This is a translation of a Dutch publication. The translation may be not 100% accurate.
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We, on behalf of the students and student organizations in Wageningen, address you with an urgent matter. Some time ago, it was suddenly announced that the three bars in the Idealis complexes Asserpark, Dijkgraaf, and Hoevestein will be closed for renovation. It is unclear what purpose these spaces will serve afterward. This announcement comes as a major blow to the entire student body of Wageningen. The place where students meet like-minded individuals, find relaxation after a day of studying, and forge lifelong friendships may be abruptly closed to the general public. This is a matter of great concern to us. Where will all these students and student organizations go? We, the current students in Wageningen, need clarity and certainty now!
Wageningen is a city where many students study with pleasure. The small-scale, “know your neighbor” character is something that connects and stays with students. It’s unique that this can happen in a city with 5,740 undergraduate students; we are all different, but “Wageningen” unites us.
The flat bars have become a symbol for anyone who has ever studied in Wageningen. These bars have contributed to connecting Wageningen students for over 30 years and are natural meeting places. They began as meeting spots for residents of the flats and later evolved into successful bars. Now, years later, alumni still talk about these special bars where they had wonderful evenings. But if things continue this way, it will come to an end soon. New generations of students will never step into these iconic and, especially for social connections, essential places!
The Flat Bars are the only nightlife options in Wageningen for all students: a unique part of Wageningen’s student culture. Access is granted upon presentation of a student card, and everyone is welcome; students do not need to become members, and access is entirely optional. The three bars are safe places to gather. Social control and their own administration, consisting of students, take responsibility. Together, they ensure a pleasant place with almost no incidents or disturbances.
When the flat bars have to close, students who would normally be in one of the bars weekly will have no place to go. This will likely lead to more house parties and more disturbances in the city center. A significant portion of social control will disappear because there are no authorities at these unregulated social gatherings.
Wageningen is a student city, and it includes places to unwind with friends or in association. The Bunker and De Woeste Hoeve indicate that they jointly welcome more than 900 visitors on average each week. Regular hospitality venues in Wageningen do not have the capacity to facilitate a multitude of student activities in a desirable and affordable manner. Considering that many student organizations do not have their own facilities to organize activities, this is not only a problem for individual students but also for these organizations as a whole. Without a place for these activities, the continuity of these organizations is also at risk.
The survey conducted by the Student Flat Organization (SFO) in June 2023 revealed that 99% (1,884 out of 1,904 respondents) of students state that the flat bars positively contribute to student life in Wageningen.
The scale of student life in Wageningen and the contribution of the flat bars should not be underestimated. The flat bar administrations and everyone who uses the flat bars need clarity about their continued existence.
It is clear that the provision of entertainment venues for students does not need to be reinvented: it is already there, and it’s working well. “Don’t shut us down, Save The Flatpubs!”
We would like to engage in a discussion with you in the near future so that we, the students of Wageningen, Idealis, Wageningen University, and the Municipality of Wageningen, can work together to preserve Wageningen’s student culture. Only then can we provide clarity for the three flat bars and certainty for all students and student organizations in Wageningen.
On behalf of the Wageningen student life,
Madelon van Vuure Praeses of the Wageningen Chamber of Associations