RSC/RVSV not participating in Eureka Week. What does the student corps do instead?

The student society has been suspended due to abusive behaviour during the introduction period last year. RSC/RVSV is organising the Entreeweek as an alternative event.

Instead of the Eureka Week this year, student society RSC/RVSV will be hosting an Entreeweek. With the society not welcome at the university’s official introduction week, it has come up with an alternative. The university sanctioned RSC/RVSV due to transgressions during the previous hazing period. The Entreeweek will take place at the same time as Eureka Week, from 19 through 22 August.

The abusive behaviour was exposed in an episode of Rambam broadcast last January. It was enough for Huib Pols, the Rector Magnificus at that time, to sever ties with RSC/RVSV. He cancelled subsidies and the grants normally issued to the board and the society was no longer permitted to attend academic ceremonies and Eureka Week. The society will fill part of this gap with the newly launched Entreeweek.

“Even though RSC/RVSV isn’t participating in the official Eureka Week programme this year, the Entreeweek’s programme will overlap with Eureka Week’s events”, declared the RSC/RVSV board. “New students can first take part in the Eureka Week programme and join up with our activities afterwards. Clear agreements have been made with Erasmus University regarding the exact nature of these activities.”

Eureka Week’s programme runs until 23:00 while the Entreeweek activities commence at 16:00. Various artists will perform in the afternoon at the student society ‘Walhalla’ on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The traditional open parties will start at 23:00. On Monday and Tuesday in Annabel in the centre of Rotterdam, on Wednesday at the society.

Just like in the past, first-year students have the option of sleeping at RSC/RVSV. Even though the society now has male and female members, genders will be segregated if spending the night.

University regulations

“We are going to abide by the university’s directives with regard to RSC/RVSV”, said Eureka board chair Maaike de Keulenaar. “We discussed this in depth with the association.”

The directives are quite simple: RSC/RVSV is not permitted to participate in the Eureka Week programme. That means the association may not be named in the programme booklets, is not permitted to organise anything on campus and is not allowed to recruit members during Eureka Week. RSC/RVSV is also prohibited from holding activities in the vicinity of Eureka Week events. For example, the student association is not allowed to host its own party at Lijnbaan during the festivities taking place on the Schouwburgplein.

Ironically, more information on the Entreeweek can be found at eurekaweek.nl. Despite the society being banned from the official event, it still owns the domain name. Information about Eureka Week itself can be found at https://www.eur.nl/en/about-eur/eurekaweek.