Student participation has been declining across the Netherlands in student teams, governance bodies, associations, and other organizations. In some cases, students are unable or unwilling to get involved in extracurricular activities, but sometimes the main issue is simply a lack of information. “During Intro Week, all teams and associations are very visible, but it’s important to remain visible afterward as well,” Danny Liu explains, member of student faction Groep-één who organized the event.

Beyond the Lecture Halls

“There are a lot of first-year students who primarily want to focus on meeting their BSA requirements,” Liu says. “Or at least want to spend the first few months getting settled before becoming active in a association, student team, or other organization.”

According to Liu, the goal of Beyond the Lecture Halls is not necessarily to recruit new members, but rather to give students an extra moment to explore what’s possible. Of course, it’s a bonus if participating groups gain new members as well.

Student team Robohub hopes to meet interested software students, for example. “But we’re also here to show how multidisciplinary our team is,” says team member Eline Jacobs. “Students often immediately think of mechanical engineering when it comes to robotics, but we’re also heavily involved in electrical engineering, software engineering, and of course marketing. Everyone is welcome.”

Informing students

FISO, the umbrella organization for associations focusing on internationalization, inclusivity, and wellbeing, did not treat the event as a recruitment opportunity. “Of course it’s great if someone is genuinely interested, that’s always welcome. But mainly we’re here to inform students about all the associations under our umbrella,” says FISO board member Sofia Zheleva. “It’s always good to remind students that we exist and give them a low-threshold opportunity to ask questions about who we are and what we do.”