‘We ME’ers aren't big on talking - that has to change’
Elise van Lieshout is the point of contact for bachelor students in the Wellbeing Signal Group of the Mechanical Engineering department.
Is something shouted at you in the hallways that makes you feel uncomfortable? Do you find it difficult to connect? Do you feel unheard by your group or tutor during group work? Or are you struggling with something and just want to talk about it with someone? For this, Mechanical Engineering bachelor students can contact Elise van Lieshout and Lucas Haselhoff.
“Nothing is too small, or unimportant. You should feel free to raise the alarm,” Van Lieshout says emphatically. She is one of the two contacts for bachelor students in the Wellbeing Signal Group (WSG). The wellbeing of her fellow students was already her focus when she was on the board of the Simon Stevin study association last year.
Solve
“I noticed even then that small things come into play, and that people are quite willing to report it. For example, an annoying comment from a teacher. Students want it to be fixed, or for something to change, but don’t want to make a big issue out of it. We didn’t really have a facility for this within the department.”
“I can’t solve personal situations but what I do advocate is discussing how we can solve your problem as a department. By tackling it at the root so that it doesn’t happen again. As a group we can more easily access people who can help think of a solution.”
Sharing experiences
One example where WSG has already been able to make a difference concerns the relatively few female students at ME. “We heard noises that some of them feel lonely. They don’t know that from each other, but we hear it from several people. We’re trying to address that pattern.”
The working group engaged in discussions with the dean, students and Education and Student Affairs to find a solution. Every quartile, there is now an informal meeting for female students, where a role model tells them something and they can easily get together. “These are sociable gatherings where you can easily make connections,” Van Lieshout explains.
All students also will receive training each year on inclusive collaborations. Starting in Q4, freshmen will get to see a theater play about their interactions with others. And in the fourth year, they look at how to create an inclusive workplace themselves. This is organized by ESA at Mechanical Engineering.
Atmosphere
“When I look at my fellow students, we here at ‘ME’ are not big on talking about feelings. We like things to be concrete and have the attitude that ‘if you just act normal, you’ll be crazy enough,’” is the way Van Lieshout illustrates the atmosphere she experiences among the students at ME. “And that has to change.”
I’m not doing this to be able to point fingers at others, but to help each other.
Elise van Lieshout, bachelor student representative for the Wellbeing Signal Group
“I want to use this to create a safe place within our department. I’m not doing this to be able to point fingers at others, but to help each other.” She is convinced that “together we can make a more beautiful, inclusive place out of our department.”
Visibility
Van Lieshout hopes that her fellow students know how to get hold of her if they are stuck on something. “I can often be found at our Simon Stevin study association, and mainly in the Traverse and Neuron buildings. Feel free to talk to me, or send me an email so we can make an appointment to get together and chat. Nothing is too small, feel free to raise the alarm.”