By David Langran
dl@adm.au.dk
Until the beginning of the summer, the Aarhus Student House was located in an old customs building on the seafront. However, following concerns over its future, a review was undertaken in March to assess its prospects. The results of this review highlighted that the location of the Student House some way from the centre of town, and particularly away from the university, was affecting its sustainability. The Director of the Student House, Anne Thorø Nielsen (1), explains exactly what the review revealed:
"What this evaluation showed is that many of the people interviewed – students, companies and others – felt that the Student House was simply too far away. The recommendation was that the Student House should look into the possibility of moving," she says.
The new location of the Student House close to Stakladen (2) was a natural choice. Stakladen itself, a canteen by day and a party venue by night, was the perfect location to cater for the music nights and large parties arranged by the Student House, and its proximity to the university bar offers the discerning drinker a choice of watering holes. Although it is currently being renovated, Stakladen should be ready for business by the beginning of September, and the Student House is hoping that a fresh start will allow it to assume a central role in student life.
The Student House has always been an important location for international students – to the point where it was in danger of being perceived solely as a place for internationals – with weekly international nights, concerts, and even trips being organised to help ensure that international students get the best out of their time here in Aarhus. Anne Thorø Nielsen says that international students have a great deal to look forward to, and that the move will not affect the ability of the Student House to cater for their needs:
"The move has had no effect whatsoever on our plans for the international students (3), and they can look forward to trips such as one to Skagen in the north of Denmark, big parties on special days like St Patrick’s and Halloween, as well as the usual international nights every Tuesday," she says.
Although the Student House has a busy programme of events planned already, Anne Thorø Nielsen says that international students who want to get involved are more than welcome:
"Last semester some Lithuanian students helped us to organise a special Lithuanian themed international night, which was a fantastic evening. So if anyone thinks we should organise an international night based around their culture, then they should definitely get in touch," she says. Anyone interested in helping out with ideas for themed international events, or wanting to volunteer to help out more generally, can find contact details at:
