“I know myself, which is why I only decided to become a member in my second year, so that I could pass the first year in one go”, stated Laurentius Preses Tristan Gayral. “But afterwards, I think it wouldn’t have made that much difference.” He had tried the atmosphere at RSC the previous year but continued to party at Laurentius during his second Eurekaweek in 2016. “I felt this was the place for me. Now, I’m here as Preses; strange how things can go.”
According to him, the Laurentius values are threefold: “The association is your home, everyone has equal opportunities, and you are given the chance to develop yourself. It’s also a place to let off steam and make friendships for life. Not only for socialising, but also to achieve your objectives, such as your study. You help each other through it.”
Goose bumps
“The people were just that bit more laid back”, is how Dennis Tak (PvdA municipal council member and banker) remembers his first introduction to Laurentius in 2010. The guys that looked after his group during Eurekaweek were members, and he made two friends who were also enthusiastic about ‘Lauri’. “What appealed to me is that the traditions and customs take place in a natural way. It’s an association with its own identity.”
He thought the initiation was ‘not that bad’, but also not ‘really laid back’. “I had goose bumps when it was over, when I realised the point of it. I’ve kept my very best friends from my year club and fraternity; we’re really close.” He sees them every week. “I was with my fraternity at Biergarten just yesterday.
German theme
He thinks that an advantage of Laurentius is that the fraternity is only formed after a year. “Our fraternity has a German theme and in my time, it was mainly fat guys that drank a lot that were members. If you weighed more than a hundred kilos, you could be proud. I also ticked that box. Getting fit later on was also a group process. “At a certain point, everyone was losing weight. For me that was a sign that I needed to do something too. Last week, my entire year club registered for the half-Ironman.”
RSG alumnus Maarten Struijvenberg felt at home at all the associations, apart from Laurentius. “I’d put on my best clothes, but they started pulling at my tie and tipping over my beer. I didn’t find that inviting.” Could that still happen today? Gayral: “I hope not. Of course, it’s fun to be a bit studenty with each other, but people do need to feel welcome.”
Former RSC President Vincent Karremans actually enjoyed going to Laurentius on open evenings. “That’s where all the pretty girls were; my girlfriend was also a member. Those guys really weren’t at all keen on us coming to hit on their chicks.”
