Pnyx student boards moving again temporarily, probably to Bolognalaan

The boards of student organisations whose current headquarters are in the Pnyx building, on Princeton Square, were told last week that they will have to move at the end of this year. They will probably relocate to Bolognalaan 101, an educational building from the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. UU uses some of the building's spaces. This is almost certainly a temporary measure, according to Student Affairs Policy Officer Lennart van Wageningen. The university has not yet found a permanent place for the boards. The current building, also known as Pnyx, is set to be demolished to make way for other developments on campus and the permit to use it expires at the end of 2024.

The university says the new place on Bolognalaan has enough space to house all associations under one roof. However, many practical details are still unclear. Utrecht University still has to make arrangements with the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences regarding how to divide the spaces and use facilities. For example, it is unclear if each association will have its own office or if they will have to share spaces. Moreover, it seems that the storage spaces for the organisations will not be located directly next to the offices, which could complicate their work.

This building on Bolognalaan will probably be the student boards' new temporary home. Photo: DUB

The boards react
DUB spoke with a few student boards, who said there is still a lot they don't know about the new accommodation, which makes them uneasy.

Anne van den Hurk, chair of the student organisation STUdance emphasises the importance of a private space, something they have right now. "If we had to share spaces, we could no longer meet in confidence." According to her, sharing spaces is a challenge even for part-time boards such as the one she part of, despite their greater flexibility. She reckons that full-time boards, which need to occupy a certain space at all times, will be in even more trouble.

Vidius chair Luuk Bruijnen shares the desire for a private space. "That is essential for us. We need to be able to work, hold meetings and welcome external parties," he explains. As a student union, Vidius represents a wide range of student interests, so Bruijnen argues that the organisation needs a central location to collaborate efficiently with students, other associations and public authorities such as the municipality of Utrecht. Returning to the city centre (something the boards were promised when they moved away from there) is, therefore, a priority for them.

It is unknown how long the boards will be on Bolognalaan and where they will go next. The chain of temporary measures is making the associations more and more frustrated. Van Wageningen, who is closely involved with the housing plans, acknowledges that the next few months are going to be crucial: "By the end of this year or the beginning of next year, we hope to be able to provide more clarity about the details concerning the temporary move and the plans for the future."

Pnyx used to be on Achter Sint Pieter, in the city centre. Photo: DUB

From city centre to USP
The student board members have been working in the Pnyx building, on Princeton Square, since September 2020. Before then, they were housed in the city centre but they had to leave the building due to safety issues. That is why the building will be demolished. The former laboratory building at Science Park, which looks like a collection of stacked containers, was intended as a temporary location from the start. The boards have never been very happy with this location. Two of their main complaints are the lack of visibility among students and the shortage of facilities.

At the time, the boards were promised that a permanent solution would be found soon. The university briefly considered splitting the boards into different clusters and giving each cluster a location so they would all be closer to their target groups. For example, sports boards would move to Olympos and service organisations would occupy the former Primera building opposite the Spar Supermarket at USP. However, that idea has been abandoned for the time being.