This press released was originally released in Dutch. Translations may be not 100% accurate.
Students raise the alarm against the closure of student pubs in Wageningen with the “Save The Flatpubs” campaign.
WAGENINGEN, October 26, 2023 – Students in Wageningen are launching a campaign this week, “Save The Flatpubs,” to protest the closure of three iconic student pubs in Wageningen. These three well-known pubs, located in buildings owned by the student housing provider Idealis, serve as the regular and indispensable gathering spots for many local student organizations for social gatherings and parties. Idealis intends to renovate these spaces and give them new purposes, which means these iconic pubs must disappear, according to Idealis, risking the loss of a unique part of student culture. Therefore, Wageningen students, led by the Wageningen Chamber of Associations, are resisting the closure and launching the “Save The Flatpubs” campaign.
The goal of the action is to gain clarity and certainty about the closure. Wageningen students’ voices have not been heard when it comes to the future of their pubs. The action includes a petition, a manifesto, and an open letter to the Mayor of Wageningen, the Rector Magnificus of the university, Arthur Mol, and the management of Idealis, Bart van As.
It has been known for some time that Idealis is considering alternative uses for the spaces in their buildings, but it irks student organizations that Idealis is not open about the precise plans. Even the students who voluntarily manage the pubs have no idea about what the future holds.
Madelon van Vuure, Chair of the Wageningen Chamber of Associations (W.K.v.V.), which advocates for the interests of the Wageningen student community, explains the campaign’s focus: “So far, Idealis, the university, and the municipality have been pointing fingers at each other as the party to turn to for a solution. With this campaign, we want to show how vital these pubs are for the Wageningen student community and get all parties back to the table for discussions about the future. First and foremost, we want clarity about what will happen to the current locations. We advocate for keeping the pubs open, but if closure is an unavoidable outcome, we want to find an alternative that works for everyone. As long as there’s no serious alternative, the pubs should remain open in their current form, so students have a continuous place to gather.”
The three highly frequented pubs, located in the student flats Asserpark, Hoevestein, and Dijkgraaf, are well-known and beloved by all students. These three pubs serve as the only student-friendly bars where all students can go without needing to be a member of a student association, for instance. These pubs are welcoming places where students can meet, have a drink, and catch up without the need for a membership. Van Vuure adds, “In recent years, the mental well-being of students has been a significant concern, especially due to COVID. Students from all years and disciplines need this essential meeting place outside the lecture halls to see and talk to each other. In that sense, the three pubs are indispensable.”
Moreover, these three pubs serve as the regular gathering spots for student organizations, including numerous study and sports associations that lack their own venues for hosting events or meetings. “We’ve been passed from pillar to post. Thin alternatives like ‘The Spot,’ the student café in one of the university buildings, or the city center’s hospitality venues have been mentioned. The Spot is a nice place to grab a beer with a few friends after class, but it’s not suitable for larger activities of a study association. Furthermore, in discussions with the municipality, we’ve heard that the city center is far from eager to host multiple student parties per week. The three pubs are, therefore, crucial, and there are no alternatives,” says Van Vuure.
What does Idealis want? The new purpose is a pre-booked common meeting space. The aim is to combat loneliness and offer students the opportunity to connect with other students through these spaces. Bodyl Visser, Chair of De Bunker, the pub in the Dijkgraaf building, responds, “These spaces will lack soul. I genuinely don’t understand how Idealis finds this a better use than the existing pub where parties are regularly organized, and you can walk in and strike up a conversation with fellow students at the bar. In the future, it means that, for example, a student association’s dispute will reserve the space for their use through a resident, making other students feel unwelcome. These new spaces, as Idealis envisions, have no management, volunteers, or other staff. If nothing is organized, such a space makes little difference from the common area or living room that each corridor in such a building already has. It’s the death knell for student life.”
In addition to the three existing pubs, there were two similar pubs in the past, located in Bornsesteeg and Rijnsteeg, the flat that has since been demolished, and where the student complex Rijnveste now stands. Former student Camiel van der Heiden, who studied in Wageningen from 1986 to 1991, remembers the pubs well: “It was wonderful to be able to escape a long day of studying by going to your own flat’s bar in the evening. You’d walk down the stairs and be at the bar, where you’d always encounter familiar faces. It would be a shame if these pubs, which have been in Wageningen for so long, were to disappear.”