Link38

november 2013

38 magazine of the hague university of applied sciences

what crisis?

8 ways to cheat Plus: the penalties you risk The China Factor

English edition

Crisis,

Passion

‘Tang Soo Do is my way of blowing off steam’

Krissi Silianova, a first-year student in Safety & Security Management from Bulgaria, is only 19 but has already achieved the second highest rank in the ancient martial art of Tang Soo Do. story Laura Muis • image Quintin van der Blonk I was born in Bulgaria but I also lived in Greece for seventeen years. There, at the age of ten, I came into contact with Tang Soo Do, a combination of various self-defence techniques. My parents wanted that I’d be able to defend myself. It started out as a hobby but I gradually found myself training harder and more often. Today, I train four times a week at the Dojang Chung Shin school in Bergschenhoek.

Most martial arts have an aggressive, competitive character. Tang Soo Do is devoted purely to self-defence within the context of a larger meaning in life. Tang refers to the Chinese Tang Dynasty, Soo means ‘open hand’ or ‘force’, and Do means ‘path of life’. This is my true passion – it’s good for my mental state and it’s great for blowing off steam physically.

Training hard has helped me discover the true aims of Tang Soo Do: brotherhood, respect and unity. My ultimate goal is to become a master. Ultimately, that’s what it’s about: exchanging knowledge and techniques. Medals are unimportant.

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Editorial

Content 5 Fraud How to cheat in an inventive way during your study. Plus: the penalties you risk by doing so.

10 Crisis survey results The financial crisis is a hot topic in the media. Do THUAS students worry? Check out the results of our survey.

15 The China Factor Ever thought about going to China on exchange? A booming, global economy is waiting for you. Especially IBMS-students now have the opportunity.

8 Model behaviour: IPM-student Danielle Peterson joined two Model UN Events 18 Techniques for how (not) to study 20 Het Rode Dorp: new student housing near THUAS Columns 4 In Pictures: funny Post-Its 14 Legal Briefs 19 Column by Jos Walenkamp 22 Gems: movie reviews and reader campaigns 24 Melting Pot: Tom Kha Kai from Thailand is published and produced by the Communication About link Link & Marketing department at The Hague University.

Editors room Ovaal 0.82/Poseidon 6 • Address Postbus 13336, 2501 EH Den Haag e: link@hhs.nl f: 070 445 7554 i: http://link-en.hhs.nl • Editors Dieuwke de Boer (070 445 8851), Laura Muis (070 445 8271, intern), René Rector (070 445 8813, editor-in-chief), Martine Seijffert (070 445 8814), Youri van Vliet (070 445 8796) Student Editors Mariska van Andel, Yvonne Bal, Anjani Bhairosingh, Ilse van Beest, Esther Bliek, Martin Cok, Patty Elbersen, Kerttu Henriksson, Tim de Jong, Burçin Kaygin, Stefan van Klink, Martina Koleva, Iris Krijger, Danielle Peterson, Darren Power, Yvonne Rijff Translators Dave van Ginhoven, Attached Language Services • Comic Margreet de Heer Images Mieke Barendse, Quintin van der Blonk, Thirjeet Gurwara, Bas Kijzers, Lex Linsen, Barbara Mulderink Design Mustafa Özbek, Josean de Pie • Print OBT bv, Den Haag Advertisement Bureau Nassau, Achterom 100c, Hoorn Postbus 4130, 1620 HC Hoorn e: info@bureaunassau.nl t: 020 – 623 0905 f: 020 – 639 0846 i: www.bureaunassau.nl ISSN 2210-7983 Copyright It is not allowed to copy articles or images without permission of the editors. Link is published monthly in Dutch and three times a year in English. The next issue in English will be released on April 24. The first Dutch issue on December 12.

The dark side

Being a journalist, I watch the news from a slightly different angle than sane, ordinary people. Instead of culling information from news stories, I spend my time criticising their journalistic quality.

And when it comes to current affairs reporting on Dutch television, don’t worry about your Dutch because you won’t miss much.

Take this last summer as an example, when they made a big fuss about the extraction of shale gas. The Netherlands has extensive reserves of natural gas, part of it consisting of shale gas that the government wanted to start extracting. An announcement about an exploratory drilling for this hidden gold near the village of Boxtel resulted in months of protest. People were afraid of the risks and journalists were stumbling over one another to interview concerned citizens.

This autumn, the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs called off the whole operation. After all, no project could survive such a negative public reaction. Cause for relief? No way! Now, the journalists turned to the latest news of the day: the government stood to lose 85 billion euros which was the estimated profit from extracting the shale gas. So, instead of announcing the good news that the apparently Horrible Scenario of gas extraction had been abandoned, journalists focused on a new Horrible Scenario.

Welcome to the dark side of the coin.

This kind of thing happens all time. Is there a possibility of tax reduction? The news will focus on the national budget. Will new taxes be introduced? Journalists will shift their focus to purchasing power. Within this framework, we asked students what they thought of the current economic crisis. Not surprisingly, findings showed that 64 per cent of students worry about the crisis. Even more of them – 77 per cent – notice that watching the news induces their concern. The news coverage of cuts in purchasing power soon goes viral.

Our advice: don’t let doomsday journalism ruin your day. Here’s some food for thought: almost no one feels a two per cent rise or decline in purchasing power. Instead of worrying about that, try something like switching jobs, having a baby or buying a home.

Or, as most of you did by going abroad away from your family, living on your own. The result will be a rise or fall of up to thirty per cent of your purchasing power – guaranteed.

René Rector Editor-in-chief of Link r.rector@hhs.nl

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In pictures Picture-perfect Post-Its You’ve found them on unexpected places, like on a fire distinguisher and in a train. How little notes can contain big messages.

Exchange student Alexandra Georgakopoulou from the Academy of European Studies & Communication Management loves capturing moments with her camera. This sign [1] made her laugh: ‘The thoughts about this photo can be controversial but it is surely a weird notification.’

On her way back from Amsterdam, a yellow note [3] in the train caught the eye of third year European Studies student Tara Velis. ‘It really made my day,’ she said. ‘Kind of makes you wonder if the person smoked too much “Dutch”...’

[1] [2]

At the THUAS Delft campus, Mathematics and Applications student Ying de Jong noticed this Post-It [4] on a fire distinguisher. The funny reminder on the chalkboard [5] was sent in by IBMS-student Neliya Zlatanska. She explains that the message hangs on the fridge in her house, where she lives with two other girls. If your boyfriend sends you such cute notes as Soeraya Dilrosun’s [2], you’re actually already a winner. She therefore wins the 50 euro voucher, so that she can buy her lover Donny a new plant.

