Initiation Goes Too Far

Headlining my online page for the Sydney Morning Herald this morning is a story that hits close to home. A University of Sydney student at St Johns College was hospitalised after being coerced into drinking games by older students as part of the infamous orientation week initiation traditions - thus raising debate over not only the brutal events that culminate o week at colleges across Australia but the rife drinking culture within Australian Universities. I'm eighteen and I've just finished thirteen years of schooling, I'm living away from home and in a college environment - I'm not about to be the morality police on this but I do find it a little bit fucked that students of such amazing intellect that are likely to play a part in the future of Australia are spending their formative years with a warped sense of reality in which drinking is the key to socialising, sexist and discriminatory behaviour is applauded and any type of healthy activity such as college sport is succeeded by a roaring "piss up." On the other hand though I have to admit, being a student at St Johns at UQ a majority of my fellow students are studying degrees such as Law or Medicine so for them I suppose the reality is that college is "their time" so to speak. Once they graduate and begin practicing the drinking and partying lifestyle comes to a halt to uphold professionalism and public appearance - perhaps that's why students let loose at college.

I can't speak for every college student as our experiences are subjective but whilst my own recent O week experience doesn't sound as intense as the Sydney student's - there are parallels - the initiation games and authority of the older students or as we called them - The Executive, were certainly present. The article mentions that the girl attempted to object to the drinking game by stating an alcohol allergy but was coerced none the less. This is the point that strikes me the most about O week. College and University are meant to be about independence, finding yourself and creating a world view that welcomes a multitude of opinions whilst within my own college environment I can already see the beginnings of girls losing their self esteem in efforts to gain the approval of males and likewise traditions that encourage males to objectify women, not to mention constant efforts from older students to encourage the freshers to do things in "the college way." Not exactly great preparation for adult life.

I'm aware that reading back through this it seems like I have a very negative view of college, which I don't, college is beginning to be one of the greatest experiences of my adult life and I can tell that the friends I have made in these first few weeks I will keep my entire life. However I do disagree with O week and the excessive drinking culture - which are outdated and not concurrent with reality in the 21st century. I guess what rings true the most from this article is the age old saying - "it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt."

Sydney Morning Herald