The student introduction week in Leeuwarden will be revamped this year with students themselves taking over more of the organization.
The KEI Week in Groningen, which has been a popular tradition in the city for years, will serve as the example for the changes to Leeuwarden’s introduction activities, known as Leip (Leeuwarden Eerstejaars Introductie Periode).
Leip Festival
Frank Schröer, the director of the Leeuwarden Studiestad initiative, says that the official opening of the RUG/Campus Fryslan this fall is a good occasion to change up how Leeuwarden welcomes its new students. In addition to traditional events like Leip Cinema (an open air film screening) and Leip Festival (end-of-the-week party), students will take the reins and put on several activities this year, including a Sunday lunch, a sports day, a pub crawl and an event to help students find a room.
Schröer expects it to take several years before Leip is entirely entrusted to the students, but he wants the universities of applied sciences in Leeuwarden to follow the University of Groningen’s example by setting aside funding and man hours.
“It’s not just something you can do in addition to your studies”, says Schröer in the Leeuwarder Courant. In Groningen, the board members behind the KEI Week take a year off from their studies in order to bring the festivities to life. “It takes time, it takes money, and it needs a legal basis, which the universities can provide.”
