{"id":118262,"date":"2020-10-05T14:38:44","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T12:38:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=118262"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:07","slug":"eurekaweek-takes-flak-for-dutch-students-only-extends-board-application-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/10\/05\/eurekaweek-takes-flak-for-dutch-students-only-extends-board-application-term\/","title":{"rendered":"Eurekaweek takes flak for \u2018Dutch Students Only\u2019 \u2013 extends board application term"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Eurekaweek board has extended the application term for a position on next year\u2019s board. The board took this measure ‘to offer international students an opportunity to apply,’ according to an announcement made on Friday via its social media channels. In the same post, the board members also apologised for their previous recruitment email, which was headed \u2018Dutch Students Only\u2019.<\/p>\n

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Eurekaweek 2020 – Chairman Sander Doude van Troostwijk <\/span><\/p>

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Discriminatory<\/h2>

Wednesday last week, the Eurekaweek board circulated a vacancy among EUR students, calling on students to apply for a position on the board of Eurekaweek 2021. Emblazoned along the top of the Dutch-language email was \u2018<\/em>DUTCH STUDENTS ONLY\u2019<\/em> \u2013 to the consternation of a number of international students. They found the header inappropriate; some even called it discriminatory.<\/p>\n

Chief Diversity Officer Semiha Denkta\u015f was also critical of the circulated text. It was \u2018not in the Eurekaweek spirit\u2019 and was not grounded in EUR policy, said Denkta\u015f when EM asked her opinion of the vacancy. \u201cWithin EUR, language proficiency should not be included in the selection criteria \u2013 except where it is relevant to the position. But EUR has never based a call for applications on aspects like one\u2019s country of origin or citizenship,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

Unfortunate choice of words<\/h2>

The chair of the Eurekaweek board Sander Doude van Troostwijk stresses that the header was in no way intended as discriminatory. \u201cWe chose this line for practical reasons. I agree that our choice of words was unfortunate, but what we meant by it is that we\u2019re looking for Dutch-speaking students,\u201d he explains. According to Doude van Troostwijk, it is important that applicants speak Dutch because \u2018the board will be working in an environment where the language of communication is Dutch\u2019.<\/p>\n

In response to the criticism, the board apologised on Friday via their social media channels for the \u2018unfortunate choice of words\u2019 and announced that international students who don\u2019t speak Dutch are also welcome to apply. To give international students ample opportunity to do so, the board has extended the term to Monday.<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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