Groucho Marx once remarked that he wouldn’t want to be a member of any club that would have him as a member. Not so in Delft, where half of all Dutch TU Delft students are members of a student society.
Ask any Dutchman and he’ll say student society membership is a guaranteed ticket to professional and social success in Dutch society. But is it?
Research has shown that the vast majority of Holland’s economic and political elite not only attended university but were also student society members during their student days. According to sociologist Dr Wim van Noort, of Leiden University’s department of public administration, student society membership doesn’t have a major influence when it comes to finding a job, although it can be helpful. ,,It’s mainly members of corpora fraternities, such as the Corps, who have a better chance of obtaining a high profile job because of their membership,” Van Noort says. This claim is supported by PhD research carried out by Jaap Dronkers. His research revealed that the student board members of corpora fraternities are 15 to 30 percent more likely to later become part of the Dutch elite than the student board members of the Protestant or Catholic student societies. In 2001, nearly all CEOs of major Dutch companies were former student society members and the majority of them attended a corpora fraternity.
The assassinated leader of the LPF party, Pim Fortuyn, was one well-known Dutch politician who was a student society member. Others include the current High Commissioner for Refugees at the United Nations and former Dutch Prime Minister, Ruud Lubbers; and current Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Thom de Graaff. Former student society and Corp members among today’s Dutch business elite are Ewald Kist (CEO of ING Bank) and Rijkman Groenink (Director of ABM-AMRO). Jeroen van der Veer, the Vice-Chairman of the Committee of Managing Directors of Royal Dutch/Shell Group and CEO of Shell Chemicals, and Karien van Gennip, Minister of State at the Department of Trade & Industry, were both members of the Delftse Studenten Corps (DSC). Jo Ritzen, the former Minister of Education, and Frans de Wijkerslooth de Weerdesteyn, the current Chairman of the Board at the Catholic University of Nijmegen, were both members of Delft’s largest student society, Virgiel.
Corpora student societies have had a special role in Dutch society ever since they were established. Up until the French Revolution (1789-1795), students had formally been an exclusive group drawn from the upper and aristocratic classes. But following the French Revolution that changed, as equality set in and the working classes were appointed the same rights as the former elites. As a result, students in the early 19th century started to rebel against the Dutch political and socio-economic climate. They searched for ways to yet again feel elitist, and these students began to closely associate themselves with the Dutch Royal family. This resulted in the foundation of the Corps, a hierarchical and selective fraternity that had a central role in the production and reproduction of Dutch elites. Since then, many new fraternities have arisen, among them Protestant and Catholic student societies. But Dronkers’ research shows that corpora fraternities remain the largest suppliers of members of the Dutch elite class.
This is partly due to the lack of universities with an elite status. Countries like the US or UK have elite universities, like Harvard, Yale or Oxford, where students are selected on their merits and abilities but also – as is rumored to have been the case with Harvard and Yale graduateGeorge W. Bush – based on their family’s wealth, class and connections. Graduating from these universities functions as a gateway to the elite. In Holland, corpora fraternities take on this role of singling out students and bequeathing privilege.
Relax
That a relatively large number of corpora members are of aristocratic descent is another reason for the Corps’ special status. According to Dronkers’ research, Dutch aristocrats still have a much greater chance of reaching elite status than common people. However, becoming a board member of any student society is also a good way to join the Dutch elite, so there’s still some hope for members of non-Corps societies.
Delft has many student societies, of which 13 are united in VeRa (the student society council). Each society has its own atmosphere, rules and social structure. They range from traditional Corps societies with hierarchical structures to fairly young and small societies that have no obligations. All offer a place for students to relax and feel at ease. Different types of people join different societies. Members of the more traditional societies (DSC, Virgiel, DSB) tend to be easily recognizable. ,,It’s true that you can often tell,” Van Noort says. ,,I’m not keen on generalizations, but certain characteristics set them apart from other students. The girls speak with posh accents and the guys all dress the same. And usually they’re more than capable of speaking their minds.”
