law

Introduction

In this publication you will find papers and reflections that were written by the ten participants in the UAUCU undergraduate research exchange project 2015, a project that offers students from University College Utrecht (UCU) and the University of Aruba (UA) the opportunity to conduct research in a multidisciplinary international student team. All students, 5 from each university, have submitted papers that reflect the diversity of approaches that the students have followed.

On the following pages you will find papers on linguistics, economic development, communication, nature conservation, renewable energy, law, cultural identity and the influence of tourism. While reading you will notice that the research was in different stages of completion at the time of publication of this book: for some of the participants, the field research is completed but data still need to be interpreted, for some the field research still has to start, and for some, the research and analysis have been completed. Based upon this fieldwork the student will write their bachelor’s or master’s thesis. The research interests of the students are diverse but show a common interest in sustainable development and it is clear from the final products that the collaboration in the multidisciplinary team has influenced their approach to their research topics.

Every student has written a reflection on his or her experiences during the project that you will find in this book. It is an interesting experience to read the reflections of the participants and to see how strong the collaboration and support has been among the students. These reflections tell you more about the core of this project: it is not only about doing research and about making student research meaningful; it is also about the realization that we can achieve more if we approach problems from several perspectives at the same time, and work together in teams that are multidisciplinary and as such complementary.

Looking back at this first year of the project, one realizes how many people have been involved. It is impossible to name everybody; many people are crucial to the success of a project like this. For everybody who has been part of this project as (guest) lecturer, supervisor, manager, initiator, facilitator, student, interviewee, respondent, guide, coach, or mentor: thank you very much for your support!

Eric Mijts & Jocelyn Ballantyne Project coordinators UAUCU

Florianne Sollie - UCU

Language and education in a multilingual society: Text comprehension and language attitudes among Aruban high school students.

Sil Boedi Scholte - UCU

Who Plays What Role to Take the Stage? The Governance of Staging Authenticity and Commodification of Cultural Heritage in Aruba.

Kimberly van Loon - UA

Perceptions of internal communication, as told by employees within the health care sector.

Geneida Geerman - UA

Internal communication of sustainable development within hotel sector.

Sharon Meijer - UA

Sustainable practices of Aruban SMEs and their influence on the economy.

Petra Zaal - UCU

Reduction of energy consumption at Aruban hotels.

Francis Malca - UA

Legal perspectives on Solid waste management in Aruba.

Rikkert Loosveld - UCU

Does the Parkietenbos landfill have boundaries? A waste and ph-gradient assessment of Parkietenbos.

Tobia de Scisciolo - UCU

The Assessment of Aruba’s Shoreline Pollution: A Comparison between the South and the North coast.

Giovanni Jacobs - UA

Mapping Aruba’s policy on beach care.

Introduction to the third edition of the UAUCU Student Research Exchange Collected Papers

This volume presents academic papers and personal reflections written by the twelve participants of the UAUCU student research exchange project 2017. The texts in this volume reflect a wide diversity of academic disciplines and approaches, as well as the wide diversity in cultural background of this year’s participant cohort. The program, which offers students from the University of Aruba (UA), University College Utrecht (UCU) and University Utrecht (UU) the opportunity to conduct research in a multidisciplinary international student team, has already proven to be a successful formula: work presented in the 2015 and 2016 volumes led to international publications, and several program alumni received thesis awards. We anticipate similar achievements for contributors to the 2017 edition.

The academic works included here treat culture, language, psychology, policy, law, environmental sciences and sustainability. The scope of the research ranges from pilot projects, to theoretical explorations verified with respondent data, to in depth sociocultural and psychological studies that explore fundamental issues confronting society. The diverse papers show a common interest in sustainable societies, reflecting a strong sense of community awareness, and providing research findings that are meaningful for Aruban society. The papers further demonstrate how the student researchers’ collaboration in a multidisciplinary team has influenced their approach to their topics. The papers here are products of peer-to-peer learning: the program participants provided each other with feedback on content, method, style, language and structure. In general, the papers appear here as they were submitted by the student-researchers -- including the odd spelling mistake, grammatical error, raw opinion or hasty generalization. Some of the student-researchers are still working on the interpretation and presentation of their findings, and will later finalize project papers, or bachelor or master theses, based on results of fieldwork presented.

Our 2017 multidisciplinary team is also remarkably multicultural: it includes students with personal connections not only to Aruba, but to Belgium, Colombia, Curaçao, Holland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Myanmar, Russia, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, the United States and Venezuela. The cultural and ethnic diversity of the group has contributed to an extraordinarily rich social environment for this year’s participants. All of them have written individual pieces reflecting on their personal experiences. These reflective texts show how strong the collaboration and mutual support within this diverse group has been. The texts reveal much about the core of this project: it is not only about doing meaningful research as a student; it is also about the realization that we can achieve more in the world when we approach problems from several perspectives at the same time, and when we work together by building on each other’s complementary strengths. Here, too, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

This third year of the project has involved many people crucial to its success – it is impossible to name them all. But to all who have been part of this project as (guest) lecturer, supervisor, manager, initiator, facilitator, student, interviewee, respondent, guide, coach or mentor: thank you very much for your contribution to this greater whole.

Eric Mijts & Jocelyn Ballantyne Project coordinators UAUCU

Culture, language, media and psychology

Louisa Maxwell

Calypso and cultural commodification in Aruba

Yun Lee

A correlation between cultural identity and juvenile delinquency in Aruba

Tanya Kirchner 

Understanding the roots of parasuicide among the adolescence in Aruba: associated risks and protective factors

Melany Llocclla

Volunteerism: an approach to encouraging more volunteering in Aruba

Zita Ngizwenayo

Adolescent perceptions on language and professional communication

Rachel Tromp

Social media use on Aruba in the business perspective

Policy, law, environmental sciences and sustainability

Rotem Zilber

Assessment of endemic fauna in key biodiversity areas

Larisa Leeuwe

Environmental law: national and international perspectives

Ben Bultrini

Community participation in solid waste management in Aruba

William Cruice

Entrepreneurial governance and sustainable development on Aruba: a cultural political economy approach

Rodolfo Rodriguez

The synergy between academia and industry: success factors towards a healthy partnership

Nayla Yarzagaray

The importance of tax compliance among SME’s in Aruba for business continuity

Netherlands Crown Decision of 11 September 2007 in the case lodged by Competent Authority for the Island of Bonaire on the annulment of two of its decisions on the Lac wetland by the Governor of the Netherlands Antilles 

In 2006, the Competent Authority for the Island of Bonaire, one of the islands of the Netherlands Antilles (Dutch territory in the Caribbean) decided to allow for the construction of a resort totalling 44,150 square metres. Under "project Mangrove Village" in Sorobon, Bonaire, the privately owned company Crown Court Estate planned to construct 27 single units, 17 double units, a resort entry, and two gatekeeper buildings covering 10.995 square metres. Two decisions (the emphyteutic lease and the building permit) were annulled by the Governor in October 2006 and January 2007 respectively because of infringement of the Convention of Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention), more specifically infringement of Article 3 of the Convention and the guidelines adopted in the Annex of Resolution VIII.9 (the duty to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment before granting a building permit). The Lac/Sorobon wetland was designated a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on 23 May 1980. The resort was not planned to be located within the boundaries of the Ramsar site, but (partly) inside the 500 meter buffer zone surrounding the Ramsar site.