ICFT Winners
The Ukraine Crisis: A Timeline
Majors For Sale
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OF THE WO W ORLD
PULSE Jacobs University Student Newspaper Since 2004
Issue 35 • Wednesday May 21, 2014
Rolling Stone Meeting of Academic Affairs Committee and the Deans a full, research-driven university and will be challenged to nd the equilibrium between breadth of its programs and the focus areas.
by Lisa-Marlen Gronemeier Integrated Cultural Studies 2015, Germany
“Eective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you JIM ROHN ROH N know.”
O
n Wednesday, April 9, the Academic Aairs Committee of the USG (AAC) held their second meeting with the Deans. Main purpose of the meeting was the exchange of information and views with regards to the change process Ja cobs University has entered. FOCUS AREAS The rst point on the agenda was the new focus areas of the university: health, mobility, diversity. diversity. The committee committee members asked for clarication on the introduced foci as the reception and respon ses on the students’ and sta’s side were ambiguous. The Deans elaborated that the three focus areas will guide future research and education at large but that the exact implications are presently not obvious in their full entity. What is clear is that one major will be assigned to each of the three focus areas. However, the Deans underlined that Jacobs will remain
MAJOR CAT CATALOGUE ALOGUE The next point addressed the major catalogue of the university. The Deans explained that the existence of ca. 15 programs is the benchmark for the future and that the number of current majors will thus have to be reduced. However, incoming students of Fall 2014 (class of 2017) will not be aected by this change. Which majors will be merged and which will be cancelled is not yet known, and the income and expenses of the dierent programs will need to be assessed, they added. The university could not operate eectively with the current number of programs, given that a few courses are only taken by a handful of students, and needs to specialize. Prof. Unger emphasized the importance of empirical input for the decision regarding the majors of fered in the catalogue, which should lead to concrete suggestions for the change teams.
Sports Section
The Academic Academic Affairs Committee Committee
OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE World Headlines
6
Ukraine‘s Peace Deal
6
The Ukraine Crisis Timeline
7
Revisiting the Rwanda Genocide
9
EDITORIAL Goodbye from the Editor
1
JACOBS LIFE LIF E USG Recap 2014
3
African Heritage Weekend
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DEAR POTW READERS, As the academic year comes to an end, as does my last year at Jacobs making this my last POTW issue. Therefore, I am especially happy to present this issue to you. In it you will find pieces addressing the recent changes in majors threatening the future of certain programs and careers of members of the Jacobs community. Additionally, recaps of recent campus events and sports tournaments are presented here. In the ‘Outside the Bubble’section updates on the situation in Ukraine are brought to you, as well as a visit to where Rwanda is today years after the genocide. We then bid farewell to a member of the counseling center as she touches upon the crucial issue of students’ mental health in the ‘Food for Thought’ section. Before I leave, I would like to stress my ap preciation for the POTW team’s and writers’ hard work and dedication. We are at a crucial time here at Jacobs in which the importance of platforms for our voices is multiplied. This newspaper exists for every individual member of the Jacobs community to say and share what matter to and concerns them. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to name one person without whose support and love for this newspaper I would not have survived and that is: Lisa-Marlen Gronemeier. Because of this, as well as her strong journali stic ability, I am happy to name Lisa as the new Editor-in-Chief of the POTW. I have no doubt she will do it justice. Have great summer! And to my fellow graduating class: I wish you the best of luck! Happy reading! BEST REGARDS, NADINE EL�NABLI
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT A main concern was the faculty develop -
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1
Goodbye from the Editor
5
FOOD FOR THOUGHT LUST: A Poem
10
Majors for Sale
10
Price Says Goodbye to Counselin Counseling g
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Find Us on Facebook or Catch Up at www.pulseoftheworld.com
02 Jacobs Life Deans Professor Lerchl Professor Unger, Professor Henkel Professor Nau (present for 15 minutes) Professor Wilhelm (present from minute 10 onward) Academic Affairs Committe (USG) Yohana Tesfamariam (Co-Chair) Natia Murusidze (Co-Chair) Benedikt van den Boom Nana Gurgenidze Franziska Neumann Uillred Dallto Matthias Aengenhey Aengenheyster ster (could not be present) Change Team Member Hanna Smidt
