Not enough contact with Swedes.
That is the most common complaint among the exchange students in Lund.
But the issue doesn’t seem to be solved anytime soon.
When Lukas Gwardak from Essen, Germany was in Lund in the autumn of 2005 he tried, in vain, to get a room in a Swedish dormitory. Although he enjoyed staying at an international dormitory he didn’t get to know any Swedish people.
– I think the living arrangements should be more mixed. The exchange students only hung out with each other, he says.
Lukas Gwardak shares this experience with many others. Evaluations from previous exchange students show that a lack of contact with Swedes is the number one complaint among the exchange students in Lund.
One reason that there is little contact is the segregated living arrangements. Over half of the rooms that the university supplies are in dormitories with only exchange students.
But there is more to it.
”Polite but distant”
Jorge Miranda from Barcelona studied in Lund in 2003 and stayed in a Swedish dormitory. He feels that the fellow residents didn’t make any attempts to bring him into the community.
– They were polite but pretty distant. A lot of it probably has to do with language, he says. I didn’t speak very good English and not a word Swedish.
Daniella Ölmunger who works with international student issues at the university has made in-depth interviews with about 15 masters students. She believes that culture clashes are also a part of the problem.
– It may very well be that they are used to students socializing more openly in other countries. Students may have a difficult time understanding why you don’t sit next to other people on the bus for instance. But students also say that when you finally start talking to Swedish people they are very helpful. However, it is largely up to the international student to initiate contact, she says.
Mixed living arrangements led to more parties
The university is trying to increase contact between Swedish and international students through sponsor programs and integrated classes. And at the moment the university is trying to create a host family system for masters students.
It seems, however, to be more difficult to solve the living arrangements.
– The problem is that we don’t have enough rooms at the moment and we have to take what we can get. And legally we can only let to foreign students, otherwise we would be competing with private interests, says Dan Sjöholm, head of the University Service Unit.
Nevertheless, a couple of years ago AF Bostäder arranged about 30 apartments at the international student housing complex Spoletorp through their regular waiting list on a trial basis. But interest from Swedish students was low. Another reason for cancelling the experiment was that there was too much partying.
– We thought that Swedish students would have a subduing effect, but it turned out to be the exact opposite. I think that it was a coincidence, but there were a couple of almost professional party organizers at Spoletorp, says Dan Sjöholm.
The problem is far from solved
One possible solution is making AF Bostäder responsible for letting the accommodation at the university’s disposal as well. Then the students could be mixed in all of the houses. But making it happen will take time.
– That is an entirely different business and not a thing that is changed in a couple of months or even a year. Both parties have to be able to look it over thoroughly first, says Rolf Svensson, managing director of AF Bostäder.
Translation: Lin M Grimhammar
