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Saartje

Who was Saartje?

It had always been known that there was a predecessor to Facides Dione: Saartje, from back when the Facility Management program was still called "Applied Domestic Sciences." The name *Saartje* was inspired by the housekeeper from the Dutch TV series *Swiebertje*. A few years ago, Heinrich Naumann – a former lecturer at the Institute for Facility Management and part of the International Internship Office – discovered an old poster for Saartje’s kickoff party, dating back to 1994! Legend has it that Saartje “bled out” in 1998 because no new board could be found. That’s why we asked Heinrich to tell us more about the Saartje era.

Heinrich recalls that Saartje existed even before his own time as a student. The name Saartje had already been thought up by some of his predecessors. When he reached his fourth year, he felt it was time to revive the association. Quote: “Come on folks, let’s give Saartje a good kick in the pants!” Saartje functioned like a regular study association, but without an official boardroom or daily board. It was run by a group of students who took the initiative to organize things.

What kind of activities did Saartje organize?
 
“We played a major role during open days, organized a trip to Prague for all fourth-year students about to graduate, and – believe it or not – founded an a cappella band with three girls and two guys. They rehearsed for weeks and performed in harmony; it actually sounded really good,” says Heinrich. The a cappella group performed during open days: “Picture this – as you entered the building at Hoendiepskade 23, with its beautiful old entrance, a bit of Amsterdam-style architecture, and a staircase leading upward – we would be standing halfway up that staircase, singing at different levels.” Saartje also organized an end-of-year party, as seen on the poster.
 
Since Heinrich was already in his fourth year when Saartje was brought back to life, he only experienced one year of the association’s activities. What happened after that, he doesn’t know. After graduating, Heinrich went abroad and never saw any more posters or material. (Back then, of course, there was no Instagram to stay up to date!)
 

Did Saartje contribute to the founding of Facides Dione?

 

Heinrich doesn’t know for sure whether Saartje directly contributed to the founding of Facides Dione, but he certainly hopes so. When Heinrich started working at the Institute for Facility Management in 2003, there was no study association anymore, and Saartje had vanished completely. When the initiative to start Facides Dione emerged, Heinrich was immediately enthusiastic and became a friend of FaDi right away.

 

He didn’t directly help with organizing or founding FaDi, but the founding board did ask him several times about how things were done with Saartje and what to keep in mind. So in that way, he was still able to help out.

 

Unfortunately, no other materials from Saartje have been found. All we have is the framed poster from the 1994 end-of-year party that now hangs in our office! There are rumors that the a cappella band was once recorded – on a cassette tape (!) – but Heinrich couldn’t find it for a long time. At least, that’s what he always said. In the meantime, he *has* found the tape and created a digital version! Who knows… maybe you’ll get to hear it someday.

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