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[3]

Win 50 euros Every issue, Link organizes a photography contest.

Since both Sinterklaas and Santa Claus will visit our country in November and December, the next issue’s contest is to take a picture of a holiday tradition. You may also dig up a photo of a happy moment from last year.

Send your picture before December 3 to link@hhs.nl. Please tell us who’s on the picture, what can be seen and who you are. The best picture will win 50 euros.

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[5]

Cheating

8 FORMS OF Fraud (and the price you pay if you get caught)*

Pictured here is Rudy van der Aar, a fourth-year Cultural and Social Development student. He never really cheated, though: ‘One day, someone on Facebook asked “Who’s interested in a preview of the exam?” Although I did respond, it was just because I wanted to get an idea of what kind of questions would be asked, and not with the intention of cramming the answers to those specific questions. In retrospect, it actually wasn’t wise of me not to report it. That was caused by laziness.’

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THUAS Cracks Down on Classroom Criminals

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The art of the cheat sheet

This one’s a classic: a cheat sheet.

You can write something down on your water bottle, for example. Or, even subtler: hide some notes in the books you’re allowed to use on some exams. Be subtle. Take out an empty page, type up what you need in the same font and tape it into the book if you really want to be sneaky.

Gotcha! Teachers and invigilators are aware of these tricks and they’ll check (often at random) the books and other items you’re using.

Penalty Your exam will be

invalidated and you will be excluded from the next opportunity to take it.

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Copyright: your right to copy?

Out of time or energy? You could try to use someone else’s work or just be thankful for the endless source of inspiration called the Internet. Move a few things around to ‘make it your own’.

Gotcha! The Ephorus plagiarism scanner can identify similarities between your assignment and other texts – even if you change some of the words.

Penalty The assignment is in-

validated and you will be excluded from the next opportunity to do the assignment. If you copied from another student, they will get a warning too and in some cases, their grade could also be invalidated. Heavier penalties are given to repeat offenders.

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Send in a second you

It’s your last chance to pass a tough test. Luckily, you have a friend who is good at this subject and you ask him to take your place.

Gotcha! Your teacher might

recognize your face (or even your handwriting) and might notice someone else handing in a paper with your name on it and even if they aren’t there, the invigilators are going to ask to see identification and will check to make sure that you are who you say you are.

Penalty you will be charged

with identity fraud and both students – the one taking the test and the one avoiding it – will be thrown out of school.

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Fake the grade

If you aren’t too thrilled with your results, you could mess around with your grade list. Pile different lists on top of each other until you find the right mix and make a copy.

Then show your new list to the marks office and tell them some of your results have ‘disappeared’ from Osiris.

Gotcha! Disappearing grades?

That raises questions immediately. The lists will be checked and the difference will stand out. It’s also likely that your version won’t match your teacher’s own records.

Penalty Expulsion from The

Hague University of Applied Sciences by the Board of Directors.

You need a few more credits, or just enough to pass that one difficult module?

There is a solution! You could cheat, but don’t get your hopes up: teachers are not retarded, and the penalties are severe. story Dieuwke de Boer • images Thirjeet Gurwara

‘It’s just like dealing with real-life crime,’ says Bert van Midden, ‘students always seem to be a few steps ahead of us.’ He’s talking about academic fraud, and while the elimination of fraud is high on The Hague University’s list of priorities, it does seem like students are getting increasingly inventive in trying to get around the rules.

‘I’m convinced that somewhere around five to ten per cent of our students commit some kind of fraud,’ says Van Midden, chairman of the Exam Board at the Academy of European Studies and Communication Management. According to this estimation, there live 1,000 and 2,500 cheaters at THUAS. The cases that actually make it to the Exam Boards are just the tip of the iceberg, according to some board members.

Investigating academic fraud is a lot like detective work.

When a class has surprisingly good results on a test, for example, it raises suspicions. The Exam Board will then try to find out if the test might have leaked. ‘Then you talk to students or, in some cases, you pick up other sig-

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Take a test (without permission)

You could install a key logger (a bit of hard or software that records keyboard activity) on your teacher’s computer. Once you get the username and password, you can get into their hard drive and find a copy of the exam.

Gotcha! Wow, everyone’s

getting much higher grades than expected! Something’s not right.

Talk to a few students and ask the right questions and the truth will come out. There’s also a risk of whistle-blowers.

Penalty You will be charged

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nals that something’s not right,’ says Jos van Helvoort, from the ICT & Media Exam Board. ‘Sometimes there’s a whistle-blower and students who did their work honestly might feel cheated and come forward.’

Consequences One way or the other, a lot of information does reach the Exam Boards. Angelique Plugge from the Public Management, Law and Security (BRV) Exam Board, sees two or three cases a week in which there is a suspicion of fraud. ‘Students who are in a rush think “I’ll copy it from a friend or from the internet”, but if the Ephorus plagiarism scanner shows that 58 per cent was copied from someone else, your work will be invalidated and you’ll be excluded from the next re-sit opportunity,’ she says. That is the most common penalty at THUAS. Just one misstep can have different consequences.

‘Students don’t always realise this,’ says Plugge, ‘but it can lead to a Negative Binding Study Advice (NBSA) if you need a specific course to get your first-year diploma.’ BRV is not the only programme taking a tough approach. The reins are being tightened across the entire university when it comes to fraud, especially because the higher education sector has been under the microscope since a scandal at University of Applied Sciences InHolland. Penalties vary from being excluded from re-sits to permanent expulsion from school. ‘But we shouldn’t go too far,’ says Van Midden. ‘If, for example, a student used too many quotations, but correctly cited sources, it might be unsatisfactory but it’s not plagiarism.’

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Consult a pro

Phone a friend

Gotcha! If a native or near

Gotcha! According to the official exam rules, your phone has to be switched off and can’t be within reach during the test.

Of course you want to use the right words in your French portfolio or your English book report. You could ask a native speaker to help you, with our without paying for it. native teacher says, ‘even I’m not this good’, they are going to have doubts about whether or not you did it on your own. In these situations you may get a chance to do the work again, under controlled circumstances.

Your smartphone is a versatile device. You could use it as a cheat sheet, or to signal a classmate, or to reach out to the outside world for help finding the answers you need.

Penalty Your exam will be in-

validated and you will be excluded from the next opportunity.