Van Noort says that the main reason for students to join fraternities is the extensive social contacts this offers. Most fraternities are structured in such a way that members get to know a lot of people. At DSC, for instance, members form ‘jaarclubs‘ (year groups), groups of 15 students from the same (academic) year who go on holiday together and give parties and drink together at the club. To ensure new members quickly get to know members from other years, DSC also has ‘vertikalen‘, which are groups comprised of members from all years. And as if that wasn’t enough, members with special interests are organised in ‘onderverenigingen‘ or ‘disputen‘, which are groups that share the same interests, such as photography, debating, hockey or acting. Because of this rather complicated structure, student members have a tight network of friends and gain experience in organising and working with other (like-minded) people.
Perhaps that is yet another explanation for the high percentage of former corpora members among the Dutch elite: corpora students usually have an extensive network, know how to behave in elite social circles and are willing to doggedly follow the rules of the established ‘social code’. All inevitable characteristics for anyone who wants to reach the top, as Jos van Hezewijk writes in one of his books on the Dutch elite, ‘XXL’. On Hezewijk’s ‘How to get to the top’ list are things like, ‘be aware of the importance of relationships from an early age onwards’, ‘let other people do the work for you’, and ‘cherish your reputation and stay out of political or controversial issues’. Looks like most of us don’t stand a chance.
So can foreign students join the Corps? Christa van den Berg called DSC, Delft’s premier Corps student society, and asked them exactly that. ,,Sure, essentially they can join”, replied Wiet de Ronde, treasurer of DSC. ,,However, our society is based on becoming a member when you start university and on remaining an active member during the rest of your student days. That probably is what keeps many foreign students from becoming a member, although we have had foreign students join our student society before. But they’re always welcome to tag along with a friend that’s a member and have a beer.” If you really want to geta taste of society life, DSC organizes several evenings especially for international students. This year those nights are May 11 and June 8. Plus, there’s a party in Lorre on April 16th, which foreign students are welcome to attend.
Research has shown that the vast majority of Holland’s economic and political elite not only attended university but were also student society members during their student days. According to sociologist Dr Wim van Noort, of Leiden University’s department of public administration, student society membership doesn’t have a major influence when it comes to finding a job, although it can be helpful. ,,It’s mainly members of corpora fraternities, such as the Corps, who have a better chance of obtaining a high profile job because of their membership,” Van Noort says. This claim is supported by PhD research carried out by Jaap Dronkers. His research revealed that the student board members of corpora fraternities are 15 to 30 percent more likely to later become part of the Dutch elite than the student board members of the Protestant or Catholic student societies. In 2001, nearly all CEOs of major Dutch companies were former student society members and the majority of them attended a corpora fraternity.
The assassinated leader of the LPF party, Pim Fortuyn, was one well-known Dutch politician who was a student society member. Others include the current High Commissioner for Refugees at the United Nations and former Dutch Prime Minister, Ruud Lubbers; and current Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Thom de Graaff. Former student society and Corp members among today’s Dutch business elite are Ewald Kist (CEO of ING Bank) and Rijkman Groenink (Director of ABM-AMRO). Jeroen van der Veer, the Vice-Chairman of the Committee of Managing Directors of Royal Dutch/Shell Group and CEO of Shell Chemicals, and Karien van Gennip, Minister of State at the Department of Trade & Industry, were both members of the Delftse Studenten Corps (DSC). Jo Ritzen, the former Minister of Education, and Frans de Wijkerslooth de Weerdesteyn, the current Chairman of the Board at the Catholic University of Nijmegen, were both members of Delft’s largest student society, Virgiel.
