Back when Richardson first moved from England to Groningen to pursue a degree in physics at the RUG, he had no friends or acquaintances in the city. For him, signing up for ESN changed all of that.
‘I thought that it would be a good way to meet people and make new friends’, he says, and that proved to be true in his experience. The international student group made settling into his new life go more smoothly and helped him with matters like opening a bank account, getting a bike and finding his way to the Zernike campus.
After completing his first year of studies in the city, he felt ready to become the new face of ESN and applied to become its president. ‘I wanted to be more involved within the organisation – and do something for my resume as well’, he admits. ‘I thought I would be good at such a position, so I applied and I got it in the end’, he explains.
First international
Although the Groningen branch of ESN has existed since 1989, Richardson is the first international student to serve as president of the organisation. He believes that when it comes to decision making, there really is not much that sets him apart from his Dutch predecessors – aside from the fact that meetings have to be in English. ‘In general, all students enjoy the same things more or less, so my perspective most of the time coincides with the perspective of the other Dutch members of the committee’, he says.
What is ESN?
Erasmus Student Network Groningen (ESN) is one of the largest student organisations in the city. They primarily organise activities and services for internationals, hosting introduction weeks at the beginning of each semester for newcomers and throwing various events throughout the year. But ESN also helps out Dutch students who decide to go on exchange abroad with a ‘Meet Your Country Fair’, which will be held in May. The group is currently looking for board members for the 2017/2018 academic year.
But differences do reveal themselves when discussion turns to student expectations and needs when they move to Groningen, since internationals have a different perception of Dutch culture and the university system. As a foreign student himself, Richardson feels that he inevitably relates a bit more easily to their experience. But his fellow board members often understand where the students are coming from, too: ‘Many Dutch members have also been exchange students themselves and therefore they have experienced first-hand how it is’, he says.
Integration
One major concern of the current board which is shared by the RUG and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences is the integration of the Dutch and international students. ‘We are trying to provide more ways for the Dutch students to get involved in international life’, Richardson says. To that end, ESN has put together events such as the Integration Night and has revamped its Buddy System, which pairs Dutch students with internationals, in some cases from the moment they land at Schiphol.
He says that serving as the group’s president for the past year has been beneficial, especially in his capacity as a public speaker. ‘It was a great experience and helped me improve my leadership skills’, he says. Addressing all of the newly arrived international students at the end of the Introduction Week was a personal highlight. ‘I felt the adrenaline rush that you always have when you give a speech to a lot of people’, he says.
Even after Richardson hands over his title to his successor, he is still planning to stay involved with ESN in addition to his studies. He takes pride in what ESN has achieved during his presidency, and remains enthusiastic about what ESN can mean for students in the future – even after graduation. ‘We are trying to improve and professionalise the introduction week even more in the future to make students feel like they could stay here for a longer time’, he explains.
Photo: Niels de Vries