What is all the fuss about????
Rhodes University is renowned for its wild partying scene and drunken behaviour. As a result, it was not surprising that when I told my friends that I was going to Rhodes they automatically thought that I was going to become an out- of- control drunk. This reputation, as I soon realised at the beginning of first year, is not all that accurate. After being at Rhodes and living in res for almost one year I still cannot identify with the stereotypical drunken Rhodes student that my friends at home thought I was going to turn into. For this reason, I do not know why alcohol consumption has become such an issue of concern at Rhodes University.
The article “Why students drink so much” on the FM Campus website states that young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 are more likely to use alcohol as part of their entertainment than any other age group. This was meant to be alarming, however, it is rather common sense due to the fact that it is during these ages when individuals are part of the partying scene. This should be understood properly before everyone starts jumping to conclusions and classifying students into the category of alcoholics.
Another point the article makes is that the drinking culture affects younger students more as they are not prepared for the newfound freedom and the availability of alcohol on campus. This is nonsense because with the freedom of being away from home, further responsibility lies on every individual at Rhodes University to perform without being under the watchful of their parents. It is this responsibility that makes me as diligent as I am in going to lectures and tutorials, even after a rough night of partying.
The partying lifestyle of Rhodes was also under scrutiny in another article by Daily Dispatch Online with the headline “Boozy pupils are poor achievers”. The article was in light of the report compiled by the university’s dean of students, Dr Vivian de Klerk, and head of counselling Dr Charles Young. The report found that drinking was associated with absenteeism in lectures, tutorials and practicals and poor academic performance. This is such a contradiction to the facts of the matter. Despite Rhodes’ reputation, Rhodes has the highest undergraduate pass rate in South Africa so how could one possibly make that statement to begin with?
Furthermore, highlighting peer pressure as a factor in the amount of alcohol consumed is also an excuse of a reason. As a first year, I never felt the pressure from any other students to drink. University students are no longer children and need to take responsibility for their actions and by blaming other people they are definitely not doing that. We have all learnt how to say no by the age of 18 so that can no longer be used as an excuse.
My experiences at Rhodes this far have been the best a varsity student could ever wish for. I have had the opportunity to make great friends, party when the time is right and work hard for the degree I am earning. I am, therefore, grateful for the opportunity of having a well-rounded varsity experience. Not only will I walk away with a highly regarded degree but also the strong belief that I have been educated in life. So, what is all the fuss about?
The article “Why students drink so much” on the FM Campus website states that young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 are more likely to use alcohol as part of their entertainment than any other age group. This was meant to be alarming, however, it is rather common sense due to the fact that it is during these ages when individuals are part of the partying scene. This should be understood properly before everyone starts jumping to conclusions and classifying students into the category of alcoholics.
Another point the article makes is that the drinking culture affects younger students more as they are not prepared for the newfound freedom and the availability of alcohol on campus. This is nonsense because with the freedom of being away from home, further responsibility lies on every individual at Rhodes University to perform without being under the watchful of their parents. It is this responsibility that makes me as diligent as I am in going to lectures and tutorials, even after a rough night of partying.
The partying lifestyle of Rhodes was also under scrutiny in another article by Daily Dispatch Online with the headline “Boozy pupils are poor achievers”. The article was in light of the report compiled by the university’s dean of students, Dr Vivian de Klerk, and head of counselling Dr Charles Young. The report found that drinking was associated with absenteeism in lectures, tutorials and practicals and poor academic performance. This is such a contradiction to the facts of the matter. Despite Rhodes’ reputation, Rhodes has the highest undergraduate pass rate in South Africa so how could one possibly make that statement to begin with?
Furthermore, highlighting peer pressure as a factor in the amount of alcohol consumed is also an excuse of a reason. As a first year, I never felt the pressure from any other students to drink. University students are no longer children and need to take responsibility for their actions and by blaming other people they are definitely not doing that. We have all learnt how to say no by the age of 18 so that can no longer be used as an excuse.
My experiences at Rhodes this far have been the best a varsity student could ever wish for. I have had the opportunity to make great friends, party when the time is right and work hard for the degree I am earning. I am, therefore, grateful for the opportunity of having a well-rounded varsity experience. Not only will I walk away with a highly regarded degree but also the strong belief that I have been educated in life. So, what is all the fuss about?
posted by CruisersLac at
9:44 AM
3 Comments:
It so happens that you are a first year. And with your year long experience, I don’t think you are qualified to have a concrete opinion on the drinking and partying culture at Rhodes. Just because you can handle all the drinking and partying doesn’t mean that this applies to everyone else. Did it occur to you that you could be the exception rather than the norm? For your own information, the articles that say that drinking affects younger people are based on careful research by people who are more experienced than you are and base their stories on fact. Alcohol consumption has become an issue at Rhodes simply because it is an issue. You can’t seriously tell me that all this fuss about the alcohol issue is just empty air? It is a fact that younger people are overwhelmed by their new found responsibility peer pressure induces people to drink and peer pressure induces them to drink. I should know. I’ve seen most first years on campus and they really don’t handle their alcohol and their grades are affected. I’m sorry to say so, but you are way off the mark. You are basing your argument on the mere fact that you can handle your drinking and partying quite well. That my friend doesn’t apply to the majority of those who drink. Drinking is really an issue here at Rhodes. Especially for the younger students.
Part of the reason that Apartheid went on for so long is white South Africa’s refusal to acknowledge the facts of the situation even when evidence lay bare and naked before them.
A few years ago, our then president, Thabo Mbeki refused to believe that there was any connection between AIDS and HIV. Our Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala took her time rolling out antiretroviral treatment to a country in desperate need, because she just could not admit that Beetroot was no good as treatment.
It pains me to see the same
denialist attitude expressed in your piece. Despite hard evidence from those in the know, you ask us to look the other way and pretend we do not know that the only reason our friend lost his DP is his hard partying and hard drinking.
Apartheid stole the lives of many innocent men and women (black and white). The denial of AIDS and its treatment from our leadership did nothing for AIDS statistics; they continued to rocket.
Phrases like your “what’s the fuss” while the party goes ahead and the work is neglected cannot be good for neither our reputation as Rhodes students nor our academic performance.
It seems as though you have forgotten that there is never smoke without fire.
Truth is, despite the particular few, like yourself – the majority of students entering university have not had the luxury or environment in which to grow as a person and learn their limits due to their parents watchful eyes. It is also known that as soon as students are emancipated from the guided lifestyle, they explore and express until their limits are known – this is done mostly at university where the environment in which to learn is freely available and very tempting.
It is no shock that these statistics stated by the FM campus regards this age group as alcohol users, if not partly abusers. Rhodes lifestyle is based around many pubs etc because there is truthfully not much else available for the entertainment other than the movies – and even that is apparently going to disappear soon.
People also find they become more sociable with a couple of drinks and thus open up their social circle further. Understand that most people have an explicit need to be affiliated with others who are deemed high in the social hierarchy for various reasons – so they will pursue what they think is more important at the time and it just so happens that often the academics fall short.
The people will either fail and drop out or realise their marks are actually more important and then pull up their socks. It is a learning process through trial and error. We cannot sit here and judge others if we do not understand the context from which they have grown up – this determines much of their behaviour. Just be thankful that you have found the balance between work and play and try to never react to negative behaviours of human weaknesses. Realise that behaviour and potential are separate things.
See further information at this blog http://www.jcvarsity.blogspot.com
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