{"id":71273,"date":"2017-05-31T11:46:55","date_gmt":"2017-05-31T09:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/?p=71273\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T17:06:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T16:06:54","slug":"rvsv-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2017\/05\/31\/rvsv-2\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Ketelaars’ act of betrayal’: why RVSV and RSC are going to merge"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ewout Ketelaars (22), president RSC – Henriette Claus (23), praeses RVSV<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

9 December 2016: Ketelaars\u2019 act of betrayal<\/em>. This was the caption to a meme that was passed on by all fraternities in the Netherlands. Ewout Ketelaars, 22, the President of the Rotterdams Studenten Corps (Rotterdam Fraternity), was said to have defected to the women\u2019s side. He says with a smile, \u201cIt was the day Henriette, the President of RVSV, and I sent a letter whose gist was that a co-educational society was the way of the future.\u201d The merger had been initiated by previous boards and senates, after which the two current presidents of the two societies decided to accelerate the process. \u201cIt felt good. Our boards got along really well,\u201d says Henriette Claus, 23. \u201cSo we said, you know, we\u2019re just going to make this happen!\u201d<\/p>\n

'One more hammer stroke'<\/h3>

It\u2019s a Wednesday morning when Henriette and Ewout tell us about the merger. The current state of affairs: the two societies have had their first annual general meeting, during which the merger proposal was upheld by a large majority (83% on the women\u2019s side, 93% on the men\u2019s side). \u201cWe requested permission to start drawing up detailed plans for the merger, and to be able to start collaborating as a co-ed society from the next academic year onwards,\u201d Henriette explains. \u201cNow all we need is one more hammer stroke to finalise the merger from a legal point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conversation takes place inside the building in which they can both be found every day: the clubhouse in Kralingen that houses both societies. It is a warren of smaller and larger rooms, whose scent resembles a mixture of beer and detergent. The ground floor is the women\u2019s clubhouse, called Mimosa. It consists of small, dark drinks rooms, each equipped with a bar. The men can be found upstairs, in their clubhouse, known as Hermes. It consists of one large open space, which is not hard to keep clean, thanks to the floor drains. In the corridor, small roll pallets carry casks of beer, ready to be served to club members. The building also has an in-house hole-in-the- wall where late-night snacks and other refreshments can be obtained.<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018The sense that you don\u2019t need men to arrange anything. We can keep a whole society up and running with just a bunch of women\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

The reception room of the 1970s building, whose exterior looks like a bunker, looks surprisingly grand. \u201cThis room is used for official functions,\u201d Ewout explains. The walls of this Vi\u00ebtor Room, named after RSC\u2019s first president, come with oak panelling. Two marble busts look down on the proceedings. Ketelaars is hanging on to the bottle of dark red fruit juice in his left hand. No, he is not hungover, he assures us. \u201cI\u2019m as fresh as a daisy.\u201d Which is important. The two presidents are not allowed to respond to EM\u2019s statements together. Instead, the idea is that they will ask each other hard-hitting questions on three subjects: the Merger, the Society and the President.<\/p>\n

The Merger<\/h3>

After the cards have been shuffled, Henriette picks a card and reads out the first question: \u201cWhat is the most ridiculous tradition or quality the new society will get now that the other side is joining?\u201d The two presidents are immediately put on alert. Even so, Ewout does not need long to come up with an answer. \u201cThe fun but educational \u2018policy weekend\u2019 the women organise. I\u2019m not quite sure what it entails. It\u2019s shrouded in mystery. But we can definitely get rid of that.\u201d Henriette explains: \u201cNew boards enjoy some bonding weekends together.\u201d A brief silence ensues. Ewout runs his hand through his blond and semi-longish hair and says drily in conclusion, \u201cWe men go about such things differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ewout pulls out the following question. \u201cWhat is the most important thing your society will lose now that you are no longer a single-sex society?\u201d Henriette says that a few former members have expressed nostalgic sentiments. \u201cThe sense that you don\u2019t need men to arrange anything. We can keep a whole society up and running with just a bunch of women.\u201d She herself does not really suffer from that form of nostalgia. \u201cTogether we will be able to do so much more,\u201d she says enthusiastically. \u201cI can see it all around me. People are brimming with ideas. They are thinking outside the box now. For instance, we indicated that we would like some new mixed sub-societies to be founded. Since then, RSC and RVSV members have already established a legal help desk, and a hockey club is about to be established.\u201d<\/p>\n

