On their first day of work in November, the students organising the next Eurekaweek were informed of the reduction. “We were all surprised”, says chair Shirley Le. “But the university provided clear guidelines: the week needed to be more compact. This was not only to reduce our workload but also to better align with the preferences of new students.”
Fewer participants and budget cuts
There were multiple reasons for reassessing the structure of next year’s Eurekaweek, says head of student services Joop Matthijsse. A key issue is the declining number of participants: the organisers aimed for 4,600 this year, but only 4,100 registered. Recruiting guides has also become increasingly difficult.
In addition, the university’s budget cuts play a role. “This year, Eurekaweek ended with a deficit”, Matthijsse says. The use of external venues and rising costs in the event-sector drove up expenses considerably. “The loss this year, amounting to tens of thousands of euros, can still be covered by the budget of the Education & Student Affairs department. However, with budget cuts starting in 2025, this will no longer be feasible in the future”, Matthijsse explains.
Opportunity for renewal
Despite the challenges, chair Le sees mainly opportunities. “The aim is to refresh the programme and offer more variety. Not everyone wants to party every night, so we’ll ensure a diverse range of activities”, she says. “Classics like the cantus, campus market, and sports day will, of course, remain.”
The final programme for 2025 is not yet complete. “We’ve only been working on it for a month, so nothing is set in stone yet”, says Le. “Naturally, it was a shock at first when we learned the week had to be shorter, but now we see it as a chance to come up with new ideas. We’re going to make it spectacular, even with fewer days.”