Penalty The assignment is in-

validated and you will be excluded from the next opportunity.

with the theft of intellectual property belonging to university staff and suspended for a full year.

* Each of these methods has been used in practice. Be advised that all fraud cases are investigated on an individual basis. The information in this article carries no legal weight and cannot be used as a basis for legal purposes.

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Love thy neighbour

Here’s an old school method: sneak a peak at your neighbour’s paper.

This is particularly handy during multiple choice exams. You can even make a deal with someone who agrees to make helpful markings on their exam, ‘for personal use’, or work out some codes for question numbers and answers.

Gotcha! Just leaning over in your chair can be seen as possible cheating and anyone writing extra large answers or lifting up their paper above their desk could be accused of ‘coaching’ their classmates.

Penalty The cheater and his or

her helper will both have to see the Exam Board. The helper usually gets a warning and might end up with the threat of suspension hanging over their head, while the cheater’s exam is invalidated and he or she is excluded from the next opportunity.

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Role playing

Model behaviour:

The United Nations Edition International Public Management student Danielle Peterson (28) from the USA attended two Model United Nations events this year, one in the summer and one in October. What are these events? Are they all about voluntary homework and extra presentations or is it actually fun representing countries like North Korea and Azerbaijan? story Danielle Peterson • images Quintin van der Blonk

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earing the words ‘Model UN’ (or, as it is known amongst adherents, MUN – pronounced ‘mun’) conjures up an image – or maybe more of an abstract, foggy impression – of mild boredom, uncomfortable clothes, and a nice little extra-curricular activity to pad your CV with. At least, that was my feeling when I first signed up for The European International Model United Nations back in April of 2013, but it did also sound like a nice summer activity to do with the amazing friends that I had made during my first year at International Public

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Management. They all shared similar sentiments, so Austria, France, Israel, Italy, Norway and Peru and I, representing the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (each of us represented a country that is not our own) geared up to spend a week in The Hague this summer, arguing on behalf of those nation’s interests in the Human Right’s Council (HRC), a simulacrum of the actual council within the United Nations. We had been invited via our first year advisor and were unaware, at the time, that The Hague University of Applied Sciences has a MUN society that is open to all students in The Hague.

As the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (the DPRK, more commonly known as North Korea) sitting on a council concerned with human rights, I quickly learned that my real-life friends were not great international allies. During our first topic, protection of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) individuals, I found myself arguing for the exact opposite of my own personal beliefs. I had to push the fact that traditional Korean culture was not accepting of alternative lifestyles and that the Glorious DPRK was not crazy about open displays of affection either. Aside from a few shared religious concerns from the heavily Catholic nations of Peru and Italy, I found myself get-

ting the cold shoulder from the committee, with the coldest shoulder of all being the liberal bastion of Norway (getting no sunlight for six months out of the year would seem to make them quite frigid indeed). To be genuinely argumentative was a nice change of pace from my typical diplomatic style of conflict resolution and to be in the minority in terms of beliefs was, for lack of a better phrase, vastly entertaining.

My second MUN experience was in October of this year, at the Urios Utrecht Model United Nations (URUMUN). I was bumped up a level onto the Security Council (SC), which I had requested, as it is, perhaps, the most intense council in the MUN structure. Unlike my experience on the HRC, I was not a polarizing state. Instead, I was Azerbaijan, trying to broker peace between the five permanent members of the SC. While France and Russia dug in their heels on the Syrian conflict, I reminded them that diplomacy was not just a conversation with friends, it was also conversation with enemies. I discovered that the concerns of an individual state that does not have veto power for resolutions can be marginalized. Azerbaijan wanted better security assurances for water programs in the face of climate change, but as that could potentially interfere with the sovereignty of another

state, you better believe that option was off the table the moment China even heard about it.

It is role-playing, just as dorky as pretending to be a dark-elf mage, but far more useful. Its efficiency made me wish that it would be adopted in the classroom

I found myself arguing for the exact opposite of my own personal beliefs as well. I found myself not screwing around on my phone, but instead, I was hurriedly scribbling rebuttals and points while others were talking. I got a good feel for how the UN operates and for its strengths and limitations, as well as a glimpse of what really goes on in those hallowed halls of diplomacy. It also turned out to be a fun new way to make friends.

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Every few months or so, an MUN is held in the Netherlands. There might be costs involved. If you are interested in joining Model UN at THUAS, please contact mun@bynkershoek.eu with some information about yourself, or you can reach them on Facebook.

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Survival Guide Survey

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Crisis,

what crisis?

Bank crisis, housing crisis, credit crisis…as long as it’s a crisis, it’s a hot topic. Since the fall of Lehman Brothers in 2008, the Netherlands has been affected, too. You’d think that we’d all be depressed by this, afraid of losing our jobs, or scared of a decline in our purchasing power. But are we? story Laura Muis/Darren Power • images Mieke Barendse /Lex Linsen

S

tatistics Netherlands (CBS) cheered us up at the end of October with the latest suicide figures for the Netherlands: up thirty per cent since the start of the crisis. CBS emphasises that this is not related to the crisis. And even though they avoid drawing any hasty conclusions… they suggest Lehman Brothers, the first bank that fell during this crisis, as being the benchmark. In any case, Dutch households are again spending less and unemployment has risen to over eight per cent. You could say it’s not exactly a good time to graduate. Link gave out a crisis survey to students of The Hague University of Applied Sciences to gauge their concerns. Based on the findings, our students aren’t as negative as you might think.

Worries about the present When asked, 64 per cent of the respondents indicated

that they do have concerns related to the economic crisis. The main reason for this crisis attitude results from events in their immediate environment. The media only make things worse with their doomsday reports; 77 per cent of the respondents said that this is the most obvious factor contributing to the crisis.

Yet the crisis is often the topic of the day: 57 per cent of the respondents said that it often crops up in conversations with friends and family members. All the causes that are immediately apparent contribute to the concerns students have about the crisis. Anyone who knows someone who has lost his or her job is a lot more worried about the crisis: 89 per cent as opposed to 38 per cent among respondents who haven’t had any contact with someone who has lost a job. And sometimes you’re really unlucky: one respondent said that three of his jobs had been eliminated since 2009 due to budget cuts.

‘My father has to make do with fewer personnel’ ‘What I notice most about the crisis is what I can spend. A large part of my salary goes to pay for my health insurance. It’s a good thing that I get a care allowance; otherwise, I wouldn’t have anything left.

