest. The topic was the importance of internationalization at THU. The jury has awarded the prize, and an iPad 3, to third-year European Studies student Sven Marschalek (23) because ‘his essay lifts the debate about internationalisation to a higher level.’
How THinkinG aBouT ourSelVeS creates a
better world
28 • H/LINK 19
(Knight, 2010). Other authors state that interna-
tionalisation is not a goal in itself, but rather a
means to an end. Internationalisation does not
do any good if universities just perform it as a
source of extra financial revenue or as a global
image-provider. While it may be true that more
international students, more exchange partner-
ships and more credits devoted to international
topics may create more internationality, it does
by no means automatically imply that you learn
anything about yourself. That last point is cru-
cial for internationalised institutions to provide
for future graduates that strive for a more equal
and more peaceful world.
To illustrate this point, I shall take a very simple
example from my personal experience that out-
lines how internationalisation helps to develop
the auspicious feeling of empathy. I refer to a
pretty Dutch experience, namely going to the
kroeg (bar) with a group of Dutch friends. In the
Netherlands, etiquette dictates that you buy
rounds if you get a drink. It took me a while to
get used to getting ‘sponsored’, even if, at times,
I could not have paid half of the drinks I had.
However, adapting to the Dutch concept of going
out, I figured that, in Germany, having a night out
could be twice as much fun if we adopted a simi-
lar habit. Thus, I took the idea home. I learned
about myself. I learned to think win/win.
Universities must engage in critical reflection,
re-think their teaching and researching prac-
tices and critically evaluate their reward system
and their notion of pedagogy. Internationalisa-
tion has to be implemented in such a way that
it allows students to draw a connection to their
home experiences. It must provide them with
the means to critically reflect upon and reinvent
themselves. If we are able to find ourselves in an
increasingly interconnected world and if we re-
alize that it is us that have to change first, then
we will be able to make the world a better place.
And, as the German photographer Richard Hoff-
mann once said: ‘The shortest way to yourself
leads once around the world.’ •
This essay has been edited for space. To see the entire essay, including references, see Link Online link-en.hhs.nl
Internationalisation is not learning about the others, it is
learning about you
the Jury’s comments:
‘Sven’s essay places personal experience in the context of topical literature on internationalization in higher education. He skilfully develops an interes-ting point of view: encounters with foreign countries and people from different cultures teach one about oneself. Critical self-reflection and an open attitude towards others create the conditions for a better world. Sven’s essay lifts the debate about internatio-nalization to a higher level.’
The jury consisted of Susana Menéndez, Member of the Board of Directors of The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Ineke van der Meule, Director of the Centre for Lectorates and Research, René Rector, editor in chief of Link and Jos Walenkamp, Lector for International Cooperation. For the winner, there were two prices: an iPad 3, which was given to Sven by the jury, and publication of his essay in Link.
20 H/LINK • 28
Gems
And all that jazzNo, this is not a restaurant. And neither is it exclusively Spanish. Just to avoid any misunderstandings about Est est est! on Wagen-straat, I can tell you right now what makes it so special: jazz and surprisingly good food.
Just imagine the setting: red leather chairs, tiny tables with green-and-white chequered table-cloths, low-hanging ceiling lamps and creaky, vintage Frank Sinatra
coming out of the speakers. The old records are changed by a waiter at a turntable station set up in one of the corners of the dining area. Next to this is the entrance to the
kitchen, where we see the chef toiling away at our starter: potato soup. Well, ‘toiling away’ may be something of an exaggeration; we’re surprised to see that we’re the only guests. Our waiter as-cribes that to the time of year, right after Christmas. Normally speak-ing the joint – which replaced what used to be Scallywags last August – is jumping.
The potato soup, a creamy yellow substance served with truffle oil and smoked (!) paprika powder, is indeed delicious and has a surpris-ingly smoky flavour. Now, on to the main course: Frank Sinatra has been replaced with a sensual female voice (Ella Fitzgerald?), which goes perfectly with my companion’s bavette – French beef, cooked to succulent pink perfection – and my seafood paella. Instead of the typical saffron rice, my paella is made with risotto. The seafood contingent is represented in large
quantities: mussels, little clams, shrimp... with some green beans and cherry tomatoes popping up from underneath the rice here and there. Scrumptious!
