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Praeses: Michiel

A leader must be decisive, cunning, and charismatic. With his perfectly sculpted beard and wise appearance, Michiel is the perfect man. He not only looks like a walking simulacrum of a former Soviet leader, but acts like one too! He does not hesitate to banish the reactionary forces to the notorious gulag of the HIW: the lounge. And you should not be surprised if, after making a subversive comment, the collected works of Karl Marx accidentally crush you in a freak-library- accident. For those who love body and members, it is then therefore important to keep the waters of revolution still. Only then will you reach the gilded gate of NFK paradise, graduation. So let us all chant the golden slogan: one people, one leader, one Michiel! Hoezee, Michiel, hoezee!

Vice-praeses: Joëlle

Officially, Joëlle is the vice-president, which means that she is just below the president in the hierarchy of power. However, the rumor mill has already begun to run, whispers are shared in the corridors, and we should be grateful that the walls cannot talk. For it is said that the traditional power pyramid has crumbled. Heaven is Hell and all is upside down. Our leader Michiel is no longer in control of anything but vainly waving his arms. He has become a puppet in a show cast in darkness, the strings are wrapped in a thick ash cloud, which is caused by Joëlle’s regular smoking of a whopper of a cigar. She watches while Michiel desperately gesticulates on the CCTV, he’s trapped in a dark room as Joëlle sinks into her black-leather armchair. An evil grin is all we can see. Freedom, Love, and Security are gone. All that is, is Joëlle.

Treasurer: Kaat

While we can all agree Capitalism is righty the enemy in the eyes of many a philosopher, it is unfortunately still important to have someone wisely managing your money. Therefore, we have Kaat! Even though there’s probably more money in the pocket of the average tramp than in the bank account of NFK, we’re obligated to have a treasurer, and Kaat knows how to keep the perfect balance between poverty and destitution. One day we may have a Swiss account, ten international addresses, and Zizek on speed-dial, but currently NFK’s greatest asset is the sunken interest that’s keeping us all in our classes.

Pr: Jonathan, Emma & Liesa

When this trio comes together prepare yourself for an overloaded inbox, a deluge of notifications, two to three telegrams, and on a clear day, smoke signals. Not only does our Public Relations team keep you informed of all NFK events, but when you find yourself lost in a Husserl reading, Jonathan himself will appear as your guide to show you the way out! Like most people who are really into Husserl, coherent sharing of information is not one of his strengths, and so Jonathan is perfectly complemented by the charismatic Liesa, who conjures up words in such a way that you may start calling her Sparknotes. Emma, of course, has an Etsy shop. Feel free to ask her about it! She’ll definitely know what you’re talking about. All in all, spreading information and air- borne diseases is this team’s calling!

Education: Joelle, Elise, Joseph, Rik

In theory, the NFK education team has one of the most important responsibilities in the entire department. By working closely with all HIW professors, they help guide and determine our future curriculum and education. In practice however, these professors are more likely to be debating which act in the Kama Sutra Sartre and Beauvoir didn’t perform. (Since they have already decided that their research is more important than our educations). In other words, the Education team is a sham democratic fantasy that we still play along with. That being said, with tons of experience, Joëlle is more than capable of reminding HIW staff of all relevant facts and numbers during budget proposal  meetings. Elise is an expert in quick-witted stichomythia, due to her long history of informing our professors that there is sometimes a very large gap between word and deed. Meanwhile, Joseph and Rik have wisely concerned themselves with bomb-shelter preparations; so that when society needs to be rebuilt, the caste system at the HIW can finally be shuffled fairly.

BreadMeal: Marie, Ian & Liesa

It’s no secret that the HIW lounge smells, but did you know that every Friday by 15.00, the smell is way worse? Come before that odious odor reaches its zenith and share in what is lovingly called, BreadMeal. Though it sounds like a duck’s wet- dream, it is in actuality nobody’s wet-dream. Or at least we hope not. Under the wings of the kind-hearted Marie, every Friday around noon a feast will be prepared! Boasting a fine assortment of bread, Liesa, with her jovial appearance, will make sure everybody knows that this week they have both white and wheat. Ian completes this fellowship of the grain, and together the three form a team that has garnered critical acclaim such as: “a bit dry” and “so it’s really just bread?”. As a true tip though, the bread meal is an excellent way to get a cheap lunch on Friday. (They have sandwich ingredients).

