Working Group Session 2

This morning will be all about the Working Group sessions. The groups will be able to work intensively, on several locations spread out over the TU/e campus.

City tour

It would be a waste not to spend some daytime in the city centre of Eindhoven. But in this case, you’re not just there to stroll around, you’re on a mission! You and your colleague detectives will go out on a hunt for a notorious thief. Keep your eyes open for other sinister personalities walking around; they might be able to offer you some kind of assistance...

Dinner & Cantus

After a good Chinese meal it will be time for a typical Dutch student event: the cantus.
A cantus (Latin for ‘singing’, derived from ‘canere’), is an activity which mainly involves singing traditional songs and drinking beer. This all is governed by strict traditional rules.
The cantus is being led by the praesidium; the senior is responsible for keeping order at the cantus, the pro-cantor will lead the singing and the ‘zedenmeester’ (Dutch for ‘master of customs’) will punish anyone who disrupts the cantus. These punishments usually involve drinking beer in unusual, humorous and sometimes degrading ways if the culprit has committed a grave offence.
People at a cantus use special formulae, usually in Latin. For example, the attending people are called the ‘corona’. And when after a song, the senior wants the corona to drink collectively, he will say ‘prosit corona’ (after which the corona responds with ‘prosit senior’). The senior will also have the choice of either ordering ‘ad libidum’ (drink as you please) or the more famous and notorious ‘ad fundum’ (literally: to the bottom, or drink till the glass is empty).
The corona can also start such a drinking procedure if it collectively begins with ‘prosit senior’. This is usually a manner of teasing the praesidium or testing their ability to withstand huge amounts of alcohol.

Normally, people at a cantus are required to remain silent and if they want to address the corona or the senior, they should ask the senior for permission first, by asking ‘senior, peto verbum’ (senior, I request to speak). The senior can reply with ‘habes’ (go ahead) or ‘non habes’ (forget it).
The cantus is a fun event, during which the praesidium and the corona keep challenging each other. Volunteers will provide everyone with beer or with water, for the ones who do not want to drink alcohol.