ment. In the light of nancial challenges and the ght for survival of some majors, the question arises if professors might feel incentives to leave and how the hiring process for new faculty will develop. The Deans assured the AAC that the leaving of professors was a perfectly natural process and that the hiring of professors will depend on the inauguration of new programs and the need for replacement of leaving professors. The professors sta ted that a clearer calculation of costs and incomes of faculty would be necessary as the hiring process will be heavily guided by the nancial constraints. Furthermore, the Deans do not expect that faculty con tracts will be immediately aected, while conceding that the general atmosphere might stipulate professors to leave. The usual hiring system, however, would not be disrupted and would remain a longterm process. MODULAR STRUCTURE AND SUMMER SCHOOL The last issue to be discussed was spe cic topics the Academic Programs & Research Change Team is currently dealing with. Regarding the modular structure whose implementation is planned for 2015, the Deans asserted that the facili tation of accreditations and recruitment of students were the incentives to change the structure. structure. Prof. Nau explained that future students could be provided with considerable advantages through the modularization, and that new programs could be well staed by comparison with other programs. However, the Deans raised concerns regarding the implementation of the new system which would exist parallel to the present one: The retaking of courses might for instance become a problem; independent study courses or make-up exams would constitute a solu -
tion. Whereas the Deans see the need for the clarication of a number of the de tails of the new structure and are aware of the challenges the transition will crea te, they emphasized that they are willing to resolve upcoming issues. As the tran sition from one institutional structure to the next takes a long time, room for input is given. A further aspect is that the Sum mer School program will be strengthened to attract potential applicants and will give the participants a rst insight into campus life and academics at Jacobs. SHARED VIEWS The Deans not only provided the AAC with information about the dierent fa cets of the change process but also shared their personal feelings in the current si tuation: “What about the well-being of the faculty?” The Deans concurred in the view that the faculty experiences uncer tainty, insecurity and impatience during the ongoing change process, being occu pied with gnawing questions like “Will the university keep its spirit?” and “Will the composition of the student body change?” Nevertheless, they are aware that the change is necessary as “money matters” and as the university’s nancial supporters expect serious change. The Deans jointly hope that the changes will not be too huge, that the communication does not cease and that Jacobs remains “our university”. Hanna Smidt as member of the Academic Programs & Research change team expressed that she feels involved in the process and that her contributions are taken serious. Thus, she encourages every one who would like to give input to the change team to approach her with their concerns or ideas.
DIALOGUE FORUM: NEW PATHS PATHS IN ACADEMIA On May 6, President Windt invited to a dialogue forum on the recent decisions made within the change process. The main points outlined were the division of departments into six academic units according to the three focus areas (health, mobility and diversity) which will be approached from the perspective of technology & innovation, social context and business. The new structure and three agship majors (Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Intel ligent Mobile Systems, Psychology) are attempts to enhance Jacobs University’s prole and academic reputation and make the university’s study program portfolio “economically viable”. Existing
research centers will thus be combined or closed. IMS (Information Management and Systems), ICS (Integrated Cultural Studies) and EECS (Electrical Enginee ring and Computer Science) will be discontinued whilst guaranteeing all current students to graduate with the program degree. BTE (Biotechnology), CPN (Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience, and IRB (Intercultural Relations and Behavi or) will be closed partly and merged with other existing programs. IES (Integrated Environmental Studies) will be merged with ESS (Earth and Space Sciences) and Math with Applied and Computational Math. Global Humanities will only be of fered in modules. Many students take a critical stance on the combination of programs as they are unsure about their compatibility and ap prehend the combined programs’ broadness. Besides, it remained unclear how the university will ensure the preservation of stable faculty for the Humanities modules. As personnel reductions will be implemented in both academia and administration starting from 2014, the president’s claim that the change process will not aect currently enrolled students was questioned. If professors are already leaving due to the imminent changes, how can the quality or oering of courses be guaranteed? Moreover, Prof. Windt informed the students that all existing Master pro grams will be closed, while enrolled gra duate students and newly admitted ones are permitted to nish their degrees, and new ones will be developed according to the three foci and “eciency, sustaina bility, and attractiveness, i.e. academic excellence and relevance for market demands” (presentation slides Dialogue Fo rum). Faculty is encouraged to increasingly engage in transfer projects with industry partners to make a “strong contribution to a sustainable future”. Faculty will thus play a major role in facilitating exchange between industry and the university. The new structure of Jacobs University will certainly bring about a substantial transformation in the eld of academia: chances are that the focus groups will add to the university’s proliferation and that the emphasis on industry collaboration will pull Jacobs out of the swamp of nancial perilousness. On the other hand, it is quite clear that Jacobs’ character will be fundamentally altered by the change process and that a dierent cohort of students will be targeted and attracted.
