We will do as much as we can.
Our teams worked over the weekend
to make it possible to start distance learning
so online educational programmes.
Welcome to Erasmus TV - our first ever episode.
It's quiet on campus due to the coronavirus,
but as you can see, we're still here.
We’re still working. My name is Tessa Hofland.
I’m an editor of Erasmus Magazine.
I’m here with President of the Executive Board
Hans Smits and our Rector Rutger Engels.
Very glad to have you here. It was quite an adventure for you.
Where were you last week?
I was with a team of the university in Los Angeles.
We visited UCLA, the university of Los Angeles,
to talk about outreach programmes,
but we had to come back.
Due to the travel ban? 
Yes. We had a whole day, Wednesday, at UCLA
and then had some drinks at the bar.
Then we got the notification that the president
would close the country for Europeans.
Within an hour, we got tickets for the next day back.
Why was it so important for you to come back? 
To rush back here?
Of course I want to be here. I want to be at the university
  to take responsibility,
to do everything I can to work with the teams here
to lead the continuity of the university.
To talk about continuity, we’re here with several cameras.
Shouldn’t they be busy recording teachers and lecturers
for the continuation of education?
Well, definitely. That’s why we are here day in,
day out with a lot of our colleagues, 
also this weekend, to prepare education on distance
with all the technologies available. 
I’d like to say on behalf of the Executive Board
we are extremely proud of the high commitment,
all the work all our people put in our core task,
and that is educating our students.
Not now on campus, but outside of our campus.
That’s why we are here.
I can imagine that a lot of people are scared.
We get a lot of questions from students,
but also from researchers, from everybody.
How is it for you personally due to the coronavirus?
Well, personally, of course it’s quite bizarre.
There’s a transformation now going on
in our university. Every day you normally see
thousands of students walking around
and there’s an atmosphere, it’s busy.
Now, we are busy but at a distance.
So, you have to change your mindset. But we are 
all doing that and the commitment is so high.  
So I think we will be as successful as possible
in continuing our core task: educating our students.
You must also hear a lot of news
from medical students, due to your own daughter
who’s studying medicine in Groningen.
Does that make it even harder?
Because that’s a place where
the work pressure will get very high now. 
That’s true. She’s studying at the medical school
and is now doing her internships.
They stopped, but they are now working on
a programme to include these students
who can’t do their normal internships
in the regular process of care.
I just talked yesterday with the vice dean of education
of our medical school, Maarten Frens. 
They’re starting up exactly the same thing.
So, all the students here who can’t fulfil 
their internships but are highly trained,
how can we make them useful?
I’m super proud we do that kind of stuff.
For your daughter, then, is she concerned
about study delay? 
Is that something you have already made
a decision on? Because exams are cancelled.
I think, to be really honest, we are all concerned about it.
Of course my two daughters –
one is studying in Groningen, one in Tilburg – 
they are concerned about it.
But we are also concerned about it.
To be frank, we can’t look into the future right now.
If this situation takes place in a limited period of 
time, I think we can accommodate it quite well. 
But if it takes longer, we’ll have to see.
That’s the reality.
Because all students in the first year,
for almost all studies except Medicine, 
have to get all their points in the first year.
What if students can’t make that?
As Rutger said, you can’t say something about it
before you know how long the period will last
that we can’t educate students on campus here.
Once we know that, we can take measures.
It also depends on the Minister of Education; 
her opinion is also important.
All universities are in daily contact now with
the government in The Hague and the Minister.
Once the final date is known
that we can go back to the normal situation,
we can answer your question. And of course
we will prepare for that.
We collected some questions from students.
Some are very practical. For example:
“I have a study book at home. Do I get a fine if I
keep it at home? Because the library is closed.” 
That’s a good question. I should consult
the library coordinator about that.
In general, I think in these kinds of circumstances
we should also be pragmatic and flexible. 
For example, right now we decided that lecturers
can come here to record their lectures.
We advised them to come with their own transport.
If they come by car, parking is free.
These are simple ways to facilitate people.
The same thing goes for students.
Basically, you have to realise that all these
educational programmes are quite different.
Most of the solutions we have for students,
making the move to completely online education,
is coordinated by the different programmes.
I think there should be some flexibility in that.
Yes, of course, but you can’t keep on waiting.
The regulations are now till April 6.
Do teachers and lecturers get a deadline
for starting their online courses?
We already start today.
We have quite the systems in place. 
We have extremely motivated and dedicated
teachers and lecturers, so we start today. 
