Alcohol
Today was one of those typical flekke days, the weather couldn't decide whether it was good or bad. Spent the day oscilating between chopping wood and doing stuff inside. Have now made a big pile of logs that my dad would have been proud of, he wasn't a woodcutter but a vicar which is why he would be proud of my crooked pile of logs,I just can't get it to look neat like everyone elses. I just wrote a whole load of stuff on my thoughts about students and alchohol but decided to delete it, I'm just not sure if this is the place for that sort of thing. Ok here is a summary of what I think.
This place is like a pressure cooker without a release valve, every now and again the pressure builds up and it explodes. Maybe the students are better organised than I think but it appears that the drinking parties happen rather sporadicaly, as a result students drink on campus between parties. Maybe if there was a party once a month everyone would be able to hold on to the next party and wouldn't feel the need for impromptu bathroom/climbing room/physics lab/rectors office parties (or where ever it is that they have them). There should definitely be a party at the start of term so that all the duty free alchohol can be consumed in a proper place. Staff should be present as Natt Ugles (see previous posting) in other words they are there but don't intervene (caring not controling). Maybe there could be another non alchohol party on campus for all the non drinkers. The big problem (so I have heard) is when party goers return, again there should be a staff presence just to make sure everyone returns safely and quietly. If a particular room didn't want their drunk room mate to return then that person could sleep somewhere else (either the drunk one or the other). I think everything can be solved if people are willing to talk about it honestly.
Oh dear I've written it all again. I'm just writing this because its something that a lot of people are talking about and therefore it's something that I have been thinking about and this blog is supposed to be about things I think about.
When I told Hilary I was writing a blog she said that Psychologists often tell their patients to keep a diary. Hmm, whats she trying to tell me?
This place is like a pressure cooker without a release valve, every now and again the pressure builds up and it explodes. Maybe the students are better organised than I think but it appears that the drinking parties happen rather sporadicaly, as a result students drink on campus between parties. Maybe if there was a party once a month everyone would be able to hold on to the next party and wouldn't feel the need for impromptu bathroom/climbing room/physics lab/rectors office parties (or where ever it is that they have them). There should definitely be a party at the start of term so that all the duty free alchohol can be consumed in a proper place. Staff should be present as Natt Ugles (see previous posting) in other words they are there but don't intervene (caring not controling). Maybe there could be another non alchohol party on campus for all the non drinkers. The big problem (so I have heard) is when party goers return, again there should be a staff presence just to make sure everyone returns safely and quietly. If a particular room didn't want their drunk room mate to return then that person could sleep somewhere else (either the drunk one or the other). I think everything can be solved if people are willing to talk about it honestly.
Oh dear I've written it all again. I'm just writing this because its something that a lot of people are talking about and therefore it's something that I have been thinking about and this blog is supposed to be about things I think about.
When I told Hilary I was writing a blog she said that Psychologists often tell their patients to keep a diary. Hmm, whats she trying to tell me?
posted by Chris Hamper at 9:45 PM
6 Comments:
Well, alcohol was/is one of the biggest problems in Flekke, when i look back..But, how can the students be expected to be completely honest when they know that there is an alcohol policy? Let's assume that they tried to help their other roommate, who drank and whom they didnt want in the room, now they are abusing another policy about housing, by making the drunk roommate stay in another room after midnight..so that makes double abusement of two policies.
So i guess, these things should really need an end, because the same arguments over i dont know for how many years..that is time and nerves consuming..
Chris,
I think it is very possible..Just the problem is we have to decide how densed it will be..as the kid crew of my house say, 1gb or 2gb..You choose..:) btw, do you have the recipe for carrot halwa?
Tugce; For carrot halwa recipe see Rømme Graut post.
Thomas; You are right, communication is the key. At present there is almost no introduction to ways of communication / reaching consensus among room mates. We expect everyone to know how to do this when it is in fact much more difficult than any IB subject that we spend so long on.
About dealing with drunk roommates (and room conflicts in general): One of the impressions I got at the college was that people that come from more conservative backgrounds sometimes have difficulties with speaking up for themselves. That way, their roomates do feel there is tension in the room but don't know the source of that tension and are thus helpless at doing anything about it. And that can be very frustrating.
My experience with alcohol pretty much resembles what Tomas said. I didn't drink all that much while in Norway (at least not compared to the average, I would say) and thought that as long as alcohol is consumed in reasonable ammounts and not with the plane intention of "getting wasted" there is no need for an alcohol policy.
The thing that troubles me is what will happen, if someone gets into trouble (as in badly injured, robbed, lost...) as a result of alcohol and decides not to ask for help being afraid of further sanctions because of the fact that there is alcohol involved?
I think that whatever the college does about drinking, it should involve a major and honest change in attitude. Since the non-drinking policy was introduced, the students have been listening to one and the same talk by the staff over and over again, and it never led to anything. I think that a more lenient attitude towards social drinking by the staff would definitely help not turn alcohol into the forbidden fruit. A harsher response to binge drinking might be a good idea too. In terms of communication, I still think that the major problems do not stem from the communication between students, but between staff and students... but that's a whole different issue.
I also wish there was a working alumni forum elsewhere but on your blog where we could discuss issues and give suggestions as to what could be improved in the school.
Katerina
That's a great story. Waiting for more. Club family fitness health Hot tubs in texas Fitness equipment bench Indian running ducks Watch cool skate boarding videos mineral springs arkansas basketball Multi trip holiday insurance bahrain uae port deal stock values stock holders Curve fitness freedom English rugby football union types of phentermine home Phentermine and ionamin Insurance auto collision research Www alfa romeo ro Voodoo spells to cause impotence
Post a Comment
<< Home