The 3rd en 4th R like in BoRRel!
The annual ‘Wervingsdagen’ a.k.a. ‘Bedrijvendagen’ are on their way again and on Sept. 29 we are invited to join the kick-off borrel with some free bees (ouch! do they sting?). Checking their website proves that there will be gratis drank and they also promise us a significant amount of free beer! Clear case now: although these recruitment days are targeted at all TU/e graduates this invitation seems to be addressed primarily to the (male) locals who of course will traditionally enjoy the free beer! And what about other large groups in our community? Will they feel attracted to join and enjoy the free beers? Not so sure.
In my previous columns I dealt with the 1st recommendation ‘Recognizing cultural differences’ and the 2nd one about ‘Respecting cultural differences’, and possibly accepting and appreciating them. The 3rd R is about ‘Reconciling cultural differences’ i.e. developing best practices and creating win-win situations by bringing the best from both worlds, yours and mine, into a new culture where values on both sides will be recognized, respected and reconciled. The 4th R recommends to root these best practices into some reporting or procedure after they’ve been realized. So that they don’t get lost and others can profit from them by repeating and reproducing them.
Back to our BoRRel… not so sure values, norms and practices are being Reconciled and a win-win situation Realized here. This typically Dutch borrel-tradition may indeed not appeal to many in our community. Gender, nationality, religion or other beliefs, origins and orientations are not recognized nor respected. Who is holding those beer bottles? Touché, white male hands! It would be about time to realize our community is about diversity. As we all want to keep talent in the Brainport region, let’s start here with inclusion and develop some sense of community at TU/e.
In my next columns I will make suggestions on how to further develop our community on campus, so start looking around you!
Discussion