This year, ‘Freshers’ Week’ is taking place largely online. Teaching is also being organised as a flexible online term, in light of the current infection situation.
“A warm welcome to Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences! A warm welcome to the Lower Rhine – or wherever you may be at the moment.” On Wednesday 28 October, President Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, together with Vice-President Prof. Dr Tatiana Zimenkova and Vice-President Prof. Jörg Petri, will welcome the new students to Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. What makes this year special is that: The President is standing in the Audimax on the Kamp-Lintfort campus with no guests present, whilst the Vice-President is walking through deserted corridors in the library – they are not welcoming the university’s ‘freshers’ in person, as is usually the case, but via a video message and a live meeting.
‘Freshers’ Week’, during which first-semester students are traditionally introduced to campus life, is taking place largely online this year. Locker-Grütjen is pleased with this unusual start to the new semester: “We had a colourful and exciting opening ceremony with plenty of information, music and surprises. I’m glad we were able to welcome our first-year students in this way.” Indeed, the opening ceremony proved popular, with over 500 virtual participants: More than half of the approximately 1,200 newly enrolled students – according to current estimates – took part in the welcome event this Wednesday, joining from the Lower Rhine region, across Germany and from all over the world. (Final figures will not be available until the end of November.)
With its framework hygiene plan, the university is well prepared for the upcoming ‘flexible online semester’. Together with the faculties and the administration, the Executive Board has used this plan to create a framework that offers the faculties flexibility in organising their teaching programmes. The current infection situation has been kept under close review throughout. Nevertheless, face-to-face attendance remains the exception this semester. The majority of new students will initially get to know one another online. The President encourages them: “Stay hopeful, keep your sense of humour and stay healthy! We look forward to welcoming you.” Standing together, but keeping their distance, he stands with the Vice-Presidents amongst the empty rows of a lecture theatre. It marks the end of this extraordinary welcome for first-year students under Covid-19 conditions.
A week before teaching begins at German universities for the new semester, the spotlight is traditionally on the new students, the ‘freshers’: during ‘Freshers’ Week’, they get their first taste of campus and university life – and this is also the case in Kleve and Kamp-Lintfort. Whether it’s a (virtual) tour of the library, starting the day together with yoga, or a personalised introduction to their chosen degree programme – Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences offers its first-year students an exciting week packed with a wide range of activities. Once again this year, campus and city tours – in German or English, virtual or in person – are proving particularly popular. As the safety of all participants is always a top priority, some sporting events have had to be cancelled at short notice due to rising Covid-19 case numbers. Overall, all events – whether online or in person – have been very well received.
The video of the 2020 freshers’ welcome is available to anyone interested on the university’s YouTube channel. The welcome speeches by Prof. Dr Christoph Landscheidt, Mayor of Kamp-Lintfort, and Heinz-Joachim Schmidt, Deputy Mayor of Kleve, can also be viewed there: youtube.com ↗
