The Executive Board, the Senate, the University Council and the AStA of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences adopted a joint statement on the current situation and prospects for refugees.
Kleve/Kamp-Lintfort, 24 September 2015: Every day, people arrive in Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) who, fleeing war and poverty, see one of the richest countries in the world as their only chance of saving their own lives and those of their families. It is not only the right to asylum from persecution, enshrined in the Basic Law, that drives thousands to Europe, but also the sheer necessity of survival: to escape daily war and destruction.
Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences not only promotes international academic discourse, but has also enshrined in its mission statement a commitment to contributing to mutual understanding between cultures in an interconnected world. As a university, we recognise that the world, its crises and its opportunities are interconnected, and that the reasons why thousands are fleeing are also linked to Germany and Europe: the individual fates of thousands also call upon us, the members of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, to fulfil our public, social and individual responsibilities:
- Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences also regards ‘living internationalism’ as a responsibility towards the people who come to our region, to Kleve and Kamp-Lintfort. Mutual respect and tolerance are, for us, a matter of course. There is no place here for discrimination or racism.
- As a university rooted in the region, we also have a responsibility towards local residents to inform, educate, discuss, identify solutions and foster connections, as well as to promote understanding and respect for everyone in all areas of life.
- Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, through the resources at its disposal – including information, counselling and study programmes, as well as individual support from its staff and students – will be open to those seeking protection, support and new prospects here. You are very welcome! Through the student group ‘Refugee Support’ (refugeesupport@hrsw.org), direct contact with refugees will be established and individual support tailored to each person’s needs; the university plans to offer joint German language courses and will waive the guest student fee for registered refugees.
- Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences is committed to working with other partners in the region – including towns and districts, associations and businesses – to foster a climate of tolerance and mutual respect, integration and the pursuit of shared prospects for the people who come to us.