I work in a sports shop, but I’ll probably start taking care of my former neighbour’s children three afternoons a week starting in December.

I still live at home and my parents pay my tuition fees. Even so, I have to give them my student grant and

buy my books and school supplies myself. If I want something just for fun, I really have to set money aside and save for it.

I’m enrolled in Business Management Studies because I think there will be plenty of work in this field after I graduate. This programme gives you a broad education. Besides, my family and other people I know can also help me find a job by getting me in touch with the

right people. Our family is fairly comfortably fixed: my father is the manager in a restaurant kitchen.

Although, he had to start putting fewer people on the work schedule which means that he’ll be doing more of the work himself. We live in a semidetached house and are able to go on holiday once a year. In the future, I’m confident that I will be about as well-off as my parents.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to take not one but two holidays a year.’

Sanne Wentink (18), cover model and first-year student in Business Management Studies notices the effects of the crisis mostly in her wallet. She doesn’t have much left over from her salary to do fun stuff. Things will get better later.

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How soon do you expect to find a job after graduation?

Immediately

Within three Within six months months

Within a year

It’s difficult

31%

12%

14%

18%

22%

2%

24%

15%

15%

12%

32%

3%

19%

21%

6%

25%

27%

2%

Management & Accounting

18%

10%

16%

18%

36%

Law & International Studies

0%

23%

15%

28%

33%

Technology & Innovation Cultural & Communication Management Health care

Nevertheless, more than a third isn’t worried, even now. ‘You have to create your own opportunities,’ said a fourth-year student in Civil Engineering. The general consensus among the more easygoing students is: don’t complain, just work. Here again, we see the effect (or lack of it) of the students’ immediate surroundings: lightheartedness is eerily closely related to the spending pattern of students – those who still have as much to spend as before the crisis aren’t that worried.

The solution Whichever way we look at it, THUAS students do have concerns but they certainly aren’t giving up when it comes to their future. The fact that only fourteen per cent of the respondents think that the gov-

No chance

1% 3%

ernment is taking adequate measures to deal with the crisis makes the ‘How would you solve the crisis?’question even more relevant. Many responses to this were short but to the point: ‘Don’t give Greece any more money’ or ‘Break all ties with the EU’, although no explanations were given as to how these would be panaceas for all the problems. A substantial percentage of answers were concerned with education. Many students would like to see investments being made in (higher) education. Surprisingly, most students suggested ‘simply letting things run their course’ as a solution. They saw the crisis purely as a question of consumer confidence. One pragmatic student stated: ‘It’s clearly a problem of money, so why don’t we just go back to a system of bartering?’

‘South Africa is responding to the crisis with different policies’ Lunga Ntila (18) is a first-year student in International Public Management from South Africa. She has a mixed opinion about the global financial crisis and her future career. In the meantime, she spends her money wisely.

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‘I think one’s financial situation is definitely important, and, like it or not, financial security can go a long way! My career perspective is a bit mixed because job opportunities appear to be either scarce or even nonexistent in some countries. It’s also just as tough in South Africa, but on the bright side, everything is a little bit easier if you have good networking skills (and the right connections!).

I define the crisis as rising unemployment rates and a rising costs of living, both of which I see taking place at the moment. I think a lot of companies are retrenching just to stay in business, and this is causing everything to stagnate.

We have the same problems in South Africa but they’ve responded with different policies. There, they call global austerity measures a “social disaster”. To an extent, I agree; austerity really doesn’t

seem to be working for European countries and hopefully South Africa won’t reach a point at which they will consider it.

Right now, the crisis has little impact on me because I live here with my mother (who also pays my tuition fee), but I definitely sense the austerity measures. I spend wisely because no one knows what tomorrow will bring in terms of financial stability.’

How do you experience the economic crisis?

84%

I hear about it

58%

It’s hard for me to find a job/internship

43%

It’s hard to others to find a job

38%

People I know have less money to spend Not

5%

Other

9%

Although they want investments in higher education, many students are distinctly afraid of cutbacks.

And the vast majority of students think that getting a degree in higher education is even more important during a crisis. THUAS students really do have confidence in the benefits of their degree programme.

In fact, more than two-thirds think that they will have landed a job in their field within a year after graduation. Within this group, twenty per cent think they will find a job immediately after graduating.

The highest percentage of optimists is enrolled in one of the technical programmes (see infographic on page 12): they (31 per cent) think they will be employed as soon as they graduate. The most self-assured respond-

ents are the students in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering & Management, or Computer Science. Also self-assured: the budding accountants.

One student summed it up this way: ‘If you’re flexible and stand out from the rest, you’re sure to get a job.’

The majority, however, thinks that these problems will be long past by the time they will have graduated. If we believe THUAS students, the crisis will have been solved within another three years. At any rate, that’s what seventy per cent of the respondents think.

One student suggested a unique short-term solution: ‘The crisis will be over whenever we think it’s over.’

In other words, all we have to do is change our mindset and the problems will go up in smoke.

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‘I just can’t waste money on extra clothes’ ‘I watch my money very closely.

Even though I’m a student, and we’re usually seen as financially irresponsible, coming to the Netherlands to go to school made me really mature in terms of my personal finances. Being from Saint Martin, I’m entitled to the normal government grant, but I’ve learned how to prioritise my spending - especially now, given the financial crisis. I just can’t waste money on extra clothes and junk food like I used to.

I think the current austerity measures are way too short-sighted.

Even though the effects are subtle, like having less disposable income and paying a little more tax every year, I think they’re going to have negative long-term effects on the economy. I’m only a student and even I notice the effects; if I had a house and a car or some other significant debt, I’m sure I’d feel it a lot worse.

Also, I’m really sceptical about my future employment options because I have no idea how the market is going to be when I graduate. Compared to when the crisis started, the employment figures are terrible both here and on Saint Martin. On top of the current austerity measures, Saint Martin also has an institutionalised norm of giving older people preference over younger people, so if I return there after school, I’ll be confronted with that, too.’

Mitchell Horsford (24) is a second-year student in International Public Management from the Island of Saint Martin. Coming to the Netherlands to attend school made him more mature in terms of personal finances. He is concerned that austerity measures are too shortsighted.

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Legal briefs Granting graduation

Student D is informed that her final dissertation is not satisfactory.

She asks if she can make improvements so that she can still get her diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics at the Academy of Health, but her request was denied. story Iris Krijger

The facts Student D was almost ready to graduate from Nutrition and Dietetics. She spent the first half of her last year on a successful internship and the second semester on her final paper, but the paper did not receive a sufficient mark.

