This was reported by newspaper De Limburger on Thursday afternoon and confirmed by UM spokesperson Koen Augustijn. It is unclear where and how people crossed the line during the so-called "A-tijd", a period during which prospective members get introduced to a student society (dispuut in Dutch) and try to prove themselves as members. Augustijn only says that the university "received signals that at one or more places the Conduct Code of the Introduction Period was violated." That is an official UM document that is signed annually by student associations. It pays attention to issues such as alcohol consumption, sleep and personal integrity.
Next week, UM will meet with the boards of the four major student associations (Tragos, Circumflex, Saurus and KoKo), which all have several student societies, and Onafhankelijk Maastricht (OM, or Independent Maastricht), the umbrella organisation of the 31 independent student societies. “We will then ask them if they have received any reports or signals of transgressive behaviour,” Augustijn says. ‘In order to get a complete picture of what is going on." Until there is more clarity, UM asks that all activities within the A-tijd be put "on hold". Augustijn does not know the current number of prospective members.
Saurus-president Joep Eijkens told by phone that his association “did not receive any reports of transgressive behaviour. So we calmly await the conversation with UM." Also at KoKo “the confidential advisor has not received any reports”, said president Julie Caenen when asked. OM-president Kiki Büttner declined to respond to Observant's questions. The chairpersons of Tragos and Circumflex were unavailable in the early evening on Thursday.
This is not the first time a student association has broken the rules of the Conduct Code. For example, UM severed ties with Tragos in September 2022 after misbehaviour during hazing. These were restored in early 2024.
Update 24-01-2025: On Friday morning, Circumflex-president Joost Mol also informed Observant that his association "has not received any complaints". He added that his board "discusses the codes of conduct that have been drawn up multiple times with the student societies concerned prior to the start of the A-tijd".
Update 25-01-2025: Also at Tragos, ‘no reports have been received by the board or the confidential advisors’, president Floor van Son told Observant on Saturday. With that denial, Tragos joins the other three major student associations. This only leaves the situation at Onafhankelijk Maastricht unclear: they do not want to answer questions from the press.