A false solution

In my first year, I once visited a housemate selection evening, hospiteeravond in Dutch, in a house with 12 residents, almost all members of my student association. During that evening, the residents walked us through the usual things: house culture [in Dutch], traditions, the cleaning roster. They explained the rota, which verticale (a particular subgroup of the student association) could come by, and how these groups use association houses to meet so we never have to rent external spaces. They joked about how their house counted as one of the ‘public toilets’ for members near the Delftse Hout – meaning that on warm days someone was always dropping by. And there was always a housemate at the borrel (drinks), so you never had to bike home alone in the dark. I didn’t move in in the end because of the Covid lockdown, but I’ve visited lots.

Now I share a house with two fellow association members that has been passed down in the association since 1997. We go to the borrel together, say grace before dinner, and sometimes we go to church together on Sunday morning. During novitiaat (our introduction period), first-years stop by so we can meet in a small, informal setting, exactly what I did during my own novitiaat. Our house shield hangs in the society building, and every year we write a piece for the yearbook. When we recently hosted a reunion for former housemates, we pulled out their photos from the old almanacs. Almanacs from before the turn of the century are still lined up neatly in the bookcase in our common room. Things like that create a sense of continuity: you’re not just renting a room, you’re stepping into an ongoing story.

I know exactly which bell to ring if my bike gets a flat tyre or if I desperately need a bathroom

I can point out all our association houses on a map of Delft – we call them that, not because we own them, but because generations of members have lived in them. And it’s not just about gezelligheid (friendliness), it’s about looking out for each other. Our walls are still covered with last year’s Christmas cards from other houses, while the new ones are now on their way. I know exactly which bell to ring if my bike gets a flat tyre or if I desperately need a bathroom. And when I once got stranded in Delft during a storm – trains cancelled, pouring rain – I ended up at an association house near the station with a cup of tea and a warm dinner. You don’t build that kind of safety net in a year, it grows because generations pass on their house culture.

This is something I want every student to have. But instead, we’re on track to lose it. DUWO plans to change [in Dutch] the co-optation system, and they have already decided that being a member of an association may no longer play any role. What used to be a sanction for houses that seriously misbehaved is now applied to everyone. DUWO says this will make room allocation fairer, but it doesn’t tackle the main issue: the total number of rooms stays the same, so just as many students will miss out as before. The only thing that changes is who loses out and in the process, existing social structures and house cultures are dismantled. Private renting isn’t a solution either. The Affordable Rent Act has mostly just led to fewer rooms in Delft. Plus, newly built housing consists mostly of studios. The Delft Association Council explained in an excellent open letter [in Dutch] on 5 December why losing association houses would be disastrous for students here. I won’t repeat all their arguments, but what I will say is this: don’t tear down in one year what has taken decades to build. You only realise what you’ve lost when it’s gone – and it then never comes back.