News - August 30, 2010

Dredging for a good cause

The freshmen in Leeuwarden dredged the stream behind VHL on Friday 27 Augustus. That brought up mostly a lot of junk metal.

In wet overalls, the new VHL students dredge the Potmarge behind their university building.
Hey, I've found a pair of sunglasses; who's looking for sunglasses?' a first-year student in soaking wet white overalls calls out. She is standing in the pouring rain on a raft. With a hook attached to a rope, she pulls up things from the water behind the applied sciences university building in Leeuwarden. More than 350 first years have assembled here during their introduction week to help the municipality to dredge the Potmarge canal.
The previous day, on Thursday 26 August, a small group had a foretaste of this work in the canals in the inner city of Leeuwarden, from which a washing machine appeared. 'A pity it was empty, but still, it was very unusual', says one of the finders.
Wet clothes
From the depths of the Potmarge, the students haul up, to loud cheers, many bicycles and barrier fences belonging to the municipality. Their hoarse voices testify to how much they have thrown themselves into this week's activities. 'It's been very enjoyable for me, but I wish I could go home now', one of them groans. The students long to have clean and dry clothes and a warm bath. They have been wearing their white overalls the entire week, which do not get a chance to dry because of the unceasing rains. But their efforts are rewarded. In return for the junk metal hauled up from the canal, they get a payment which will be donated to a good cause. This year's proceeds will go to the national association against senseless violence (Landelijke Stichting Tegen Zinloos Geweld).