On 25 June, she filed a formal request with the Exam Board to ask for another opportunity, so that she could graduate before the end of the academic year.

Her request was denied two days later, because of a correction that was made to the Education and Examination Rules and Regulations (OER) the previous September.

The arguments D felt that she was treated unfairly, when compared to students from the previous year, who were given another chance to hand in their paper in August.

She claimed that, if she had known about the change of rules at the start of the year, she could have adjusted her planning and done her work differently.

The counterarguments The Exam Board denies that anyone was treated unfairly. While it may have been possible to arrange an extra opportunity in the past, the situation has changed and the only students who were allowed to finish up in August were those who had handed in a paper but still needed to defend it.

There is a place to start each paper

THU library.

Where else?

Extensive digital library:

20.000+ e-journals Simultaneous Search in 50 sources Source linking from Google Scholar e-Helpdesk Standard home access

The verdict The Appeals Board ruled that the Nutrition and Dietetics programme had a duty to provide students with accurate information in a timely fashion.

Because the programme only announced the change in the rules on 20 September, nineteen days after D began her work placement on 1 September, the Board overturned the decision, stating a lack of support for the Exam Board’s position, and found for the student, ruling that her request for a re-sit should be honoured.

Do you have a bone to pick with the Exam Board? You don’t have to take it lying down. For the rules and procedures, visit the Legal Protection Desk or check out this page on the student portal: studentportal.hhs.nl/student-facilities/ student-counselling-advice/legal-protection-desk.

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Personal support

Library: Monday to Thursday, open from 9am til 9pm, on Friday til 6pm.

hhs.nl/library

Exchange

China Factor

The

A booming, global economy with a completely different culture than what you’re used to is waiting for you on the other side of the world. Okay, maybe waiting isn’t the right word, since China never seems to sit still.

‘This could be an adventure for our students,’ say enthusiasts, and that rings true, because this year, IBMS students will now have the opportunity to go on exchange to China. story Martine Seijffert • images Bas Kijzers

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et’s do it,’ thought Simone Fredriksz, Director of the Academy of Marketing & Commerce earlier this year. Deborah Mevissen, Team Leader for International Business and Management Studies (IBMS) had already gone to China to initiate contact with universities two years ago. ‘After that, the Chinese came to the Netherlands to discuss it further,’ according to Fredriksz, ‘the desire to work together was so strong on both sides that I was sure this was going to turn out beautifully.’

Because she feels ‘a good follow-up could only work if it was done face to face’, Fredriksz decided to go along with the next delegation. That visit, in June of this year, went so well that contracts were immediately signed with universities in Shanghai, Beijing and Guizhou. As a result, IBMS students (and possibly

Here are some tips from the twins if you want to go on exchange to China: • Take a basic course in Chinese before you go. Many people, especially older people, do not speak English very well.

• If you offer someone a present and they refuse, don’t be insulted. It’s not that they don’t want it – they are trying to be polite. It’s up to you to insist that they accept it.

• Chinese people do not always like to say ‘no’ directly. If you, for example, ask to borrow someone’s vacuum cleaner and they don’t want to lend it out, they might say it’s broken or that it doesn’t belong to them.

• The police are very helpful and you can call them for help with lots of different problems.

• Drug use is not accepted in China. Even soft drugs are strictly forbidden and if you get caught with drugs, the penalties are very harsh.

Twins Eva and Eve Shao (19) are in their second year at Process & Food Technology We chose Europe because our family thinks the history of a place is important. China has the longest history in the world, so we didn’t think North America was a good choice for us. People speak good English in the Netherlands and the education is relatively cheap. Plus, the Netherlands has a good reputation for business and for knowledge.

When we first arrived here, we felt pretty helpless. We showed up with 82 kilograms of baggage, in cold weather, and all the information at the station was only in Dutch.

Since then, we’ve been having a good time.

There is more freedom here and there isn’t such a big power distance between teacher and student.

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students from other faculties) have the option of going to China on exchange as early as this year.

The exact number of students ready to head to China from The Hague University of Applied Sciences is not clear at the moment. After all, such exchanges are rare for most study programmes. Usually, students only go to China if they have managed, through the school or on their own, to find a work placement there. It is clear, on the other hand, how many students come to THUAS from China every year. According to the International Office, between 130 and 150 Chinese students register at THUAS every year, usually for a full-time study programme. Many start out at the Prep School, for an intensive preparation year in which they can improve their English to facilitate further study. Very few Chinese come here on exchange.

If THUAS gets its way, these numbers are going to go up soon. China is a priority, as are other countries like Brazil, and relationships between the universities are getting stronger. For International Relations Officer Joe Morrin, it isn’t a surprise to see the Academy of Marketing & Commerce taking the lead in this area.

‘English-language education at Chinese universities is getting better and better, and especially when it comes to business studies’, he says, ‘and the programmes are often a good fit for us.’ Fredriksz credits the entrepreneurial spirit within her academy, saying that, ‘entrepreneurship and commerce are in our genes. That’s why we are being proactive about this.’

She also notes that, ‘I’ve also been actively looking for opportunities for other programmes at all the universities we’ve signed contracts with.’

According to the delegations that have gone to China, there is a world of possibilities for THUAS students and staff. ‘China is becoming more and more important,’ says Morrin, pointing out that the economy there is growing at a rate of 7.5 per cent.

‘They don’t think that’s impressive, but it’s inconceivable to us.’ He points out that ‘China offers something interesting in every field. Look at all the new skyscrapers, the development of mobile networks, the way the country deals with the aging of its population. Business students can find their customers and suppliers can find their future. European Studies students can get another perspective on Europe if they learn to look at it through China’s eyes.’ Ultimately, Morrin says that ‘failing to bring staff and students there would be an act of negligence.’

One academy that is been sending students to China for work placement for years is the Academy of ICT & Media. Location Manager and Team Leader Cees van Diest sort of rolled into it, when he visited the country as part of a delegation made up of people from different universities of applied sciences in 2008. ‘I spoke at a conference in Xiamen,’ he says, looking back. ‘They were building a software development park there and we came to the conclusion that it would be good to send students over.’ That is how Check-IT began. It’s a project in which Chinese and Dutch students work together for real-life assignment providers from China, the Netherlands and the rest of Europe, led by one Dutch instructor and one Chinese instructor. The students are usually very enthusiastic about their Chinese adventure. According to Van Diest, ‘there are a few who have gone

back to finish their studies there or even to start a business.’

