Exclusion of International Students

The semester is well underway, both academically and socially. However, student life is not as easy for everyone—some face a completely different starting point than the typical Ås student. Tuntreet spoke with a student who has encountered several challenges as an international student. The issues he raises are complex, involving deficiencies in systems, social inclusion, and language barriers. He points to several episodes and problems he believes make it uncomfortable to be an international student at NMBU.

Journalist: Henrik Bakken
Translator: Rebekka Berg
Illustrator: Anna Bjørke

Tuntreet got in touch with a student who wanted to share his experiences with the exclusion of international students. He wished to remain anonymous. Given the emotional strain of coming forward with such a story, and the importance of sharing it, Tuntreet agreed to this request. Tuntreet knows the student’s identity, and he has also had input on how much of his identity should be revealed. He is a European man taking individual master’s courses at NMBU. He is a full-time student, not an exchange student.

The student holds a Bachelor’s degree from his home country and has also worked in other European cities before coming to Ås. He is currently taking master’s level courses at NMBU and feels that his previous experiences are being overlooked by the university. For example, his bachelor’s degree is not recognized as fully equivalent due to differences in the credit system. He feels the faculty makes no effort to understand the structure of his degree.

The student also talks about cultural and linguistic challenges and criticizes Norwegian attitudes. He has previously worked in other European cities and observes that it is common practice to switch to English when a non-native speaker enters the room—an attitude he believes Norwegians lack. He compares Norwegians to Raj from The Big Bang Theory, a character who is unable to speak to people unless he is drunk.

When this student started at NMBU last year, he wanted to participate in the Buddy-Week but, as an international student, had to take the initiative himself to be included and get assigned a buddy group. He was told that as a single-course student, he already had a social network, which is why they had not invited him. He responded by saying that it would have been appropriate to extend an invitation since international and single-course students already struggle to form social networks. “You can always decline an invitation,” he says.

This year, he had to do the same, but this time, the student was in for a surprise. He tells of an unpleasant email from his faculty when he inquired about participating in this year’s Buddy-Week. In his email, he asked how he could join the week’s activities, and the reply from the Buddy Leaders was simply “lol”—an obviously misdirected email, but one he believes illustrates part of the problem. The email was later apologized for. Tuntreet has seen the email correspondence.

The student also feels that the student housing organization (SiÅs) does a poor job of mixing international students in the dormitories. There is often either a clear majority of Norwegians or the opposite. He understands that this is probably because international students aim to live as cheaply as possible, but he calls for a better mix of students.

The student has also faced challenges unrelated to being an international student. A misunderstanding led to him not being registered for courses last semester, despite having previously received confirmation that he was enrolled in those subjects. Tuntreet has seen the confirmation. He describes the last semester as a period where he did more or less nothing and spent a lot of time alone in his room. The isolation made him depressed. While the issue he describes is independent of nationality, the challenges and barriers become greater when dealing with a different language and culture.

Despite limited access to social arenas, the student makes good use of the opportunities available. Since he is not eligible for student loans, and therefore lives on savings from two years of work, he has to stick to a tight budget, which limits his participation in events that cost money. He also volunteers during UKA (a cultural festival), though not for financial benefits. He has no plans to buy any tickets to UKA events due to the high prices but volunteers to contribute and meet new people. He believes UKA could organize an event for volunteers at the end of the festival as a thank-you since the discount system is not suitable for everyone.

President of Erasmus Student Network Ås, Ghurniq Zahra, is not satisfied with the support for international students during this year’s buddy week. "As in previous years, the buddy week failed to integrate international students, and we faced several issues due to poor communication and a lack of proactive engagement from the organizers," says Ghurniq, elaborating, "In previous years, the head of the Buddy program would attend events during the introductory week and mingle with international students to promote the Buddy-Week. This year, we observed very little of that. We even suggested holding a joint event at the end of the introductory week to provide a smoother transition into the Buddy-Week, but this was not considered.”

To improve on future events, Ghurniq proposes several solutions. She suggests that the Buddy-Week should involve organizations like ESN and ISU right from the planning phase. She also envisions appointing a Buddy Leader for "unsure students" and one for exchange students, as many do not know which faculty they belong to and need guidance. Ghurniq also wishes they could receive student lists from SiT earlier and use a registration form to get a clear overview of who wants to participate in the Buddy-Week.

The Buddy-Week General 2024, Ole Josef Pinaas, has not responded to Tuntreet's inquiries.

The complex issues clearly stem from both cultural and structural challenges, with causes and responsibilities at multiple levels—both political and social. Do you feel excluded or need someone to talk to?

Contact:

Mental Health Helpline: +47 116 123
Chat: sidetmedord.no
Health Center phone: 64 96 22 40
Health Center email: hfu@as.kommune.no