SPOTLIGHT: Portrait of a party scene
February 6, 2008
Jolene Hildebrand
Partying is an extremely divisive issue at Trinity Western University. For some, the term “partying” is too vague - it expresses a negative connotation that shouldn’t accompany the term. Others feel that there is an unhealthy stigma associated with partying due to the atmosphere of secrecy often shrouding it. For this issue of Mars’ Hill, we want to pry open some of the different perspectives that people have towards partying, and promote dialogue regarding the realities of what happens on campus as well as off.
The students:
People naturally focused on the existing tension between the idea of partying and that of breaking community standards. It seems that where one is, the other is not far behind. One resident, who admits to going out to clubs and dancing, says that “some people just like to dance and don’t drink at all, and then some people get wasted.”
However, partying carries a negative image even if one is just out to dance. “I think every time you go out like that, you are breaking community standards. It’s just a choice: either you go or you don’t, and if you do go, then you’re just automatically breaking standards because you’re going out with people who are, and you’re not reporting them,” the resident said. This sort of tension tends to sever students’ partying experiences from their TWU identity, fostering secrecy and camaraderie amongst the various partying crowds. She says, “I see a lot of other Trinity people [at the clubs], and it’s like, ‘oh, you’re sneaking around, too,’ and then you see them on campus, what do you say?”
When asked if there was any tension or secrecy between RAs and students, she commented, “I guess it depends on who your RA is… and it depends on them, if they would go and talk to your RD or work it out themselves.”
A former student and resident at TWU felt that partying was more ubiquitous than any sort of particular scene, and said he preferred to think of it as socializing. If socializing means breaking community standards then “there’s nothing to feel guilty about,” he said, adding, “It definitely made it hard to relate with people who thought it was evil of you to go out and drink.”
“The sad thing about Trinity is that there’s not much to do - you’re in the middle of nowhere. Everything’s either G-rated or 14A,” he said. He then related that one of his first experiences at a TWU party was at a hotel where students were doing lines of coke. It’s obvious that the party scene exists – the question is what leadership does about it.
The leaders:
For RAs, the decision to confront someone in their dorm about partying tends to carry the greater responsibility to report on them. One former RA, Anna Shimer, described what commonly happens when someone is found partying: “Normally the RDs… [will] leave it to the RA.” Shimer adds, “It does vary a bit… if the same person is not responding to the kind of friend-based confrontation. Then sometimes you have to talk to the RD, and they start doing fines.”
When asked if she felt that some reluctance to share was justified, Shimer replied, “It is justified if they have something to be afraid of. I don’t think fear is a good thing in any relationship, and obviously it does limit the extent to which the RA or a student can have a relationship with each other.” Shimer also considered that it would be good for the Responsibilities of Membership to be adjusted in order to help people integrate their lives. She says, “it seems to me that a lot of students live a divided, or shadow life, because they have their Trinity persona that matches the expectations, and then they smoke in the Back 40 and they drink on the weekends. In the current system it seems almost impossible to integrate those two lives because there are certain people you can’t tell about this life and then there are certain people who you can.”
Health is another concern that comes up in the discussion of partying, both for the students personally and for the campus in general. This was the major issue for one current RA: “the big draw for me was the guidelines coming here, for not drinking and stuff. I was coming out of that and trying to get away from it, so the environment here is good for me,” he said.
There appears to be a predicament regarding how leadership on campus feels they need to respond to partying behaviour that violates the community standards, but at the same time develop a relationship that fosters discussion and promotes healthiness. Both RAs acknowledged that such a relationship is difficult because their positions of authority cause many students to view them with suspicion, and as a result, discussion can suffer.
Shimer comments that she feels this disconnect: “The unhealthy behaviour is not allowed, so there’s not enough space to have compassion on a person who’s practicing unhealthy behaviour. We’re supposed to say stop doing that right now; that’s wrong.”
As a result, issues of health are difficult to address since students are reluctant to share their experiences with authority figures at the university for fear of consequences. The current RA thought that TWU could do better for people who struggle with addictions or problems. He suggests “having rehab programs for people rather than saying you can’t do this, but not really having constructive ways to meet people.”
However, for students who are struggling with the ramifications of leading a double life he doesn’t have a lot of sympathy: “they signed up to come here… if people want to do the double life thing, they put themselves in that situation.”
When asked if she was aware of any conflicting attitudes that students feel towards partying and living on campus, Resident Director Amy Alexander said “I know that there are definitely students that feel that tension”, but she didn’t feel that it reflected the majority. She said that most of the time she found out about partying and discussed it with the student: “I’ve had really good conversations and I’ve had students tell me thank you. They’re usually mad at me at first, but after they’re okay.” She said that it really depends on each situation, but partying off campus becomes an issue where alcohol is present. The situations vary according to “how much alcohol they’ve had and their behaviour.”
In place is an informal and formal accountability process that determines the severity of the situation. Alexander’s approached students before, and says that “I’ve had students angry, but through that I’ve tried to help them understand that my goal is to try to help them, and for me it starts with ‘why did you come to Trinity and what does your word mean if you signed the Responsibilities of Membership?’
Everyone has an opinion about what goes on behind the scenes at Trinity. Rumours circulate as identities that have been checked at the campus gates materialize from the weekend shadows. Despite efforts made to discuss some of the greater issues, most of what goes on remains guarded and undisclosed.
Now you go...
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