Dominic Dimian loves his task as Erasmus coordinator of AEGEE-Passau. No wonder: “Passau is the perfect city for students”, he says, and together with his team he organises many great activities for the 200-300 Erasmus students in the cozy Bavarian town near the Austrian border.
You are Erasmus coordinator of your antenna. What do you like about this task?
Dominic Dimian: I like to get to know awesome people from all around the world! They are so diverse and it’s a lot of fun hanging with them. I was recently elected , but in preparation to my current post I was Erasmus Assistant in the winter semester 2014/15.
How attractive do you consider your city as Erasmus destination on a scale from 0 (very bad) to 10 (excellent)?
Dominic: On a scale from 0 to 10 I would give it a 9.5, because Passau is the perfect city for students. The only disadvantage – if you want to call it like that – is the relatively small size of about 50,000 inhabitants, which results into less party locations than in big cities like Berlin or Munich.
Is AEGEE the biggest supporter of Erasmus students in your city?
Dominic: AEGEE is by far the biggest supporter of Erasmus students in Passau. The other supporters are actually not worth mentioning – sadly.
Since when is your antenna actually supporting Erasmus students?
Dominic: It has already been such a long time that nobody actually knows… maybe 20 years?
What are your main tasks as Erasmus coordinator?
Dominic: My main tasks are to take care of the Erasmus students: to show them around campus and Passau during the first weeks of semester. Helping them to survive in Germany and how studying in Passau works.
What are the main services or activities that your antenna offers to Erasmus students?
Dominic: During the semester my team and I organise events for cultural exchange, such as our “International Night” – and we also organise trips and parties to keep the Erasmus students entertained and show them Germany.
Which is the most popular Erasmus activity of your AEGEE branch?
Dominic: It is difficult to rank the events because this varies every year. But the orientation weeks are probably the most popular and most important event.
How many Erasmus students are actually studying in your city?
Dominic: There are about 800 students from abroad of which between 200 and 300 are Erasmus students.
Any advice for students who consider going on Erasmus in your city?
Dominic: As Erasmus student coming to Passau you just should be aware of the German bureaucracy and make sure that everything is well organised like accommodation and application for the university. And one of the most important things: get connected with AEGEE and their Erasmus Responsible – seriously this helps a lot.
How time consuming is your task as Erasmus Coordinator?
Dominic: It is very time consuming as I am at service all the time, helping the Erasmus students whenever they need help. Unfortunately the university doesn’t give any credit for my work, but it is all about passion then. It could be a full time job!
How big is your AEGEE Erasmus team?
Dominic: The size of my Erasmus team depends on the number and kind of events. It can be five people, or even more than 15.
How is the Erasmus cooperation of AEGEE with the university?
Dominic: The university doesn’t that that much notice of AEGEE as we would like. We share some resources like rooms and lecture halls. Basically AEGEE is just doing some work for the university for free. But we are about to improve our relationship.
How can new Erasmus students in your city contact you?
Dominic: They can contact me via my email address erasmus.aegeepassau@googlemail.com. Check also AEGEE-Passau on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AegeePassau) and our Website http://www.aegee-passau.org/wordpress/!