How can we be sure?
When coming to University, the freedom you are faced with and the ability to do as you like without interference from your parents or teachers is an exciting prospect. Part of this newfound freedom is being able to drink as much as you like.
However, when people hear that you are going to Rhodes University, alarm bells tend to go off! People say that they do not want to send their children to Rhodes because of the excessive drinking which occurs here. Others are of the view that all Rhodes students are, or will become, alcoholics. As a student, I feel that the stigma which is being attached to Rhodes University concerning alcohol contributing to the negative view of Rhodes University and its students.
It is my view that one cannot accurately make a generalised statement saying that all students who are at Rhodes partake in excessive drinking and are “alcoholics”. A research report has shown that Rhodes is the “university with the second highest per capita consumption rate and incidence of alcohol abuse in the world”. (Bacchus also busy elsewhere by Nicky Lundin and Pierre Du Bois)
Whilst I do not deny that many students drink, some excessively so, that does not mean that Rhodes University is unique in this sense. I do not think that students at Rhodes are any worse than students from other universities, but rather that, as a result of Grahamstown's size, as well as the University's size the drinking patterns and behaviours are more visible and therefore more measurable.
One has to bear in mind that due to Grahamstown's size, the places which sell alcohol are concentrated in a small geographical area and furthermore that there is a limited number of these places. For example, Grahamstown has five liquor stores, and three places which sell wine only.
Grahamstown also has a limited number of “watering holes” due to the size of the town. Subsequently, there are only seven night-spots which serve alcohol to students, the Rat and Parrot and Equilibrium being two prominent night-spots.
In the light of the above, it is clear to see that measuring the alcohol consumption of students is much easier in a small town and University.
In contrast, a University like UCT provides a more difficult prospect. There are many places located in different areas of Cape Town where students are able to go out and similarly there are many places where they can buy alcohol. Therefore, measuring their alcohol consumption becomes significantly more difficult.
Furthermore, the number of students at UCT, well exceeds the number of students at Rhodes University, and therefore, a proper comparison could never be drawn between these two or between Rhodes and any other larger institution for that matter.
In terms of the surveys conducted about alcohol consumption, I am, once again, wary. Whilst, the survey does provide some insight into the alcohol patterns of students, one has to realise that there are some problems which can arise. For instance, one must be aware that we are not always entirely honest and subsequently one has to question whether one can trust all the survey questionnaires completed. The intentions of the students filling out the survey also need to be considered. Furthermore, not every student who is at Rhodes fills out the questionnaire and as a result the findings are not conclusive. Therefore, whilst a survey conducted regarding the alcohol consumption of students is helpful in forming a picture of the situation, one must not uncritically accept all the findings without further investigation and conclusive proof.
I am, however, not naïve when it comes to the reality of drinking here at Rhodes. Yes, students do drink a lot and many excessively so. However, one has to realise that there are many students at Rhodes who drink within limits and some none at all. There will always be some students who will drink more than others, but that is not necessarily as a result of being at Rhodes. One will often find that those who drink a great deal, would have drunk just as much had they not come to Rhodes University. In other words, to say that excessive drinking at Rhodes is unequaled, would be wrong.
I think that one cannot attribute the excessive drinking which does occur at Rhodes University to the campus environment, or even the town, but rather, I think that it is a problem endemic to today's youth.
For first years, their first year at University is a start to a new life, where they don't have parents breathing down their necks and telling them what to do. As a result, this newfound freedom is tested and the boundaries are pushed. Alcohol abuse is detrimental to both the individual and society and can never be defended. However, definitive statements about the behaviour of large social groups should be based on hard unquestionable scientific evidence. Perhaps those who want to paint the entire Rhodes community with a tar brush should revisit the methodology of their survey and the conclusions based thereon.
