Follow the OWee on your computer. How?

While OWee’s board had already assumed that the introduction week would not go ahead as it has for the last 46 years, the news that large events will be banned until 1 September was still hard to swallow. “I admit that we did shed some tears,” says Vice Chair and Head of Communications Mennolt Verhaar. Fortunately the disappointment soon gave way to enthusiasm and a new version of the OWee was set up within a few weeks. “Actually, it is a very special occasion,” says co-Board Member Melanie de Reus (Secretary and Head of Participants). “We can organise something that has never been done before.”

Digital
The digital OWee will be held from 14 to 16 August. Its programme will be the same but “lot of things will be arranged differently. For example the central opening, the lecture tour and the presidents forum,” explains Verhaar.

These formats may be highly suitable for a digital platform, but how will students experience student life from a screen? There will be no mock sword fighting with leeks, a cantus or dancing till dawn. “That’s true but that’s why we are designing our platform to give all the student associations their own pages where they can broadcast live all day,” explains Verhaar. The students can then choose what to see and ask questions through the chat.

‘A DJ set on the roof of EEMCS, complete with drones’

“But there’s a lot more in the pipeline. An online cookery workshop, the OWee roadshow where we will broadcast live on location and a DJ set on the roof of the EEMCS Faculty, complete with drones,” says Verhaar with great enthusiasm. “We want to give the students as much as they would normally get, just digitally.”

This means that students will still be divided into groups of 10. De Reus says that “We hope that students will still make valuable connections, despite the digital barrier. We hope that when they start studying, they will have nine extra friends.” To encourage the formation of friendships, a matching component will be included in the registration process. Students in the same course and who have the same interests will be placed in the same group.

Seven reception days
To enable the students to meet each other in person after the digital OWee, the Board will hold seven reception days. As long as the RIVM (Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) guidelines permit, each day 450 first year students will have the chance to explore Delft and TU Delft. The mentor groups will be divided across the campus and the town. The first year students can play a city escape in town and walk set routes along the various student associations and sights.

It will be a major logistical operation and it has to safeguard the safety of the students and town residents. “We are in constant discussion with the municipality about this,” explains Verhaar. “We are jointly looking at what we can offer the students within the guidelines.”

Whether a tour of the student societies will be given is as yet unknown. “It really depends on the regulations at the time,” says De Reus.

Home delivery of OWee bag
The study associations are closely involved in welcoming the first year students. Verhaar says that “During the physical reception days, they will host a lunch on campus and they are offering a digital programme on the days that groups do not need to be physically at TU Delft.” The first year students’ weekends will be organised in that week too. They are usually held before the OWee.

Despite the alternative programme, Verhaar and De Reus hope that students will sign up. A nice perk? An OWee goody bag filled with gadgets, flyers and everything students need for the digital OWee. This year the goody bags will be delivered to the students’ homes.

• The OWee this year will be held online from 14 to 16 August. Sign up from 15 June through the website.