{"id":122559,"date":"2021-02-04T15:40:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T14:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=122559"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:22","slug":"pandemic-causes-study-societies-to-collaborate-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/02\/04\/pandemic-causes-study-societies-to-collaborate-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandemic causes study societies to collaborate more"},"content":{"rendered":"

Study societies have more members than ever before, but they can\u2019t provide their members with parties and good times at present. \u201cWe keep trying to find new ways to be active and have fun from home.\u201d In the latest episode of EM TV<\/em>, Emiel Samsom, President of MFVR (the Faculty of Medicine\u2019s study society), and Bas van Kruining, President of Cedo Nulli (ESSB\u2019s study society), tell us more about their experiences in the current academic year.<\/p>\n

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Emiel Samsom, chairman MFVR<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

In a way, the Rotterdam Faculty of Medicine\u2019s Society (MFVR) is doing better than ever. The society has more members than it has ever had before in its history. Nevertheless, these are strange times to be running a study society, says MFVR\u2019s President, Emiel Samsom. \u201cWe can\u2019t organise the activities we\u2019d normally organise. But these times are also showing us that, with a little creativity, we can come up with fun alternatives. We\u2019re doing exactly that at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cedo Nulli President Bas van Kruining agrees that these are strange times. \u201cPaths which have always been open to us have been closed. We organise a lot of online activities, but we can tell that not everyone is up for them anymore. So we\u2019re facing a bit of a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alternative activities<\/h2>
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Bas van Kruining (chairman Cedo Nulli)<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

The societies have worked very hard this year to come up with creative alternatives to the activities they would normally have organised. For instance, MFVR\u2019s annual ski trip had to be cancelled, \u2018but we managed to come up with something winter-sports-related,\u2019 says Samsom. \u201cFor instance, we had a Crazy 88-inspired session with several groups on Zoom, and we sent our members some things from Austria.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cedo Nulli\u2019s Parents\u2019 Day, on which members\u2019 parents normally visit the campus to see what it is like to attend the university, will also be different this year. \u201cThankfully, parts of it can go on as planned, just online,\u201d says Van Kruining. At the end of this month, parents will follow an online lecture, followed by a virtual tour of the campus and a seminar.<\/p>\n

Focus on mental health<\/h2>
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MFVR's charity run<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Both societies\u2019 presidents can tell that their members are having a hard time of it. \u201cFor that reason, we are focusing a great deal on personal well-being,\u201d says Van Kruining. Earlier in the year, Cedo organised a dealing-with-stress training session, as well as a mindfulness workshop. For its part, MFVR has focused on sports and exercise. \u201cFor example, we\u2019re organising online dance lessons. They allow us to remain active and have fun even while cooped up at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to improving student well-being, MFVR has also sought to promote coronavirus research. Two weeks ago, the society organised a charity run for the Erasmus MC Foundation, in order to raise as much money as possible for research on the long-term effects of the coronavirus. \u201cMore than seventy people participated,\u201d says Samsom. \u201cThey could either run, cycle or walk. I myself walked a half marathon. All in all, we raised 3,300 euros.\u201d<\/p>\n

Collaborative efforts<\/h2>

At least the study societies don\u2019t have to come up with fun activities and alternative plans entirely on their own. Although the societies didn\u2019t use to be collaborative, they have begun collaborating more this year, Van Kruining has found. \u201cWe began helping each other a lot at the start of the academic year. As a result, we don\u2019t have to reinvent the wheel all the time, and we don\u2019t get in each other\u2019s way, either.\u201d For his part, Samsom has seen the same change. \u201cWe talk a lot to other Dutch medical faculty societies. More than we used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Kruining expects the collaborative spirit to remain after the pandemic. \u201cWe\u2019ve created a pathway of sorts. We\u2019ve learned how to get in touch with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

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