The introduction week in different times. Photo: AID comittee. The introduction week for new students will look quite different this year. The coronavirus has thrown a spanner in the works here too.
The sports day, the campus festival and the Crazy 88 challenges in the town centre — the traditional ingredients of the introduction week (AID) are great fun but not exactly suited to the ‘1.5 metre society’. The AID committee was at a loss at first when the announcement was made last week that all large-scale events would be banned until 1 September.
No big parties
But the introduction week is definitely going ahead,’ says Jessie Beirnaert of the AID committee. ‘Although it’s not clear in what form. We are considering various scenarios depending on how the rules change. We are discussing things with the university and we are also in contact with introduction committees in other cities. There will be no big parties but activities for smaller groups of students might be possible. For example, if gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed by then, we’ll adapt the programme accordingly. We will obviously stick to the Dutch public health institute’s guidelines.’
Could postponing the AID week be an option? ‘That’s really tricky because then the lectures will have started. Anyway, you don’t know how the situation will develop. Will the end of September be any better? We aim to do as much as possible at the point when the new students arrive in Wageningen. We may be able to move a festival or closing party to later in the academic year.’
