Glorious Leaders
This mighty duo of glorious leader figures are the founders and figureheads who keep our praesidium together. They show everybody the way through the dark and miserable years of their student life. Sophie and Sofie aka the SS are not only two highly engaged ladies, but are also great leaders who could compete with Caesar, Napoleon or Torfs. God Save the Queens!
DeWijzer
The picture says it all: these lads shine not only with youthful beauty and virility, but also with unsurpassed creativity. Every evening, in the few hours they have left after a day filled with philosophical reflection and modelling for Abercrombie & Fitch, these heroes and desperados of our present day sit behind their typewriter and deliver their daily contribution to western literature. Wolfram, informally known as ‘muscles from Brussels’, spices our notorious faculty paper up with his profound poetic masterpieces. Felix never seizes to amaze with his post-ironic memes and the sharp sociological analyses that they contain. Equally unforgettable are the writings of Rik, who will abundantly prove his artistic gifts in the very near future as protagonist in the NFK theatre. If the spirit of postmodernity had a physical appearance, it would be this dynamic trio: no better critics and poets of our time then these three scoundrels.
Fakbar
The glorious quintet that will take care of the satisfaction of your weekly longing for alcohol and contact with classmates, would not be the same without Michiel, who will use his well-known punctuality and efficiency to give a clear direction to this team. His year-long experience with alcohol and several other narcotic substances is a welcome surplus to that. Ian, known for his epic blond locks, also makes the tap into a solid weapon: Ian and the tap together form a transcendental synthesis, a stronghold of thirst-quenching perfection. Joris was already in charge of the fakbar last year and had learned all necessary tricks of the trade. To somewhat contain all this male insobriety, the team is completed by the gorgeous Iris, who’ll makes you long for more after every impeccably tapped glass of beer.
Cudi
Never before have all your course texts, entry tickets, etc. been as sublimely cared for as in the hands of this power duo. Silke makes the whole HIW succumb for her amazing beauty and charms. Even the least enthusiastic student, who typically doesn’t buy any syllabuses at all, is seduced by her sweet laugh to buy his courses with her, if only to spend these few short moments in her vicinity. Her feminine touch is complemented by the rough virility of Joris, whose handsomeness we would also like to describe in great detail, thereby risking to stir rumours about our own sexual orientation. With his dreamy gaze and iconic barret he has been the HIW’s true mascot as long as anyone can remember. The Bonnie and Clyde of the HIW, as they are commonly referred to, work together to create a prettier Cudi, a prettier institute, a prettier ‘Lebenswelt’ overall.
Treasurer
The treasurer, the quaestor of our studious imperium, occupies one of the most desired functions of the present day. Through several lobbyists he caught the attention of our praeses, who will always comply to his wishes. This neoliberal approach forms a perfect compensation for the presence of many communists aka Gregg. It’s hard to find a bigger treasure then Aaron himself, hence it’s no big surprise that this sympathetic fellow from the Far West knows how to deal with treasure keeping. Whereas banks may have a bad reputation, this hero with his classical Greek beard is like a light at the end of the tunnel, an oasis of artisanal honesty in this corrupt and desolateworld.He will be glad to assist you 24/7 with monetary advice, questions about the financial status of the HIW (or for that matter, more profound life questions).
Sport
Yes, sports is a part of this praesidium. Without sports, there isn’t any philosophy; because, even though many a philosopher could be described as a physically impaired thought-athlete, these two ladies will make your muscles fulfil their inherent goal. The first athletic giant is the bright Sophie. Which Sophie, you ask? We don’t know either. Anyway, the third Sophie is said to be extremely healthy. So those of you who think sport events are fun, think again. The bar will be high. The heroic duo is finished with the sparkling Luna. We still aren’t entirely sure if the enthusiasm about the upcoming Quidditch game at the HIW of this Harry Potter fangirl is ironical or un-ironical. Maybe it’s post-ironical? The role of Sophie is also quite dubious when it comes to this affair. Was it all her plan? Or should I ask: was it Sophie’s Choice?
Webmaster
Our modern university can naturally no longer be separated from the most recent of technological advances, like the steam engine and the Three-field system. But apparently we at NFK leave our technological stuff to a despotic leader: our Webmaster, the slaver of the internet. This year our master will be Luca. This enlightened despot will save us all from digital despair! Do not, however, forget to bow for him in the halls of the institute, or He will send you a digital virus that’ll make you ill for weeks. With the powers of the reboot and the control-alt-delete, He will bring about a digital revolution, which will make the lay-out of the NFK website slightly more intuitive. Praisebeour Master Luca!
