{"id":134011,"date":"2021-12-08T14:56:52","date_gmt":"2021-12-08T13:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=134011"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:02","slug":"student-union-starts-helpline-for-students-facing-mandatory-attendance-requirement-and-having-cold-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/12\/08\/student-union-starts-helpline-for-students-facing-mandatory-attendance-requirement-and-having-cold-symptoms\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Union starts helpline for students facing mandatory attendance requirement and having cold symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students with coronavirus-like symptoms must stay at home, but they often also have a mandatory attendance requirement. The National Student Union is starting a helpline for students who feel forced to attend campus when they\u2019re ill.<\/span><\/span><\/p>

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Students in a hybrid lecture in the Theil building, while new equipment is being tested.<\/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\tWouter Sterrenburg<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Universities of Applied Sciences and universities prefer their students to be on campus now that\u2019s allowed again. But, according to the NSU, they\u2019re going too far. Ama Boahene considers the strict enforcement of the mandatory attendance requirement to be \u201cinappropriate\u201d considering the high number of coronavirus infections.<\/p>\n

Mandatory self-isolation<\/h2>
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The government advice is still: stay at home if you have any symptoms. This advice can, however, have huge consequences. In the Parool<\/a> newspaper, psychology students at VU Amsterdam have been complaining about the lack of online alternatives for attending tutorials. A student who should actually have been self-isolating attended a lecture to prevent study delay.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Students at Utrecht University feel just as obliged to attend campus, even if they actually should stay at home. This was stated in an e-mail seen by RTV Utrecht<\/a>. They\u2019d been informed by the Social Sciences faculty that study delay would otherwise be unavoidable.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Petition<\/h2>

In Maastricht, law students were concerned about coming into contact with students infected with the coronavirus during examinations, but still turned up as they were worried about study delay. According to the university magazine Observant<\/a>, over 200 students have signed a petition to hold the December examinations online instead of in a large congress centre with many others.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The same applies to VU Amsterdam. There, 2.5 thousand students have now signed a petition asking to sit their examinations at home, reported<\/a> Ad Valvas.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Missing out<\/h2>
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According to Boahene students are often afraid not to use an examination opportunity. And if they miss too many lessons, they can be deregistered for a course. To identify the scale of the problems relating to the attendance requirement, the union started a helpline<\/a> for students last week.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Things haven\u2019t gone unnoticed in The Hague either. The SP has stated that the health of students and lecturers is being endangered by the mandatory attendance requirement and has asked<\/a> the minister if she also considers this requirement to be \u201cabsurd\u201d. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

Online education<\/h2>
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In theory the solution is simple: an online alternative to ensure that students can still follow the lessons if they need to stay at home. But, according to the National Student Union, \u201chybrid education\u201d didn\u2019t get off the ground in practice everywhere or was put aside again once the lecture halls reopened. \u201cThis is very surprising and a waste,\u201d stated Boahene. \u201cMost rooms have recording equipment and it\u2019s not that hard to use it,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n

Minister Van Engelshoven stated yesterday during a debate on digitalisation that universities are still searching for a new balance between online and in-person education. Many people were in favour of in-person education, as it is better for student welfare and improves lecture quality.<\/p>\n

In the debate, the minister had to reassure the House of Representatives that online education would never completely replace in-person education. But she also didn\u2019t want to immediately ignore the advantages of online education. \u201cFor many students it also means that they can decide more easily how, what or when they study,\u201d was an example she gave.
\n\u201cThe National Student Union is still a huge advocate for in-person education,\u201d stated Boahene. \u201cBut especially because we want to keep the lecture halls open it\u2019s vital that lectures are safe and that there are online options for students who need to self-isolate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t

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Lees ook<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t