Student Press in Europe

European grading system causes confusion
Only one of 14 universities in Sweden has decided to introduce the ECTS-grading system, namely Stockholm University. The rest are still discussing the matter or await the decision of others, shows a survey made by Lundagård.
The Swedish government has proposed that every university should decide for itself if the ECTS-grades will be used. Today exchange students are given the ECTS-grades, but many professors and students are protesting against introducing them to all students. The main argument is that they won’t make it easier to compare students – rather the opposite. Instead they will constitute only one more grading system existing along with the ones already used. It will also be difficult to compare the ECTS-grades from Sweden with those from the rest of Europe, since the grading system is originally relative, but in Sweden it will be goal-referenced.

Few Swedes go on Erasmus
Sweden is one of the poorest countries in Europe when it comes to sending its students on Erasmus-exchange. Lund University only uses one fourth of its 1 500 places at other European universities.
Instead, many Swedish students choose to do an exchange year in English-speaking countries outside of Europe.
– Many students think it looks better in their CV to have studied in the US or in Australia than for example at Utrecht in the Netherlands, says Mathias Johansson at the International Desk of Lund university.
Next year Lund University stakes one million euros to get more students to go abroad.

…and we give you the whole article about Spine in English:

Student newspapers facing threats
Economical sanctions, cancelled internet access and summons.
Many student newspapers in Europe pay a high price for their investigative journalism.
Often the student union is behind the threats.

Mark Sciriha is the editor of the newspaper Insiter at the university of Malta. This autumn the newspaper revealed the result of an investigation that showed that there were more bacteria on the tables of the cafeteria than on the seats of its toilets.
– When we published the news, suddenly a thousand newspapers disappeared from our newspaper stands. After that we were sued by the company that ran the cafeteria, he says.
In March Mark Sciriha and the writer of the article, Anthony Gatt, are going to court in Malta, charged with defamation. They stand the risk of having to pay a big damage.
Mark Sciriha was one of the participants at a conference for European student newspapers in Budapest in the end of November. Remarkably many of the participants testified about difficulties in carrying on with the investigative journalism in their home countries.
Two years ago the newspaper Manager at the university in Zagreb, Croatia, had its internet access cut off. The reason was that the newspaper had revealed that the student union had managed to get large sums of money from the state with the help of fake invoices. The student union also made the university cancel its economical support to the newspaper.
Only recently the newspaper got its internet access back. Also, several of the people responsible for the fake invoices are soon to be put on trial.
– Now we have formed a network with other student newspapers in the region. It will be more difficult to mess with us next time, says the editor Daniel Corijic.
The contents of the newspaper Unaufgefordert at the Humboldt University in Berlin is affected in a more subtle way – through self-censorship. Out of fear of losing its funding the newspaper doesn’t dare publish a piece of top news: that the student union has to pay a large sum of money after having broken the German law.
– I am convinced that the student union would cut our budget immediately. But they already cut it a lot every year. The student union has a very negative attitude towards us, says the editor in chief Emanuel Viebahn.

Patrik Kronqvist

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To read the entire paper, click here! (Pages in English 11, 14-15)

UnivPécs, 05 december, 2005

On the scales
Some Hungarian dailies and magazines (including broadsheet No.1. Népszabadság) published toplists for universities and colleges, and the University of Pécs (PTE) ranked only No. 11 in one. The article names similar lists in Europe, and asks university leaders for the reasons of the bad ranking.

Interview with leader of Faculty for Romani Studies
Dr. Katalin R. Forray is director of the Faculty for Romani Studies talks about status of Gypsy - Romani minority in Hungary and several factors that cause them falling behind in education, starting from elementary school

Wing-Tsun Kung-Fu trainer
Szabó Ferenc Dai-Si-Hing talking about ancient Chinese martial art and the philosophy behind.

In this issue we cover various topics on different fields.
Students
>> Studies abroad. Polish students choose studying abroad not only to achieve a prestigious diploma or to improve their language skills. They also want to live in an international society, prove themselves in a new situation, without the support of their families. Each year thousands of young Poles leave abroad to start or to continue their studies at foreign universities…
>> My own business. The labour market in Poland is not a piece of cake. That’s why many young Poles: students and young graduates choose establishing their own business instead of waiting for a job offer. In this issue we write about a few of them - their problems, aims, successes and everyday life…

Report
>> Extreme winter. In the longest night of the year some admirers of extreme, hardcore experiences meet. They are ready to walk over 100 kilometres or ride the bike over 200 kilometres. In the middle of the winter they will have only one map with them. No doctors, no coaches, no supporters. Only the snow, the frost and nights in tents. If only…

Society

>> Suicides. They are young, beautiful, very often successful. But when you are very young and inexperienced, even little troubles seam to be huge. The number of young suicides is growing dangerously…

Travels
>> Voodoo. Trance dances, original recipes for love and temptation, strange rituals and magic. Everything you would like to know about Voodoo but you are afraid to ask…

Culture
In this issue we write among others about bands from Finland, films from Iceland and Polish hip-hop. We interview:
> Peter Zilahy - the Hungarian writer, the author of ‘The Last Window Giraffe’ translated into 18 languages;
> Andrzej Stasiuk - the Polish writer, the winner of the prestigious prize for literature ‘Nike’;
Bryce Dallas Howard - the American actress who performed the role of Grace in ‘Manderlay’ - the continuation of ‘Dogville’ by Lars von Trier.

Female student politicians take power
Female students have taken power in the student unions at Lund university. Five years ago only five of 22 presidents and vice presidents were women. This year the figure is 15.
– I think it’s because equality get more and more attention in the public sphere. All students unions also have the equality thinking in their minds today more than before, says Marina Månsson, chairperson of the student union of the social workers.

Freshmen party out of control
The student union at the faculty of economics will have difficulties to find premises for next year’s freshmen parties. This year’s parties went out of control with widespread drunkenness, one freshman even had to be taken to the emergency ward after being hit in the head by a glass. The police chose to close down the party after that event.
– The student union has to change it’s attitude towards alcohol, says Fredrik Berndt, president of the fraternity that rented it’s premises to the student union.

Hard struggle for students in Moldova
One million people has already left Moldova, Europe’s poorest country, to work abroad. The students that have stayed are facing problems with corruption and high tuition fees. Many teachers are taking bribes in exchange for better grades. The economical situation for students is worse then before the independence from the Soviet union.
– There has to be more scholarships so that more students from poor families get a chance to study, says Galina Garaba, president of the Student association of Moldova.

In this issue we cover to interesting topics (well it’s just for our readers, the students of math and physics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [SFT] in Zurich). This first one is about the future of one of our two campuses the Hönggerberg. The SFT is planing to rebuild everything and achieve the so called campus of the 21st century, they call it Science City.

The second topic is by far the most interesting every year: the statistics of last years exams. Of course you’ll find some annoucements and reports as well, so enjoy reading.

Link to PDF-File: vmp.ethz.ch/vamp/vamp2005-november.pdf