INSIDE THIS ISSUE

The Academic Affairs Committee 1

EDITORIALGoodbye from the Editor 1

JACOBS LIFEUSG Recap 2014 3

African Heritage Weekend 4

Sports Section 5

OUTSIDE THE BUBBLEWorld Headlines 6

Ukraines Peace Deal 6

The Ukraine Crisis Timeline 7

Revisiting the Rwanda Genocide 9

FOOD FOR THOUGHTLUST: A Poem 10

Majors for Sale 10

Price Says Goodbye to Counseling 11

Find Us on Facebook or Catch Up at www.pulseoftheworld.com

WORLDJacobs University Student Newspaper Since 2004

thePULSEOF THE

Issue 35 Wednesday May 21, 2014

Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know. JIM ROHN

On Wednesday, April 9, the Acade-mic Affairs Committee of the USG (AAC) held their second meeting with the Deans. Main purpose of the meeting was the exchange of information and views with regards to the change process Ja-cobs University has entered.

FOCUS AREASThe first point on the agenda was the

new focus areas of the university: health, mobility, diversity. The committee mem-bers asked for clarification on the intro-duced foci as the reception and respon-ses on the students and staffs side were ambiguous. The Deans elaborated that the three focus areas will guide future research and education at large but that the exact implications are presently not obvious in their full entity. What is clear is that one major will be assigned to each of the three focus areas. However, the Deans underlined that Jacobs will remain

a full, research-driven university and will be challenged to find the equilibrium bet-ween breadth of its programs and the fo-cus areas.

MAJOR CATALOGUEThe next point addressed the major

catalogue of the university. The Deans explained that the existence of ca. 15 programs is the benchmark for the future and that the number of current majors will thus have to be reduced. However, incoming students of Fall 2014 (class of 2017) will not be affected by this change. Which majors will be merged and which will be cancelled is not yet known, and the income and expenses of the different programs will need to be assessed, they added. The university could not operate effectively with the current number of programs, given that a few courses are only taken by a handful of students, and needs to specialize. Prof. Unger empha-sized the importance of empirical input for the decision regarding the majors of-fered in the catalogue, which should lead to concrete suggestions for the change teams.

FACULTY DEVELOPMENTA main concern was the faculty develop-

Rolling StoneMeeting of Academic Affairs Committee and the Deans

by Lisa-Marlen Gronemeier Integrated Cultural Studies 2015, Germany

ICFT WinnersPAGE 05

The Ukraine Crisis: A Timeline

PAGE 07

Goodbye from the Editor

DEAR POTW READERS,As the academic year comes to an end, as

does my last year at Jacobs making this my last POTW issue. Therefore, I am especially happy to present this issue to you. In it you will find pieces addressing the recent changes in majors threatening the future of certain programs and careers of members of the Jacobs community. Additionally, recaps of recent campus events and sports tournaments are presented here.

In the Outside the Bubble section updates on the situation in Ukraine are brought to you, as well as a visit to where Rwanda is today years after the genocide.

We then bid farewell to a member of the counseling center as she touches upon the cru-cial issue of students mental health in the Food for Thought section.

Before I leave, I would like to stress my ap-preciation for the POTW teams and writers hard work and dedication. We are at a crucial time here at Jacobs in which the importance of platforms for our voices is multiplied. This newspaper exists for every individual member of the Jacobs community to say and share what matter to and concerns them.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to name one person without whose support and love for this newspaper I would not have survived and that is: Lisa-Marlen Gronemeier. Because of this, as well as her strong journali-stic ability, I am happy to name Lisa as the new Editor-in-Chief of the POTW. I have no doubt she will do it justice.

Have great summer! And to my fellow gradu-ating class: I wish you the best of luck!

Happy reading!

BEST REGARDS, NADINE EL-NABLI

Majors For SalePAGE 10

02 Jacobs Life

ment. In the light of financial challenges and the fight for survival of some majors, the question arises if professors might feel incentives to leave and how the hi-ring process for new faculty will develop. The Deans assured the AAC that the lea-ving of professors was a perfectly natural process and that the hiring of professors will depend on the inauguration of new programs and the need for replacement of leaving professors. The professors sta-ted that a clearer calculation of costs and incomes of faculty would be necessary as the hiring process will be heavily guided by the financial constraints. Furthermore, the Deans do not expect that faculty con-tracts will be immediately affected, while conceding that the general atmosphere might stipulate professors to leave. The usual hiring system, however, would not be disrupted and would remain a long-term process.

MODULAR STRUCTURE AND SUMMER SCHOOL

The last issue to be discussed was spe-cific topics the Academic Programs & Re-search Change Team is currently dealing with. Regarding the modular structure whose implementation is planned for 2015, the Deans asserted that the facili-tation of accreditations and recruitment of students were the incentives to change the structure. Prof. Nau explained that future students could be provided with considerable advantages through the modularization, and that new programs could be well staffed by comparison with other programs. However, the Deans raised concerns regarding the implemen-tation of the new system which would exist parallel to the present one: The reta-king of courses might for instance become a problem; independent study courses or make-up exams would constitute a solu-

tion. Whereas the Deans see the need for the clarification of a number of the de-tails of the new structure and are aware of the challenges the transition will crea-te, they emphasized that they are willing to resolve upcoming issues. As the tran-sition from one institutional structure to the next takes a long time, room for input is given. A further aspect is that the Sum-mer School program will be strengthened to attract potential applicants and will give the participants a first insight into campus life and academics at Jacobs.