Jacobs Life: USG 101 03
USG Caught Doing Something A Progress Report of the Academic Year creation of our new OtherSide/MusicInformation Management Systems Lab establishment. The new location of 2014, USA the OtherSide helps eliminate concerns of noise complaints for the university’s by Lisa Marlen-Gronemeier neighbors, while providing students with Integrated Cultural Studies 2015, Ger an improved partying environment. Furmany thermore, the MusicLab will be hub oncampus for campus musicians that supby Leonie Reese ports the creation process of full y polished International Politics and Hi story 2015, pieces, or just a late-night jam session. Germany The USG provided 8,000 euros of funding his academic year has seen incis- support, and continues to demonstrate its ive change: change in leadership, dedication towards the success of this prochange in the university structure, change ject. in campus and academic life. As representative of the student body, the Undergra- ON�TIME RELEASE OF EXAM SCHEDULE: duate Student Government (USG) was in During years past the examination schethe midst of the high and low tides Ja - dule was routinely released late. The cobs University faced, trying to shape the USG understands that ticket prices for processes according to student interest. travel plans increase as the time to winSizeable achievements could be made in ter or summer break decreases. The USG the course of the year. However, students thus worked with the Registrar’s oce to did not always feel represented and inclu- quicken this process and will continue to ded in the work of the USG and criticized monitor the situation to ensure that stuits internal structure and its opacity. As a dents have their exam schedule as early response, the USG is now challenged to as possible. change itself. PUSHING FOR INCREASED ADMIN ROOM INSPECTION WAIVER TRANSPARENCY During the orientation week that took The University administration is not the place in Fall 2013 students learned that most typically transparent organization they would be signing a new housing con - known to man. However, throughout the tract. Jacobs students were upset over the even present turmoil in RLH, the USG newly included room inspection clause has started to get the message across that that was unilaterally included by the Ja- more transparency is necessary for the cobs administration over Summer 2013. normal functioning of Jacobs University. The USG secured a waiver of the enforce - Steps are being taken from both sides to ment of the inspection clause for the dura- increase this transparency including Kattion of the 2013-2014 academic year. ja Windt’s community address (that canceled class so all students could attend) and newsletters that provide updates on A COMMON SENSE ALCOHOL POLICY During the orientation week that took the current state of aairs at Jacobs Uniplace in Fall 2013 students heard talk of versity. the administration’s desire to implement an alcohol policy that would ban campus- A FAIR SCHOLARSHIP POLICY wide alcohol consumption. Jacobs stuDuring the middle of the Fall Semester dents were upset over the lack of clarity the University learned about a new Scholsurrounding the policy and over the fact arship policy that‘s most signicant eect that a campus-wide ban was even being would have been its increase in the GPA contemplated. The USG took part in po- requirement necessary to retain a scholarlicy-making negotiations that ultimately ship. This was troubling due to the policy‘s concluded with a common sense alcohol untimely announcement before midterms, policy designed to protect minors and but it also broke an implicit contract schopromote responsible drinking. larship holders made with Jacobs. The USG was able to quickly navigate the adSUPPORTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ministrative dynamics of academic policy MUSICLAB to ensure that this policy does not apply The USG has been a key partner in the to currently enrolled students.
by Bradley Leatherwood
T
MEET THE STAFF Editor-In-Chief Nadine El-Nabli Section Editors Lisa-Marlen Gronemeier Beenish Waris Emre Yildiz Copy Editors Helena Gellerson Paola Solimena Lorna Schuette Layout Designer Ciara Mulvaney CONSTITUTION CHANGE The USG has announced the nal stage of a new constitution proposal that is to be voted on before the end of the current semester. The change makers of the USG, six elected parliamentarians, have been working towards a constitutional reform for the past two semesters and the motion to vote has been put forward on Sunday, April 27. The USG parliamentarians and the president acknowledge that change is needed and would like to foster more participation of the student body. Main changes of the constitution entail a more realistic workload for each parliamentarian and better accountability within the committees. A co-presidency will be introduced and the vice-president will be elected by the student body to achieve a better association between USG and undergraduate students. The student court will be more involved and will complete a monthly evaluation of the operations within the student government to ensure its eciency and keep the students in formed on a regular basis. The dierent layers of the governmental process will be disentangled by assigning regular core tasks like agenda setting, decision ma king, implementation and evaluation to individual actors. With the new task division, a stable workow and a clear and liable structure will be ensured.
It is everyone’s hopes that the changes will allow the USG to better deal with both its expected and unexpected business next year. As the promotion of student interest is at the core of the USG, it is essential that students keep or regain trust in their representative body and are motivated to get engaged in the change that is yet to come.
04 Jacobs Life
African Heritage Weekend A Recap of the Fes tivities by Haleluya Tesfaye Wami Biotechnology 2015, Ethiopia
E
ach year the African, Black and Ca ribbean Student’s Association at Jacobs University Bremen organizes the annual African Heritage. The event has a leading objective of raising consciousness about the culture and history of African, Black and Caribbean society. Stephanie Tindjou Nana, from Cameroon was the main organizer of this event that was presented to the student body and surrounding community of Bremen.
“I am an African; not because I was born there, but because my heart beats with Africa‘s. I am an African; not because I live on its soil but because my soul is at home, in Africa.” The event started with Isabel and Ruvarashe’s dramatic speech about the feel of being an African. It was tailed tailed by the various traditional and contemporary performances from the whole of the in-
credibly diverse continent. Songs, dances, plays, fashion show, inspirational and historical speeches were contained within in the per formances. During the intermission the audience had the chance to look through and purchase African traditional clothing and Photo Source Haleluya Tesfaye Wami items, were served traditional Ethiopian coee, and had acFinally yet importantly, the African, cess to a “make your own jewelry” booth Black and Caribbean Society at Jacobs which was to their liking.The engaging University Bremen would like to express performances were followed by the exquiits heartfelt gratitude to the organizing site dinner that was catered by Mommies team (especially Ms. Tindjou Nana) for all corner, an African restaurant in Bremen. their determination and diligence to make The pre-party was held in college Nordthe event a success. The society sincerely metall which was followed by the after hopes the experience carries on in the party in The Other Side. Overall, the forthcoming years despite the declining event met its goal of raising awareness number of African and Caribbean students and was pleasurable to both the audience in the university. and performers.
