The staff members stand in small groups, next to groups of students. Interaction does not come naturally. Student advisor Lisanne Kamphorst is used to not being the first to approach a student in an informal setting such as a social gathering or a supermarket. That is part of the professional code she brought with her from her work as a psychologist. She is attending a CHEOPS drinks event for the first time.

Draft loss

Lecturer Ady Steketee has been to the bar before. He was therefore immediately enthusiastic about taking over the bar with his colleagues. The reason he is not pouring drinks this afternoon but collecting glasses instead is that he missed the mandatory Responsible Alcohol Service course.

Ten others did earn the required certificate. They also completed a draft beer training session led by CHEOPS treasurer and bar manager Isabella van de Kerkhof. “If the staff members pour beer better, we’ll have less ‘draft loss.’”

According to student Jasper van Schie, lecturer Wesley Massij could still use a bit more training. “The first beer he poured for me had too much foam.” Still, the students certainly enjoy having staff members working for them. “They should do this more often.”

Threshold

Mayke van Dinter is now a lecturer in Urban Systems, but as a former student she still remembers the previous Skybar. “It was on the top floor of the Hoofdgebouw (Main Building, now Atlas, ed.), which is where the name came from. It’s funny that the bar is now located on the lowest level and is called Skybar!Underground. You actually have to walk downstairs to get there.”

She understands that it can be quite a step for staff members to head down those stairs. “They walk past it on their way to the bike parking area. But it really is a threshold. To be honest, it is for me as well, because I’ve just sent out grades. I genuinely had to think about whether this was the right place for me to be right now.”

Steketee responds positively. “It can have a good effect on students when they see that we are ordinary people too.”

As far as the Built Environment students are concerned, facility manager Tom van Aarle is anything but ordinary. He was also the initiator of this takeover. The students previously made him an honorary member of CHEOPS. “Because he always thinks along with us and is always there for us,” says Van de Kerkhof. This afternoon provided another great example of that.

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