Henriette pulls a question from the pile. \u201cWhat is the most absurd response you received following the announcement that your societies were going to merge?\u201d \u201cWe sent the e-mail on 9 December 2016,\u201d Ewout replies. \u201cTo some, the news was like a bolt from the blue. But within half an hour we received fifty e-mails from former members, who said, \u2018Good decision, we support you, we are right behind you.\u2019 I received the most bizarre reactions on WhatsApp, from the current generation.\u201d Ewout chuckles. \u201cOf course, they love playing with social media and memes. Before I knew it, a portrait of me \u2013 not my most charming one, either \u2013 was sent to people all over the country. The caption read, \u20189 December 2016: Ketelaars\u2019 act of betrayal.\u2019 But that\u2019s funny. It\u2019s part and parcel of the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Society<\/h3>

Ah, yes. Fraternities. Their main occupation is drinking enormous quantities of beer, they make up this huge old boys\u2019 network, and they are misogynistic. Right? Ewout asks his female counterpart a question. \u201cWhat angers you most about the way in which student societies are portrayed?\u201d He remains quiet for quite a while, then sighs. \u201cI preferred discussing the merger.\u201d Then Henriette answers the question. \u201cThe thing that angers me most is the idea that women are not equal to men here. Traditional student societies are places where women are more equal to men than elsewhere in society, particularly here in Rotterdam. Of course Rotterdam is quite a masculine city, so our society will have more male members. Even so, women in leadership positions are completely normal here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018We don\u2019t drink until we\u2019re three sheets to the wind six days a week. Our society is about much more than that\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

As for the beer-drinking stereotype, \u201cOf course we are the kind of place where, after studying hard at the UL, you can enjoy a few pints. But we are more than just a pub. You can develop your management skills on a board. We do a lot of volunteering.\u201d Ewout nods in approval. \u201cThat\u2019s true,\u201d he says. \u201cThe media only report on the excesses, like when someone falls off the bar and sustains a head injury.\u201d He laughs and says, \u201cWe don\u2019t drink until we\u2019re three sheets to the wind six days a week. Our society is about much more than that.\u201d He provides a few examples: \u201cWe organise the Phillips Innovation Award, the largest student entrepreneur award in the Netherlands, as well as the Kroon Festival on King\u2019s Day and a St Nicholas procession. We fight cancer through our \u2018Hermes voor KWF\u2019 initiative. We do a lot of things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Henriette chuckles with perverse delight after reading the next card. \u201cSuppose your society didn\u2019t exist. Which Rotterdam student society would you have joined?\u201d Ewout shifts on his seat somewhat uneasily and pulls his jacket straight. \u201cYeah, that\u2019s a painful ques tion, isn\u2019t it?\u201d says Henriette. \u201cYeah, just you laugh,\u201d Ewout replies. \u201cI\u2019m going to have to weigh my words very carefully here.\u201d He ends up picking Laurentius, somewhat reluctantly. Because it is a large society, he says. But then he remembers the Christian student society, NSR. \u201cI once went there with the other members of my board. I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere. They are a religious society, so their approach is completely different. I probably wouldn\u2019t join them because of it. But it was very interesting visiting the place. We had a copious lunch, and afterwards we sang Christian songs, even though I expected beforehand that I wouldn\u2019t be able to sing. But the atmosphere was pleasant, very open and sincere.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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RSC and RVSV in brief<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Rotterdams Studenten Corps (Rotterdam Fraternity, RSC) was established on 11 December 1913. It is the oldest student society in Rotterdam. It has over seven hundred members and is the only fraternity in Rotterdam. The Rotterdamsche Vrouwelijke Studenten Vereeniging (Rotterdam Sorority, RVSV) was founded on 17 July 1915 and has some 550 members.<\/p>\n

