Freshmen around the world are known for plunging into the wild side of college life with no restraint. Do UBC residences, which are filled with first years and can be home to parties sometimes throughout the year, live up to that image?
Cate Morrison, assistant director of Residence Life, said that although it is common to hear in the media about first year students overindulging in newfound freedom, that is not the case with the majority of UBC first years.
“I think [for] a lot of our students this is not the first time that they are on their own and for the ones that [it is], many choose not to overindulge in anything,” said Morrison, including alcohol, drugs and partying in that list.
As some students do party, residence staff are present to “educate students on responsible consumption, support them through their own decision making process,” explained Morrison. They also organize evening activities in which students can get involved without the presence of drugs or alcohol.
However, trouble with first years is actually uncommon, according to Barry Eccleton, Director of Campus Security.
Campus Security is rarely summoned to residences according to Eccleton, even though they “pay special attention to areas around residence” especially during the first weeks.
Ultimately, first years' parties and experiments with drugs or alcohol are not a prominent concern to residence staff. Instead, they focus on helping first years adjust to other, tamer aspects of their independence.
“I think that often things that people fall into are lack of sleep,” said Morrison. “One of the things that a lot of people don’t anticipate but one area that we see some students … struggle with is around food. They’ve never had to consider their own nutrition because meals have been provided.”
Nevertheless, residence staff prepares themselves for the worst case scenarios that may arise during Frosh Week.
“We have an advisor-on-duty number, so that they can call that number if they’re feeling unsafe or if they are bothered by something that is going on their floor,” said Morrison. “As well, our front desks are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in most of our areas.”
Safety and security are discussed during orientation as well as the first floor and house meetings, and campus resources such as the Community Shuttle and Safewalk are promoted to residents.
“We want [students] to have fun, but also to look out for each other,” said Eccleton.