Lopez became involved with SMIT through the Erasmus International student network. `I was a member of Erasmus at the UT three years ago. When I came back from Madrid I felt that something was missing in my life. I found SMIT through ESN; when I knew that I was coming back to the UT I wanted to help SMIT and the former board recruited me.'
SMIT's main mission is to organize activities for international students and provide guidance and help. `The mission of a local ESN section is to foster mobility within the university. That means supporting the international students that stay at the UT in many ways. Lately we also feel the need to help the future (Dutch) outgoing students. We have a lot of interesting projects, and I think it is going to be a great year.' SMIT provides a common meeting place for the diversity of international students in Twente. Of course, a great deal of SMIT's effort goes into bringing students together in social settings. `Parties are the most famous activities. Our weekly drink every Tuesday at the Bastille is popular,' says Lopez. In addition to a weekly soccer match, the association also organizes activities such as ice-skating, dance workshops, and other field trips to noteworthy local places.
The mentor program however, is the heart of the association's mission. Bringing international students together with Dutch student volunteers, the mentor program is a great way to get the inside track on life on campus and in the area. `Our core activity is the Mentor Project. Every student gets a mentor who helps him to arrange everything in the first days of his or her stay. That is quite difficult to organize, but it is worth it because the students get friendly help in the most difficult time.' A mentor will introduce students to their faculty, guide them around campus, help arrange practical bureaucratic tasks (registering with the police, opening a bank account etc.) and of course, help them find a decent bike.
Another very interesting program is the SMIT language project (run with help from the European student association AEGEE-Enschede). Instead of just taking Dutch lessons, the program matches a foreign student up with a Dutch volunteer and the two are encouraged to teach each other their native languages. The idea is to get real opportunities to practice language skills while also sharing some of your own knowledge with others. According to Lopez, the program is thriving and they expect results to continue improving. `It has been running for more than five years already. Last year 23 “couples” joined the program. We can say it has been a success even if only one person learned more Dutch, so 23 couples is a good number. We hope we can beat that record this year.'
Upcoming events organized by SMIT include a Dutch movie night (subtitled) on October 16 and a Halloween party scheduled for October 20. Check out www.smit.utwente.nl for details.
SMIT board poses with camels at recent Bedrijvendag event. Clockwise from bottom left: Roel van Huet, Céline van Heijnen, Jorge MartÃnez López, Michiel Raaijmakers, Daan Slütter, and Kira Bosse.