Jacobs Life 05
The Sports Desk Catch Up on the Latest News and Results Last Words from Our Captains by Darlina Mamaqi Foundation Year, Albania
In about one month this semesterwill end. You might be happy or a little sad (personally I am super happy). Further more, the lively world of sports will fin ish for this season too, and our captains have something to say before they leave for their Summer Break.
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Great people, great sessions, great races and I cannot wait till next semester because we have quite a plan up our sleeve. Race between the Seas, here we come!” SIEGFRIED WEGMANN RUNNING
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We are looking forward to next season and more great additi ons to
our team.”
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Awesome moments of fun. Join us next semeste r, and it will be even better.” STEFAN APPELHOFF & LORNA SCHUTTE FRISBEE
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Th is se me st er we sm as he d a lo t of sh ut tles. Come and smash some more with us next year!”
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[We are] proud of our team’s growth and the increased level of commitment over the past several years. It’s wonderful to watch a group of people noticeably improve in skill levels, and even more so, become friends outside of the court.” ALYSSA ADCOCK &BOGOMIL PARALCHEV
T IANMI DONG BADMINTION
INTERCONTINENTAL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT
VOLLEYBALL
INTERCONTINENTAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
T OM SUBERG & ERIC BEZ ZAM MEN’S FOOTBALL
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To a gr ea t st ar t an d a la st in g le ga cy . Keep it going girls!” GABRIELA WIEDERKEHR & JORDIS SC HEIDEGGER WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
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Great season. Keep it up next year.” HENRIK T HOMS EN & TY LER BUCHMAN MEN’S BASKETBALL
We are looking forward to another great season. Happy and proud to see what we established. Keep the spirit up!” HELENA KREIENSIEK & JULIA HEINZE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
“ 1 ST 3 RD ASIA
It was good in the first semester, but rather disappointing in the second one. Looking forward to a great 2014/2015 school year! Coach needed!”
1 ST 2 ND
EUROPE EUROPE
3 RD A ME ME R IC IC AS AS
2 ND E . EU E U RO RO PE PE W. EU E U R OP OP E
ROBIN SSENYONGA RUGBY
“
Keep having fun. That is what matters. matters.”” AHMAD SAEED HOCKEY
06 Outside the Bubble
World Headlines
Crisis in Ukraine Moves East
Rebels start the evacuation from Homes in Syria
Tied Hands, Finger-wagging, & a Shaky Peace Deal
City of Homs became the symbol of op position to the regime of Bashar al Assad where many Syrian rebels were situated. The evacuation according to a truce signed between the two parties has gone into eect and the ghters and their families have started evacuating the city [The Guardian].
North Korea preparing for a nuclear test: U.S. researchers In recent weeks North Korea had threa tened to perform a nuclear test in protest of what it called hostility from South Korea and the U.S. against its earlier rocket and missile tests. U.S. researchers have detected increased activity on the nuclear site of North Korea which have formed the basis of this speculation [The Indian Express].
Monica Lewinsky breaks her silence on the afair with Clinton
The former intern, Lewinsky who had an aair with President Bill Clinton has written in The Vanity Fair that she deeply regrets the ing. "Perhaps by sharing my story, I reasoned, I might be able to help others in their darkest moments of humiliation,“ she writes. This issue has emerged again in U.S. politics with the possibility that Hillary Clinton might be running as Presidential candidate in the upcoming elections [BBC News].
New species of dinosaurs discovered: Pinocchio rex In a recent published article scientists through analysis of remains found near Ganzhou, a city in the south of China concluded that another species of tyrannosaur once existed across Asia some 66 million years ago [Morning Mix].
Barclays to make major cuts in next three years Barclays investment bank is set to cut about 19,000 jobs by 2016 in order to combat the slowdown in demand for debt. Barclays will eventually sell or run down £115bn of non-core operations by setting up a “bad-bank”; which have been used by many nancial institutions after the crisis of 2008 [BBC News Business].
