New campaign: How to be a nice co-student

With their Be Nice Not Træls campaign, Aarhus University and the Student Council are combining forces to focus on the good study environment and the responsibility each of us has to treat one another with respect and kindness – on campus, online, and in all aspects of university life. Daniel Hjort, chair of the Student Council, hopes that the campaign will get students talking:

“We really hope that students will embrace the campaign and use it as a starting point for important conversations, so that together we can learn more about what it means to be a nice co-student. Having a good university life is not only about our studies – it’s also about how we treat each other,” he says. 

This is not the first time that AU and the Student Council have teamed up to spread the ‘be nice not træls’ message. They first did so in 2019 and then again in 2021 – during Corona. But it’s a message that’s important to repeat, says Pro-rector Berit Eika:

“We generally have a really good and supportive study environment here at AU, and we must preserve and protect it through the new generations of students. So I hope the campaign will make us all even more aware of the shared responsibility we have to ensure that AU is a positive and safe place to be. I also hope it will support the ongoing work that students and staff engage in every day to ensure that students get the most out of university life – both across AU and on individual degree programmes,” she says.

Do you need help?

In addition to focusing on the study environment at AU, the Be Nice Not Træls campaign also tells students where to get help if they experience inappropriate behaviour at the university. 

AU has collected information and advice on www.studerende.au.dk/chikane, where you can get an overview of whom you can contact, what your options are, and where you can get support. You are of course also welcome to contact the student counsellors on your degree programme directly.

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