Tekst Guido Camps Last week I went to Omnia on our campus as a participant, a speaker, an opponent at a PhD ceremony, and for a lunch appointment. How lovely that our campus now boasts a pleasant, light and modern building where we can receive international speakers and hold other events. And although I do have good memories of my visits to the Aula too, let’s be honest: in comparison to the grandeur of Utrecht University’s Academy building or Leiden’s Senate Chamber, our good old Aula on the Foulkesweg did have a bit of a crematorium vibe. Give me a newbuild!
Omnia is a wonderful addition to our campus, and for those few occasions when you want to invite a foreign visitor to lunch, it is nice that you no longer have to go off to Campus Plaza for a sandwich in a plastic box.
But sadly things can go wrong in Omnia too. Up to now not a single group I’ve joined there has been complete at the start of the event: one third of the guests trickle in late. I’ve seen limping grandparents trekking across the campus only to arrive in the grip of a minor heart attack just too late to see their grandchild receive their degree. Why on earth can’t we park next to the building?
Yes, dear WUR mate, I can hear you thinking: ‘But can’t you just park in P1?’ Of course you can. You can park in Weesp too, if you’re going to the theatre in Amsterdam. But practical it is not.
In the right light, the puddle below Omnia looks just like a splendid smooth concrete surface you could park on
And I can hear the greens of WUR in my head: ‘But we’re a sustainable campus and we don’t want dirty, petrol-guzzling cars on our beautiful Bornsesteeg!’ To them I say: I’m talking about the families and others guests from outside Wageningen who think they’re coming to a nice celebration in Omnia and are then treated to a survival quest across the campus, their party outfits getting smirched with swan poo and mud.
The architect seems to have had a mean sense of humour too, because in the right light, the pointless dull grey puddle below Omnia looks like a splendid smooth concrete surface that you could park on. But Guido, you recalcitrant columnist, you must think in solutions, not problems – as you are always telling your ACT groups!
Agreed, so here’s my solution. I’ve asked a local contractor what it would cost to fill up that pathetic puddle below Omnia with concrete, and for 50K euros we could get grandmas and grandpas to the graduation on time. So I would like to ask for your support.
Guido Camps (39) is a vet and a researcher at Human Nutrition and OnePlanet. He enjoys baking, beekeeping and unusual animals.