CUDI: Elisa, Anna, Seven

When your grades start slipping because your professors are dodging all of Toledo-related emails, look no further than the CUDI. The Cudi, located in the lounge of the HIW, is where you can purchase important items such as NFK sweaters, Cantus Codexes, and the less important items such as course readers. If you get stressed when shopping, have no fear because the calm voice of Elisa will steady your nerves while Anna’s exuberant enthusiasm will keep you confused long enough for her to fill your shopping cart with a few more books then you initially wanted. Seven’s sympathetic appearance makes this trio complete, so when you see this group next year just remember, they’re stuck in the stinky lounge while you’re breathing fresh-air. So when they don’t give you exact change, remain patient.

Culture: Lukas, Glen, Jelger

Philosophy students often pretend that they have a strong cultural background and knowledge, but many do not go beyond what amounts to meaningless name-dropping. Fortunately for us, our three cultural representatives go beyond such barbaric practices! Lukas is a true cinephile, who will never shy away from expressing his love of all films. (Whether they’re in the professional or amateur categories). Next is Glen, who with his critical eye, knows how to fathom our metaphysical cultural-substructure without ending up in a pseudo-philosophical quagmire. And since you can’t spell culture without creation, our resident artist Jelger is always ready to stir the pot of revolution with his gorgeous macaroni- jewelry and quixotic finger painting.

Fakbar: Abheer, Elise, Michiel, Tom, Thibault

After a long and blissful period of willful ignorance and financial mismanagement, the M-Café shut down, and with it, our Fakbar. At first we were going to cry and drink in a corner, but then we remembered our bottles of NFKara are still in the basement of the M-Museum, where we are no longer welcome. Thankfully, all good heists need a motley crew and we have just the team with Abheer, Elise, Michiel, Tom, and Thibault. A description of them would be superfluous, but you should know that the Femme Fatale archetype on the team is not Elise. (She’s more of the George Clooney). And as a gentle reminder, please do not ask any of them where and when the next Fakbar will take place. The truth is they have no idea, and a certain abandoned construction site is looking more and more promising as the days go on.

Social: Abheer, Ruel, Remzi, Seven

For all you low-key cats, look no further than the organization known only as, SOCIAL.  Named like a James Bond villain, this shadowy group of four dedicates their lives to hosting informal gathering events where absolutely zero Satanic worship occurs! Why do I have to specify that? Come to one of their game-nights and you’ll find out! Leading them is Abheer, a man known for his classic complaints like, “I drank so much at the Fakbar last night” and “No seriously, you don’t have to kill an innocent just to join SOCIAL”.  While that last quote may be true on paper, Two-Life-Sentences Ruel will strongly disagree. Remzi and Seven, both noted practitioners of the Dark Arts, also serve the unholy entity whose true name is so terrible that we can only print it here as…SOCIAL.

Sports: Joseph, Ewout

For most of us, running a marathon seems as unthinkable as a second date with Vergouwen. Even walking down the drive of the HIW can lead to sweaty armpits and heavy breathing. (Not unlike a date with Vergouwen). But since we’ve all made our peace with not breaking world records, it’s always inspiring to see two students who haven’t come to grips with their complete athletic ineptitude. Joseph and Ewout therefore have undertaken a task which would make Sisyphus jealous. They’ve promised to throw balls, punches, and insults at our heads until we realize that spending hours in the library is not a guarantee for eudaimonia. Their mission? Make sure we can move, walk, and dance our way to the nearest bar or night shop.

Volunteers: Robin, Luca, Felien

The first to dump the bodies and the last whose bodies will need to be dumped, this triple threat is literally that. Endangered! Volunteering has never looked so good with… Felien! (She’s not their leader, just first alphabetically). She’s a dynamite NFK guest-star who once unknowingly ate a hot-wing that had  been  dropped  on  the floor. Sorry you had to find out this way, Felien! Next up is Luca. While technically he doesn’t even go to KU Leuven, we can’t seem to get rid of him! This man has the looks of an underwear model and the personality of underwear. Our final volunteer is Robin. Too many jokes can be made about her last name so we’re limiting ourselves to only making fun of her middle, DeBallsAnd. She really lucked out.