It seems like a forgone conclusion that China has a lot to offer to Dutch students, but is The Hague University attractive enough to Chinese students? Only then can a true exchange programme prove possible.

Fredriksz thinks this is the case. ‘In China, a student has to do what they’re told,’ she says, ‘while we want our students to be assertive and proactive. China is in transition at the moment and in this transition phase, more and more companies need people who think out of the box. The ‘Applied Sciences’ part of our identity is a great strength there as well. We don’t just give our students knowledge, we teach them how to apply it, by, for example, going on work placement.

International experience is valuable, and that goes for Chinese students as well.’

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Has this article raised your interest in an adventurous exchange to a Chinese university? If you are currently studying IBMS, you can contact the Study Abroad Committee. Other students should check with the Internationalisation Coordinator within their own study programme. There are some spaces available for February.

The Hague Factor What draws Chinese students to The Hague University of Applied Sciences?

Allin Sai (19) and Max Ma (19) are in the Prep School and hope to study IBMS next year.

In China you have to work very hard to get into university, but then you don’t do anything else. The schools are so big that all you want to do in class is sleep. It’s more challenging here; you really have to use your brain. The business schools in Europe are well respected, too. Another reason to study here is the environment. Our economy back home is strong, but you can hardly breathe in Beijing. That economic growth comes at a cost. If we go back to China, we think we’ll have a better chance to find a good job. A lot of companies are looking for people who studied abroad.

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Learning techniques

How (not) to study Obviously, if you’re going to put your nose to the grind-stone, you want results.

American researchers examined the effectiveness of popular learning techniques such as summarising. Their findings? Highlighting and re-reading texts are practically useless, but testing yourself really works. Here is a summary of what research has found out about effective studying. story Dieuwke de Boer • image Barbara Mulderink Absolute DO’S

Distribute your studying over time

These techniques deliver good results when applied to a wide range of subject matter.

Stop putting off studying until the night before your exams. You really do learn better if you study over a longer period. Moreover, if you study something with longer intervals between study sessions – repeating six times at monthly intervals rather than daily or weekly intervals – what you learn will stick with you longer. An analysis of more than 250 studies shows that students who distribute their study sessions over time retain 47 per cent of the subject matter versus 37 per cent if they try to cram it in over a short period.

Test yourself Take practice tests, answer the sample questions given in your book and/or use flashcards with a question on one side and the answer on the other. Receiving feedback on your answers ensures even better results.

When you’re making notes, apply the Cornell system: in the margins of your notes, write down questions and key words. Then try to answer those questions or explain the key words while covering up your notes.

OK but not great The following methods were rated as moderate.

They are definitely useful though.

Keep asking questions Go back to the ‘Why-phase’ you went through as a toddler. Look for explanations about the subjects you are studying. Ask questions: ‘Why is this valid?’, ‘Why is this true?’ and simply ‘Why?’ This technique is known as ‘elaborative interrogation’. It works especially well for factual information and if you already know something about the subject.

Explain the material yourself By identifying the new information you are getting out of a paragraph or discovering the relationship between this new material and what you already know, you integrate the new material into your established knowledge. This study technique – called ‘self-explanation’ – takes elaborative interrogation one

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Jos Big changes

step further. Researchers found that this technique improves memory, enhances insight, and improves the ability to solve problems.

Alternate your subject matter You might tend to study all the subtopics included in a subject one by one – in blocks. However, research shows that it works better to alternate the kind of information you are learning or the assignments you are given. When you use this technique, known as ‘interleaved practice’, you are selecting the best approach to solving a ‘problem’ and you are learning to compare various subjects or subtopics (if they are comparable).

For practice performance, you get better results by studying in blocks; for test performance, however, you improve your results by 43 per cent after using interleaved practice.

Note: the results for studying exact sciences are good, but it doesn’t work for learning languages.

DONT’S It may surprise you, but it would be better to discard these commonly used techniques or turn them into something that works better.

Underlining Many students read material and then use a yellow marker to highlight key words or entire passages of text. Research shows that this contributes very little to better achievements. One of the studies even showed that it has a reverse effect: students who used it were less able to indicate relationships between the various topics and it was harder for them to draw logical conclusions as based on the subject matter.

Underlining could, however, be a first step in making flashcards as described in ‘test yourself’.

Rereading Actually, this very commonly used study method has received very little attention from researchers. Reading material for a second time appears to be useful, but doing it more often than that has a reduced effect and it is doubtful that you really understand it better this way.

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The entire report, written by five psychologists at various American universities, is available at www.wku.edu/ senate/documents/improving_student_learning_ dunlosky_2013.pdf. They conducted an extensive review of the literature on learning techniques that are frequently used or that appear effective for successful study.

Most of you international students are in your early twenties. You may not realize it, but in your lifetime, the world has changed more than in the two centuries before: mostly for the better, but big dangers loom.

Never in mankind’s history have so many people moved from poverty to middle class. And the billions of new middle class and rich people are to be found in Asia, Latin America and in Africa. Quite a few of you are examples of that, because you have opportunities that your parents could only dream of.

And there is more than income. Wars between countries have almost disappeared. Interstate war casualties have dwindled. There are more healthy people than ever. Child mortality rates are down – although they are still too high, of course – longevity is up, and education is widely spread. The numbers of academics and scientific discoveries are increasing exponentially. You, our new international students, live in a ‘brave new world’.

But beware! It took mankind over 100,000 years to number one billion people in 1800. When I was born, in 1948, there were 2.5 billion people; when I was 40, over 5 billion and when – or if – I reach 70, there will be 7.5 billion human beings, three times as many, in one lifetime. Half of those people – as opposed to twenty per cent in 1990 – will have an income of at least $10 a day, per person. There are four billion people who can afford a refrigerator, a motorcycle, more than one set of cloths, meat, fish, beer and electric lighting and they want to have these things.

The combination of sharply rising numbers of people and sharply rising consumption of raw materials, energy, water and agricultural products constitutes an enormous challenge for the next generation. People all over the world need to cooperate to solve global problems such as climate change, environmental degradation, pernicious poverty, epidemics and lack of resources. They need smart, young knowledge workers like yourself to guide them. Global dangers demand global solutions. To play your part, you need to be able to communicate effectively across cultural and other barriers. I hope your experience here, with fellow students from all over the world, will enable you to do that.

