`We were surprised by the complaints,' says Frits Spoek from the International Office. `Many problems were new to us. Dutch pre-master's and the lecturers' mediocre English are problems at a faculty level. They are education-related problems that are invisible to us.' As it turns out, foreign students generally feel unwelcome at the UT because the education system is focused on Dutch students, with little room for them. Faculty websites are in Dutch and UT staff is often uncooperative. According to Spoek this was the first time international students had a chance to collectively voice their dissatisfaction in this way. `The situation is worse than we thought,' he said.
So it's time to change? `Absolutely,' Spoek says. `The International Office directs every aspect of internationalization at the UT. That is why we want to take decisive action to solve these issues. The UT wants to be an international university, so it should make an all-out effort to accomplish that. These complaints damage our international reputation.'
Spoek calls for an immediate inventory of the complaints. `The International Student Advisory Board will contact foreign students through e-mail to find out what problems they are facing. Also, we want to establish one central complaint contact and one contact person for each program. We must also focus on solving the issues systematically. That is a lot of work, but something needs to be done. We need to get rid of the faculty's noncommittal way of receiving foreign students. A mandatory protocol might be the solution.'
Cees van Vilsteren, director of international education at the faculty of Behavioral Sciences explains how they deal with their international students. `We have an independent office, run by two highly motivated people who work fulltime on international matters of our faculty. Over a year before the student comes to the Netherlands, we are in close contact and maintain that relationship throughout their stay at the UT. That works very well.' The faculty has ten years of experience with international students and is regularly contacted by other faculties. `We advise and also warn them: know what you're getting yourself into. Our approach could inspire others.'
Trans. Jeroen Latour
