Sep
2
Nothing too interesting happened today so I’ll just rant a bit. As yesterday evening, some students had gathered to the nearby park to enjoy the warm evening chatting and having a few beers. Only this time, when I arrived around 9 pm, I noticed a suspicious figure watching the student gathering from a distance. However, as I approached the merry fellowship, the watchman completely slipped from my mind. To be absolutely honest, nobody was drunk and the noise level would have been definitely within the norms in any other society. I grabbed a beer from the vending machine and went on to meet the other students and discuss the events of the day.
After half an hour or so had passed, the mysterious person approached us, stating who he was and asking us kindly but with a severe tone to cease all of our activities right away and dismiss. I must admit it was a bit of a buzzkill but it would not have bothered me so much had we had some other place to move to and continue as if nothing had happened. Unfortunately, it seems that having a party in any form during the orientation week, when people would actually have free time and a high motivation to make new friends, is anything but possible.
I do understand that the university does not want us to drink inside the seminar houses. I also understand that the university does not want us to drink in public and cause disturbances in the extremely quiet neighborhood. I could understand the university not wanting to give seminar house gate keys to the students that are moving out after the orientation week. However, drinking being forbidden in public, drinking being forbidden in the dorms in addition to drinking in bars being rendered effectively impossible by the early curfew combines into a set of rules that completely destroys the option of just drinking a few beers, having a good time and chatting with fellow students.
My point here is not to say that everything is ruined now that people aren’t allowed to drink. I just fail to decipher the hidden meaning behind strictly enforcing three rules out of which two will be waived starting next Monday. This post has very little to do with rational thinking. I just needed to let off some steam as I am easily irritated when asked by some authority figure to stop doing something I enjoy.
-Antti