by Tasia Wagner M.A. International Relations 2015
T
ensions in Ukraine continued to rise in the month of April, as more instability spreads into the eastern regi ons of the country. In an eort to quell the turmoil in the region, talks in Gene va between Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the EU ended with a peace agreement on April 17th. However, the deal has done little to subdue the conict. Western allies, especially the United States, continue to place economic sanctions on Russia, whose troops are still massed along the Ukrainian border. What started as a few demonstrators taking over government buildings in the Russian-speaking areas of eastern Ukra ine has escalated to armed pro-Russian separatist forces occupying cities and cla shes with the Ukrainian military. At the time of this writing, pro-Russian forces are heavily active in the cities of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Slavyansk, Horlivka and Kostyantynivka. Although Ukrainian elections are set to be sometime in May, many see the cur rent interim government in Kiev as illegitimate. The ousting of former President Yanukovych in February led to the nonelected Oleksandr Turchinov to gain the position as Interim Interim President. President. This has has led to many Russian-speaking eastern Uk rainians to call for cession. Yet, while the sentiments for secession are becoming increasingly present, unlike Crimea, many are calling for complete independence. In a report done by Independent Television News, one demonstrator called for a referendum in the eastern city of Donetsk stating, “I don’t want to listen [to] Kiev. I don’t want to listen [to] Europe or United States. That’s why”. Earlier this month, Vyacheslav Pono marchev, a pro-Russian protest leader announced his intentions in a message to Russia, shortly after taking the town of Slavyansk: “Dear President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. We ask you to look personally into the current situation and help us to the extent possible. In a sign of unity of the two brotherly nations, we will raise the ag of Donetsk Republic next to the ag of the Russian Federati on” (Independent Television News).
Photo Source DNA India
Although the peace deal struck on the 17th of April between Ukraine, Russia, the EU and the US hoped to mitigate the situation, pro-Russian forces in the eas tern regions have refused to disarm. The interim government in Kiev is left with two choices: send more Ukrainian troops to eastern Ukraine possibly causing more people to join the pro-Russia movement (which the Ukrainian government now calls “terrorists”) or stay passive and al low them to take hold over the entire region. In essence, the Ukrainian governments’ hands are tied. Meanwhile, the West continues to place focused economic sanctions targeting high-level Russian ocials and compa nies. At a press conference held in the Philippines on April 28th, US President Barack Obama assured the global com munity that the US will continue to use economic and institutional mechanisms to deal with conicts although “that may not always be sexy” (Washington Post). However, that may only stand as long as the Russian troops massed along the Ukrainian border stay within their own territory.
Outside the Bubble 07
A Recap of the Crisis in Ukraine A Timeline by Tasia Wagner M.A. International Relations 2015 , Germany
1991: Ukraine gains independence from USSR, after a nationwide referendum November 2004: Orange Revolution begins due to allegations of corrupt presidential elections that named proRussian candidate Viktor Yanukovych the winner. Supreme Court calls for a new election. December 2004: Opposition candidate Viktor Yuschenko is successful in new election. Yanukovych resigns. 2010:Viktor Yanukovych wins presipresidential election. Former Prime MinisMinister Yulia Tymoshenko arrested (& later jailed in 2011) for charges of corrupti corrupti-on. November 2013: Yanukovych’s cabinet announces it will increase cooperation with Russia and abandon its trade agag reement talks with the EU. An estimaestimated 100,000 protestors demonstrate in Kiev. December 2013: Demonstrations grow larger, with protestors setting up vava rious “tent cities” in Independence Square and around Kiev’s city hall. LarLar gest demonstration estimated 800,000 people in attendance. Protestors begin to clash with police. Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Ukrainian President Yanukovych. Meeting ends with agreement that Russia will not only decrease the cost of its natural gas for Ukraine, but also buy $15 billion of Ukraine’s debt. January 2014: Clashes between protesprotestors and police become deadly. Three protestors die, including high-prole activist Yuriy Verbytsky. In Western UkUk raine, protestors seize regional governgovern ment oces. Ukrainian government of fers amnesty for arrested protestors in return for seized government buildings. USA threatens sanctions. February 2014: Anti-government proprotests continue & clashes between police and protestors increasingly escalate in
violence. Kiev’s bloodiest 20 February 2014: day of violence since WWII, with over 80 casualties in less than 48 hours. ViVi deo footage taken by protestors show government snipers on rooftops shooshooting civilian protestors. 21 February 2014: An EU-mediated deal of compromise is made between YanuYanu kovych and opposition leaders. AgreeAgree ment is set to hold early elections and form a new government. 22 February 2014: Yanukovych ees to Russia and protestors take control of president administration buildings. Former Ukrainian President Yulia TyTy moshenko released from jail and speaks to demonstrators in Kiev. 23 February 2014: Oleksandr TurchiTurchinov, an ally of Tymoshenko, gets assiassi gned presidential powers by Ukrainian parliament. 26 February 2014: Russia 150,000 troops on high alert.
