It is with sadness that we have learnt of the sudden death of our Board member Jesper Benus. He died on Monday 4 April 2022 at the age of 19.
‘Putting the pressure on is for compressors’ was something that Jesper, student of Health Sciences and board member of study association Sirius, was often heard saying. Jesper was a likeable guy, a driving force who greatly contributed to a good atmosphere within his student association and the eighth football team of Sparta Enschede. When the bars in town were closed, he would invite everyone to 'Café DT', as he called his own student house 'Domus Tergum'. This student house was also the home base of the 'Plan B' fraternity, and Jesper knew from the very beginning of his studies that he wanted to be a member of that fraternity. His housemates and fraternity mates tell us that Jesper both changed and remained himself during his studies. At the start, he sometimes had a big mouth, but during the years of study he learnt to be more tactful and subtle, using his openness and directness in a very positive way. Jesper was highly appreciated, especially in talks with the study programme, for the way in which he participated in developments and gave feedback to the programme.
Jesper loved pirate music. Whenever the music of Jannes was played, Jesper would stand there waving his arms in order to sway along. Often he would be dressed in a turtleneck or jumper with a button-down shirt; never with a plain T-shirt underneath, but always with a printed shirt on which he regularly received comments from his fellow board members. If you phoned Jesper, he would always answer with 'Moi'.
After finishing the second year of his studies, Jesper became an enthusiastic board member of Sirius, where he held the portfolio 'External relations'. In a period that was difficult because of all the problems surrounding the pandemic, Jesper managed to keep the spirit, both within the board and whilst organising activities, like for example ‘Sirius Request’. Sometimes he was very disappointed when there was a low number of students participating in an activity. He was also worried about the formation of a new board for Sirius for the coming year, because due to the 'corona years', there was clearly less enthusiasm among students to be on the board than in previous years.
On the evening of Monday 4 April 2022, we suddenly received the news of his death. It was a huge shock for the community of the Health Sciences and Management, Society & Technology programmes. We will greatly miss his pleasant presence, his enthusiasm, and his commitment to the study programmes and Sirius, and we are grateful for what he has done for and meant for all of us.
Our deepest sympathy goes to the family, friends, fellow students and relatives.
