Support for International Students  [22.03.21]

Solidarity at the right time: The long lockdown is having a particularly serious effect on many international students at the University of Hohenheim. That makes them all the happier about a surprisingly successful fundraising campaign, which made a new round of the emergency aid fund in the amount of €76,000 possible. Franziska Schenk and Benjamin Gehring report on how the Office of International Affairs wants to support internationals studying at home - and what other major issues the team will be facing in 2021 - over a virtual coffee with the Online Courier.

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Ms. Schenk, Mr. Gehring, the lockdown is lasting longer than many could have imagined last year. What does that mean for international students at the University of Hohenheim?

Schenk: It is already an extremely difficult time for our internationals. Psychologically, but also financially. A lot of student jobs have been lost because of the pandemic. The international students have been particularly hard hit.

In the summer semester, around 70 Hohenheim internationals applied for a refund of their tuition fees. To do this, they had to disclose their financial situation to us. In many cases, we were really shocked when we looked at their account balances.

Gehring: This shows that the politicians are ignoring reality - at least when it comes to students from developing and emerging countries, who make up a particularly high proportion here in Hohenheim: The idea that they could finance their studies without working at the same time is a utopia. Many even have to work two or three jobs to be able to afford the tuition fees and life in Germany.

It is true that all internationals are required to maintain a blocked account of around €10,000 upon entry, from which they can withdraw only €800 per month. In many cases, however, this money is used up after one year. So anyone who loses their fixed job has a massive problem.

So it was all the more important that the University of Hohenheim was able to organize an emergency fund. As early as spring 2020, the University Foundation and the Vice President for International Affairs collected around €32,000 in donations; in addition, a good €22,000 in internationalization funds could be reallocated to the fund. In 2021, the aid program went into a new round.

Schenk: Yes, we were even able to exceed last year's donation amount: This time, the University Foundation managed to raise a total of €76,000. This small miracle was made possible by an article in the Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper.

The editors had become aware of the problem of international students and our emergency fund through a press release from the University of Hohenheim. As a result, we received numerous donations of varying amounts: between €50 and €15,000. Among them was a large donation from the Richard Winter Foundation.

Gehring: In the current round of the emergency fund, we were thus able to pay out a total of €1,000 to 76 students. Priority was given to students from particularly poor countries who are in a higher semester and can demonstrate good academic performance.

When we sent the press release to the editorial offices at the beginning of December, we could not yet foresee how much we would actually need the donations. The thank-you emails we have received from students in recent weeks really speak for themselves. It also moves us personally.

You mentioned, however, that the problems of internationals are not exclusively financial.

Gehring: That's right. Even in normal times, it is definitely a challenge to integrate international students well into campus life. Under pandemic conditions, of course, it's much more difficult: Welcome parties have to be canceled, there are no classes on campus, no lunch together in the Mensa, no TMS events. In short, the campus has died out. Contact with other students from the respective country community is also limited.

Basically, many internationals sit in their dorm room most of the time and study online. Some manage quite well, but others have massive problems. In these cases, we try to help by having staff members or students from the buddy program specifically seek out contact and, if necessary, arrange an appointment with the psychologist from the Studierendenwerk.

Before Christmas, there was hope that everything would be better in the new semester...

Schenk: Yes, of course we had also hoped that the vaccinations would go faster. Now we're gearing up for the third digital semester.

The student group ISO and the buddy program therefore continue to play a very important role. They do their best to be there for the internationals, with online activities and meetings in small circles, if possible. Currently, ISO is again looking for Hohenheim students who want to become buddies.

In addition, the Office of International Affairs has launched a podcast aimed at international students at the University of Hohenheim. In it, we explain, for example, how waste separation works in Germany, which contact points are available at the university, etc. We have also already scheduled episodes with the psychologist from the Studierendenwerk. We have also initiated Facebook groups that connect international students with others from their home country at the University of Hohenheim.

In fact, not everything is worse otherwise. The digital version of Welcome Week in the winter semester was even more heavily attended than in normal years. We therefore want to use more digital formats in the future, especially when it comes purely to conveying information. On campus, we can then focus even more on socializing.

How do you actually welcome newcomers under Covid-19 conditions?

Gehring: That was a challenge in the winter semester. We had a total of 74 new arrivals from high-risk areas who had to comply with a 10- to 14-day quarantine. Fortunately, the dormitories were emptier than usual due to Covid-19, so we were able to organize many single rooms together with the dormitory administration. We accommodated the remaining students in the guest houses and in hotels.

During the quarantine period, the Office of International Affairs staff, assistants, and temporary staff provided meals: That is, we dropped off care packages of rice, pasta, pasta sauce, etc. to the internationals at the normal store prices.

In fact, a handful of the international students also tested positive for Covid-19. However, to our knowledge, none had serious symptoms of the disease. And the cases show: Our quarantine measures worked. The residence halls did not become hotspots.

Traditionally, few new foreign students come to Hohenheim in the summer semester. Unfortunately, however, there are now no more free single rooms available for them in the dormitories. So all new arrivals now have to spend the quarantine in hotels.

Apart from Covid-19, what else is keeping the Office of International Affairs team busy at the moment?

Schenk: We are celebrating our 50th anniversary this year. In 1971, the Office of International Affairs was founded "to cope with the influx of foreigners," as it says in a commemorative publication from 1993.

In the meantime, of course, our self-image has changed completely. Today, internationalization is a central strategic field of action for the University of Hohenheim. Accordingly, our tasks have become more diverse.

Gehring: We would like to celebrate the anniversary together with the members of the university. Actually, we had thought of an international celebration. Now we have to look for Covid-19-compatible alternatives, at least in the first half of the year.

At the same time, we would like to use the anniversary as an opportunity to publicize the EU's new Erasmus program at the university.

What is it all about?

Gehring: Like the "HORIZON" research funding program, the Erasmus program is relaunched every seven years, in line with the EU's budget cycle. The new funding period begins in 2021.

The EU has recognized the enormous importance of intercultural exchange during studies to help young people develop a European identity. That's why funding for the program has been increased to over 26 billion euros.

Schenk: We therefore also see good opportunities here in Hohenheim for new types of international cooperation and projects that go beyond classic exchange programs.

At the same time, the program is setting new accents: The focus is on climate protection, digitalization, and social participation. The EU plans to announce details of the new funding opportunities in April.

 

We will continue to report, thank you very much for the interview!

 

Interview: Leonhardmair / Translation: Neudorfer