“International students want more integration”

Forced integration in classes, mixed dorms, and a stronger connection to Swedish work market. These are some of the wishes from international students, according to Marjorie Spangler. Meet her on Lundagård’s breakfast debate tomorrow.

Marjorie Spangler is vice president of the Social Science Student Union at Lund university.  She was also one of the organisers behind International Day a couple of weeks ago, where international students shared their experiences and ideas about how to make Lund a better place for them.

One of the main issues lifted up by the students turned out to be integration.

– The students want their teachers to make mixed groups of international and Swedish students. They also experience a lack of connection to working life is, said Marjorie Spangler.

– One solution could be mentors or, in cases where the classes are 100 percent international, even just to have a lab together with Swedish students.

Marjorie Spangler also remarks that the accommodation sometimes separates international students from others. She also thinks that the student unions like her own have a responsibility of including international students.

– There are different approaches when it comes to this. Some student unions arrange certain “international activities” for those students. In Social Science Student Union we try to include international students in all activities instead. To be inclusive, we make sure our toastmasters at events speak in English and that our meetings are held in English with English documents, which are rather big changes compared to five years ago.  Swedish students are also welcome to communicate in Swedish if they feel more comfortable doing so or can’t find the word in English, in which case we simply translate, she said.

Marjorie Spangler is one of the panel members in Lundagård’s breakfast discussion on the topic “The gates of Lund” tomorrow, Wednesday, 8 am in Athen. Read more about the event here.