Every year, the Central Introduction Committee (CIC) is responsible for planning, organizing and overseeing the Intro. The CIC largely consists of students who spend one year working hard to make the Intro even better, more exciting and fun than in previous years before passing the torch to the next batch of students. This year, Sanne ten Damme, master’s student in Biomedical Engineering, is one of those students.

What time do you clock in?

“During the Intro, you have to be there before everyone starts setting up. On Monday, the Limbopad begins at nine, so I’m there at seven. On the other days, events start at eleven, so I clock in around nine.

As for the months leading up to the Intro, it kind of depends on your preference. There's no rule that says you have to be there at nine; the most important thing is that you finish your work. I was usually on campus between nine and ten, and in the last weeks before the Intro, I came in between eight and nine.”

How much time do you spend on it?

“That varies per period. You generally work on the CIC from January through December. You start out working part-time, mainly going over last year’s evaluations and brainstorming ideas for this year. As you start working out those plans, the hours gradually increase. In Q4, it gets much busier and throughout the entire summer vacation leading up to the Intro, it’s a full-time job. Now, during the Intro week, it’s even more than full-time, we’re all working on it 24/7.”

What does your day look like?

“Within the CIC, I’m responsible for the daytime program for bachelor's students. So this past year, I've dedicated my time to conceiving, organizing, and preparing that program.

And now during the Intro itself, my job is to make sure that everything goes according to plan. For example, on Monday, I was here as early as 6:30 AM to help set up and oversee the Limbopad, then I moved on to Campus Quest, the dinner and finally the parties.  The entire day basically consists of double-checking everything. Does everyone know where they need to be? Are all the materials at the right place? Are there enough volunteers? And so on.”

What led you to this position?

“At the beginning of the academic year, I was looking for a combination of a job and some kind of project I could work on with a fun, steady group. I had already heard good things from some people I know who were on the CIC last year, so I decided to apply.”

What is the best part of this job?

“I really like the variety. Every day is totally different. One day I’m working on designs for the Intro app, the next I’m coming up with the schedules.

Plus, you get to work out your own ideas. For example, the Campus Quest or the collective starts, those are all things I came up with myself – with help from the others, of course. It’s very satisfying to work those ideas out fully and bring them to life.”

And the least enjoyable part?

“Sometimes I have to disappoint people too. For example, when associations request activities that are not allowed by the municipality or that we can’t get a permit for. I’m the one who has to break the bad news in such cases, which is never pleasant.

However, I always try to put it in a positive light by immediately helping them come up with something we can do instead.

What time do you clock out?

“During the Intro? Very late. Like I said, I’m responsible for the daytime program for bachelor’s students, but in principle, everyone on the CIC is there all day because you have to be ready to jump in and help others. The evening parties all last until midnight so I clock out around that time.”

What do you do off the clock?

“The CIC members often do fun things together in the evening. We went bowling the other day, and we often have dinner together. And if not, I go home and try to get as much sleep as possible during these weeks.”