Suit up with the Dutchies!

Dutchies and their suits. It is a combination like bread and butter and being in the city of Enschede, you will probably find yourself surrounded by suits, ties, dress-shirts and even the occasional tailcoat. Admired and ridiculed alike, this tradition is more than just another wacky expression of local culture.

The habit of students suiting up for meetings, workshops and even parties, occasions where most normal people prefer the comfort of a T-shirt, stems from the traditions of the “corpora.” Corpora are large student associations which can be found in every Dutch student city of any importance. Nowadays more active than their central European counterparts, they are often compared to the notorious fraternities in the USA.

Outsiders often have a very negative image of the corpora. This is mostly due to the massive alcohol intake of their members, rigid hierarchical structure, harsh initiation rituals and strict adherence to an incomprehensive set of unwritten rules, or “mores.” One might say an idealistic open-minded association such as AEGEE should have nothing to do with all of this.

The corpora, however, did lead the way for a very active student culture in the Netherlands. They created a climate which enabled many locals in the region to flourish. Many antennae have borrowed some of the traditions of the corpora, not for fun, but because they have proven to be effective. Their hierarchical structures, which may seem unreasonably strict, do form a solid basis for any efficiently run students’ association. Many big Dutch locals, such as AEGEE-Utrecht or AEGEE-Enschede, have used ideas from the corpora, introducing local commissions, advisory boards and year clubs, to form a professional and well integrated local.

The actual purpose of wearing your suit everywhere is less clear, though probably it is a left-over from the time when all students wore suits. To this day, in a lot of associations you cannot even enter when you are wearing anything less than a jacket-and-tie (or “jasje-dasje” in Dutch). Many people have criticised this tradition for being elitist and exclusive, but showing off your nice attire is far from the point. In fact, ties and blazers, usually bought in second-hand shops for a couple of Euros, are treated with the greatest disregard and are stained with alcohol, dirt, flour and vomit.

Whatever the actual reason is, it does create a sense of belonging together. In much the same way AEGEE-Istanbul proudly wear their sweaters or AEGEE-Alicante wear their bright yellow shirts, wearing similar clothes is not meant to exclude outsiders but to show pride you take in your local or club and to feel a stronger connection with your association and friends.

In fact, we as AEGEE might have more in common with these unruly, sometimes obnoxious students then we would like to think. Their associations strive to bring people from different studies together, forming a network of friends throughout the city; we do the same on a European scale. And although the Statutes of AEGEE-Europe (CIA) may have a clearer practical use, to most people it is exactly as incomprehensible as the unwritten rules stating who can sit where and who is allowed to wear a coat inside. Besides, if we are really honest with ourselves, our alcohol consumption at European Nights does not differ that much from a regular corps party.

I am not saying at all we should become exactly like the corpora. We have an association full of awesome open-minded people, united by the same ideals and we should not lose this. I am saying, though, that perhaps we should not be so quick to judge other peoples’ customs and should make some effort to try to find out the meaning behind them.  We have more in common than we think and we could learn a lot from each other. And is not this what AEGEE is all about? So why not give these traditions a chance and suit up!

Written by Berend Küpers, AEGEE-Delft

Attention: With the permission of the Network Commission (NetCom) this article is re-published in The AEGEEan, after it was previously published in the NetCom Times.