Jos Walenkamp Lector International Cooperation

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19

Housing

From

concept Het Rode Dorp (the red village), the small working-class neighbourhood across from the Hollands Spoor railway station, has been transformed into a student campus. By mid-November, the first houses will be ready for their new occupants. Various educational institutions worked on the project. Link visited the building site with a student in Architecture and Construction Engineering and another student in Communication. tekst Martine Seijffert • beeld Mieke Barendse

We enter the building site from Hoefkade. A narrow street stretches ahead of us, lined on both sides with typical working-class houses built in 1874: dark-red brick, white window frames, and gabled roofs covered with orange tiles. It’s a little like being in the miniature world of Madurodam. In a few weeks, the neighbourhood will be teeming with students. Now, how-

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ever, we see mostly men in overalls and blue helmets. The air is filled with the sounds of drilling, sawing, hammering and whistling.

‘Hey, Jan, how’s it going?,’ calls Robin de Ridder (22), a fourthyear student in Architecture and Construction Engineering (ACE), to a man approaching us. Jan shouts back over the noise of a drill: ‘Good! It’s

starting to look like something, isn’t it?’ Robin nods in agreement. ‘I haven’t been here for six months although I’ve seen some pictures of what’s been going on,’ he replies. He has spent the last nine months in a work placement project with housing corporation Staedion, but it was mostly during the first three months that he was working on Het Rode Dorp. He and many of his fellow students

were also involved in the housing project during his second year. Dominique Peterse (22), a student in Communication who wrote the communications plan for Het Rode Dorp hasn’t been here for even longer. ‘I came here two years ago,’ she explains. ’At that time, the houses were still run-down. It still looks familiar but the façades of the buildings look a lot more respectable.’

to

REALITY Staedion decided in 2011 to give the 141 run-down houses in Het Rode Dorp a facelift and turn them into student housing. Back then, Staedion was seeking contact with De Regioregisseur, an agency involved with both The Hague University of Applied Sciences and the ROC Mondriaan (institute for vocational education).

De Regioregisseur connects students with The Hague’s business community for all kinds of educational assignments. Since then, students in ACE, Business Management Studies, Applied Safety & Security Studies, and Communication have been working with Staedion in the forms of work placements, projects, research assignments or final projects.

In the middle of the narrow street, we walk into the model

home. The living room with a large sliding window has a sofa, a table and a desk as well as a kitchen unit. A narrow stairway leads to the upper floor that appears somewhat larger because of the gabled roof. A double bed fills the room and beneath the vacant space usable as storage is a small bathroom. Everything might be small, but it’s all there. Robin points to the skylight. ‘That was something I drew in,’ he says. ‘It was one of my assignments during my work placement. I had noticed that there wasn’t enough daylight coming into the house so was then assigned to solve the problem. In doing so, I had to consider the fire safety requirements and make sure that the windows weren’t placed too closely together. Additionally, we wanted to install as

many solar panels on the roof as we could.’

By now, students can sign up to live in the houses. To attract them, the project has to be promoted. Dominique Peterse was involved in writing the communications plan. She can relate exactly what students thought of the houses: ‘We conducted a survey among more than 150 students that included questions about why they would or would not want to live in Het Rode Dorp. It was the girls in particular who still had the idea that the neighbourhood was fairly unsafe. This was why we involved students at the Academy of Art in considering the openness of the public spaces and good lighting. This was how the greenhouse that can now serve as a studio for art students came about.’

Most of the responses obtained from the survey, however, were positive. Dominique: ‘A big plus for students is that it is so close to both THUAS and the city.’ Each time she gets out of the tram near the Hollands Spoor and Het Rode Dorp, she is pleased. ‘We made up the slogan “For students, by students”. Now, when I see that banner hanging there, I think “That’s something we thought up.”’

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Het Rode Dorp has various kinds of houses ranging from independent living situations (rent starting at €361.63, including service charges) to homes with a shared bathroom and kitchen (rent starting at €285.13). For more information, visit www.rodedorpdenhaag.nl. The website will soon be available in English.

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Gems Readers campaign ‘There’s no more wonderful activity than climbing,’ said a famous climber once upon a time. Opinions about this can vary, of course, but it certainly is exciting! Are you up for the challenge? Join our readers campaign and you just might win a beginner’s course.

Win

4x a climbing course

Teen drama Blackbird raises questions ‘Doesn’t anyone care about the truth?’ This question, posed by the main character in Blackbird Sean Randell, is at the heart of this teen drama in which Sean is unjustly arrested for plotting a school shooting.

The answer is soon clear to viewers: not really. Although Blackbird isn’t the first film to be inspired by Columbine, it’s not about a troubled, gun-crazy teen. In this film, Sean, 16-year-old goth, takes out his frustration by posting an online threat that wrongly gets him incarcerated in Waterville, a youth detention facility.

The film starts off in a stark interrogation room where Sean is being confronted with the illegal weapons owned by his father, an avid hunter.

For the small-town community of which the Randells are part, this is proof enough: Sean has to be locked up. Film director Jason Buxton uses flashbacks to show what happened before the arrest. It looks like a standard teen drama movie: a bond develops between misfit Sean and the popular but unhappy Deanne. The big men on campus – the ice hockey team – don’t approve and the result is a violent confrontation with Sean. The troubled teen decides to express his feelings of revenge on the ice hockey team by posting an imaginary shooting plan on the internet.

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The film has similarities with Vernon God Little, a book that tells the story of a teen framed for carrying out a shooting that actually happened. The book’s plot may be less credible, but unlike what happens in Blackbird, you really feel the desperate situation of the leading character.

Blackbird doesn’t add that much depth to the teen drama genre and evokes more questions than it answers. Deanne has a grim family situation, but that’s all we know about her. Then, too, the events stacking up in Sean’s already chaotic life don’t seem to bother him that much – but why not? This, in addition to the ongoing silences, sometimes gives the film a rather empty feeling. Within the genre, this film has a fresh approach.

But Blackbird won’t be keeping us awake at night. • LM

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Blackbird Release: 14 November Gerne: Drama

Across from THUAS and next to the Hollands Spoor railway station is the twenty-metre tall indoor climbing gym, De Klimmuur. Their philosophy: ‘To immerse you in a total experience of our vertical world. This means having fun but it also means experiencing everything about the sport, including techniques like belaying.’ As a beginner, you will receive four lessons over four weeks in which you will learn the basics of indoor rock climbing. If you display sufficient skill by the end of the course, you will be presented with a diploma allowing you to independently climb any climbing wall in the Netherlands. At the end of the course you will also receive a one-month pass to practice your climbing skills even more.

