Recently, four new board members have been instituted in the campus bar ‘In de Smitse’. The four men are planning to add some exciting new events to the bar’s agenda, but in the end keep the cozy atmosphere of this volunteer-run pub.
Ard van Kooten, a fifth year law student, will be the president of the board for this year. He says that it is enjoyable to run a place where everyone is like a big family and where really nice draught beer is served. The legend behind the name and the history of the bar has been long lost, yet some things are clear. The bar has grown substantially since its relocation from building G to its present location in 2004. “It used to be one-third of what it is today, but since there are more people on campus, we had to expand.”
Drinking on Campus
Yet, Ard agrees that the majority of the clientele are Dutch. For some reason, international students find it bizarre to buy alcohol right on campus, but Thijs Sicking, the treasurer, says that it is part of student life and it would be hypocritical not to sell alcohol. “When you go off campus, you can find a pub on the nearest corner. Actually having a bar of campus, which is only open till 11PM and doesn’t sell hard liquors, is highly beneficial to all”. Furthermore, the guys don’t consider the bar which is in the library building as competition. “Since we don’t have to pay rent nor salaries, we can keep the prices down and thus appeal to students”
From left: Ard van Kooten, Cyriel de Bruijn, Stefan Barbiers, Thijs Sicking
Future Plans
Cyriel de Bruijn, an economics student, has the duty of the secretary, and explains more about the future plans. “We will host Valentine’s day drinks, St. Patrick’s drinks, and show most important sports games on large screens.” Besides, ‘In de Smitse’ is planning to have a different beer every month for students to sample, including some international beers. All of this will be topped off with a new website and more activity in Facebook. “Translating the website is also in our plans, as the last update was in 2009 and probably still lists the prices in Guilders”.
Stefan Barbiers, the VP, puts it all together. “We don’t want to grow bigger and bigger. We want to stay ‘In de Smitse’, a nice place for both students and staff to come in and crash after lectures or exams. Plus we offer cheap beer!” MD