SHARED VIEWSThe Deans not only provided the AAC

with information about the different fa-cets of the change process but also shared their personal feelings in the current si-tuation: What about the well-being of the faculty? The Deans concurred in the view that the faculty experiences uncer-tainty, insecurity and impatience during the ongoing change process, being occu-pied with gnawing questions like Will the university keep its spirit? and Will the composition of the student body change? Nevertheless, they are aware that the change is necessary as money matters and as the universitys financi-al supporters expect serious change. The Deans jointly hope that the changes will not be too huge, that the communication does not cease and that Jacobs remains our university.

Hanna Smidt as member of the Acade-mic Programs & Research change team expressed that she feels involved in the process and that her contributions are ta-ken serious. Thus, she encourages every-one who would like to give input to the change team to approach her with their concerns or ideas.

DIALOGUE FORUM: NEW PATHS IN ACADEMIA

On May 6, President Windt invited to a dialogue forum on the recent decisions made within the change process.

The main points outlined were the di-vision of departments into six academic units according to the three focus areas (health, mobility and diversity) which will be approached from the perspec-tive of technology & innovation, social context and business. The new structure and three flagship majors (Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Intel-ligent Mobile Systems, Psychology) are attempts to enhance Jacobs Universitys profile and academic reputation and make the universitys study program portfolio economically viable. Existing

research centers will thus be combined or closed. IMS (Information Management and Systems), ICS (Integrated Cultural Studies) and EECS (Electrical Enginee-ring and Computer Science) will be dis-continued whilst guaranteeing all current students to graduate with the program degree. BTE (Biotechnology), CPN (Cog-nitive Psychology and Neuroscience, and IRB (Intercultural Relations and Behavi-or) will be closed partly and merged with other existing programs. IES (Integrated Environmental Studies) will be merged with ESS (Earth and Space Sciences) and Math with Applied and Computational Math. Global Humanities will only be of-fered in modules.

Many students take a critical stance on the combination of programs as they are unsure about their compatibility and ap-prehend the combined programs broad-ness. Besides, it remained unclear how the university will ensure the preserva-tion of stable faculty for the Humanities modules. As personnel reductions will be implemented in both academia and administration starting from 2014, the presidents claim that the change process will not affect currently enrolled students was questioned. If professors are already leaving due to the imminent changes, how can the quality or offering of courses be guaranteed?

Moreover, Prof. Windt informed the students that all existing Master pro-grams will be closed, while enrolled gra-duate students and newly admitted ones are permitted to finish their degrees, and new ones will be developed according to the three foci and efficiency, sustaina-bility, and attractiveness, i.e. academic excellence and relevance for market de-mands (presentation slides Dialogue Fo-rum).

Faculty is encouraged to increasingly engage in transfer projects with industry partners to make a strong contribution to a sustainable future. Faculty will thus play a major role in facilitating exchange between industry and the university.

The new structure of Jacobs University will certainly bring about a substantial transformation in the field of academia: chances are that the focus groups will add to the universitys proliferation and that the emphasis on industry collaboration will pull Jacobs out of the swamp of fi-nancial perilousness.

On the other hand, it is quite clear that Jacobs character will be fundamentally altered by the change process and that a different cohort of students will be targe-ted and attracted.

DeansProfessor LerchlProfessor Unger,Professor Henkel

Professor Nau (present for 15 minutes)Professor Wilhelm (present from minute 10 onward)

Academic Affairs Committe (USG)Yohana Tesfamariam (Co-Chair)

Natia Murusidze (Co-Chair)Benedikt van den Boom

Nana GurgenidzeFranziska Neumann

Uillred DalltoMatthias Aengenheyster (could not be present)

Change Team MemberHanna Smidt

03Jacobs Life: USG 101

MEET THE STAFF

Editor-In-ChiefNadine El-Nabli

Section EditorsLisa-Marlen GronemeierBeenish WarisEmre Yildiz

Copy EditorsHelena GellersonPaola SolimenaLorna Schuette

Layout DesignerCiara MulvaneyThis academic year has seen incis-ive change: change in leadership,

change in the university structure, change in campus and academic life. As represen-tative of the student body, the Undergra-duate Student Government (USG) was in the midst of the high and low tides Ja-cobs University faced, trying to shape the processes according to student interest. Sizeable achievements could be made in the course of the year. However, students did not always feel represented and inclu-ded in the work of the USG and criticized its internal structure and its opacity. As a response, the USG is now challenged to change itself.

