Does SDU provide us with the conditions for a good start to student life?

By Rikke Rasbøll, 8/28/2023

Another study start programme is coming to an end, and once again I am horrified at the conditions under which it is being held. Since 2019, for each year that has gone by the study start organised at Economics and Business Administration has been going downhill, and each year there have been fewer and fewer social events. Last year, the trend began to spread to other programmes at the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, and this year it is affecting several faculties. It’s a shame that the University doesn’t prioritise us settling in socially. 

Fewer social activities, increased dropout rates 

In line with the tendency in recent years to continuously remove social events during the intro period at Economics and Business Administration, there has also been a clear and increasing dropout rate, and everything points to those two things being connected. Throughout my years in the programme, I have spoken to many people who have dropped out along the way, and the vast majority of them say that it’s because they haven’t properly settled into their classes.  

Over the past two years, primarily as chair of the student association at Economics and Business Administration, I have held countless meetings with the management at Economics and Business Administration and the people responsible for study start at the Faculty in an attempt to call them out and make them understand the seriousness of the situation. In two of these meetings, they have even shown me the dropout figures year by year, so they are fully aware that there’s a huge problem with study start right now – they are just choosing to ignore it. Time and time again, I have made suggestions on how they can improve study start, and every year they choose to do the opposite. 

Who is responsible for the social initiatives? 

This year, the Faculty has decided to put all responsibility for social events in the hands of student organisations. Yet they expect to micromanage everything all the time and constantly change the timing of the things we have planned. Not only does it ruin things for the new students, but it undermines the amazing volunteer efforts of older, committed students – in the long run, we won’t put up with such demotivating treatment. What happens then? Will there be a study start without any social initiatives? If that becomes the case, I fear that the dropout rate will be extreme and it will affect the academic output. 

What should happen going forward? 

Going forward, the social aspect of study start must be prioritised once again, and the management of the individual study programmes must not be allowed to avoid their responsibility. The University is paid for every student who completes their programme, and they should therefore have an interest in making sure we stay. 

As students, we have a responsibility, but the University should also make sure that we have the best possible environment for starting our studies.