Student
IMO

Is it too busy?

Every year more people come to Wageningen to study. This year is no exception and student numbers have increased yet again. This is making the campus very busy. Is it perhaps too crowded?

Joris Fortuin, Head of Integrated Facility Management

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‘It is noticeably busier on campus. This was to be expected. In previous years lectures were also held on the Dreijen campus. That is no longer the case this year. For the first time all the university’s education facilities are located on the campus. Naturally, this is making it more crowded. Students of the university are also being taught in the rooms in Forum that formerly housed Van Hall Larenstein. The rooms were renovated over the summer and redesigned, so now they can accommodate more people. In addition, everyone knows that the first period is always very busy. So it is undeniably more crowded, but whether this is a nuisance, I don’t know. It will be interesting to see whether the crowdedness continues throughout the year.’ Suzan van Olderen, Cleaner in Orion

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‘I can’t help but notice that it is busier this year. That’s evident from the amount of rubbish. Every year it gets a bit more crowded and every year a bit dirtier. That’s only logical of course, the more people the dirtier it is. The lecture rooms on the third and fourth floors especially are always full of students. That’s where the most rubbish is. I work six hours a day and do a morning shift and an evening shift.’

Fred Jonker, Policy staff member for information (and timetabler)

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‘It wouldn’t surprise me if it were busier on campus. There are now more students and the number of students who graduate is much lower than the number of new firstyears. There must be about 400 to 600 more students than last year. That’s roughly 5 percent growth, I reckon. The off cial figures are not yet known. At the moment the lecture rooms can accommodate all the students. It’s a bit of a squeeze but it’s doable.’

Hanneke van Keulen, BSc Business and Consumer Sciences

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‘I think it’s not as crowded as all that. This year the fl ow of people on campus is much better thanks to the new bus lane and wide cycle and pedestrian paths. That makes it manageable with so many students. But it is noticeable in a couple of things. In the breaks you can’t fi nd anywhere to sit and eat. And there are bikes parked all over the place. That kind of ruins the whole look of the campus. And it was crowded in De Bongerd, but now that the weeks of waivered sports rights are over, that’s okay again. The university should carry on recruiting new students but make sure it provides better facilities, such as places to eat lunch, seats and bike sheds.’Dan Lu, MSc Leisure, Tourism and Environment

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‘I did my Bachelor’s in Macau, in China. I was at a campus university but it was much quieter than here. There were only 2000 people including the lecturers. So I’ve had to get used to the situation here. On weekdays it is busy. Especially at lunch time in Forum. Impossible to get a seat. When I arrived in Wageningen a lot of students had to register. That too caused long queues, but now they have gone.’ Jannes Kamp, Manager with catering company Cormet in Forum

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‘This year we are finding it busier than in previous years. I estimate some 5 percent more people. We were well-prepared for the increase. For example, this year we have added a salad bar and packaged sandwiches and we are doing a lot of on-site cooking. The more customers the better from our point of view. Having said that, it is important that foot traffic at the cash registers continues to fl ow well. Otherwise long queues form and there are too many people in the canteen. As of this year, you can pay with a debit card without entering your PIN. That saves time when paying and keeps people moving along.’

Illustration: Henk van Ruitenbeek

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