Party: Dennis, Jade, Ruud, Gil, Ian

In charge of all events fun, this quintet of festive animals are constantly on high-alert for the next great gathering! Whether they’ve found it or created it, when your pager lights up with a notification from the NFK Party team, you better answer it! Heading up the pack as their fearless leader is Jade, a fun-loving free-spirited rabble- rouser, she’s sure to get the momentum going on the dance floor when she steps onto the scene in her 23-cm stilettos. But as sweet as she is, it’s all counterbalanced by Dennis’s spice. With the cold dead eyes of a serial-killer, you know it’s not a party until Dennis busts out his skin collection. Gil and Ruud of course do not kill people. And lastly, sporting the cap of a qizard is Ian! As clever as his eyebrows are sharp, this handsome devil will pour you a drink and then regale you with all of his sexual kinks! (He has a lot!)

Dewijzer: Anna, Emma, Thibualt, Skyler

As agents of the free-academic-press, the De Wijzer team works intimately with immortal freedom fighters such as The Man Who Killed Hitler, Robespierre, and Mac DeMarco (who has yet to respond to several photographs we left  in  his DMs). The first of us to drink from the Fountain of Youth, our leader Thibault. A man whose jawline is the only thing stronger than his moral compass, Thibault prefers not to sleep at night because, and I  quote,  “that’s  when  the  voices start”. Anna, the second of us to sip the sap of the World-Tree, has remarkably few health problems for someone who frequently ingests sap. Emma, our third, was cursed at birth and consequently, is haunted by the knowledge of all events past, present, and yet to come. Lastly Skyler has a message he’d like published: “Mr. DeMarco, if you are reading this please delete the photos I sent you. They were taken hastily, and are not a good representation of all I can bring to the table”.

Praeses: Liesa

Liesa’s function is to make sure all the pieces fit and the puzzle stays together. She will be the piece of the puzzle between the faculty and NFK, as regards student collaboration as well as student representation. She will have the overview of the whole praesidium and will try to make sure our praesidium stays one well working entity, that every piece of the puzzle performs its function while not losing sight of the bigger picture. She will make sure that we do our very best to let every student at the HIW find its place in the puzzle.

 

Vice-praeses: Ian

Hello, this is Ian. He is your upcoming Vice-Praeses. Ian is a wonderful human specimen who likes yoghurt, sports, partying with the boys and of course, like any philosophy student, seizing the means of production. He is known for keeping it cool at all times, because life may not always work in your favor but at least you can cry at home afterwards. As a Vice-Praeses he’ll never back down to choose the healthiest option with impeccable determination so everyone in- and outside the Praesidium can feel welcome at the HIW. His biggest occupation next year will be helping Liesa with her hard work of being Praeses. Their not so contrasting but rather complementary personalities will play a big role in the all-round functioning of NFK, our beloved Praesidium. Being so they will be able to strive for a wealthy and functioning student association. This way NFK can reach its full potential again after the global pandemic.

 

Treasurer: Emma VM & Marie M

Don’t let their bright smiles and sweet eyes fool you: Emma and Marie will exercise their function as treasurers with great precision and seriousness. Their job as treasurers is not simply to guard the (nearly empty) NFK-treasury, but to make sure that NFK can organize the most extraordinary, mind-blowingly awesome or delightfully relaxing activities for all of you to enjoy. Just as it is crucial to keep ourselves healthy, we need to keep NFK healthy as well. That is Emma and Marie’s sacred duty.

 

PR: Nina & David

Are you lost in loads of information? Do you have 1001+ burning questions? No worries, PR-team Nina and David got your back! They will provide you with everything you need to know. Sadly, we’re not talking about all of your deep existential questions. But speaking about the practical side of being a student at the HIW, they are very ready to help you. Nina is characterized by her loud and clear voice. She don’t need a speaker to convey a message. David on the other hand, is known for talking all the time: during lunch, presentations, classes, parties or even when he’s sleeping, David can be heard discussing all matters (but mostly the inherent flaws of capitalism). They know the juicy details from the behind the scenes of the Facebook page and messenger, Instagram, website, email, and so forth. If someone from the praesidium is talking in a confused way to you, they are here to be your personal interpreter to make it clear and distinct.