I’m not saying that in the next couple of days
everything will be arranged for everybody.
But we start today.
Some students have bigger questions. 
We got several questions from students:
‘When do I get to redo my exams,
the exams that were cancelled last week
Again, I can’t answer that question specifically
because you have to know when the date is
that we can come back to the normal situation.
It’s now not possible to have exams on campus.
It’s as simple as that. And maybe – I’m not sure,
the Rector knows more about this –
maybe we’re going to do it on distance,
but that’s also quite a challenge.
That already started. In the last half year,
pilots on distance testing were conducted 
at RSM, the business school, and
Erasmus Medical Centre.
Right now, today, there are also students from
the University College doing their exams
through distance testing.
How that will be in a few weeks from now, I can’t say.
It’s causing trouble mostly for international students.
We got a message from Pauly.
She’s originally from Colombia.
Her parents booked her ticket back home last week, 
immediately on Thursday,
because they were afraid of a lockdown.
Now, she is very concerned about her exams:
‘If it can’t be online, how can we do it live, 
here on campus? But what if I’m not allowed 
back in the country?’
What do you say to students?
Because they must come to the university.
To be really clear, we care a lot
about our students and their welfare. 
If some students decide to go back
to their home country, I fully understand that. 
In these kinds of circumstances, I can understand
that you want your family’s support
or that you want to take care of your family.
I think all the programmes have to do 	
as much as possible to accommodate 
these students in the next period.	
How that will be in this case, I can’t say.
I advise this student to contact the programme officer.	
There are also students from the Netherlands studying abroad.	
Universities in America are calling back
their students from all over the world.	
Is that something you’re considering?	
Definitely. We have an overview of our students abroad.
If they want to come back, 	
we will help and facilitate them. We care
about them. We are definitely looking into it.	
We have an overview of all the students
that are registered at our university,	
but are now abroad. We have an overview
per track, per programme.	
We are in contact with them.
If they want to come back, we will facilitate that.	
It will become harder, of course,
in the next couple of days.	
Because it is, of course, quite unknown
how the next couple of days will go.	
What are you communicating to the students 
who live here on campus?	
Every day, there is a bulletin to the students
about the developments, what we are doing,	
how the situation is internationally and nationally...
That’s what we do.	
And that varies day by day, because
the developments are very quick.	
Within hours, things change.	
I imagine that all the restaurants here on campus
will close, or are closed.	
How about the shop, the Spar?	
I’m not sure, is the Spar open?	
It’s a supermarket, so it should be open.
But the restaurants are closed. Foodcorner is closed.
Is there any advice you would like to give
to students or employees, working from home,
sitting at home right now?	
Yes. We will do as much as we can. 
Our teams worked over the weekend 	
to make it possible to start distance learning,
online educational programmes.	
And what I advise them is to give structure
to your day, to your life.	
Take your books, start reading. 
Prepare for your exams.	
Go – not physically, but digitally – to your lectures
when they’re available and ready.	
Structure in your life is crucial, I think.	
I’d like to add something.
Walk outside. Really. 	
It’s very healthy for body and mind
to do some exercise outside.	
Can I add to that? I think it’s important
to care for everybody.	
If you worry about somebody, or if somebody
is more isolated than others, reach out.	
I have two older parents. My brothers and I
are in daily contact through Skype with them	
to check in with them. And I do that
next to my job, of course.	
I suggest that everybody does that, also
for our fellow students, for the students	
that are from far away and are now here
on campus or studying at the university.	
Let’s be caring for each other.	
And, of course, it isn’t that easy.
You also have some smaller children.
They are now free from school.
Did you bring them to the office today?
No, not yet. My partner and I are making
arrangements for that. It will be OK.	
How about lecturers, researchers
who can’t make arrangements such as these?	
Are you helping them, facilitating them?	
We know that we have some colleagues 
who definitely have to be here sometimes	
because of the efforts to have online education.
I hope the colleagues amongst themselves
help each other. I think that’s important.	
If necessary, I think we can facilitate one way
or another. We’ll think about it, definitely.	
For now, life goes on on campus.
We still have some PhD promotions and defences. 	
We have some people working here.
Most people work from home, I imagine.	
That’s true, definitely.	
You see, it’s quite empty.	
It’s really empty here on campus.	
If anybody has a question from home, you can send it.
You can check Erasmus Magazine,	
but also the Frequently Asked Questions page
from the university.	
Internationals, you can also check
the website from International Office.
