“Make this building your own, so you have everything you need,” the Rector exhorted the students
The red carpet had been rolled out, the flower girls were ready, and the golden scissors had been brought out ready for Princess Marie to clip the purple silk ribbon and officially open Odense’s new Student House.
The Princess then stepped lightly inside in her high, grey stilettos, accompanied by Mayor Anker Boye and Rector Jens Oddershede, to take a closer look at the Student House.
“This place is for you”
Previously, Jens Oddershede had declared the day a day of celebration for the almost 25,000 students studying in Odense.
“This place is for you – for everyone studying in Odense. This is where you can meet friends old and new, take time for reflection, enjoy a cup of coffee, undertake group work and take part in social and cultural events. And be sure to make this building your own, so you have everything you need,” he told them.
The best city to be a student in
Ida Tanita Sørensen, chairperson of the Odense Student House Association, said in her speech that the Student House will fill the heart of Odense with students.
“I hope the students will give their full support to the Student House so we can make this the best city to be a student in anywhere in Denmark. We’re proud of this,” Ida Tanita Sørensen commented in her speech.
That was plain for all to see.
In the minutes before Princess Marie arrived, the red carpet was first vacuumed indoors and then outdoors, as the autumn sent golden-brown leaves cascading from the trees.
The tables, chairs and floor on the ground floor were absolutely spotless, too, when the Princess was subsequently shown around the lounge and the bar. She listened intently to what the Student House volunteers had to say, before continuing upstairs for a tour and reception for invited VIPs.
Close to Kulturmaskinen
Behind the Student House are the University of Southern Denmark, University College Lillebælt, Lillebaelt Academy of Professional Higher Education and the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts of Southern Denmark in cooperation with Odense Kommune. It is situated opposite “Cafe biografen”, close to the Kulturmaskinen venue in the buildings that previously housed Odense’s music library.
The photo shows Odense Mayor Anker Boye, Princess Marie and Rector Jens Oddershede together with the two flower girls, Sif and Kraka Lehm Kølle, aged 6. Photo: Michael Yde Katballe
05.09.2013
Back to the news list