ROOM INSPECTION WAIVER During the orientation week that took

place in Fall 2013 students learned that they would be signing a new housing con-tract. Jacobs students were upset over the newly included room inspection clause that was unilaterally included by the Ja-cobs administration over Summer 2013. The USG secured a waiver of the enforce-ment of the inspection clause for the dura-tion of the 2013-2014 academic year.

A COMMON SENSE ALCOHOL POLICYDuring the orientation week that took

place in Fall 2013 students heard talk of the administrations desire to implement an alcohol policy that would ban campus-wide alcohol consumption. Jacobs stu-dents were upset over the lack of clarity surrounding the policy and over the fact that a campus-wide ban was even being contemplated. The USG took part in po-licy-making negotiations that ultimately concluded with a common sense alcohol policy designed to protect minors and promote responsible drinking.

SUPPORTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MUSICLAB

The USG has been a key partner in the

creation of our new OtherSide/Music-Lab establishment. The new location of the OtherSide helps eliminate concerns of noise complaints for the universitys neighbors, while providing students with an improved partying environment. Fur-thermore, the MusicLab will be hub on-campus for campus musicians that sup-ports the creation process of fully polished pieces, or just a late-night jam session. The USG provided 8,000 euros of funding support, and continues to demonstrate its dedication towards the success of this pro-ject.

ON-TIME RELEASE OF EXAM SCHEDULE:During years past the examination sche-

dule was routinely released late. The USG understands that ticket prices for travel plans increase as the time to win-ter or summer break decreases. The USG thus worked with the Registrars office to quicken this process and will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that stu-dents have their exam schedule as early as possible.

PUSHING FOR INCREASED ADMIN TRANSPARENCY

The University administration is not the most typically transparent organization known to man. However, throughout the even present turmoil in RLH, the USG has started to get the message across that more transparency is necessary for the normal functioning of Jacobs University. Steps are being taken from both sides to increase this transparency including Kat-ja Windts community address (that can-celed class so all students could attend) and newsletters that provide updates on the current state of affairs at Jacobs Uni-versity.

A FAIR SCHOLARSHIP POLICYDuring the middle of the Fall Semester

the University learned about a new Schol-arship policy thats most significant effect would have been its increase in the GPA requirement necessary to retain a scholar-ship. This was troubling due to the policys untimely announcement before midterms, but it also broke an implicit contract scho-larship holders made with Jacobs. The USG was able to quickly navigate the ad-ministrative dynamics of academic policy to ensure that this policy does not apply to currently enrolled students.

USG Caught Doing SomethingA Progress Report of the Academic Year

by Bradley LeatherwoodInformation Management Systems 2014, USA

by Lisa Marlen-GronemeierIntegrated Cultural Studies 2015, Ger-many

by Leonie Reese International Politics and History 2015, Germany

CONSTITUTION CHANGE The USG has announced the final stage

of a new constitution proposal that is to be voted on before the end of the current semester. The change makers of the USG, six elected parliamentarians, have been working towards a constitutional reform for the past two semesters and the motion to vote has been put forward on Sunday, April 27. The USG parliamentarians and the president acknowledge that change is needed and would like to foster more participation of the student body. Main changes of the constitution entail a more realistic workload for each parliamen-tarian and better accountability within the committees. A co-presidency will be introduced and the vice-president will be elected by the student body to achieve a better association between USG and un-dergraduate students. The student court will be more involved and will complete a monthly evaluation of the operations within the student government to ensure its efficiency and keep the students in-formed on a regular basis. The different layers of the governmental process will be disentangled by assigning regular core tasks like agenda setting, decision ma-king, implementation and evaluation to individual actors. With the new task di-vision, a stable workflow and a clear and liable structure will be ensured.

It is everyones hopes that the changes will allow the USG to better deal with both its expected and unexpected busi-ness next year. As the promotion of stu-dent interest is at the core of the USG, it is essential that students keep or regain trust in their representative body and are motivated to get engaged in the change that is yet to come.

04 Jacobs Life

Each year the African, Black and Ca-ribbean Students Association at Jacobs University Bremen organizes the annual African Heritage. The event has a leading objective of raising consciousness about the culture and history of African, Black and Caribbean society. Stephanie Tindjou Nana, from Cameroon was the main organizer of this event that was pre-sented to the student body and surround-ing community of Bremen.

The event started with Isabel and Ruvarashes dramatic speech about the feel of being an African. It was tailed by the various traditional and contemporary performances from the whole of the in-

credibly diverse continent. Songs, dances, plays, fa-shion show, ins-pirational and his-torical speeches were contained within in the per-formances. During the intermissi-on the audience had the chance to look through and purchase African traditio-nal clothing and items, were served traditional Ethiopian coffee, and had ac-cess to a make your own jewelry booth which was to their liking.The engaging performances were followed by the exqui-site dinner that was catered by Mommies corner, an African restaurant in Bremen. The pre-party was held in college Nord-metall which was followed by the after party in The Other Side. Overall, the event met its goal of raising awareness and was pleasurable to both the audience and performers.

