Have you ever dealt with bullying? As a victim, perpetrator or witness? Clarissa (she prefers not to have her surname in the paper), a first-year master's student in Healthcare Policy, Innovation and Management from Germany is sitting at a table in the library cafeteria. No, she has never been bullied and has never bullied someone. At least, not on purpose. "Yes I have occasionally laughed along with friends who made jokes about others. I wouldn't do that anymore." In high school, she did see people being bullied because they looked ‘different’. In university, this does not seem to be the case. "I feel like people are gossiping more, but not really bullying. As you get older, differences between people also don't matter as much."
Tim Jendritza, master student in Digital Business and Economics, was never bullied either and hasn't done it himself. "But," he says, "I did change my definition of bullying over the years. At first I thought something was bullying if you hurt someone on purpose. Now I think it's bullying if the victim experiences it that way. You have to choose your words carefully, because some people are more sensitive than others."
Outside on a sidewalk sits a second-year European Law student. The Croatian prefers not to have her name in the newspaper, but talks candidly about her bullying past. "In elementary school, I was bullied. They shouted things at me because I was a little chubbier. At the time, I laughed it off. It wasn't until high school that I realized what had happened." And how did that manifest itself? "It actually motivated me to start living healthier; exercising more and eating healthier." But mentally, this time still left its scars. She felt insecure for a long time, mainly when friends came back to situations from the past. "I detached myself from these friendships." How is that now that she lives in Maastricht? "It's a totally different environment. A new country with new people and new friendships. I'm happy here."