6 March 2014: Parliament of Crimea announces it plans on joining Russia, referendum to be held on the 16th of March. 8 March 2014: Russian Foreign Minis Minis-ter Lavrov issues statement rejecting reresponsibility for the situation in Crimea. 11 March 2014: Regional parliament of Crimea votes in a declaration of separasepara tion from Ukraine. EU oers trade inin centives to support Ukrainian economy. 12 March 2014: Interim Prime Minister Yatsenyuk meets with Obama in WaWa shington, DC. 15 March 2014: Russia uses veto-power during a UN Security Council meeting that criticizing the secession of Crimea. 16 March 2014: Referendum is held, showing overwhelming support for secession (more than 90%).
places
17 March 2014: Travel bans to the US and EU is issued to Russian ocials.
27 February 2014: Armed militants seize two airports as well as government buildings in Crimea’s capital and raise the Russian ag. Ousted Yanukovych holds news conference in Russia and insists he is still President of Ukraine.
ab18 March 2014: Crimea is ocially absorbed into Russia
ses28 February 2014: An emergency session about the situation of security in Crimea is held by the UN Security Council. 1 March 2014: Putin gets approval from Russian parliament to invade Crimea. Pro-Russian rallies spread throughout Eastern Ukraine. 2 March 2014: Russian troops overtake the Crimean capital. Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister, Arseny Yatsenyuk, calls Russia’s actions a declaration of war. 4 March 2014: Putin warns that Russia will use “any means necessary” to secusecu re the citizens of eastern Ukraine from Ukrainian military forces.
20 March 2014: US extend sanctions on Russia. EU leaders meet and of cially condemn Russia’s annexation of Crimea. 24 March 2014: Ukrainian troops with with-draw from Crimea. Russia denied parparticipation in G7 summit. 27 March 2014: Resolution passed through the UN General Assembly rere jects Russian annexation of Crimea. 28 March 2014: US President Barack Obama calls for Russian troops to withwith draw from the border to Ukraine. 31 March 2014: Russian Prime Minister Medvedev visits Crimea. Troops partiparti ally withdraw from Ukraine’s southern border.
08 Outside the Bubble
Outside the Bubble 09
The Rwanda Genocide 20 Years Later by Helena Kreiensiek International Politics and History 2014, Germany
“Not to transmit an experience is to betray it.” ELIE WIESEL
W
hat a thought: Only twenty years ago a chain reaction of misguided politics, accumulated anger, repression and discrimination led to one of the world’s most brutal genocides in history. On April 7, 2014 survivors, bystan ders, rescuers, and perpetrators all came together at the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide in Kigali, Rwanda. President Paul Kagame and UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon lit a ame at the Kigali genocide memorial centre to mourn the horrors of the past and to rearm the commitment to the idea of "never again“. Located in central-east Africa Rwanda came to dubious fame when the country descended into genocide in 1994. Within approximately 100 days between 800 000 and one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu lost their lives by the Interahamwe, extremist Hutu militias. Overnight fami-
lies related through mixed marriages and neighbors turned against each other. What are the politics and psycho logy behind the capability of performing atrocities in the manner done in Rwanda? Some argue that the continuous economic deterioration and the increasing inequalities were the main causes of the genocide; fueling the resentment with which Hutu extremists within Rwanda’s political elite blamed the Tutsi minority population for the country’s increasing social, economic, and political pressures. Others argue that demographic pressure and resource distribution conicts fueled hatred amongst the population. Combined with frustration due to a socially and culturally oppressive rural environment this led to the unleashing of fatal forces, in which Hutu extremists launched their plans to destroy the entire Tutsi civilian population. Probably the case of Rwanda is amongst the most complex and dif cult cases in the world to understand. Since then, Rwanda has be come a synonym for genocide. But is this it?
After the 1994 genocide, much of Rwanda’s politics has focused on reconciliation and coming to terms with the past. It is dicult to pin point the beginning of Rwanda’s rise but it developed from a war-waging country to a successful haven for economic investors. Once categorized as the Switzerland of Africa, due to its lush green and numerous mountains, the potential for tourism is given and numbers are increasing as infrastruc ture is expanding, leading to a general improvement of living conditions. Access to electricity and running water is being constantly improved, global companies are investing and 20 years after the genocide Rwanda is a member of the Security Council again. Furthermore, the number of universities and schools constantly rose and the country is striving to rebuild its economy. An impressing achievement for a country that was in ruins only two decades ago! Critics though say that progress has been impeded by the government‘s authoritarian rule with many govern ment critics and opposition members being killed. With Human Rights Watch claiming that civil and political rights are still curtailed, it is obvious that Rwanda’s path is a dicult and challenging one. Yet, 20 years later, the country has achieved developments within a short time frame that many would have not expected. The current economic boom facilitates the reconciliation politics of Paul Kagame. With culprits and victims living side by side the question remains, if reconciliation in terms of forgiveness has really taken place. The 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide and its commemoration once again serves as a reminder of the horrors of the past. Never to be forgotten, never to be repeated.
