Selfies against Xenophobia:
University of Hohenheim shows it’s colorful and international [11.11.15]
11 Nov: Campaign Day “United Against Xenophobia – Universities for a Global Community” initiated by the HRK / University of Hohenheim starts Selfie campaign and video
We are colorful!: In its press conference today, the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) called for an end to xenophobia. With the motto “United Against Xenophobia – Universities for a Global Community,” German universities take a stand in the current refugee situation. The message is clear: We are international, and we want diversity. With a selfie campaign on Facebook until 17 November and a video message, the University of Hohenheim encourages its students, employees, and other University members to show how colorful and international it already is. Two students from Italy and Afghanistan talk about how they were accepted at Hohenheim. The selfie campaign atwww.facebook.com/events/1924756164416126/ will continue until 17 Nov 2015.
Taiwan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, Russia, Iran, Ghana: Those are only a few of the countries represented by young people studying at the University of Hohenheim. “We are colorful!“ is proven by those who have participated in the University‘s selfie campaign on Facebook, where they took pictures of themselves alone, together with fellow citizens from their home countries, or in a widely mixed group of people from all over the world.
In the course of the campaign day “United Against Xenophobia – Universities for a Global Community” initiated by the German Rectors‘ Conference, the University of Hohenheim is also taking a clear stance. “The selfie campaign shows that in Germany we’re already colorful and international – maybe especially at universities,” stated Prof. Dr. Stephan Dabbert, President of the University of Hohenheim. “Science is an endeavor that connects people globally. The pictures show how this brings together people from many different countries and cultures and helps them become friends. Xenophobia contradicts the basic idea of the university.”
Language Courses and Buddy Program Make Things Easier
The Vice President for International Affairs at the University of Hohenheim, Prof. Dr. Andreas Pyka, emphasizes how normal and important international students and exchanges with other countries and nations are. “It has long since become normal to give international students from all over the world the chance to study here or organize an exchange with Hohenheim. That is why it is important to continue to support the opportunities offered by the University and student groups: whether in the form of language courses or so-called Buddy Programs to help the new arrivals get situated here.”
Currently, 1,179 enrolled international students and visiting researchers have several points of contact for assistance: from the Welcome Center to the degree program coordinators to the Office of International Affairs or the Language Center with its German courses for better integration to seminars on intercultural communication. Excursions, tours of the campus, or meals together in the Hohenheim Palace are also all offered by the University or student groups. “It is our job to make things easier for students, professors, and employees and to support them,” declared so Prof. Dr. Pyka.
Two Hohenheim Students from Italy and Afghanistan Talk about their Experiences
For Maria Corina Greab, an Italian with Romanian heritage, and Jawid Amin, from Afghanistan, it was surprising that the media was full of pictures showing demonstrations and calls from German citizens to send refugees and people from other countries back to their homes – but those pictures were in no way representative.
“I have only had good experiences from the very beginning,” said Maria Corina Greab, who studied for one year at the University of Hohenheim. “I felt accepted and got help to get oriented here. Especially the fact that eventually other students asked me for advice and about my experiences showed me that I had really settled in here. After my year in Germany, I really felt European.“
Jawid Amin has only been in Hohenheim since April; he fled from Afghanistan. “From the very first day, I had the feeling that I could build a future here,” stated Amin. “I got support for the bureaucratic things I had to take care of and so far haven’t had any negative experiences.” He has become especially good friends with a doctor’s family. “It feels like they are also my family. I have never felt disadvantaged or discriminated, and I’m happy to have the opportunity to study in Hohenheim.”
Acceptance, say Maria Corina Greab and Jawid Amin, is the key. “We just have to be human and act humane. That’s the foundation we can build on,” said Amin. And Maria Corina Greab added: “You can get to know other people best by sharing a meal. Not only do you get a chance to try new foods. You can also talk about different cultures and ways of life over a good, homemade meal. That’s what I liked best about my flat mates in Hohenheim.”
Selfie Campaign until 17 Nov 2015 – Video as of 11 Nov 2015
Over 100 students of international heritage have already participated in the selfie campaign with over 70 Facebook posts. Starting today, the students will also show this with the video: “We are colorful!” It can be watched, liked, and shared on the University of Hohenheim’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD5NCZ508Dc
Text: C. Schmid / Klebs
