‘Students are having trouble focusing’
Lijst Calimero: ‘Make some study rooms available’
All university libraries are to remain closed until May 19, but Lijst Calimero says there’s room to open study rooms in both the Harmonie complex and the Zernike campus.
To prevent the spread of the virus, the party suggests marking out walking routes on the floor, providing hand sanitiser everywhere, leaving five feet between desks, and closing coffee rooms.
Party chair Floor Buigel is worried about students who are having trouble studying at home. ‘They can’t focus in their tiny student rooms and they don’t always have the equipment they need. Some students have such poor internet connections that they can’t attend online classes or sit exams.’
Gradually
She points out that other universities have already taken measures to help students. One of them is the University of Maastricht, where students with a disability or students with slow internet have been gradually allowed to study inside university buildings. In Rotterdam, students have limited access to the Woudestein campus, although they do have to sign in beforehand.
‘They figured out a way in Maastricht and Rotterdam, so why can’t we do the same in Groningen?’ says Buigel. The student party has approached Safety Region Groningen to determine the conditions under which the buildings can be made accessible on a limited scale.