 

Education: Radu, Sapfo, Marte, Liesa & Emma M

Team Education defends the interests of philosophy students and give them a voice to address problems, while still respecting the ideas of the faculty. They want to promote the student representation more. The most important way to represent all students is with the open education meetings. They want to attract more people there so they can give their opinion on all kind of matters. They will defend that representative opinion in meetings on faculty and university level. The system of student representation is almost as complicated as a logic class, but that we will represent philosophy students in the best possible way is logical! They want to make the process of representation easier, more visible and make more use of the NFK Education Facebook page so students know how they are being represented.

As a student representative, Marte intends to always be approachable for every student  so they can feel comfortable to openly express their positive or negative feedback on education. Radu, member of both “Education” and “Social”, wants to make both ends meet. He wants to aid students with autism, eradicate procrastination, organise fun and enriching activities. Sapfo is the existentialist you can lay all your remarks on about courses and education in HIW, and she’s always there for any questions you might have (including philosophical). Coming from the far west, there is Emma who won’t hesitate to duel any question or problem who dares to provoke her. Liesa at last will have the overview of the different ways philosophy students are represented and steer everything in the right direction.

 

BreadMeal: Marit

As the week progresses and you are getting sick of eating the same old pasta from your dirty kitchen, and the tasteless mashed potatoes from Alma (even though they are very friendly there), then we have good news for you: your salvation is near! Every Friday afternoon you can enjoy a delicious, classy lunch with the charismatic NFK-member Marit, who will host you warmly, and who will make you feel as if you are eating at a five star restaurant. And the best part is: you won’t be broke afterwards! Because our breadmeal is a cheap and wholesome investment in your diet, your wallet and your mental health.

 

CUDI: Robin & Marit

Every day the most burning questions pop up in a philosopher’s mind. Which hypothetical sense of ‘can’ is there in a deterministic world? Why did Karl Marx want a revolution? How can I subtly win Vergauwen’s heart? What is the meaning of life? The good thing is, that you can find all the answers in the courses and readers! And you can find these courses and readers at the NFK course service, located in the NFK lounge in the basement of the Institute. So don’t hesitate to visit us, and get your books full of wisdom and answers to your burning life questions. Robin and Marit will be glad to help you. This is also the place where you can buy NFK merchandise, such as nice t-shirts and sweaters in a variety of colors or a brand new codex. More than enough reasons to come visit us, I would say, even if it’s just for a little chat.

 

Culture: Tycho, Filip, Thomas & Kiran

For a 20/20 year of Culture, not one student of Philosophy should have the disprivilege of being deprived of Les Beaux Arts. Each inspired by their personal Muses, these four Byronic heroes are here to salvage your souls from the destitute Waste Land of culturelessness and introduce you to a world of cultural Splendour hitherto unseen. They shall each bear their own Herculean Task in this glorious Undertaking. Betwixt Kitsch and Philistines, Filip will not shy away from navigating any Art Exhibition that his way comes. Tycho shall orchestrate occasions to celebrate the Talent that lays dormant in us all and bless our ears with Song and Rhyme. Faced with a myriad of movies, one must not fret, for Thomas will select the crème de la crème be they known or obscure. Armed with The Literary Canon, Kiran will join the forces of Erudite in the Epic War against illiteracy and ignorance.

