The Covid situation has changed a lot in how I have come to view EUR and higher education in general. As a student representative of the faculty council, I heard from several fellow students that they no longer felt comfortable at EUR to study. They indicated that they were ridiculed for their medical choices, and that their ideology was looked down upon. Exclusion from physical education was imminent, and EUR, which represents itself as ‘Diverse and Inclusive’, remained silent. This did not make sense to me, which meant that I had no choice but to stand up for the interests of students who sometimes had it the hardest on the one hand. On the other hand, I was increasingly sent examples of lecture slides, study material or exam examples in which certain ideologies, political movements or representatives were criticized. EUR was no longer a place to think critically, but a place where it was already determined for you how you should think. My trust in this institution hit rock bottom.
What I have noticed is an ideological battle in which the university is also increasingly politicised. Statements are made that not every student can agree with. The norm about when you are accepted for your opinion has shifted. Symbolic politics is also becoming more common and does not contribute to a university in which the differences between students are respected. I heard from several students that they too had lost confidence in the EUR, and that was the point for me to make a change with this student party, and to make higher education a critical and inclusive place for everyone again, which will ultimately reflect in a better society.
