CIROS Newsletter – September 2020
Welcome, and welcome back, everyone!
Whether you’re physically in the Hague, or will be tuning in to lectures from abroad, we hope you have had a relaxing couple of summer months and are ready to take on this new year!
? A quick welcome from CIROS President Esther
“Hello there! I’m Esther and I’m this year’s president of CIROS. I hope that you had a wonderful summer, and that you feel ready to take on what is ahead of you in the new academic year.
For some of us this is our last years, and for others this is were the fun and headache begins for the very first time. Throughout the past months CIROS has taken over my life, but I have enjoyed every minute of it. I got to do all this with the best board members and committee heads I could have wished for, and I hope that we can make CIROS even better than what it already is in this next academic year.
Most importantly I hope that you will join us on this journey and that you will stay or become a part of this beautiful IRO community. If you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback, please contact us, because we are here for you and hope to make your uni experience even better than it already is.
And with all this being said; I’m looking forward to meeting you and welcome to our CIROS family.” – Esther, CIROS President
✔️ A few reminders:
– CIROS Membership ?
If you are not yet a CIROS member, but would like to be, you can sign up and purchase your membership here.
- We would also like to remind all current members to renew their CIROS membership for the academic year of 2020-2021. You can renew your membership here.
– Committee Applications ✉️
Committee applications are still open until the 10th of September, so if you are interested in joining a CIROS committee, there’s still time!
- For more information on the different committees, as well as links to the application forms, please visit our website.
– 2020/2021 CIROS Advisory Board Applications ✉️
Applications for the 2020/2021 CIROS Advisory Board are open until Wednesday, the 2nd of September!
The new advisory board will consist of 3 members (1 previous board member, 1 previous committee head, and 1 previous commissioner). If you were in any of these positions last year, and are interested in applying for a position on the advisory board, you can apply here.
? and announcements:
– Kaafi Partnership* ☕
We are very happy to announce our new partnership with Kaafi!
Starting today (01.09.2020), CIROS members will get their most expensive drink order for free, if they also ordered food from the kitchen. Periodically, there will also be special food and/or drink specialites on offer exclusively for CIROS members.
CIROS members will also recieve priority when reserving working spaces for large groups, as well as the possibility to attend special coffee-related workshops, training, and seminars at Kaafi.
– CIROS COVID-19 Buddy Network ?
CIROS is introducing a special community initiative for these unprecedented times.
- Are you in self-isolation and need assistance with groceries?or
- Do you want to help out a fellow student in quarentine?
Then sign up for the CIROS COVID-19 Buddy Network here!
– First General Assembly of the year ?️
The first CIROS General Assembly (GA) will be held on the 30th of September. At GAs, CIROS members have the opportunity to vote on changes to the policy manual, propose new clubs or activities to the board, voice their concerns, or otherwise partake in helping to shape the organization.
You will receive more detailed information about the GA soon, so keep an eye on your email!
– The Alumni Newsletter ?
We are launching an all new alumni newsletter as our first step in creating a lasting connection with IRO alumni as they finish their bachelor studies and move on to pursue further education or take up employment.
So if you are a IRO alumnus, and want to keep in touch with the university and CIROS, you can sign up here.
The International Relations and Organizations Community (IROC) month is the flagship project of the CIROS First Years Committee, in collaboration with your study advisors.
Throughout September, CIROS offers a variety of events and activities to introduce the wonderful IRO and CIROS community to you.
We are very happy to announce that this year we will still be able to offer you a whole month of fun activities, albeit a little different from previous years.
? A message from the new CIROS First Year Committee Head Marta:
“IROC Month 2020 is the one of the biggest events created by CIROS in the first month of university with 11 different activities. From debates, craft nights, yoga or even online parties will take place. With the help of the First Years Committee and in collaboration with other committees in CIROS, both online and in-person activities will be done, so if you are abroad you will also enjoy it! We will like for all first years to participate in a couple of activities to have a little introduction to what is leaving in the Hague and how amazing the IRO Community is. Do not forget to follow CIROS on social media on Instagram and Facebook for more information on the upcoming events. I am really excited to meet you all!” – Marta, First Year Committee Head
? IROC Month 2020 Event Overview
? For more information on IROC month and all the events, check out our interactive calender.
❗ Due to recent changes to university measures regarding events, IROC month will be starting one week later than previous years. We are doing our utmost to still offer all the events we have been planning, and will keep you informed on our social media should there be any further changes.
? What will uni life look like in the next months?
You have probably asked yourself this question at least once in the past weeks, and we hope that this quick overview will give you a good indication of what to expect.
⚠️ UPDATE 31/08/2020: Following the discovery of positive COVID-19 cases in the first year of IRO, as well as reports of social distancing measures not being upheld by students in all years, the university has decided to suspend all physical education in the upcoming week (31.08 – 04.09). For more information please check your umail accounts.
First Year Students:
The start of uni can be stressful and confusing, even during non-pandemic times, and Leiden University is doing the best they can to accomodate your needs and give you a good introduction to your lectures, classmates and the university campus. This is why there are some differences to the measures for first years, as opposed to second or third year IRO students.
- First year students will be having some physical classes! The university is aiming to be able to provide you with one quarter of your normal contact hours on campus. This could be in the form of tutorials or small workgroups. However, you do not need to be in the Hague to start the programme. The university is naturally accomodating students who cannot attend physically too.
- The remaining classes will be held in an online environment. Continuing on from the last academic year, Leiden University will be using online facilities such as Kaltura, Microsoft Teams, and Brightspace.❗ For more information, as well as the latest updates from Leiden University, please check out their updates page, as well as the Campus Protocol
Second & Third Year Students
Although we are already more accustomed to the university and the IRO programme, there are naturally many questions about what our education will be like in the upcoming months.
- There will be no physical classes for second and third year students!Currently the university is unable to provide physical classes for second and third year students, and all lectures and workgroups in the first semester will be online.
- The university will be using the same facilities as in the past academic year, namely: Kaltura, Microsoft Teams, and Brightspace.❗ For more information, as well as the latest updates from Leiden University, please check out their updates page, as well as the Campus Protocol
?️ All Returning Students ❗
We ask all students to please respect the measures put in place by the university, as well as the Dutch government. It is especially important to note that students returning to the Hague from regions labeled as ‘orange’ or ‘red’ are strongly advised to follow a 10 day quarentine period.
✈️ For the latest information regarding travel information, please visit this website.
❗ It is important to note that this is a constantly developing situation, and that these decisions can change at any time. Please stay up to date on regulations set by the Dutch government, as well as by Leiden University.
And that’s all from us for now!
Hopefully we have been able to answer your questions about COVID-19 measures at Leiden uni, and perhaps also interest you in the upcoming IROC month.
❓ If you have any more questions, please do not hestitate to reach out and contact us at info@cirosthehague.com.
- Once we have the all clear from university, we will also be having office hours from 11AM to 3PM at the CIROS office on the 3rd level of the Beehive again.
We wish you all a successfull start to the new year, and hopefully we will see many of you at our IROC month events!
On behalf of CIROS,
Ben B-Millington
CIROS Secretary
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