In order to be recognised as a fraternity or sorority, a society must be recognised by the General Association of Senates (ASV), an umbrella student association. Generally, fraternities and sororities are the oldest societies in student towns. They used to be liberal bulwarks. As a result, Catholic and Protestant societies were established during the time of religious compartmentalisation. Well-known former members include the author Drs. P and the politician Frans Weisglas on the men\u2019s side, and the politicians Neelie Kroes and Marianne Thieme on the women\u2019s side.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n

The President<\/h3>

Ewout and Henriette are both president of their respective societies. The presidency would seem to be the most prestigious position one can hold in a student society. Henriette picks the following question: \u201cFraternities and sororities are full of hierarchy, but also full of ambitious people. How did you manage to become the boss?\u201d Both chuckle, after which Ewout provides the answer. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t describe myself as \u2018the boss\u2019. I am the president of a group of people who do things together. However, presidents are characterised by certain character traits. Firstly, you have to be highly driven and enthusiastic, and you must really enjoy doing this sort of thing. But you have to be able to do it, too. You need to have the gift of the gab and love your society and have the members\u2019 support. You get the latter by serving on committees. I was on the pub committee last year. In this position, you must keep order at night and serve as the clubhouse\u2019s host.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSanne van der Most<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Ewout picks a card for Henriette. \u201cWhat is the main sacrifice you had to make in order to be your society\u2019s president?\u201d The question amazes her. \u201cIt was almost a matter of course to me that I would devote a year to this. Yes, you lose a year\u2019s worth of study time, which makes it an expensive decision. But I regard it as a good investment. I\u2019m learning more here than I do in my entire econometrics degree. It\u2019s something completely differ Ewout picks a card for Henriette. \u201cWhat is the main sacrifice you had to make in order to be your society\u2019s president?\u201d The question amazes her. \u201cIt was almost a matter of course to me that I would devote a year to this. Yes, you lose a year\u2019s worth of study time, which makes it an expensive decision. But I regard it as a good investment. I\u2019m learning more here than I do in my entire econometrics degree. It\u2019s something completely different, which is exactly why it appeals to me. For instance, former members are teaching me about the legal aspects of the merger.\u201d For his part, Ewout adds, \u201cDon\u2019t forget it\u2019s an awful lot of fun, too. I\u2019m currently running a company with seven of my best mates, 24\/7. It\u2019s the most ridiculous amount of fun. Good times, lots of drinks, visiting other societies a lot, and getting managerial experience, too. It\u2019s the right mix of fun and educational.\u201d According to him, though, it should no longer be considered a stepping stone to the old boys\u2019 network. \u201cThat is a stigma that is outdated. You are no longer competing with Dutch society alone, but rather with the entire world. Serving on a board is a valuable experience, but it is not needed to get a foot in the door.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018Just like Ewout, I feel the process is coming along a lot more smoothly than I ever could have hoped for. And it just makes me immensely happy\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Henriette picks the final card and quickly reads what it says. \u201cYou can only make this merger a success by co-operating with the president you are currently facing. What is this person\u2019s nicest quality, and what makes him or her annoying?\u201d Henriette adds, \u201cYeah, I\u2019d love to hear your opinion on me, Ewout!\u201d Ewout says that they have compared themselves to each other a great deal in the last few months. \u201cApplying this to Henriette\u2019s good qualities, I\u2019d say she is much better at concretising things. So we will discuss something, and she\u2019ll work out the plan, and the next time you open your inbox, it will be there, waiting for you. It takes me a little more time to do such things.\u201d What about Henriette\u2019s worst qualities? Ewout breathes in and out for a moment. \u201cI\u2019m not seeing those on a daily basis.\u201d He considers the question for a while, but is unable to come up with any negative traits. \u201cWe don\u2019t annoy each other. I think our collaboration this year couldn\u2019t possibly have been better.\u201d And even though this sounds almost utopian, Henriette is quick to confirm his conclusion. \u201cOf course a year like this is a matter of give and take. And naturally we do have our clashes, which is completely normal. After all, we are two different societies with two different cultures, which have already grown closer together during our mixed nights. But just like Ewout, I feel the process is coming along a lot more smoothly than I ever could have hoped for. And it just makes me immensely happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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