Now it’s time for desert: home-made cheesecake with a cookie-crumb bottom. Later that evening space is created for the weekly jazz session, held every Saturday. The room is starting to fill up while we wait for the musicians to appear. Fortunately, they have Estrella on tap and, as long as the old vinyl is still spinning on the turntable, we won’t be going home any time soon. • MS
unusuAl dutCh
lllllJazzbodega Est est est! Wagenstraat 144 tel. 070-7855686Main course prices: between € 16.50 and € 18.50Estrella beer: € 2.25
The Dutch loverFor those of you who might have fallen in love with a Dutch guy
or are in any other way romantically involved with one, here is
something you should know about the species, at least, if you
want to avoid Valentine’s Day disappointment. You didn’t get any
red roses? Not even a note or a card with a description about how
much he loves you (to the moon and back), how he wants to stay
with you forever and ever or – what were you expecting – a love
poem? What? Did he forget it was Valentine’s Day at all? Ahhh…
the Dutch man.
First of all, you should know that Valentine’s Day isn’t such a big
deal in the Netherlands. We copied a lame version of it from the
Americans, but most Dutch men and also a lot of women see it as
a crass, commercial tradition (though it’s possible some say this
to avoid disappointment). You almost hear how the Dutch guy
thinks: ‘Why is this rose 3 euro on Valentine’s Day, when I could
get it for 50 cents yesterday?’
Instead, he says your love isn’t about clichés like roses and love
poems. He says he loves you every day, and not just on the 14th
of February and he will show you by helping you fix your bike, by
replacing a broken light and by negotiating with you about where
to go out for dinner so he’s sure you’ll like the place, instead of
romantically reserving a table by surprise (possibly in the wrong
restaurant). That’s real love, right? • MS
image: Shutterstock.com
28 • H/LINK 21
PARTY SPOT > grotE MArkt I like Grote Markt a lot. The only dis-
advantage is that the pubs there close
at 2 o’clock. The atmosphere and the
people are really nice. It is not really a
party area but it’s a nice place to chill.
The feel of a lot of bars together is
cozy and the people are open-minded.
CLUB > Club 7
Club 7 is located on the Prinsegracht
and has an international night every
Tuesday. I go there a lot because I
also work there as a photographer.
This is more of a party spot for
dancing and such.
RESTAURANT > Est Est Est! Est est est! is a restaurant located
on Wagenstraat 144. What makes it
special is the regular live jazz perfor-
mances. The staff is friendly and the
vibe there is nice and Spanish. Plus,
of course, the food’s good.
RESTAURANT > ViP (VEry itAliAn PizzA) VIP is located on Kettingstraat 13 and
has all the Italian food you could hope
for. I like the atmosphere of VIP. And,
yeah, they have really good pizza.
They’re also quite cheap with pizzas
ranging in prices from 6 to 10 euros.
FESTIVAL > PArkPoP Parkpop is a free festival (one of the
largest in Europe) held every summer
in The Hague. This year is will be on
the 30th of June in the ‘Zuiderpark’.
The line-up hasn’t been announced yet
but the atmosphere is fantastic there
when the weather is good. Two years
ago, Jamie Cullum was my favorite act.
Melancholy in a cheerful packageAfter they were both dumped, Daniel Johansson and Joakim Sveningsson decided to take the energy they were putting into their relationships and channel it into music. Eight years and five albums later, they still haven’t let go of their melancholic heartbreak.
The greatest talent of Sweden’s Friska Viljor is the way they make music that manages to sound miserable and upbeat at the same time. They’ve
done it again with Remember Our Name. Tragic, English-language lyrics are combined with cheerful ukulele riffs and catchy melodies. Just like their previous albums, Remember Our Name has the duo working with a wide variety of different tools. Besides the more conventional instruments, they use the melodica – a keyboard flute – mandolins, banjos and different horns on this album, giving it a folky and sometimes even Mediterranean atmosphere.
While the vocals might take some getting used to, the familiar melodies and range of tempos make the album an easy listen. • Ivb
toP
5
After their spring break
‘banquet’ in the horror hit
Piranha 3D, the blood-
thirsty piranhas are now back for their next snack at the Big Wet
pool park, where a crowd of sexy twenty-somethings are getting
ready to party hard. But while they’re out looking for a good time,
booze and hot bods, these unsuspecting guys and girls find them-
selves up against an even bigger challenge: escaping the eager
jaws of the hungriest killer piranhas ever! With Christopher Lloyd
and Ving Rhames reprising their iconic roles and joined by ‘young
bloods’ David Hasselhoff, Gary Busey and Esquire Magazine’s
‘2011 Sexiest Woman Alive’ Katrina Bowden, Piranha 3DD
promises to be another great big bloody 3D bonanza.
special offer for readersLink is giving away three DVDs. For your chance to win, send an
email to link@hhs.nl, stating ‘Piranha 3DD’ in the subject line, be-
fore 8 March. Don’t forget to provide your contact details!