 

Fakbar: Glen & Ian

Hello, this fine specimen is Glen and this lovely man is Ian and they are the handsome faces of team Fakbar. At the moment their Fakbar is as absent as their love life, so they will search for both next year (if you want to help them with either of those slide in their DM’s) To make a fakbar function properly they will provide everyone with beverages that suit their night the most, variating from a fresh beer to a hot cup of tea. The vision of team Fakbar this year is to bring the people together again so everyone can get to know one another while having a nice chat (and providing us money of course, even though Glen is a filthy Marxist xoxo Ian)

 

Social: Alex, Radu & Karlien

We all have a picture in our minds of your stereotypical philosophy student, up in the clouds, with a fetish for strange concepts and sometimes other things… and here at the HIW we just about fill the pot on that broad spectrum of quirky. But none of that matters with the kids at Social, as everyone is welcome to their weekly exorcisms, extraterrestrial demonstrations and communal baths. Social focuses on integration and the celebration of everyone and everything, and if you go visit them, you’ll be met with a huge smile and maybe even a high five if you’re lucky. Whether you need to drink your sins away, or create some new ones, you can most likely find them in the freshly painted (yum) basement of the HIW, also known as the Lounge. Leading Social is Alex, who may or may not be the most British person you will ever meet and will likely greet you with a wry smile, followed by a friendly offer of a tequila shot. Radu comes to us from the 15th century, and sees himself as some form of Vlad the Impaler, who is fearless and justice hungry. Whilst lastly we have Karlien, who is complete joy in human form and could account for the smile on children’s faces. So, go check out some of their events, and you’re bound to make friends, but there are no promises that you won’t be signed up to some sort of pyramid scheme…

 

Sports: Ewout, Filip & Thomas

WE ARE NFK WE DO SPORTZ: volleyball, basketball, Football, futsal And every other thing involving movement! WE ARE SPORTZ WE DO NFK

 

Volunteers: Luca & Marie E

With pride we present to you our trustworthy volunteers. For everyone who has never heard of Luca, under what rock do you live..? He has been a pillar of strength for NFK. After 3 full years full of energy and enthusiasm, he still has much more left. He is ready for a fourth, but are you? Marie’s presence, which you might be accustomed to from last year’s breadmeal, will warm everyone’s heart and it will also cheer you up wherever you encounter her! Her spontaneity and social skills might make you envious even. Quite obvious of a fact but they both look fabulous in pictures, too!

 

Party: Edna, Hannah, David, Karlien & Dennis

For the party animals amongst you team Party will initiate you to the coolest parties in Leuven. And for the people who aren’t party animals, they’ll also organise cosy gatherings to hang out with friends. If you’re in the mood for a dance, you can let yourself go with the flow and dance shamelessly with Hannah. For the barflies, you can fly free with Dennis and just have a nice chat. And if you’re not really a dancer, but still want to be on the dancefloor, you can have a heated discussion with David surrounded by the dancing queens.  If you’re someone who just wants to sing along with the greatest hits of all time, you can help Edna with causing hearing damage to the people around you. Meanwhile, Karlien will keep the ones interested entertained by going on an adventure, always fun to do something shady to end the night! (what could possibly go wrong?) After all, Party just wants you to have the time of your life at the most amazing events in Leuven!

 

Zeitgeist: Sapfo & Mehmet

The Zeitgeist this year will try its best to make #studentjournalsgreatagain with weird events that will make you think “why is the damn journal doing all these?”. Well, you can still just ‘submit’ that rant you wrote on contemporary matters, your obscure poetry, and even your entopic graphomania on our hopefully more frequent issues!

Remember all the cool kids that wrote for Les Temps Modernes around 1940’s, those that you have to read every week? Journals, not the peer-reviewed boring ones, were crucial for the development of individual philosophers in their youth. If team Zeitgeist can manage to create a sense of community and establish regular, but still exciting somehow, meetings they are sure that everybody will both enjoy and benefit from it.

You will probably see Sapfo the most, since she is the only socially capable one in the group. Don’t say silly things about Aristotle and NEVER compliment Stanislavski in her presence. She is also a professional actress, how cool is that? Mehmet, a.k.a rocker_metalhead, is the poster-boy and the despised Zizekian. He is your boy for never-ending drunk political conversations that could somehow involve psychoanalysis. You might hear him the most if they manage to get their Zeitgeist Radio going this year! If they are doing a weird interdisciplinary workshop & reading group at any point this year, blame it on Remzi. You can encounter him ranting about Irigaray, contemporary Japanese aesthetics or obscure Ottoman artists at the lounge. They are all excited to bring more Zeitgeist to you this year, for you to read and also listen this time!