Finally yet importantly, the African, Black and Caribbean Society at Jacobs University Bremen would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to the organizing team (especially Ms. Tindjou Nana) for all their determination and diligence to make the event a success. The society sincerely hopes the experience carries on in the forthcoming years despite the declining number of African and Caribbean students in the university.

African Heritage WeekendA Recap of the Festivities

by Haleluya Tesfaye WamiBiotechnology 2015, Ethiopia

I am an African; not because I was born there, but because my heart beats with Africas. I am an African; not because I live on its soil but because my soul is at home, in Africa.

Photo Source Haleluya Tesfaye Wami

05Jacobs Life

The Sports DeskCatch Up on the Latest News and Results

Last Words from Our Captains

In about one month this semesterwill end. You might be happy or a little sad (personally I am super happy). Further-more, the lively world of sports will fin-ish for this season too, and our captains have something to say before they leave for their Summer Break.

Awesome moments of fun. Join us next semester, and it will be even better.STEFAN APPELHOFF & LORNA SCHUT TE

FRISBEE

Keep having fun. That is what matters.AHMAD SAEEDHOCKE Y

This semester we smashed a lot of shut-tles. Come and smash some more with us next year!

TIANMI DONGB ADMINTION Great season. Keep it up next year. HENRIK THOMSEN & TYLER BUCHMAN

MENS B ASKETB ALL

We are looking forward to another great season. Happy and proud to see what we established. Keep the spirit up!

HELENA KREIENSIEK & JULIA HEINZEWOMENS B ASKETB ALL

I t was good in the first semester, but rather disappointing in the second one. Looking forward to a great 2014/2015 school year! Coach needed!

ROBIN SSENYONGARUGBY

We are looking forward to next season and more great additions to our team.

TOM SUBERG & ERIC BEZZAMMENS FOOTB ALL

To a great start and a lasting legacy. Keep it going girls! GABRIELA WIEDERKEHR & JORDIS SCHEIDEGGER

WOMENS FOOTB ALL

[ We are] proud of our teams growth and the increased level of commitment over the past several years. It s wonder-ful to watch a group of people noticeably improve in skill levels, and even more so, become friends outside of the court.

ALYSSA ADCOCK&BOGOMIL PARALCHEV

VOLLE YB ALL

Great people, great sessions, great races and I cannot wait till next semester be-cause we have quite a plan up our sleeve. Race between the Seas, here we come!

SIEGFRIED WEGMANNRUNNING

ASIA EUROPE EUROPE

1ST2ND

3RD

INTERCONTINENTAL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

AMERICAS E. EUROPE W. EUROPE

1ST2ND

3RD

INTERCONTINENTAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

by Darlina MamaqiFoundation Year, Albania

06 Outside the Bubble

World HeadlinesRebels start the evacuation from Homes in Syria

City of Homs became the symbol of op-position to the regime of Bashar al Assad where many Syrian rebels were situated. The evacuation according to a truce sig-ned between the two parties has gone into effect and the fighters and their families have started evacuating the city [The Gu-ardian].

North Korea preparing for a nu-clear test: U.S. researchers

In recent weeks North Korea had threa-tened to perform a nuclear test in protest of what it called hostility from South Ko-rea and the U.S. against its earlier rocket and missile tests. U.S. researchers have detected increased activity on the nuclear site of North Korea which have formed the basis of this speculation [The Indian Express].

Barclays to make major cuts in next three years

Barclays investment bank is set to cut about 19,000 jobs by 2016 in order to combat the slowdown in demand for debt. Barclays will eventually sell or run down 115bn of non-core operations by setting up a bad-bank; which have been used by many financial institutions after the crisis of 2008 [BBC News Business].

New species of dinosaurs disco-vered: Pinocchio rex

In a recent published article scientists through analysis of remains found near Ganzhou, a city in the south of China concluded that another species of tyran-nosaur once existed across Asia some 66 million years ago [Morning Mix].

Monica Lewinsky breaks her si-lence on the affair with Clinton

The former intern, Lewinsky who had an affair with President Bill Clinton has written in The Vanity Fair that she deeply regrets the fling. "Perhaps by sharing my story, I reasoned, I might be able to help others in their darkest moments of humili-ation, she writes. This issue has emerged again in U.S. politics with the possibility that Hillary Clinton might be running as Presidential candidate in the upcoming elections [BBC News].

by Tasia WagnerM.A. International Relations 2015

Tensions in Ukraine continued to rise in the month of April, as more instability spreads into the eastern regi-ons of the country. In an effort to quell the turmoil in the region, talks in Gene-va between Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the EU ended with a peace agreement on April 17th. However, the deal has done little to subdue the conflict. Western allies, especially the United Sta-tes, continue to place economic sanctions on Russia, whose troops are still massed along the Ukrainian border.

What started as a few demonstrators taking over government buildings in the Russian-speaking areas of eastern Ukra-ine has escalated to armed pro-Russian separatist forces occupying cities and cla-shes with the Ukrainian military. At the time of this writing, pro-Russian forces are heavily active in the cities of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Slavyansk, Horlivka and Kostyantynivka.

