On October 1, Student Psychologist Binnert Boeke will have been working for the UT for 25 years. Sixteen hours per week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, he works on campus in the Bastille building.
`You're in luck! Lately I've been experiencing a recurring problem. Parents, teachers, supervisors, roommates and study counselors worry about a student and come to me. Can I help them, they ask. My first question is whether they have confronted him or her with their concerns, and whether he or she knows that they are talking to me. The answer is usually no. Students are always welcome to come and talk, but it has to be their initiative. Students are responsible for their own problems. Apparently it's very difficult for most people to ask someone a difficult, direct question, so instead they bring their concerns about someone else to me.'
`One's time as a student is a time of change. A time in which you yourself have to discover what you want. Many things are new. You start relationships, start living on your own, live in different surroundings. Some students fly through their studies, but encounter problems at the end. When they have to graduate, they lose the structure. Suddenly they have to do everything on their own.'
`The stage of life problems of the student - it's a period of great change - has never changed in the 25 years that I've been a Student Psychologist. One major change is that the Office of the Student Psychologists is no longer hidden in the Vrijhof building, surrounded by a shroud of mystery. Here in the Bastille, everyone can see that you're coming for an appointment. Fortunately, it's a lot more common today for students to ask for help.'
`Oh, another thing comes to mind. An important social change is the abolishment of conscription. Years ago, I told students with study problems to join the army for a year. Just as a time out, a time to catch one's breath and live a structured life. Now, doubters often go on a long journey or take some kind of job.'
`That continuous doubting, that insecurity, is very characteristic of the current young generation. Young people are always evaluating: am I still enjoying my studies, do I still have a good relationship, do I still like my job? The question is: does everything always have to be fun? Of course not, that's not even possible. It's good to realize that: studying also has its downsides.'
Young people were raised in luxury and always got to do what they wanted. But then the relationship breaks, or they fail an exam. That can be a real setback in the life that had been perfect thus far. I find that very interesting.'
`And it continues to fascinate me. I actually consider it a privilege to be allowed a glimpse into the inner world of students. I get my inspiration from that: for a short while to be part of a stage of life that sees a lot of development. I am very curious about how they think and what their inner wishes and desires are. That inner world has to be protected. It is something that belongs only to you, and you have to feel completely at home there.'
Trans. Jeroen Latour
