That Girl from Derwent dwells on the value of religion this Christmas.
That Girl from Derwent has learned a few more things about prejudice since moving up North.
That Girl From Derwent reckons if you're going to be offensive, you should find a better reason.
That Girl from Derwent considers why it is that some words have wider implications than others.
In an eager attempt to make new comers to York feel more comfortable and included, the change was made last year to rename the infamous ritual experienced by most first years, calling it ‘Welcome Week’. Hardly anyone noticed. Indeed the majority of students persisted in calling that fun fuelled week ‘Freshers’. Indeed, there is nothing racial or gender exclusive about the term ‘Freshers’, rather the problem with the term lay in its inclusion of first years only.
For indeed, as Shakespeare so rightly asked, what is in a name? This year’s YUSU must have asked themselves that very same question. The answer: not much. Hence the reversal of last year’s decision. This bodes well for this year’s student body. With the return of ‘Freshers’, perhaps YUSU can get back to the important stuff.
The essence of Freshers Week has not changed in years: one week of intensive, largely inner college socialising where students form bonds that will last years. Released from the watchful eye of Mummy and Daddy and the pressure of A-levels, students enjoy a week of unsupervised debauchery, or is that a year? Regardless, it is a chance for students to let their hair down, and for colleges to make their name among the current student batch as ‘hot’ or ‘not’.
Perhaps the term does exclude graduates, who despite being new to York aren’t officially Freshers. This exclusion is, in most cases, mutually beneficial. Graduates are given their own ‘orientation’ week full of quiz nights and exciting trips into York before the Freshers even arrive. Also, after three years of undergraduate adventures elsewhere, your average graduate is not likely to relish going out on the tiles with a bunch of horny eighteen year olds. Even if they do, the term ‘Freshers’ on the ticket ought not to stop them.
New students to York will be met with a really great week regardless of its title. With the collegiate system and active JCRCs, students will benefit from their parents/STYCs wisdom in the first few days. They will experience a gradual weaning into full blown university life, first by meeting flat mates, then block mates, then college mates. Those who care about their livers will be kept busy with Wii nights and movie nights. Welfare reps for almost every imaginable issue will be on hand.
All in all, Freshers Week 2009 promises to be once again a great one, providing the absence of front page scandals about ticket price differentials that is.
Check out The Yorker's coverage of this year's Freshers's Fortnight on Yorkipedia as well as blogs and features!
The guy in the picture is my hero!
"Political correctness insists on taking words at face value rather than considering their traditional meaning which quite often is oblivious to derogatory racial and gender nuances."
Not strictly true. References to black and white, light and dark, come from ancient beliefs in the fear of night, but exacerbated the fear and distrust of black people, encouraging the slave trade.
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