Photo Source The Little Market Market
10 Food For Thought
LUST by Anonymous
My soul is burning… It needs water… Ice… Freezing cold… Or perhaps I should simply just throw it into an ice-hole… I am sure my soul would love that… Though I guess for now it will have to be pleased with the cold shower… The cold stream will wash away the dirt… At least for a second my soul will feel pure and innocent… Like a virgin… Pretending to be a virgin… Like this hooker in the book “100 strokes of the brush before bed”, where she brushes her messy hair numerous times, hoping to get rid of her sins… Of her lust… My soul would also like to brush its hair like that… But it doesn’t have hair… The passion is unbearable… The desire is dragging it into aames… And against all its principles and convictions… It KNOWS – it will commit a SIN… An unforgivable one… But it cannot stop… Not today… It’s burning…
Majors For Sale! by Emre Yildiz International Politics and Hi story 2015, Germany
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The program in International Politics and History“ (IPH) probes the foundations of international politics in terms of institutions, processes, and ideologies. (...) The modules combine political and social science perspectives with a historical ap proach to international problems in the past and present.“ This was the description of IPH that I had incorporated in my essay I chose to write for my Jacobs‘ application. The question then was why I am interested in the major I am applying for. I remember perfectly how I was very keen to connect Politics and History to make a convincing argument. "History and International Politics belong together as Chemistry and laboratory do“, I wrote. You cannot study Politics without History, or History without Politics, I believed. To understand current politics you have to look at the past, I argued. Jacobs University was oering a major so cleverly thought out in its components and unique in its combination that I would regard majors of other universities as one-sided and incomplete. On May 6, 2014, the leadership announced that International Politics and History will be replaced by In ternational Politics and Relations. At least in its name and outer appearance the major will not include History anymore. As a stu dent of this major I a m posing and deliberating on two questions in this article. The rst one is: If the content of the ma jor stays the same, why change the name of the major then? One possible answer is the attraction that majors are supposed to carry with their names. The aim is to give majors innovative, unique and very interesting names to attract prospective students and applicants in the best possible way. Naming majors thus becomes a matter of marketing. The content seems to take a backseat. Having a closer look at the IPH-program reveals that there are mandatory courses such as Public Policy and Management or Introduction to Economics included. Despite them being relevant for students of Politics, they are not mirrored by the major‘s name. International Politics and History just sounds better than just Politics and Administration; Global Humanities simply sounds more attractive than Religious Studies, History and Philosophy; as does Global Economics and Management compared to just Economics. This leads us to the second question: Are we using academic majors as a tool for marketing? Besides promoting diversity and life
on an international campus, our university markets itself with academic majors as well. Jacobs University makes intense ef forts to attract a broader pool of prospec tive students, especially those who freshly nished their high school. Due to intense pressure to perform above average did not nd a slack period to think about whether they should opt for Biology or Chemistry. "Why not choose Biochemistry and Cell Bio logy?“ asks Jacobs University and seems to provide a solution to the student‘s dilemma. "Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience“ is what Jacobs University suggests to a pro spective student who racks his/her brain about whether to study Psychology at the University of Maastricht or Neuroscience at the University of Heidelberg. By indicating connections and putting them into a broader context, names of majors at Jacobs University carry out their marketing mission to stand out from other majors at other universities. Along with this comes the need to adapt names to trends and new social tendencies. Broader society teaches people that philosophy will lead them to become unemployable. Therefore, Jacobs University will probably not mention philosophy in a major’s title or maybe not include it in programs at all seeing as prospective students already come in with this preconception. This change points to two more aspects. Firstly, prospective students should not take transdisciplinarity reected by major titles too seriously, as I did when I was applying for the IPH program. The names of majors and their supposed connections are arbitrarily designed and are subject not to real academic interconnectedness but to marketing eectiveness. International Politics and Relations will be named as it will be, because it is expected to attract a greater number of students, even if it continues to contain history, economics and public policy. This means that if, in ten years, public policy and administration becomes more popular and demanded, the major‘s name will change again. Secondly, it points to the observation that our university, sadly, goes with the ow. Social trend matters and determine the names of majors. The university designs academic programs and their names according to ef fective marketing. As a result certain ma jors, which do not receive extensive popularity, disappear from titles and conrms to be not "in“ anymore. For future applicants, however, it is certainly advisable to write like I naively did when I - speaking from strong conviction - was making a case for Politics and History standing side by side.