The winners will be notified on 11 March.
sPECiAl offEr
... by ugo Moruzzi
Ugo Moruzzi is a graduate of Architecture and Construction Engineering and the Chairman of the student association Inter-Access. He loves to party and meet new people. story Laura van Langen • image Mieke
barendse
lllllfriska Viljor - remem-ber our nameGenre: Indie, Rock, PopFriska Viljor will be perfor-ming at the Bitterzoet in Amsterdam on 28 February
Win a Piranha 3dd dVd!
22 H/LINK • 28
Every month in Link, one of the ‘Academy Teachers of the Year’ presents themself through a self-drawn picture. So how does this picture represents their way of teaching?
Self-image
‘I like talking about Lady Gaga’
Nice portrait!That’s me, drawn a little out of
proportion and with a tie on,
of course. I always wear a tie.
Around me are some of my fa-
vourite lines, like the fact that I
think a 5.5 is ‘uncool.’ Students
who aim for a 5.5 are going to
end up disappointed. ‘Dedica-
tion, not vacation’ is something
I expect from my students.
They have to want to read their
marketing books, even in the
weekend or on vacation. Lady
Gaga is an important part of my
marketing classes. That’s why
it says ‘Go Gaga!’ ‘Uggs are for
uglies’ is a reference to another
opinion of mine that I am happy
to share in class.
So you enjoy talking about things that are popular with students?Yes. That’s what I do. Students
find the material more interest-
ing if they can connect with
the example. Lady Gaga is an
excellent subject for modern
marketing success. By start-
ing with these types of topics,
you create an interactive
atmosphere, and that promotes
learning. I’m fairly relaxed
when it comes to rules as
students rarely step out of line.
Rules aren’t really necessary in
a class that works. I want the
messages to be thought provok-
ing and I want students to want
to come to class.
What attracted you to teaching?Nothing specific. I just sort of
rolled into it. I used to work in
marketing in the tourism indus-
try, in about forty countries. I
was asked once to give a guest
lecture and it turned out to be
a lot more fun than I expected.
I wouldn’t want to give up my
experiences as an international
marketing professional, though.
All those different places and
people have made a contribu-
tion to my profile. This gives
quite an advantage to a lec-
turer, not the least of which is a
very broad and varied vision on
the world of marketing.
How do you stay sharp as a teacher?I don’t really have to try to
stay sharp. That takes care of
itself as long as you’re always
looking around and listening.
I believe that lecturers have a
sixth sense about this. Every
morning I put my tie on with a
smile and can’t wait to get to
work. The Hague University
is a big school, but it never
feels too big. I like the contact I
have with colleagues and with
international students. Every
day I’m curious and hoping for
something exciting! •
lee HarrisLecturer at the Acadamy of European Studies and Communication Management (ESCM)
age ‘over 35’ Teaches Marketing Teaching since 1990in a few words curious, active, allergic to the word ‘no’ and optimistic
Lee Harris puts all his energy into showing his students the ropes in the world of marketing. His students laud him for his ability to liven up the toughest course material. story Simone krouwer • images Mieke barendse / Lee Harris
28 • H/LINK 23
Spotlight
delft blue by night
‘It’s fun to visit a museum at night for a change’, enthuses Industrial Design Engineering student Sieds Medemblik. On 16 January, he took part in ‘Night at the Museum’ at the Gemeentemuseum. story Lotte Hoes • image bas kijzers
As dusk fell, the museum opened its doors to admit all visitors free of charge. It also organised work-
shops and guided tours of various exhibits, such as Delftware Wonderware, presenting a collection of
Delftware pottery. Medemblik was particularly enthusiastic about the hours of the event: ‘Because of
school, I can only visit museums at the weekend, but I like the idea of just going with friends at the end
of an ordinary weekday!’ •
24 H/LINK • 28
sudoku
5
5 7 2 3 6 8
6 9 1 7
7 5 1 2
8 3 7
3 2 6
2
1 3 6
9 8 4
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