Link has four beginner’s courses to give away. Would you like to see what the vertical experience is all about? Visit the climbing gym (450 metres from the main campus) and count how many ropes are hanging on the second floor. Send an e-mail to link@ hhs.nl and report the number of ropes, tell us who you are, what you’re studying, and why you want to start climbing (deadline: 25 November).

The winners will be announced on 26 November at our Facebook page: thulinkonline.

The Wonderful World of Ordinary People What does the economic crisis do to the average Joe? That is what director Ken Loach wants to highlight in his films. Filmhuis Den Haag has dedicated a festival to the films of the Briton Loach. His films tell the story of the lower layer of the population who suffer from failed government policy. You will see the ‘common man’ struggle, and get a realistic yet humorous view of the working class. Loch makes no excuses for his criticism on neo-liberalism.

In addition to viewing of his fourteen films, visitors can enjoy pub-style snacks and attend a cinematic course dubbed ‘social-realistic cinema’. A ticket at the Filmhuis costs 7,50 euros for an evening show, and 7 euros during the day. You can find the full program at www.filmhuisdenhaag.nl.

Would you like to win free tickets? On our website link-en.hhs.nl you will find a reader’s campaign for The Wonderful World of Ordinary People.

Tune in,

up

Link, the independent news source for The Hague University of Applied Sciences, keeps you up to date on THUAS news, interesting facts and background information.

Read the Link Magazine Distributed throughout THUAS every month (in Dutch) and several times a year in English.

Check out Link Online Get the latest news (in English) online: link-en.hhs.nl

Join us on Facebook There are daily updates on facebook.com/ thulinkonline

Do you have something to report? Contact us at: link@hhs.nl

my the hague What are the places to be in The Hague? And what places should you avoid? While he may originally hail from Curacao, Richel Martina, a 21-year-old European Studies student, sees The Hague as his home. ‘When I walk around, I always run into someone I know. It’s like a small town.’ story Martine Seijffert images Mieke Barendse

What’s your favourite spot in The Hague?

I like going to ‘Train More,’ a gym near The Sting, above a ballet shop. I work out there and they have everything I need. It only costs 20 euros a month for students and it’s right in the middle of the city. I live close to the Grote Markt so it’s easy to stay motivated about going, and if I go out afterwards, I always run into to someone I know.

Where do you go when you go out?

Intriguing documentary about orca drama

24 February 2010. It was a show like any other: SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was entertaining the audience by having her orca Tilikum perform tricks. After the show, with the audience ready to leave, Tilikum abruptly pulled his trainer under the surface and didn’t let go until all the bones in her body were broken.

The documentary Blackfish questions the circumstances in which Brancheau died. The style in which director Gabriela Cowperthwaite approaches this subject is reminiscent of Bowling for Columbine: insinuating but backed up by a lot of evidence. It soon becomes apparent that this tragedy is no one-off incident.

Cowperthwaite displays great skill in neither ignoring anything about the orca’s killer whale image nor anything about the level of cuddliness projected by Sea World’s plush toy merchandising. Things are more complex than these two extremes suggest. Impressive. • RR

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Blackfish: 102 minutes Release: 14 November Gerne: Documentary Showing at Filmhuis Den Haag

I don’t really go out on the town like I used to, but if I do go out, I like to explore the rest of the country. To chill out, I like going to the Royal Park (Paleistuin) and I’m crazy about Scheveningen. It’s more than just the Boulevard: you can get a good meal over by the shops near the Stevinstraat.

What restaurant would you recommend?

One thing a lot of people don’t know is that there’s been a Pizza Hut sitting on the Noordeinde for 35 years. It’s an unbelievably nice restaurant. The pizzas are great and so is the service. Just outside is O’Casey’s, an Irish bar that’s also worth a visit.

Is there anything you wish would disappear from The Hague?

I think the empty buildings around Hollands Spoor train station are really ugly. I don’t feel unsafe there or anything, but it’s a real pity, because it’s the first thing you see when you walk out of the station and you wonder: ‘Is this where I’ve ended up?’

What is the nicest spot in the school?

The canteen on the second floor of the Ovaal is my favourite. You can relax there and hook up with your friends. It’s not as busy as the central restaurant and there are lots of international students. I think I’ve met half of the world by now.

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Melting Pot

The ‘mouth torturer’ from Thailand First-year International Public Management student Natalie Tuerlings boils up a delicious soup from Thailand’s Southern Region, and discusses two staple Thai ingredients: Fish sauce and galangal. story Darren Power image Quintin van der Blonk

Can you tell us about the dish?

What I’ve made is a traditional soup from Thailand, called Tom Kha Kai, which originated in the Southern coastal provinces.

Today, it can be found all over Thailand and in neighbouring countries, such as Laos. I grew up in Thailand and Bangladesh and my mother is Thai, so we ate this a few times a week. It’s quite

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common to have it with a ricebased meal. We would eat this at any time of day, unlike more Western cultures that might only have soup as an appetizer.

What does this dish mean to you?

The soup’s spicy and sour flavors are totally ‘Thai’ to me. I grew up on this type of food, so it reminds me of my childhood. I only started cooking around last year, when we moved to the Netherlands.

When I made Tom Kha Kai and green curry for the first time, it was like a revelation. I thought, ‘I can cook like my mom. Ha!’ I must have cooked almost every single day since then. This is my comfort food, kind of like what pea soup (erwtensoep) is to Dutch people.

What are these exotic ingredients: galangal and fish sauce?

Well, galangal is a root that could be compared to ginger. It gives a really light, fresh taste to things.

And fish sauce is fermented fish, salt and water. It has a slightly bad reputation because it’s very overbearing when people use too much, but a small amount really adds a depth and saltiness to dishes. Both ingredients can be found in Asian and MiddleEastern supermarkets.

Is the soup really spicy?

The paste is a little spicy, like most Thai dishes, but you can control the heat by adding or removing chili. I think lots of Thai people would say that spice adds a whole other dimension to food,

Recipe on Link Online For the recipe and a short video on how to make the Tom Kha Kai, go to http://link-en.hhs.nl

and once you get used to it, you always want that extra kick. I like it so spicy that my roommates call me the ‘mouth torturer’!

Would you like to invite Link into your kitchen and tell us about your roots? Send an email to link@hhs.nl.