Although Ukrainian elections are set to be sometime in May, many see the cur-rent interim government in Kiev as ille-gitimate. The ousting of former President Yanukovych in February led to the non-elected Oleksandr Turchinov to gain the position as Interim President. This has led to many Russian-speaking eastern Uk-rainians to call for cession. Yet, while the sentiments for secession are becoming in-creasingly present, unlike Crimea, many are calling for complete independence. In a report done by Independent Television News, one demonstrator called for a re-ferendum in the eastern city of Donetsk stating, I dont want to listen [to] Kiev. I dont want to listen [to] Europe or United States. Thats why.

Earlier this month, Vyacheslav Pono-marchev, a pro-Russian protest leader announced his intentions in a message to Russia, shortly after taking the town of Slavyansk: Dear President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. We ask you to look personally into the current situati-on and help us to the extent possible. In a sign of unity of the two brotherly nations, we will raise the flag of Donetsk Republic next to the flag of the Russian Federati-on (Independent Television News).

Although the peace deal struck on the 17th of April between Ukraine, Russia, the EU and the US hoped to mitigate the situation, pro-Russian forces in the eas-tern regions have refused to disarm. The interim government in Kiev is left with two choices: send more Ukrainian troops to eastern Ukraine possibly causing more people to join the pro-Russia movement (which the Ukrainian government now calls terrorists) or stay passive and al-low them to take hold over the entire region. In essence, the Ukrainian govern-ments hands are tied.

Meanwhile, the West continues to place focused economic sanctions targeting high-level Russian officials and compa-nies. At a press conference held in the Philippines on April 28th, US President Barack Obama assured the global com-munity that the US will continue to use economic and institutional mechanisms to deal with conflicts although that may not always be sexy (Washington Post). However, that may only stand as long as the Russian troops massed along the Ukrainian border stay within their own territory.

Crisis in Ukraine Moves EastTied Hands, Finger-wagging, & a Shaky Peace Deal

Photo Source DNA India

07Outside the Bubble

by Tasia WagnerM.A. International Relations 2015, Germany

1991: Ukraine gains independence from USSR, after a nationwide referendum

November 2004: Orange Revolution begins due to allegations of corrupt presidential elections that named pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovych the winner. Supreme Court calls for a new election.

December 2004: Opposition candidate Viktor Yuschenko is successful in new election. Yanukovych resigns.

2010:Viktor Yanukovych wins presi-dential election. Former Prime Minis-ter Yulia Tymoshenko arrested (& later jailed in 2011) for charges of corrupti-on.

November 2013: Yanukovychs cabinet announces it will increase cooperation with Russia and abandon its trade ag-reement talks with the EU. An estima-ted 100,000 protestors demonstrate in Kiev.

December 2013: Demonstrations grow larger, with protestors setting up va-rious tent cities in Independence Square and around Kievs city hall. Lar-gest demonstration estimated 800,000 people in attendance. Protestors begin to clash with police. Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Ukrainian President Yanukovych. Meeting ends with agreement that Russia will not only decrease the cost of its natural gas for Ukraine, but also buy $15 billion of Ukraines debt.

January 2014: Clashes between protes-tors and police become deadly. Three protestors die, including high-profile activist Yuriy Verbytsky. In Western Uk-raine, protestors seize regional govern-ment offices. Ukrainian government of-fers amnesty for arrested protestors in return for seized government buildings. USA threatens sanctions.

February 2014: Anti-government pro-tests continue & clashes between police and protestors increasingly escalate in

violence.

20 February 2014: Kievs bloodiest day of violence since WWII, with over 80 casualties in less than 48 hours. Vi-deo footage taken by protestors show government snipers on rooftops shoo-ting civilian protestors.

21 February 2014: An EU-mediated deal of compromise is made between Yanu-kovych and opposition leaders. Agree-ment is set to hold early elections and form a new government.

22 February 2014: Yanukovych flees to Russia and protestors take control of president administration buildings. Former Ukrainian President Yulia Ty-moshenko released from jail and speaks to demonstrators in Kiev.

23 February 2014: Oleksandr Turchi-nov, an ally of Tymoshenko, gets assi-gned presidential powers by Ukrainian parliament.

26 February 2014: Russia places 150,000 troops on high alert.

27 February 2014: Armed militants sei-ze two airports as well as government buildings in Crimeas capital and raise the Russian flag. Ousted Yanukovych holds news conference in Russia and insists he is still President of Ukraine.

28 February 2014: An emergency ses-sion about the situation of security in Crimea is held by the UN Security Council.

1 March 2014: Putin gets approval from Russian parliament to invade Crimea. Pro-Russian rallies spread throughout Eastern Ukraine.

2 March 2014: Russian troops overtake the Crimean capital. Ukraines interim Prime Minister, Arseny Yatsenyuk, calls Russias actions a declaration of war.

