As per tradition, the Université Libre de Brussels (ULB) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) will commemorate their founder, Théodore Verhaegen, on 16 and 20 November during the Saint-Verhaegen (Saint V) celebrations, focusing on the theme of student mental health.
On Thursday 16 November, there will be readings from the People's Universities of Theatre and a guided tour of Saint-Verhaegen's historical journey, followed by a torchlight procession. The procession will end at the 'De Stap' statue on the VUB campus, where barrels of fraternity, sorority, and solidarity will be provided by the Union of Former Students.
On Monday 20 November, the plan involves official commemorations to honour figures who have sculpted the two institutions' identities. This will be followed by a traditional student gathering in the Grand Sablon square. A procession will then head towards Bourse accompanied by university songs.
Like every year, the students' societies at ULB and VUB have chosen a theme for Saint V. This year, they want to shed light on student mental health, under the slogan: 'Hang in there, it's fine – Financing us is better!' "These are often overlooked issues with underestimated consequences," the student societies explained. The social collection's profits will go to the Brussels League for Mental Health.
On 20 November each year, ULB and VUB students celebrate Théodore Verhaegen, the founder of the Brussels universities. Since 2019, Saint-V has been listed among the intangible cultural heritage of the Brussels-Capital Region and attracts nearly 7,000 attendees from the capital and beyond annually.