PR
The propaganda machine of this dictatorship of students, will assure you of the timely, if a bit subjective, notifications about the upcoming NFK events. Like real-life detectives, they will provide you with dates, times and places at the most inappropriate and inconvenient time! Who are these bringers of the one true word? First we have Sophie. This charming lady will provide your brains with the gospel of NFK. With her experimental take at maieutics, she will use her looks to make you remember the true information. After all, haven’t you always, unconsciously, wanted to vote for Sophie’s Choice? The persuasive Kasper and Michiel will help het with writing the holy scripture. It won’t require any Hermeneutics to understand the holy book of Facebook events this year, now that these sharp minds will provide them.
Culture
That the Occident has not yet experienced a downfall, we naturally entirely thank to our own culture department at NFK. If it weren’t for these well-developed Übermenschen, we would still be living in caves and listening to Ludovico Einaudi. Disgusting! This year the role of uomouniversale will be filled by Walt and Toine. Walt has already shown his artistic tendencies at the open expo, so we can hopefully expect more Weltschmerz on paper or canvas next year. Toine found culture in an entirely different place: together with Ian, he formed an immensely popular DJ-duo, and yes, boys and girls: this week we can see them live once more! The coming year, we are in the safe hands of these two bright young men, so the western culture can rest assured once more.
Party
The HIW doesn’t just give a party or TD, no, when these three musketeers will take over, everybody will find the dancefloor. These rhythmic disciples of Bacchus will give you the best of parties, which will not only provide with memories for life (if you haven’t lost them the day after), but will also make you forget all about your worries for a while. Yes, when it comes to parties, we can let Toine handle those. His celebrity status and hordes of fans become apparent at every party he’s behind the turntable. Walt will be equally ready to bring up that funk on the dancefloor. His creative mind will give the parties that pretentiously ironical vibe we philosophers all know and love. To round it off we have Luca. His immense power as a webmaster will certainly make the parties more interesting than ever. The possibilities are immense: a cozy live-stream of your favorite professor’s webcam, an exploration of the internet history of a victim of your choosing, your wish is our command!
Education
We recently discovered that Gregg,guerrilla warrior in training, changed his mind and won’t be joining this creative team. Very disappointing – what could have gonewrong by letting this revolutionary lad seize the means of education? Luckily,this educative pantheon still stands strong with the other members. Firstly we have the exotic figure Oscar, who seems to be the perfect mashup of Jesus and Freddie Mercury, and the glorious blond deity Rik. We have no doubt that Jack will be equally effective in demonstrating the logical invalidity of Pink Floyd’s classical adage ‘we don’t need no education’. Last but not least we have the charming Astrid, who will gladly introduce you to the most mysterious corners of human knowledge.
Welcoming Team
Have you always enjoyed memorizing the names of Greek gods too? Well, then we have the team for you! Our welcoming team has many names to remember! Starting with the welcoming veteran Pierre. His experience is unsurpassed and his name the most French. However, he is the exception, because apart from him we have a flock of young wolves, our challengers, who will show the titans who the real gods of hospitality are! Job, who seems to come straight outta the nineteenth century, with his convincing facial hair and Hegel fetish. Next we have Kasper; with his golden locks and heroic posture, he elevates the stereotype of the demigod to a new level. Robin, sporting the same haircut as Kasper, will give the traditional gender roles among the demigods a push in the right direction. Sophie, whose Dutch ‘gezelligheid’ and crypto-veganism will at least create an interesting combination. Finally we have the mysterious Luna, who changed her minor (out of free will!) from physics to economics, not because she couldn’t handle it, but because an eleven out of0 twenty didn’t please her…
Bread Meal
Guess who will calm our hunger by threading forward and heroically feeding us bread! The master of food supplies, our old chap Felix, will make sure you get the best nourishments: a menu carefully put together by Sergio Herman and Stefaan Cuypers, among others. So let’s take a chair, comrades, and enjoy this small chunk of heaven on earth together.
Lounge
Only rest and tranquility can save you, and it’s this team of wise lounge-caring monks that will assist you in dealing with your hangovers, small talk or just keep you company. Our adonis Pierre, the Italian dreamer, your cozy grate-fire in winter, has served five years as wartime nurse and finally, traumatized by what he had lived through, found a new home at the HIW. This will make it overly clear that he excels at his job. And Astrid, how could one forget her, with a laugh that reheats the coldest of days and a voice so soft and bright that even the heaviest men put their worries in her hands.
International
The Internationale, not to be confused with the glorious anthem of the Soviet Union, is a collective of the Other, those with the gaze directed outwards. Their task as managers of all our import of foreign student capital renders them a position in the praesidium. Students of all countries, throw off your chains, the HIW is your home! A born diplomat and negotiator, Oscar, deputy of the Court of Orange, is member of this international front as one of the iconic figures in the HIW. Preparing for his career with NATO, he takes care of the KUL’s foreign policies.The sentence about Jack is already in English in the Dutch version, so you can read it over there. Oh and then there’s Job, we heard he has some kind of mustache, this mysterious individual may have James Bond-style aspirations, but that doesn’t stop his identity from being openly known across the HIW.