4 March 2014: Putin warns that Russia will use any means necessary to secu-re the citizens of eastern Ukraine from Ukrainian military forces.

6 March 2014: Parliament of Crimea announces it plans on joining Russia, referendum to be held on the 16th of March.

8 March 2014: Russian Foreign Minis-ter Lavrov issues statement rejecting re-sponsibility for the situation in Crimea.

11 March 2014: Regional parliament of Crimea votes in a declaration of separa-tion from Ukraine. EU offers trade in-centives to support Ukrainian economy.

12 March 2014: Interim Prime Minister Yatsenyuk meets with Obama in Wa-shington, DC.

15 March 2014: Russia uses veto-power during a UN Security Council meeting that criticizing the secession of Crimea.

16 March 2014: Referendum is held, showing overwhelming support for secession (more than 90%).

17 March 2014: Travel bans to the US and EU is issued to Russian officials.

18 March 2014: Crimea is officially ab-sorbed into Russia

20 March 2014: US extend sanctions on Russia. EU leaders meet and of-ficially condemn Russias annexation of Crimea.

24 March 2014: Ukrainian troops with-draw from Crimea. Russia denied par-ticipation in G7 summit.

27 March 2014: Resolution passed through the UN General Assembly re-jects Russian annexation of Crimea.

28 March 2014: US President Barack Obama calls for Russian troops to with-draw from the border to Ukraine.

31 March 2014: Russian Prime Minister Medvedev visits Crimea. Troops parti-ally withdraw from Ukraines southern border.

A Recap of the Crisis in UkraineA Timeline

08 Outside the Bubble

09Outside the Bubble

The Rwanda Genocide20 Years Later

by Helena KreiensiekInternational Politics and History 2014,Germany

Not to transmit an experience is to betray it.

ELIE WIESEL

What a thought: Only twenty years ago a chain reaction of misguided politics, accumulated an-ger, repression and discrimination led to one of the worlds most brutal genocides in history.

On April 7, 2014 survivors, bystan-ders, rescuers, and perpetrators all came together at the 20th anniversa-ry of the Rwandan genocide in Kigali, Rwanda. President Paul Kagame and UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon lit a flame at the Kigali genocide memo-rial centre to mourn the horrors of the past and to reaffirm the commit-ment to the idea of "never again.

Located in central-east Africa Rwanda came to dubious fame when the country descended into genocide in 1994. Within approximately 100 days between 800 000 and one mil-lion Tutsi and moderate Hutu lost their lives by the Interahamwe, ext-remist Hutu militias. Overnight fami-

lies related through mixed marriages and neighbors turned against each other.

What are the politics and psycho-logy behind the capability of perfor-ming atrocities in the manner done in Rwanda? Some argue that the continuous economic deterioration and the increasing inequalities were the main causes of the genocide; fueling the resentment with which Hutu extremists within Rwandas political elite blamed the Tutsi mi-nority population for the countrys increasing social, economic, and po-litical pressures. Others argue that demographic pressure and resource distribution conflicts fueled hatred amongst the population. Combined with frustration due to a socially and culturally oppressive rural environ-ment this led to the unleashing of fa-tal forces, in which Hutu extremists launched their plans to destroy the entire Tutsi civilian population.

Probably the case of Rwanda is amongst the most complex and dif-ficult cases in the world to under-stand. Since then, Rwanda has be-come a synonym for genocide. But is this it?

After the 1994 genocide, much of Rwandas politics has focused on reconciliation and coming to terms with the past. It is difficult to pin point the beginning of Rwandas rise but it developed from a war-waging country to a successful haven for eco-nomic investors. Once categorized as the Switzerland of Africa, due to its lush green and numerous mountains, the potential for tourism is given and numbers are increasing as infrastruc-ture is expanding, leading to a gene-ral improvement of living conditions. Access to electricity and running water is being constantly improved, global companies are investing and 20 years after the genocide Rwanda is a member of the Security Council again. Furthermore, the number of universities and schools constantly rose and the country is striving to rebuild its economy. An impressing achievement for a country that was in ruins only two decades ago!

Critics though say that progress has been impeded by the governments authoritarian rule with many govern-ment critics and opposition members being killed. With Human Rights Watch claiming that civil and politi-cal rights are still curtailed, it is obvi-ous that Rwandas path is a difficult and challenging one. Yet, 20 years later, the country has achieved deve-lopments within a short time frame that many would have not expected.

The current economic boom fa-cilitates the reconciliation politics of Paul Kagame. With culprits and victims living side by side the questi-on remains, if reconciliation in terms of forgiveness has really taken place. The 20th anniversary of the Rwan-dan genocide and its commemorati-on once again serves as a reminder of the horrors of the past. Never to be forgotten, never to be repeated.

Photo Source The Little Market

10 Food For Thought

by Anonymous

My soul is burning

It needs water Ice Freezing cold

Or perhaps I should simply just throw it into an ice-hole

I am sure my soul would love that

Though I guess for now it will have to be pleased with the cold shower

The cold stream will wash away the dirt

At least for a second my soul will feel pure and innocent

Like a virgin

Pretending to be a virgin

Like this hooker in the book 100 strokes of the brush before bed, where she brushes her messy hair numerous times, hoping to get rid of her sins

Of her lust

My soul would also like to brush its hair like that

But it doesnt have hair

The passion is unbearable

The desire is dragging it into fla-mes

And against all its principles and convictions

It KNOWS it will commit a SINAn unforgivable one

But it cannot stop

Not today

Its burning

LUSTby Emre YildizInternational Politics and History 2015, Germany

"The program in International Politics and History (IPH) probes the found-ations of international politics in terms of institutions, processes, and ideologies. (...) The modules combine political and social science perspectives with a historical ap-proach to international problems in the past and present. This was the description of IPH that I had incorporated in my essay I chose to write for my Jacobs application. The question then was why I am interested in the major I am applying for. I remember perfectly how I was very keen to connect Politics and History to make a convincing argument. "History and International Po-litics belong together as Chemistry and laboratory do, I wrote. You cannot study Politics without History, or History without Politics, I believed. To understand cur-rent politics you have to look at the past, I argued. Jacobs University was offering a major so cleverly thought out in its compo-nents and unique in its combination that I would regard majors of other universities as one-sided and incomplete. On May 6, 2014, the leadership announced that International Politics and History will be replaced by In-ternational Politics and Relations. At least in its name and outer appearance the major will not include History anymore. As a stu-dent of this major I am posing and delibera-ting on two questions in this article.

The first one is: If the content of the ma-jor stays the same, why change the name of the major then? One possible answer is the attraction that majors are supposed to carry with their names. The aim is to give majors innovative, unique and very interes-ting names to attract prospective students and applicants in the best possible way. Na-ming majors thus becomes a matter of mar-keting. The content seems to take a backse-at. Having a closer look at the IPH-program reveals that there are mandatory courses such as Public Policy and Management or Introduction to Economics included. Despi-te them being relevant for students of Po-litics, they are not mirrored by the majors name. International Politics and History just sounds better than just Politics and Administration; Global Humanities simply sounds more attractive than Religious Stu-dies, History and Philosophy; as does Glo-bal Economics and Management compared to just Economics.

This leads us to the second question: Are we using academic majors as a tool for mar-keting? Besides promoting diversity and life

on an international campus, our universi-ty markets itself with academic majors as well. Jacobs University makes intense ef-forts to attract a broader pool of prospec-tive students, especially those who freshly finished their high school. Due to intense pressure to perform above average did not find a slack period to think about whether they should opt for Biology or Chemistry. "Why not choose Biochemistry and Cell Bio-logy? asks Jacobs University and seems to provide a solution to the students dilemma. "Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience is what Jacobs University suggests to a pro-spective student who racks his/her brain about whether to study Psychology at the University of Maastricht or Neuroscience at the University of Heidelberg. By indica-ting connections and putting them into a broader context, names of majors at Jacobs University carry out their marketing missi-on to stand out from other majors at other universities. Along with this comes the need to adapt names to trends and new social tendencies. Broader society teaches people that philosophy will lead them to become unemployable. Therefore, Jacobs University will probably not mention philosophy in a majors title or maybe not include it in pro-grams at all seeing as prospective students already come in with this preconception.

This change points to two more aspects. Firstly, prospective students should not take transdisciplinarity reflected by major titles too seriously, as I did when I was applying for the IPH program. The names of majors and their supposed connections are arbitra-rily designed and are subject not to real aca-demic interconnectedness but to marketing effectiveness. International Politics and Re-lations will be named as it will be, because it is expected to attract a greater number of students, even if it continues to contain history, economics and public policy. This means that if, in ten years, public policy and administration becomes more popular and demanded, the majors name will change again.

Secondly, it points to the observation that our university, sadly, goes with the flow. So-cial trend matters and determine the names of majors. The university designs academic programs and their names according to ef-fective marketing. As a result certain ma-jors, which do not receive extensive popu-larity, disappear from titles and confirms to be not "in anymore. For future applicants, however, it is certainly advisable to write like I naively did when I - speaking from strong conviction - was making a case for Politics and History standing side by side.

Majors For Sale!

11Food For Thought

by Jessica PriceCounseling Center & Krupp College Master

Have you ever heard the saying: days are long, but years are short? I guess, for me, this would encapsulate perfectly the feeling about my experience of working six years as a psychological counselor here at Ja-cobs University. It would be fair to say that I had sometimes the longest days (meeting six to seven students in back-to-back one hour appointments during the course of one after-noon, starting at noon!) but somehow these years on-campus went by very quickly, and given that, as of June 2014, I will leave the counselor position, this is for me, a moment of reflection that I want to share with the Ja-cobs community.

