{"id":102387,"date":"2019-09-02T10:08:44","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T08:08:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=102387"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:27","slug":"rector-rutger-engels-you-can-learn-to-handle-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/09\/02\/rector-rutger-engels-you-can-learn-to-handle-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"Rector Rutger Engels: \u2018You can learn to handle stress\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to Rector Magnificus Rutger Engels, the world is only malleable to a certain extent; stress is part of life and in the first instance, students are themselves responsible for their own welfare. But the university also needs to take its responsibility for its students\u2019 welfare and it intends to do just that. This summer the University Council approved a plan to improve student welfare. According to Engels, it\u2019s a topic that’s close to his heart.<\/p>\n

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Rutger Engels <\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

There\u2019s never been a clear student welfare policy at EUR. That all changed this summer when the Rector asked Director of Student Affairs Joop Matthijsse to formulate a plan. For instance, there\u2019ll be a student living room<\/a> where students can drop in to chat to other students or counsellors.<\/p>\n

The university will also be establishing an online healthcare programme to make students more aware of psychological problems and to teach them how to handle stress. And waiting lists to see the student psychologist will be a thing of the past through the appointment of additional psychologists.<\/p>\n

Why does the university have a student welfare plan?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have a responsibility towards students, and not only for their education. These are mostly young people in a formative period in their lives and we need to be aware of this. Of course the responsibility for welfare lies first of all with the students themselves. But we have a responsibility too and I think we need to take this responsibility on board, for instance by teaching students how to handle stress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

You will be discussing the \u2018student welfare\u2019 theme at the opening of the academic year. Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something close to my heart. As researcher I\u2019ve conducted research for many years into the welfare of young people and young adults. Before I came to Erasmus University, I worked at the Trimbos Institute, where we studied mental health, substance abuse treatment and social care.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat struck me when I came to EUR was that mental health is also a huge theme here. \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n<\/svg>\n\n\t<\/button>\n<\/span>\n I thought: how amazing is it that the topic I\u2019d focused on in my research has followed me in my new job? I threw myself into the topic and gave the assignment for the report.\u201d<\/p>\n

You have two daughters who are studying. Is that why it\u2019s a familiar theme?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a reason I know full well that studying can be hard. I talk to them about how they handle pressure and the feeling that they have to do everything. The feeling that you not only need to keep up with your studies, but with all your social networks too, and that you need to do lots in addition to your studies. The student loan system also increases pressure on students. Because how can you ever repay that loan?<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018Like many students, my daughters are real perfectionists. This has advantages, because it takes you places. But it\u2019s also a danger.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

\u201cLike many students, my daughters are real perfectionists. This has advantages, because it takes you places. But it\u2019s also a danger, because when you\u2019re too much of a perfectionist, it becomes a real burden. The university also needs to be aware of this. It\u2019s no help to us if students drop out halfway through.\u201d<\/p>

How do you aim to prevent student dropout?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll need to do certain things differently. For instance, I\u2019m a huge advocate of prevention. We need to reach students before they drop out or before things take a turn for the worse. We need an approach that enables us to prepare a large group of students in how to handle stress, how to handle the shit life throws at you and how to handle all those things that don\u2019t go how you want them to go. That\u2019s more important now than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n

More important than ever before?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis generation of young people has often been protected when they were growing up, but the big bad world is still out there. So how do you prepare yourself for it? You do this by learning resilience. And you only learn resilience by experiencing stress. Stress goes with the territory \u2013 you simply can\u2019t be happy all the time. Happiness only exists if you also experience periods when you\u2019re not that happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018Even if I wanted to be the best singer in the world, my chances of becoming that are extremely small.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

\u201cI think that this generation, more than ever, has the idea that you can achieve anything if you work hard. And that\u2019s not entirely true. Even if I wanted to be the best singer in the world, my chances of becoming that are extremely small. It has nothing to do with my age and everything to do with my singing ability. If my parents had put all their efforts into developing my singing ability, then things wouldn\u2019t have worked out well simply because that\u2019s not where my talents lie. The world is only malleable to a certain extent.\u201d<\/p>

What else do you think people of this generation come up against?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA very concrete example is that young adults increasingly have problems sleeping. This partly has to do with social media. People are on their phones long into the night. So sleep quality and duration are lower and that affects such things as concentration. I notice that too if I\u2019ve had a few nights where I had difficulty sleeping.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be good to give students information about this, if necessary via some digital tips and tricks. For instance, don\u2019t keep your telephone in your bedroom and use an old-fashioned alarm clock instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

So you have an alarm clock at home?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m honest, I\u2019m a bad example. But I do speak to people who leave their phones downstairs and I think it\u2019s an excellent idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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