The fund that should not have to exist

I set up a fund that really should not have to exist.

That fund is the Student Emergency Fund. Its name says it all: it is there for students who have ended up in financial trouble through no fault of their own. Without help, they cannot complete their studies and see their future falling apart.

Behind the applications are stories you do not easily forget: natural disasters in which family members were killed, domestic conflicts, wars, but also parents who reject their own child because they are gay.

The vast majority are international students. That may be surprising, but it is certainly not unexpected. They pay much higher tuition fees than Dutch students and have fewer opportunities to earn extra money. As a result, their financial situation is more vulnerable. And when they fall ...

So I went looking for a solution. What followed was a journey through rules, procedures and responsibilities. Understanding everywhere, solutions nowhere. From legal restrictions to the fear of setting a precedent. I saw all kinds of arguments come up. But in the meantime, the students were still left with the problem.

Thanks to the freedom our university fund has, we were able to set up the Student Emergency Fund. Yet there have recently been situations in which even that was not enough. As a last resort, we launched a crowdfunding campaign. And then something happened that all rules and procedures had failed to achieve.

Because who did step up to help these students? Fellow students, alumni, colleagues and even people from far beyond our campus. They saw fellow human beings in need and helped. No questions asked. No conditions attached. It was that simple.

I will never forget the relief of these international students. Their future was open to them again. For them, it meant having the chance to complete their studies and build a better life.

At moments like these, I realize two things. First, how wonderful it is that our TU/e community is there for one another. And second, what a shame it is that it is necessary.

The Student Emergency Fund is an emergency solution. In an ideal world, it would not be necessary and would disappear today. That would probably mean my job would disappear with it. But that seems far less problematic to me, than a world in which students have nowhere to turn when they get into trouble through no fault of their own.

Edith Snelders is head of office for Alumni Relations and University Fund Eindhoven. The views expressed in this column are her own.

This column was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor and the author.