{"id":110821,"date":"2020-03-13T13:51:51","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T12:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=110821"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:44","slug":"many-students-are-signing-petition-for-eur-to-be-closed-due-to-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/03\/13\/many-students-are-signing-petition-for-eur-to-be-closed-due-to-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"Many students are signing petition for EUR to be closed due to coronavirus"},"content":{"rendered":"

A petition for EUR to close its campus as soon as possible, drawn up by an International Business Administration student, has already been signed by nearly three thousand people.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChris Gorzeman<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cConsidering the sharp increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Europe and the crisis in Italy, the university should close its doors as a preventive measure\u201d is a line from\u00a0the petition<\/a>\u00a0drawn up by student Ben M\u00fcnks. Yveline Shang and Younes Assou, two RSM students who are also on the University Council, are helping M\u00fcnks raise awareness of his petition. They hope to present the Executive Board with the signed petition in next week\u2019s council\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n

Shang\u2019s main goal is to find a solution that will allow students to attend lectures and seminars without actually coming to campus and getting together. However, the RSM student says the university is only able to stream eight lectures at a time.<\/p>\n

'Not enough measures implemented'<\/h2>

Shang also believes that the university is not implementing enough hygiene-related measures. \u201cThe university advises people not to shake hands, and there are posters in the toilets telling students to properly wash their hands. But in Hong Kong universities were closed a week ago, even though fewer people are infected there than here.\u201d Shang says that door handles are cleansed regularly in Asia, and corridors are sprayed with cleaning agents.<\/p>\n

There are cultural differences between Dutch students and international students, says Shang. \u201cMany Dutch students are saying: I\u2019m young and healthy, so I\u2019ll be fine. But our older relatives are susceptible to the virus.\u201d Shang has found that many Asian students would like to wear face masks, but are afraid to do so. \u201cIt\u2019s a question that is discussed a lot in group chats. Students are wondering whether they can put on their masks yet, but they are getting the impression that Dutch people won\u2019t accept it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Petitions asking for universities to be closed have been drawn up in other Dutch student towns as well, e.g. Maastricht, Amsterdam, Groningen, Utrecht, Eindhoven and Leiden. Several faculties of medicine have already indicated that they will stop teaching seminars for the time being. Erasmus MC, too, has put a halt to its lectures, seminars and exams.<\/p>\n\n\t

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