Dutch Student Corps
Student Corps (or Corps; "het ~" (n), corpora (pl.), Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkɔ.r] (sg.), [ˈkɔ.r;ˌpəra] (pl.)) are the oldest still-existing kind of student society associated with Dutch universities; their roots date back to the 17th century. The oldest corps still existing today was founded in 1814. Its members are referred to as corps members (Corpsleden, or leden). The Dutch corps is similar to the German Student Korps.
The corps is organized in the Algemene Senaten Vergadering (ASV) student covenant. The ASV is composed of 8 corpora throughout 7 cities. In total, there are about 14,300 members, excluding alumni.
Members of a Dutch Student Corps were traditionally recruited from the nobility, royalty and social elite, as studying at a university was exclusive and expensive. The corps is traditionally viewed as more aristocratic and elitist than other Dutch student societies. They consider tolerance and individuality to be key tenets and are generally conservative in political outlook. The corps are open to students of all nationalities and religions. Every Dutch corps requires new members to partake in an intensive two-week-long initiation period. Although distinct, the corps are in some aspects similar to and serve many of the same purposes as college fraternities and sororities found in the United States.
History
In the 17th century, when universities emerged in the Netherlands, the institutions provided dancing, fencing, and horse-riding activities for the students. All other activities were deemed immoral, disturbing, or could be a hindrance to study. Students were therefore prohibited from partaking in these activities by the senate of universities. The academic senate was afraid of disruptions of order and damage to its honor and reputation and forbade the establishment of any form of student association. This interdiction did not prevent students from secretly meeting in coffee houses and taverns. In the 18th century, students from a certain region or country united in Collegia Nationalia and shared their society with the bourgeois. The Nations would later evolve into faculty-associated societies with one or more senates responsible for the initiation ceremonies (groensenaten).
In the beginning of the 19th century, the various senates merged under one senate known as the corps. The first society was the Groningen student society Concordia Instaurata, founded in 1808, although little is known about this society. The oldest still existing corps in the Netherlands is society Mutua Fides in Groningen, founded in 1815. After that came student society Placet hic Requiescere Musis in Utrecht, founded in 1816, and society Minerva in Leiden, founded in 1819. Since the formation of the various corpora, their senates had contact with one another. In the first half of the 19th century, almost every student was a member of a corps. The Corps has a non-confessional tradition. Pillarisation in the end of the 19th century led to the formation of new student associations with a religious foundation.
20th century
Contacts between the corps in Groningen, Utrecht, Amsterdam and Delft were formalized in 1892 when senates held their first collective meeting. In 1903, the Amsterdam Corps merged with its female counterpart, which resulted in their loss of recognition by other corpora. The merger was undone in 1912. A year later, the corps in Leiden instigated the formation of the Algemene Senaten Vergadering in 1913 and officially recognized the Amsterdam Corps again. During this period, more women started studying at universities. The first female 'corps' was founded in Groningen in 1898 and was followed by Utrecht a year later. Female counterparts of the Corps in Groningen, Utrecht, Leiden, Delft, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Wageningen formally organized in the Bond van Vrouwelijke Studenten Vereenigingen in 1931.
During World War II, the German occupier demanded that every corps dismiss their Jewish members and sign a declaration of loyalty towards the Germans. Their demand was refused, and all corpora were officially abolished. However, the Corps continued in secret and played a major role in student resistance against the German oppression. After the war, the Corps gained their formal juridical recognition back. In 1946, the Algemene Senaten Vergadering also welcomed the corps Ceres in Wageningen, due to their cooperation in the resistance. The Rotterdam Corps was recognized in 1953.
The various cultural revolutions in the 1960s and 1970s had a great impact on the interest in student societies. Some corpora ended up in a difficult financial situation and were financially forced to merge with the existing female counterparts. The Groningen Corps was the first corps that merged with female student society Magna Pete, and the Wageningen Corps followed later that year. In the following years, the corps in Amsterdam, Leiden and Delft merged as well. The Bond van Vrouwelijke Studenten Vereenigingen also merged into the Algemene Senaten Vergadering in 1972. To attract more members, every corps collectively decided to allow students from the Hogeschool, an institution for non-university education similar to college in the United States and United Kingdom.
In 2017, the Rotterdam Corps merged with the female Rotterdam Student Society. Since then, there are only two unmixed corps left in the Netherlands. The Utrechtsch Studenten Corps for men and the Utrechtsche Vrouwelijke Studenten Vereeniging for women. Both are located in Utrecht.
References
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