The UM-community: diverse and inclusive

UM is a diverse community with members coming from all across Limburg, the Netherlands, Europe and other parts of the globe and bringing their cultural backgrounds, languages, traditions, religions and viewpoints with them. Our community members are queer and straight, women, men, and non-binary. Some have a disability, chronic disease or are neurodivergent. Others are studying parents or are taking care of their parents.

No matter who you are, how many of the terms mentioned you identify with or are (un)familiar with - you are one of our community members! Welcome!

What does diversity and inclusivity have to do with you?
A diverse community like ours needs nurturing. Every single one of us has things to offer to get the best out of ourselves and the people around us. How? By connecting and getting in touch with people, by understanding and listening, and by supporting and helping.

That’s where YOU come in! Connect with fellow students, find your peers, make new friends and have fun within the related organisations. Here you can share your stories, listen to others and learn from each other, or make your voice heard within the UM community.

Nurturing diversity is about understanding and listening, not about 'cancelling'. Polarization, pointing fingers and calling each other names is not making UM a safer place and can therefore never be the basis of a constructive university environment. Nurturing diversity and being inclusive is about getting over your assumptions and start a conversation. For that, we have to be open for criticism, open to be called out on our biases (because we all have them) and listen a lot.

At the same time, we have to feel comfortable to stand up for ourselves and for injustices, we see happening to other people. We support each other in our struggle through speaking up, offering an open ear and by simply being there for each other.

Get started today! Join one of the organisations or just speak to a new fellow student and ask “When do you really feel you belong?” or tell someone else something defining about yourself.

Have a look at the ‘Who are we as a UM community’-video. If you are interested in more information, stories from various UM communities, updates on policies and much more - check out the Diversity & Inclusivity (D&I) website, follow UM’s D&I Office on social media (Instagram, LinkedIn).