The AID 2024 festival grounds under construction. Photo Resource The construction is well underway, says AID chair Machteld van Kempen. ‘We are currently working on the festival grounds. We erected two stages yesterday: the main stage and a stage for the DJ. The camping is also ready. We are on schedule, so no stress.’
A total of 1294 bachelor students and 732 master students are expected to join the Wageningen Annual Introduction Days (AID). A total of 2026 AID participants, slightly fewer than last year, when 2200 new students joined the introduction week. ‘We expect fewer new students this academic year, and this is reflected in the number of AID participants’, Van Kempen clarifies. ‘Two thousand is a great number, more than enough for a big party.’
Van Kampen says the construction crew had a difficult time in the heat on Monday and Tuesday. ‘More moderate temperatures are expected during the introduction week. We have a heat and rain alternative for each item on the programme, but we would prefer to have the regular programme, of course. Despite the abundance of water supply points and our efforts to underscore the importance of hydration, there is always the risk of hyperthermia, for example, during the sports day. We do have first aid staff present for eventualities.’
Encampment
The bridge connecting Orion and Forum is a key thoroughfare which is currently occupied by Wageningen for Palestine protestors. Must AID participants be rerouted? Probably not, Van Kempen says. ‘We had a constructive discussion with the protesters. We understand that they want to protest and make their voices heard, and we also understand that this is a perfect location for them. They understand that we need the bridge for the through-flow. So, we agreed to share the bridge. They will remain on the bridge, but there will be a corridor for students to pass through’
Successors
Now, for a look into the future, consider the 2025 AID. The incoming board normally joins the previous year’s AID. But a new board has not yet been found. ‘We have yet to find successors’, Van Kempen says. ‘Strange, really, because organising such an event is really awesome. But this reflects a broad trend. Student associations also struggle to find board and committee members. I think the announced fine for lagging students is not helpful either. How this will be put into effect and what impact it will have is not clear yet, but it is already preventing students from taking on extra tasks.’
Back to the 2024 AID. ‘We are all really looking forward to it’, Van Kempen says. ‘Seeing it all come together is great, and I look forward to us all helping the participants get a great start in their student life in Wageningen and hopefully have an unforgettable time.’
