UC | Damage repair of the party bus
Recently, students from Groningen – yes those – came negatively in the news as large spreaders of the COVID-19 virus, with a party bus as their spreading vehicle. It is very unfortunate that these students get so much attention, whilst so many students are committed to society and vulnerable groups in these times. Therefore, it is time to also talk about the other side of ‘student life’.
Every association from TU/e is trying its hardest to connect its members, namely through online activities. Members are keeping an eye out for each other’s mental health and are trying their best to also enjoy the joyful moments. Additionally, they are also giving attention to society and continuously organizing activities to mean something to others.
Take for example the livestreams from Dé Betere Studenten Avond, which once started as a crazy idea from four friends of student association Demos. Last May, they thought it would be fun to keep the feeling and atmosphere from their association amongst their members, through an online platform. That’s how ‘online bar nights’ came to exist. They are interacting with the students through Zoom or calling in! And on the 20th of December, they have an action for Serious Request to collect money for the Dutch branch of the Red Cross. You can already donate now!
Eindhovens Studenten Corps is also keeping busy. Their charity committee has been busy for a while with supporting vulnerable groups of our society. They have held multiple charity events for refugees and gave performances for elderly homes. Together with a delegation of the E.S.C-band Kordaat, they have put together a Christmas show this week for 300 elderly, divided over three elderly homes. Since there are no visitors allowed there, they decided to prerecord the event and to send it as a Christmas movie. To give it a personal touch, members also wrote personal Christmas cards. So even though the new COVID-19 measures came with some challenges, they quickly found an alternative approach to their initiative. This weekend the elderly will receive the Christmas movie and card.
Also local entrepreneurs can count on the help of students. Student hockey club Don Quishoot, golf association De Club and the rugby players of The Elephants held a charity run for their local bar on Stratumseind in November, to provide financial support for the owner. Eventually, they were able to collect over 3,000 euros!
So there you go, students do more good than harm in these times. And that also deserves attention. We are encouraging all students to start more good initiatives to keep improving the image of students. But I am also asking non-students to open your eyes to all the good that students do instead of the very few bad things.
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