‘The anniversary year is a celebration organised by and for the faculty’
The '450 Event Committee' has been planning the faculty's anniversary year for months. The powerhouses behind LAWLANDS are Hannah Saberi Khorzoghi and Britt Polderman. We spoke to them ahead of the 450 summer celebration on 19 June.
Let’s talk about LAWLANDS! What can students and staff expect?
Hannah: ‘The entire outdoor area in front of the KOG – including the car park and the canal – will be transformed into a huge festival site. There’ll be food trucks, bars, a beach lounge, and everyone can enjoy a full day of fun activities, the grand Faculty Dictation, 450-talks, a pub quiz, DJs and live music.’
Britt: ‘What’s more: admission is free for all staff and students, and everyone will get tokens for food and drinks on arrival.’
What else is the 450 Event Committee involved in?
Hannah: ‘To start with, we were mainly focused on together shaping the content of the anniversary year. Now, our efforts are mostly all about organising the various anniversary activities. It all kicked off during the Dies – we arranged a lustrum boat, decorated the entire building, launched monthly 450-talks – and now LAWLANDS is just around the corner. After that, we’ll have the opening of the faculty year on 5 September, which staff can attend with their family and friends.’
Britt: ‘The 450 Event Committee is a great team full of enthusiastic people. We all got on well straight away and everyone came up with really creative ideas. To prepare for LAWLANDS, we’ve had lots of help from the project group, especially from our star player and building manager, Alexander van Drooge. We didn’t expect that we’d be able to pull off such large-scale activities together.’
This year’s anniversary theme is ‘Ahead of the times’. What’s the idea behind it?
Hannah: ‘It shows that our university and faculty are constantly focused on innovation and progress. The celebration is not only a reflection on 450 years of history, but also an opportunity to strengthen connections between staff members and also with students.’
Britt: ‘It’s a celebration organised by and for the faculty. To avoid unnecessary costs, we’ve aimed to align as many activities as possible with our existing annual events.’
The ‘by and for the faculty’ principle – how’s that reflected in practice?
Britt: ‘When setting up the committee, we aimed to create the best possible reflection of the faculty – including both academic and support staff, as well as students.’
Hannah: ‘For practical tasks, we roll up our sleeves ourselves – hanging up flags, handing out treats, etc. For the 450 art competition, we invited staff and students to submit a design. Everyone is welcome to join in and help paint the chosen design. During LAWLANDS, we’ll also showcase our own home-grown talents, with a surprising and diverse line-up!’
How can staff and students help out?
Britt: ‘We’re still looking for volunteers who are willing to help for an hour and a half on 19 June with tasks including scanning tickets, handing out wristbands, assisting with games, or coordinating various activities.’
Hannah: ‘You don’t have to do it alone – in the registration form, you can indicate if you’d like to volunteer with a colleague you know or a fellow student. We’ll make sure you're assigned together. If you've already registered but haven’t signed up as a volunteer yet, feel free to send us an email.’
Many sponsors are involved in the faculty’s celebrations. How are they helping to make this special anniversary year possible?
Britt: ‘Our efforts to attract sponsors has really paid off. We now have nearly 25 parties supporting us, either with financial contributions or by providing materials and services.’
Hannah: ‘Given the faculty’s anniversary, we also wanted to give all staff a fitting gift. Not a physical gift, but something that aligns with the core of the anniversary celebration: connection. Thanks to a sponsorship deal with Rondvaart Leiden, we’re able to offer free boat tours across the very heart of Leiden. Many colleagues have already taken advantage of this. So, all our sponsors are making this celebration possible in their own way.’
What are you both personally most excited about?
(in chorus): LAWLANDS!