“The basis was gone,” says former Saurus chairman Karel van Melle. Difficult, “but on the other hand, it also gave us a sense of freedom. It provided us with the energy to work things out for ourselves.” Tanne Nevels, former chairwoman of Circumflex, also started off with “high levels of energy”. Until the partial lockdown in October 2020. “Before that, we made the best of it with events where everyone had to sit, but we had to close after the press conference in October.”
So, if the pub closes, how do you make sure that some traditions don’t get lost? Nevels: “For example, that you never stand with your back to the bar or that you have to wear black shoes. If you skip a year of doing that, it will be forgotten.” An important task for the present board, she says.
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Tanne Nevels
Anniversary
Many events that are normally celebrated in a big way, were cancelled. This includes Circumflex’s Inmosae party (the anniversary of the De Kaap club) and Saurus’s ‘row off’ dinner (end of the rowing introduction), whose boats weren’t allowed in the water for most of the year. Only one person boats were allowed. Two associations had an anniversary last year. Koko existed for 45 years and Circumflex fifty. Milestones that would normally be celebrated. Dinners, galas with guests from across the country and big parties, of course. “We did think about an anniversary with ‘seated’ activities,” says Maaike Hooghiemstra, former chairwoman of Koko. “But is a ‘seated gala’ any fun? We waited a long time before making a decision. ‘Maybe it will be possible soon,’ they thought. Ultimately, we decided to postpone it for a year. Such a terrible pity. It should have been the highlight of the year.” Circumflex made the same choice. “We were hopeful until the end,” says Nevels. “But with the regulations that applied last year, it just wasn’t possible. A damper.”
Lack of perspective
It was especially the length of the lockdown period and the lack of perspective that took its toll, they say. “We were completely closed for about seven months,” says Hooghiemstra. “Committee meetings did continue, our year clubs were very active this year and there were activities, but almost everything was on Zoom. I missed the little chats in the pub.” At every press conference, they hoped that they would be allowed to do more, but in vain.
To make good use of the quiet months, Hooghiemstra and her board got busy. A lot of painting was done in the building, she says. Furthermore, they put a lot of time into searching for a new building. “We had many discussions with the alderman and the university.” At Tragos too, lots of jobs were done. Teun Stunnenberg, former chairman of Tragos: “We replaced the stage and renovated the kitchen. In addition, we optimised the e-mail system and digitalised and sorted out all our photographs. Everything is much easier to find now for our committees and boards,” he says proudly.
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Maaike Hooghiemstra
“Dansen met Janssen”
When asked what the highlight of the past year was, the four don’t need long to think. “The two ‘Dansen-met-Janssen weeks’ at the beginning of July,” they say. The pubs were allowed to open up again after the relaxing of the rules at the end of June. All associations celebrated the re-opening with large parties. Stunnenberg, beaming: “Because of the tremendous demand, we were open five nights a week those two weeks, while normally it is three. The regulations were strict, but it was so much fun seeing everybody at the clubhouse again. That was a very great feeling.” Soon, an end was put to all the fun. ‘Dansen met Janssen’ was a mistake by COVID-19 minister Hugo de Jonge. The number of infections quickly rose across the country. Although things were not as bad in Maastricht, according to the four, it did mean, for example, that Van Melle spent a great deal of his holiday week in Italy on the telephone to infected members and the Area Health Authority.
For Nevels, the last Inkom – for which her board was responsible – was also a highlight. Circumflex registered an extraordinary number of new members. “We had a new approach. We started off rather early with small-scale actions on social media. Before the Inkom even started, we had a hundred registrations.”
Making your own mark
And after that weird board year, now that they have returned to being ‘normal’ members, how is that? “I’m finding it difficult to let go,” says Stunnenberg. “I like it when the present chairperson calls me to ask for advice.” Van Melle is back rowing seven to nine times a week. “I am rowing in competitions again with my old team.” In addition, he is concentrating on his studies. His chairmanship ended on 6 September. Lectures had already started, so he has some catching up to do, he says. “I won’t do committee work at the moment, taking a little break from board work. I feel it is important that the next board gets to put their own mark on things.” Hooghiemstra has chosen to do a master’s in Information Sciences in Amsterdam. “There is a similar artificial intelligence master’s in Maastricht, but that is very technical. This past year, I have discovered that I want to deal with people and not be programming all day long.” She is trying to participate in as many Koko activities as possible. Nevels is busy with the ‘Research Project Maastricht’, a project for which a handful of selected students will carry out research into an upcoming market. Of course, she is still a member of Circumflex, where she now really enjoys “not having to pay attention to everything. That I don’t need to be strict.”
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Teun Stunnenberg
Not to get down in the dumps
What have they learned? “Crisis management,” says Nevels. “We often had to act quickly after a press conference.” In addition, she has become better at dealing with setbacks, she says. “We have had so much tough luck. If there is a setback in my study or the research project, I am no longer troubled by it.” Leadership too, says Van Melle. “Which includes keeping an eye on everyone and motivating them.” Stunnenberg learned not to get down in the dumps. “Even though lots of things didn’t go as hoped. You still had to make it a memorable year, for yourself and for the association.”
Lastly. Would they do it again? “Certainly,” says Van Melle. “Of course, I am disappointed that things didn’t happen, but I would prefer to be in a position where I can act rather than having to wait and see. In addition, the alternative - studying during COVID-19 - certainly doesn’t appeal to me.” Hooghiemstra and Stunnenberg immediately answer “yes” too. Nevels thinks for a bit, but eventually says a wholehearted yes. “But only with the same team,” she quickly adds. “We didn’t know each other very well beforehand, but we quickly found each other. We were there for each other if there was another disappointment to deal with.” The other chairpersons also mention the relationships they built with their fellow board members several times. Stunnenberg: “You have to rely on each other. You have to work closely together. We had 150 first-year students who had to be shown the ropes and with each new regulation the pressure of time was immense.”