Corpora student societies have had a special role in Dutch society ever since they were established. Up until the French Revolution (1789-1795), students had formally been an exclusive group drawn from the upper and aristocratic classes. But following the French Revolution that changed, as equality set in and the working classes were appointed the same rights as the former elites. As a result, students in the early 19th century started to rebel against the Dutch political and socio-economic climate. They searched for ways to yet again feel elitist, and these students began to closely associate themselves with the Dutch Royal family. This resulted in the foundation of the Corps, a hierarchical and selective fraternity that had a central role in the production and reproduction of Dutch elites. Since then, many new fraternities have arisen, among them Protestant and Catholic student societies. But Dronkers’ research shows that corpora fraternities remain the largest suppliers of members of the Dutch elite class.
This is partly due to the lack of universities with an elite status. Countries like the US or UK have elite universities, like Harvard, Yale or Oxford, where students are selected on their merits and abilities but also – as is rumored to have been the case with Harvard and Yale graduateGeorge W. Bush – based on their family’s wealth, class and connections. Graduating from these universities functions as a gateway to the elite. In Holland, corpora fraternities take on this role of singling out students and bequeathing privilege.
Relax
That a relatively large number of corpora members are of aristocratic descent is another reason for the Corps’ special status. According to Dronkers’ research, Dutch aristocrats still have a much greater chance of reaching elite status than common people. However, becoming a board member of any student society is also a good way to join the Dutch elite, so there’s still some hope for members of non-Corps societies.
Delft has many student societies, of which 13 are united in VeRa (the student society council). Each society has its own atmosphere, rules and social structure. They range from traditional Corps societies with hierarchical structures to fairly young and small societies that have no obligations. All offer a place for students to relax and feel at ease. Different types of people join different societies. Members of the more traditional societies (DSC, Virgiel, DSB) tend to be easily recognizable. ,,It’s true that you can often tell,” Van Noort says. ,,I’m not keen on generalizations, but certain characteristics set them apart from other students. The girls speak with posh accents and the guys all dress the same. And usually they’re more than capable of speaking their minds.”
Van Noort says that the main reason for students to join fraternities is the extensive social contacts this offers. Most fraternities are structured in such a way that members get to know a lot of people. At DSC, for instance, members form ‘jaarclubs‘ (year groups), groups of 15 students from the same (academic) year who go on holiday together and give parties and drink together at the club. To ensure new members quickly get to know members from other years, DSC also has ‘vertikalen‘, which are groups comprised of members from all years. And as if that wasn’t enough, members with special interests are organised in ‘onderverenigingen‘ or ‘disputen‘, which are groups that share the same interests, such as photography, debating, hockey or acting. Because of this rather complicated structure, student members have a tight network of friends and gain experience in organising and working with other (like-minded) people.
Perhaps that is yet another explanation for the high percentage of former corpora members among the Dutch elite: corpora students usually have an extensive network, know how to behave in elite social circles and are willing to doggedly follow the rules of the established ‘social code’. All inevitable characteristics for anyone who wants to reach the top, as Jos van Hezewijk writes in one of his books on the Dutch elite, ‘XXL’. On Hezewijk’s ‘How to get to the top’ list are things like, ‘be aware of the importance of relationships from an early age onwards’, ‘let other people do the work for you’, and ‘cherish your reputation and stay out of political or controversial issues’. Looks like most of us don’t stand a chance.
So can foreign students join the Corps? Christa van den Berg called DSC, Delft’s premier Corps student society, and asked them exactly that. ,,Sure, essentially they can join”, replied Wiet de Ronde, treasurer of DSC. ,,However, our society is based on becoming a member when you start university and on remaining an active member during the rest of your student days. That probably is what keeps many foreign students from becoming a member, although we have had foreign students join our student society before. But they’re always welcome to tag along with a friend that’s a member and have a beer.” If you really want to geta taste of society life, DSC organizes several evenings especially for international students. This year those nights are May 11 and June 8. Plus, there’s a party in Lorre on April 16th, which foreign students are welcome to attend.
Comments are closed.