It still bugs my mind how different the Ja-cobs University that we know now is from the International University Bremen (IUB) that I came to know in 2004!I, like some of my col-leagues and friends, came here for a gradua-te program, and thought that after two years, I would head back home or elsewhere. It was surprising for me to experience that back then- IUB offered so many opportunities for those of us who would come with a good idea, or a proposal to do something different in an environment that appeared to me ex-ceptionally democratic (everything was up for discussion!) and incredibly open to con-tribution. The feeling was shared: IUB was a lab of ideas and people coming from every-where but it was still in the shaping. so there was almost an urgency for developing, creating, innovating and of course, bringing internationality to the forefront. So you get the point, IUB was INTENSE in bold and ca-pital letters! I fell in love with the place, and decided to stay. Luckily for me, I began my PhD in 2007 and soon was able to also start working as a counselor at the Counseling Center (before coming to Bremen, I had previous clinical experience and a Masters in Counseling under my arm). My colleagues back then, Frank Haber (who is still around) and Amina Oezelsel, were always trying to reach out to students in creative ways, and all kinds of initiatives started and were sup-ported over a long period of time: week-long awareness campaigns, intercultural need- as-sessment surveys; experts from outside were brought to offer trainings and there was even room for students to come and suggest activi-ties and events!

Business as Usual in the Counseling Center

To the question that I was asked so many times: Do we really need a counseling cen-

ter on campus? I said then, as I say now: ABSOLUTELY! I can tell you that if it wasnt for the work of the counseling center, many students would simply have not graduated. In fact, many students would have not re-ceived psychological treatment at crucial and critical moments of their lives, since, in many cases, treatment was not an option in their home countries, which means, in the long run, their lives were also saved. I am not exaggerating here.

The three of us, Frank, Angelika (who joined the counseling center in 2008) and I, have seen almost everything: going from home sickness, adjustment issues, to pro-crastination tendencies, to anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-com-pulsive and eating disorders, trauma, bor-derline personality disorder, delusional and psychotic states.

People in general have a hard time belie-ving that these more severe conditions can be part of everyday business of a student counseling center. They are wrong and in-ternational data proves it: according to the World Health Organization, mental health issues affect one out of four people at some point in time in Europe, and nine of the ten countries with the highest rates of suicide are in Europe (see: http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/noncommunicable-di-seases/mental-health). Furthermore, appro-ximately three quarters of lifetime mental disorders have first onset by age 24 (Kessler et al. 2005), which indicates that there is a large number of students who struggle with difficult symptoms before that age, which are precisely their university years.

As we also know, international students are a population particularly vulnerable to a high degree of stressors that can prompt psy-chological crisis: varying degrees of culture shock, transition from one academic system to another; a change of identity; financial burdens and last but not least, communica-ting in a second or third language! (source: National Union of Students, UK).

We know the data and we have seen the cases, and yet, some people still have a hard time believing it! Why would this be the case? According to Eisenberg et al. (2009), the stigma associated with mental illness has been a typical barrier towards people see-king and acknowledging the importance of psychological treatment. More concretely, public stigma can be defined as negative stereotypes and prejudice around mental ill-ness, and, as the authors point out, percei-

ved public stigma (a persons perception of public stigma) may hinder individuals from using mental health services in order to avo-id criticism or discrimination from others. Drawing from this discussion, I would theo-rize that ideas of public stigma not only im-pact on students who may need to seek psy-chological services, but also on individuals who diminish the importance and value of psychological services on our campus. Inde-ed, recognizing the need for mental health provisions is framed by some as pointing to a failure or problem in the system, going as far as suggesting that something is wrong with our students. Again, these individuals frame the provision of a mental health servi-ces as a stigma, and promote stereotypes that have a negative impact on both the students who could seek those services as well as pro-mote discourses that place risk on resources allocated to the provision of mental health services on our campus.

I feel that we, as educators, have a respon-sibility in reducing the public stigma con-cerning the need for mental health services and particularly in times of change, student and psychological services need to be sup-ported and regarded as strong structures that can only assure that we all better navigate a tough transition like the one our University is experiencing at the moment. Students also have the responsibility to be alert to these changes and demand the benefit of these provisions. Its for their own good. Many stu-dents who have tried to seek psychological support off-campus know what I am talking about: it takes weeks before they can get an appointment with an English (or Spanish, or French) speaking therapist, if they are lucky to find one at all!

In spite of the challenges mentioned abo-ve, my decision of leaving the position has more to do with personal projects and career development than with anything else. I am confident that those who stay will continue to promote and protect a space for mental health support on our campus, and, as sugge-sted above, they could use the support of in-volved students! I wish you all the very best! Finally, I want to thank those who stood by me and supported my work as a counselor all these years, starting with Angelika, Frank and Amina; Larissa Bannert; Margrit Schrei-er, and some super involved College Masters, faculty and staff members. To all of you: I dont say Adios, I say only Hasta la Vista!

Price Leaves the Counseling Center Saying Goodbye

12 Photography Club Presents: Different Strokes

Disclaimer: This is an indepen-dent newspaper. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors named and are not necessarily those of the Un-dergraduate Student Govern-ment or its individual members

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BY ALESSANDRA BERTONE