Ad Valvas 2009-2010 - pagina 385

internationaal 11

ad valvas 22 april 2010

PhDs of all countries unite International PhD and post doc students encounter a lot of big and small problems trying to find their way around campus.' A new interest group for internationals, i-ProVU, is trying to make life easier for them. BY PETER BREEDVELD PHOTO; MC-VU/SUZANNE DORRESTEIN

Newly arrived PhD and post doc students from abroad are pretty much left in the dark at the VU. "Many PhDs feel that they are not introduced well enough to their new life", said PhD student Iro Xenidou-Dervou (Psychology and Pedagogy) at the introduction of the i-ProVU, 'International ProVU' - an interest group for international PhDs and post docs. More than a hundred internationals attended the meeting on the problems of international employees, that took place Tuesday last week. Finding proper accommodation in Amsterdam is a problem, as is learning the Dutch language. The VU offers language courses, but these are not flexible enough, which makes it hard - not to say nearly impossible - to combine them with the 'unpredictable work schedules during some periods of our research', Xenidou-Dervou said. Also there is a lot of red tape to be dealt with, she pointed out. "I myself was lucky enough to have very helpful colleagues, but I felt bad bothering them with such issues."

Customer service mentality The VU does have a bureau to help internationals with exactly these kinds of problems - the International Office - but Xenidou-Dervou presented a survey held amongst PhDs from abroad- about sixty percent

Sixty percent of the international employees doesn't even know the VU has an International Office of them did not even know of its existence. "What the VU needs, is a costumer service mentality", was the harsh judgement of Annette Mosher, director of international

Iro Xenidou-Dervou (middle) with her Dutch colleagues Sanne Dekker (left) and Sarah Plukaard (right), who helped her a lot at the beginning

students at the faculties of theology and philosophy. Mosher explained how frustrating it is to try and get help in case of emergencies and then be told to send an e-mail. "In one recent case, a client of mine almost had to leave the country the following day." After some insistence, Mosher did get the help she so direly needed. However, it had been a close call, and according to Mosher this was no incident, but rather typical of the Dutch culture.

Buddy program I-ProVU was founded to make it easier for international employees, to help them find their way around campus and around Dutch bureaucracy, to solve practical problems and to make them feel at ease in their new environment. As a department of the ProVU, which represents PhDs in general, the i-ProVU is affiliated with the national (Dutch) PhD student network PNN and the association of Dutch universities VSNU. This first meeting was organised by ProVU and the employees council. Xenidou-Dervou "Besides assisting PhDs from abroad in solving their problems and fulfilling

their needs, we think it is important to organise events to help our members get out of their research bubble once in a while, have fun and benefit by interacting with the rich Dutch culture." This is in line with ProVU's motto and main goal, 'bridging and bonding'. Xenidou-Dervou wishes to set up a 'buddy program', in which newly arrived internationals are assigned to a 'buddy', preferably a Dutch PhD, who knows the do's and don'ts, the possibilities and impossibilities in Amsterdam and at the VU campus. I-ProVU futhermore aims at setting up a social network.

Tax exemption At the end of the meeting Xenidou-Dervou invited the people who were present to wrrite down their complaints and suggestions on a poster. Many issues raised here were new to her. "For instance there is a tax arrangement for foreigners working temporarily in Holland. Thirty percent of their income is tax free, because there are many other benefits they don't have because they're not Dutch. In order to get the exemption, a form has to be filled

in and signed. All the other universities in the Netherlands take care of this, except for the VU. Here people are directed to a firm that charges 500 euros. For one signature'"

Need to integrate Lex Bouter, the VU's dean, said at the meeting that he didn't think it was really necessary for international PhDs and post docs to master the Dutch language. However, that is not how many internationals see it. "People feel the need to integrate into Dutch society and learn the language. They respect the country that hosts their work and current cheams. It is good to reinforce that motivation", Xenidou-Dervou says. The lack of housing confronts many internationals with huge costs. XenidouDervou "We consistently hear complaints regarding accommodation. And besides these things people encounter so many little problems you can't even imagine. Things that unnecessarily distract them from their work. That's what we hope to counter with i-ProVU." Add a comment'' Please write to: redactie@advalvas vu nl

Komt een dokter bij de Thai Drie geneeskundestudenten vertrokken vorige maand naar Thailand om daar een workshop over integratieve geneeskunde te geven. FLOOR BAL

Negentig procent van de Thaise bevolking gebruikt alternatieve therapieën om gezond te blijven. De workshop die drie geneeskundestudenten begin maart in Bangkok organiseerden lijkt daar dan ook behoorlijk overbodig. We gaven de workshop ook niet aan de lokale bevolking", zegt Gulsah Can (22). "De inter-

nationale geneeskundestudentenvereniging IFMSA houdt elk halfjaar een conferentie waar meer dan negenhonderd studenten uit negentig verschillende landen naartoe komen. Dit keer was die in Thailand." Can organiseerde met twee medestudenten een driedaagse workshop over integratieve en complementaire alternatieve geneeskunde. Het ging over complementaire therapieën die hun effect in de praktijk hebben bewezen. Ze worden in de bestaande zorg geïntegreerd. "Bijvoorbeeld hypnose of acupunctuur bij pijnbestrijding. De band met patiënten staat centraal." Zo gebruikt spreker Ines von Rosenstiel, kinderarts en afdelingshoofd in het Slotervaartziekenhuis, geurtherapie op haar afdeling. "Daar ruikt het naar lavendel omdat

de kinderen daar rustig van worden." Airts David Kopsky vertelde over zijn toepassing van hypnose voor pijnbestrijding. Tijdens de workshop benadrukten de geneeskundestudenten vooral het belang van communicatie over alternatieve therapieën. Een groot deel van de Nederlandse patiënten slikt homeopathische middelen. Zeventig procent meldt dat niet bij de huisarts. Terwijl ze wel effect op de therapie kunnen hebben. Het alternatieve antidepressivum Sint Janskruid bijvoorbeeld, beïnvloedt de werking van de pil. "Als artsen meer op de hoogte van alternatieve therapieën zijn, kunnen ze in elk geval meer voorlichting geven. Nu willen veel artsen het niet weten of zijn ze niet genoeg op de hoogte", zegt Can. De deelnemers aan de workshop waren erg

enthousiast. "Ze willen een internationale studentenorganisatie oprichten die zich hiermee bezig gaat houden. Deze groep, International Students Network on Integrative Medicine (ISNIM), zal zich vooral op educatie richten. Zo willen ze onder andere een groot studentencongres organiseren." De reis en het verbHjf van de sprekers werden gesponsord door voedingssupplementenfabrikant Springfield Nutra en homeopathieproducent Weleda. Geen van de studenten had hier bezwaar tegen. "Die sponsoring ging niet verder dan een logo op een T-shirt. In onze informatie stond door wie we gesponsord werden. Daar hebben we geen vragen over gehad", zegt Can. Reageren' Mail naar redactie@advalvas vu nl

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