COLUMN: Quite simply, studying should be fun – but well-being has other benefits too
It makes sense, both from a human and a strategic perspective, to ensure a good study environment that supports academic development and social well-being. That’s why AU’s 400 student associations can look forward to being supported in the coming year, pro-rector Berit Eika writes in her column.
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Students at Aarhus University are generally doing well. This is shown by the latest figures from the major Danish Student Survey conducted last autumn, in which around 12,000 of our students participated.
90 percent experience a positive academic environment with enthusiastic lecturers, and 85 percent generally feel at home in their degree programme. That’s certainly something to be proud of, and both staff and students deserve credit for the fact that we have such a strong academic and social culture.
However, there are also many people who frequently experience stress – in this survey, the figure is 20 percent. At the same time, there’s also a significant minority who don’t feel part of the community: 12 percent of our students often or always feel lonely.
A campus-based university is a community
We must try to deal with that. Not least because AU is a campus-based university: A place where we place great importance on meeting in person for academic and social activities, and where our environment helps to foster a sense of community.
It makes sense on several levels. First of all because, being a student should quite simply be fun and enjoyable. University life is a special time when you can gain experiences, make memories and form lifelong friendships, and when there should be opportunities to pursue interests other than academic ones.
Secondly, a focus on the study environment also makes sense from an academic and strategic perspective. A good physical environment and strong social ties help to boost students’ well-being and commitment – which in turn increases the likelihood that they’ll achieve high academic results and complete their degree.
Student associations as a strategy
We have sought to reflect all of this in Aarhus University’s Strategy 2030. The strategy consists of six focus areas, one of which is entitled ‘a cohesive and vibrant campus’.
In that context, we have, among other things, highlighted our student associations as key co-players. With around 400 such groups – including sports clubs, friday bars, political societies and everything in between – AU already has a rich and varied range of student associations. But we want to take it a step further. And when I see that a group of our students often or always feel lonely, it reinforces my belief that this is the right path to take. Not that a stronger community life alone can eliminate stress and loneliness, but it’s certainly an important part of the solution.
Student associations can provide new academic inspiration or offer a much-needed break after a long day in the reading room. They can foster a sense of community across different degree programmes, just as they can strengthen solidarity and a sense of belonging within local academic environments. This is particularly important when we establish new degree programmes or merge existing ones – take, for example, the PlanVid association, which is helping to build a completely new study environment on our campus in Viborg, or the Dalgas Council, created after the merger of Sports Science and Public Health Science.
So what can we do to strengthen the associations?
- We have started the work on improving the framework for student sport. There are many sports clubs affiliated with AU, and hopefully many of them will benefit from being brought together in new premises in the former examination halls on Trøjborgvej (as Omnibus has also reported). In the long term, we may also be able to set up outdoor facilities such as running routes etc.
- We are setting up a ‘seed funding pool’ to help new and existing societies develop activities and foster commitment among students.
- We are organising a sort of ‘Student Associations Day’, where the university associations will be able to meet and exchange ideas and discuss opportunities for development.
The strategy runs until 2030, so there’s time to develop new initiatives. We will therefore seek ongoing dialogue with the student associations to help them to welcome even more students into AU’s communities. We have a diverse, vibrant and charmingly quirky study environment – and I hope that even more people will be able to benefit from it in the future.
This text is machine translated and post-edited by Lisa Enevoldsen.