However, when people hear that you are going to Rhodes University, alarm bells tend to go off! People say that they do not want to send their children to Rhodes because of the excessive drinking which occurs here. Others are of the view that all Rhodes students are, or will become, alcoholics. As a student, I feel that the stigma which is being attached to Rhodes University concerning alcohol contributing to the negative view of Rhodes University and its students.
It is my view that one cannot accurately make a generalised statement saying that all students who are at Rhodes partake in excessive drinking and are “alcoholics”. A research report has shown that Rhodes is the “university with the second highest per capita consumption rate and incidence of alcohol abuse in the world”. (Bacchus also busy elsewhere by Nicky Lundin and Pierre Du Bois)
Whilst I do not deny that many students drink, some excessively so, that does not mean that Rhodes University is unique in this sense. I do not think that students at Rhodes are any worse than students from other universities, but rather that, as a result of Grahamstown's size, as well as the University's size the drinking patterns and behaviours are more visible and therefore more measurable.
One has to bear in mind that due to Grahamstown's size, the places which sell alcohol are concentrated in a small geographical area and furthermore that there is a limited number of these places. For example, Grahamstown has five liquor stores, and three places which sell wine only.
Grahamstown also has a limited number of “watering holes” due to the size of the town. Subsequently, there are only seven night-spots which serve alcohol to students, the Rat and Parrot and Equilibrium being two prominent night-spots.
In the light of the above, it is clear to see that measuring the alcohol consumption of students is much easier in a small town and University.
In contrast, a University like UCT provides a more difficult prospect. There are many places located in different areas of Cape Town where students are able to go out and similarly there are many places where they can buy alcohol. Therefore, measuring their alcohol consumption becomes significantly more difficult.
Furthermore, the number of students at UCT, well exceeds the number of students at Rhodes University, and therefore, a proper comparison could never be drawn between these two or between Rhodes and any other larger institution for that matter.
In terms of the surveys conducted about alcohol consumption, I am, once again, wary. Whilst, the survey does provide some insight into the alcohol patterns of students, one has to realise that there are some problems which can arise. For instance, one must be aware that we are not always entirely honest and subsequently one has to question whether one can trust all the survey questionnaires completed. The intentions of the students filling out the survey also need to be considered. Furthermore, not every student who is at Rhodes fills out the questionnaire and as a result the findings are not conclusive. Therefore, whilst a survey conducted regarding the alcohol consumption of students is helpful in forming a picture of the situation, one must not uncritically accept all the findings without further investigation and conclusive proof.
I am, however, not naïve when it comes to the reality of drinking here at Rhodes. Yes, students do drink a lot and many excessively so. However, one has to realise that there are many students at Rhodes who drink within limits and some none at all. There will always be some students who will drink more than others, but that is not necessarily as a result of being at Rhodes. One will often find that those who drink a great deal, would have drunk just as much had they not come to Rhodes University. In other words, to say that excessive drinking at Rhodes is unequaled, would be wrong.
I think that one cannot attribute the excessive drinking which does occur at Rhodes University to the campus environment, or even the town, but rather, I think that it is a problem endemic to today's youth.
For first years, their first year at University is a start to a new life, where they don't have parents breathing down their necks and telling them what to do. As a result, this newfound freedom is tested and the boundaries are pushed. Alcohol abuse is detrimental to both the individual and society and can never be defended. However, definitive statements about the behaviour of large social groups should be based on hard unquestionable scientific evidence. Perhaps those who want to paint the entire Rhodes community with a tar brush should revisit the methodology of their survey and the conclusions based thereon.
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What's the best thing about Rhodes?
10 things every good Rhodent has done:
- Woken up in muddy overalls
- Smoked hubbly in the Bot gardens
- Pre-drank at the Monument
- Played noisy drinking games at the Rat
- Kissed someone's Sloppy Seconds
- Eaten a Mama Pam's boerie roll
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- Cringed at Thunda photos the next morning
- Carried 5l of water back from the shops
- Avoided walking through the middle of the Arch
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