Food For Thought 11
Saying Goodbye Price Leaves the Counseling Center by Jessica Price Counseling Center & Krupp College Master
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ave you ever heard the saying: “days are long, but years are short”? I guess, for me, this would encapsulate perfectly the feeling about my experience of working six years as a psychological counselor here at JaJa cobs University. It would be fair to say that I had sometimes the longest days (meeting six to seven students in back-to-back one hour appointments during the course of one afterafter noon, starting at noon!) but somehow these years on-campus went by very quickly, and given that, as of June 2014, I will leave the counselor position, this is for me, a moment of reection that I want to share with the Ja cobs community. It still bugs my mind how dierent the Ja cobs University that we know now is from the International University Bremen (IUB) that I came to know in 2004!I, like some of my colcol leagues and friends, came here for a graduagradua te program, and thought that after two years, I would head back home or elsewhere. It was surprising for me to experience that –back then- IUB oered so many opportunities for those of us who would come with a good idea, or a proposal to do something dierent in an environment that appeared to me ex ceptionally democratic (everything was up for discussion!) and incredibly open to con tribution. The feeling was shared: IUB was a lab of ideas and people coming from every where… but it was still in the shaping…. so there was almost an urgency for developing, creating, innovating and of course, bringing internationality to the forefront. So you get the point, IUB was INTENSE in bold and ca pital letters! I fell in love with the place, and decided to stay. Luckily for me, I began my PhD in 2007 and soon was able to also start working as a counselor at the “Counseling Center” (before coming to Bremen, I had previous clinical experience and a Masters in Counseling under my arm). My colleagues back then, Frank Haber (who is still around) and Amina Oezelsel, were always trying to reach out to students in creative ways, and all kinds of initiatives started and were supsupported over a long period of time: week-long awareness campaigns, intercultural need- asassessment surveys; experts from outside were brought to oer trainings and there was even room for students to come and sugges t activiactivi ties and events! “Business as Usual” in the Counseling Center
To the question that I was asked so many times: “Do we really need a counseling cencen -
ter on campus”? I said then, as I say now: ABSOLUTELY! I can tell you that if it wasn’t for the work of the counseling center, many students would simply have not graduated. In fact, many students would have not rere ceived psychological treatment at crucial and critical moments of their lives, since, in many cases, treatment was not an option in their home countries, which means, in the long run, their lives were also saved. I am not exaggerating here. The three of us, Frank, Angelika (who joined the counseling center in 2008) and I, have seen almost everything: going from home sickness, adjustment issues, to propro crastination tendencies, to anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-comobsessive-com pulsive and eating disorders, trauma, borbor derline personality disorder, delusional and psychotic states. People in general have a hard time beliebelie ving that these more severe conditions can be part of “everyday business” of a student counseling center. They are wrong and in ternational data proves it: according to the World Health Organization, mental health issues aect one out of four people at some point in time in Europe, and nine of the ten countries with the highest rates of suicide are in Europe (see: http://www.euro.who. int/en/health-topics/noncommunicable-di-int/en/health-topics/noncommunicable-di seases/mental-health). Furthermore, approapproximately three quarters of lifetime mental disorders have rst onset by age 24 (Kessler et al. 2005), which indicates that there is a large number of students who struggle with dicult symptoms before that age, which are precisely their university years. As we also know, international students are a population particularly vulnerable to a high degree of stressors that can prompt psypsy chological crisis: varying degrees of culture shock, transition from one academic system to another; a change of identity; nancial burdens and last but not least, communicacommunica ting in a second or third language! (source: National Union of Students, UK). We know the data and we have seen the cases, and yet, some people still have a hard time believing it! Why would this be the case? According to Eisenberg et al. (2009), the stigma associated with mental illness has been a typical barrier towards people seesee king and acknowledging the importance of psychological treatment. More concretely, “public stigma” can be dened as negative stereotypes and prejudice around mental illill ness, and, as the authors point out, “percei“percei -
ved public stigma” (a person’s perception of public stigma) may hinder individuals from using mental health services in order to avoavo id criticism or discrimination from others. Drawing from this discussion, I would theo rize that ideas of public stigma not only im pact on students who may need to seek psy chological services, but also on individuals who diminish the importance and value of psychological services on our campus. Inde Inde-ed, recognizing the need for mental health provisions is framed by some as pointing to a failure or problem in the system, going as far as suggesting that “something is wrong” with our students. Again, these individuals frame the provision of a mental health serviservi ces as a stigma, and promote stereotypes that have a negative impact on both the students who could seek those services as well as pro pro-mote discourses that place risk on resources allocated to the provision of mental health services on our campus. I feel that we, as educators, have a respon sibility in reducing the public stigma concon cerning the need for mental health services and particularly in times of change, student and psychological services need to be supsup ported and regarded as strong structures that can only assure that we all better navigate a tough transition like the one our University is experiencing at the moment. Students also have the responsibility to be alert to these changes and demand the benet of these provisions. It’s for their own good. Many stu dents who have tried to seek psychological support o-campus know what I am talking about: it takes weeks before they can get an appointment with an English (or Spanish, or French) speaking therapist, if they are lucky to nd one at all! In spite of the challenges mentioned abo ve, my decision of leaving the position has more to do with personal projects and career development than with anything else. I am condent that those who stay will continue to promote and protect a space for mental health support on our campus, and, as sugg ested above, they could use the support of inin volved students! I wish you all the very best! Finally, I want to thank those who stood by me and supported my work as a counselor all these years, starting with Angelika, Frank and Amina; Larissa Bannert; Margrit SchreiSchreier, and some super involved College Masters, faculty and sta members. To all of you: I don’t say “Adios”, I say only ‘Hasta la Vista!”
Photography y Club Presents: Different Strokes 12 Photograph
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