The time has come: this week, exams are fully under way. For many students, that means a return to campus. To keep things on track in these strange times of social distancing, face masks and strict hygiene rules, VUB called on its employees. Were they ready to lend a hand? Among those who answered the call for volunteers were Kim Hardie and Willy Carrijn.
An adjustment for everyone
Willy Carrijn, normally a lifeguard at VUB’s swimming pool, was already involved a week ago, when postponed exams began. Carijn saw to it that the incoming students kept a safe distance from one another. Not always easy, it seems. “It’s an adjustment for everyone,” he says in a short video filmed at the scene. “The most important thing is maintaining distance, and wearing face masks, particularly if the students get too close together.
For Kim Hardie, who works at the International Relations Office (IRMO), her test comes on Thursday afternoon. That’s when she’ll be ready at the Royal Museum for Art and History in Jubelpark, one of VUB’s external exam venues. “Her museum”, as she calls it: not only does she live nearby, but for several years she has worked as a volunteer there helping to welcome visitors. That’s not the only reason she’s put herself forward as a volunteer during the exams, though. “I’m doing it out of support for VUB. Not just because I work there, but because the university is part of my life. I was a student there myself for four years, you see. In other words, the university has shaped me.”
Commitment of colleagues
So it makes her happy that many of her colleagues at IRMO have come forward as volunteers just like her. “Our department has set up a rota, where we work in the office for two days in four and then the rest of the time we work from home. With a little planning, everyone can make time to help.”
She’s found the time to help on four occasions, each time for a half day. What her duties will be on Thursday, she doesn’t yet know. “I’ve offered to be a steward. We’ll get a briefing on site, but I expect that with my knowledge of the museum, I will be directing students to their exams or showing them the way.”
What she’ll definitely be able to do is guide students in English. As the child of a Belgian mother and a Scottish father, she has British nationality. And even though she’s lived most of her life in Belgium, she considers English her native language – although her Dutch is indistinguishable from that of any Fleming. “Recently I actually acquired dual nationality,” she says, laughing. “I’m now officially a Belgian too.”
British engagement with a Belgian slant
Of course, by “recently”, she means “since Brexit”, the event that prompted her to apply for Belgian nationality. She has little good to say about this political development. “Lots of my English friends tell me that England has become more intolerant since Brexit.” She finds solace in the fact that she has Scottish roots. “Scotland has always been more oriented towards Europe. It’s not for nothing that the Remain camp won there.”
“Volunteer work has been integrated in England longer than in Belgium.” Did her British roots play a part in her decision to put herself forward as a steward during the exams? “It could well be,” she says. “But it’s also because of VUB’s values, which are my own values. Just like VUB, I want to help give everyone the opportunity they deserve. And that also implies helping students on their way to exams – already a stressful experience, and now even more so.”