“A runner,” he calls himself, because his primary task is to make sure that all necessary materials for Studium Generale’s (SG) cultural programs get to the right place. But Broeren, who has been working as a student assistant at SG for three years now, does much more than that.

He feels completely at home at SG and at TU/e. At SG, among other places, he experienced that the world is not as transphobic as he had thought when he started there as a third-year student. As a master’s student in Urban Design, he enjoys his program because it combines creativity with solid, technical knowledge. His goal is to create a climate-friendly living environment for everyone.

What does your job involve?

In addition to “runner,” he also calls himself a “deadline worker.” “Besides production work, I’m now also involved in office support. I upload the programs to our website and to Cursor’s online calendar. And yes, I do sometimes do that at the very last minute."

“Sometimes I have to look things up, create a lighting plan, or gather materials for an exhibition. The little bookcase that SG placed near the office in Auditorium as a mini library—I built and painted that myself. I enjoy those kinds of random odd jobs; I like being creative.”

“One of SG’s other student assistants is Lente; you often see her at the informative lunch lectures. I’m involved with the cultural evening programs. I take care of lighting and sound, put up SG banners, stick notes on doors with the latest entry times, make sure there are enough chairs, and so on. I also sometimes screen films in the Zwarte Doos.”

What time do you clock in?

“That’s different every time, depending on the type of program. I work a flexible number of hours, but on average about four per week. In the week of Lucas’s farewell (Asselbergs, former head of SG, ed.), I was busy with SG every day—seventeen hours in total. In a quiet week, all I have to do is replace the posters in the display racks, which only takes about half an hour.”

“When I’m screening a film, I’m in the Zwarte Doos 45 minutes before the start to check the film and the equipment. For excursions, I’m also on site early to welcome the early birds. If there’s a program in the Coronazaal, I’m sometimes there as much as four hours in advance.”

How did you end up in this job?

“Because I was a board member of the photography association Dekate Mousa, I came into contact with SG. When there was an exhibition about the history of transgender people in the Netherlands, I contributed a self-portrait.”

“Shortly after that, I saw a vacancy. I didn’t meet every requirement—I didn’t know yet how to work a mixing console—but because of my enthusiasm and proactive attitude, I was hired anyway.”

What do you enjoy most?

“That I’m often pleasantly surprised by the programs. I’m exposed to so much culture now! Sometimes I go because I ‘have to’; on my own initiative, I wouldn’t necessarily attend certain lectures, concerts, or films. That’s how I discovered that I actually find classical music quite beautiful, and I’ve learned about things like the origins of jazz and about AI. I’m stepping outside my bubble.”

And what do you enjoy least?

“That information sometimes comes in late, which means I have to arrange a lot in a short amount of time. That’s especially annoying when I’m also busy with study deadlines.”

“What I also don’t like is screening a long film that I can’t appreciate. Like The Substance or The Count of Monte Cristo. I can’t handle gore or body horror films with lots of blood. And then I’m sitting for hours in a small, dark booth, hearing the sound of that film and seeing the light reflection from the projector, while working on my laptop. It’s not a disaster, but I’d definitely rather be at home.”

What time do you clock out?

“That also depends on the program. If there’s a lot of cleaning up and walking involved, it can take up to an hour. The Coronazaal is in the Luna building, but our storage is in Auditorium -1 and the office is on +2. Banners, chairs, and other equipment often have to be moved back and forth, which means I sometimes end up taking three different elevators with a cart full of stuff.”

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.