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Title – Universities to probe initiationsSource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 2nd October 2008
It is a sector of the Licensed Retail Sector we know intimately; Universities and Student Unions.
We have covered university initiations before in this blog (Sports Initiations Banned) and we have focussed the attention of many of our clients within this sector on the potential problems of this ‘tradition’
Having worked for many years in this sector, I have seen many an initiation ceremony, some I was in a position to stop or ‘control’, others were carried out in areas where we just did not have any jurisdiction; some were acceptable, others deplorable to the point of bullying.
So is there harm in these initiation ceremonies and should we be putting an end to these ‘traditions’?
My answer is yes and no. There is a great deal of peer pressure at Universities; trust me it is not just the rugby or hockey club initiation. First years are vulnerable; second years think they have the right to get their own back; third years on the whole start to realise that they have a lot of catching up to do and have to take life a little more seriously. There is peer pressure to drink, peer pressure to fit in, peer pressure to behave in a certain way and peer pressure to go to certain places. During this whole process first years are on their own, desperate not to be shunned.
The role alcohol plays in this is part of the ‘tradition’ remains unchanged, unfortunately the alcohol used is far from traditional…
15 or 20 years ago standard ‘cheap’ lager or bitter was the student’s drink of choice. With an abv of 3.5% there was a small degree of limitation, simply in the volume you had to be physically able to drink to absorb substantially excessive quantities of alcohol. In 2008 with the drink of choice being strong beers, flavoured alcoholic beverages (alcopops) and spirits (shooters & cocktails) the abv’s are much higher and the volume of drink consumed much more manageable. This means that while the ‘traditions’ may not have changed too much, the actual alcohol consumed during the ‘initiations’ has increased dramatically.
Those managers that do have control of those premises where these initiation take place have a duty to make sure they provide a control measure. They have to be the ones to break the cycle of peer pressure and it is not difficult to do. I can’t remember the number of times I stepped in to these situations and was chastised and called names and my team was often referred to as the ‘fun police’ (I even had the honour of having songs dedicated to my role). However when I stepped in to ‘protect’ those involved, as they chastised me it was obvious to see the relief on their faces having been spared the next round or the next ‘challenge’; they had been given a way out, without the need to lose face.
It is all about the balance and each and every person involved taking their responsibilities seriously. It is clear that with binge drinking a problem generally, adding in the extreme pressures that new students feel there is potential for real problems to occur. However we feel there is room for compromise and the silly games, forfeits and ‘traditions’ should not be brought to an end, but rather the emphasis on alcohol consumption curtailed and controlled.
To achieve this staff and management need to receive the appropriate training. Those that serve the alcohol have legal responsibilities to Retail the Alcohol Responsibly and who would benefit for the National Certificate for Personal Licence Holder (NCPLH) and the Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR). Security teams who are often on the front line would benefit from the National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS) allowing them to apply for their Door Supervisor Licence and our In-House Security Induction course (IHSI). Beyond The Blue are specialists in providing solution to the unique challenges faced by Universities and Student Union’s around the country.
Please visit our website please visit at
www.btbl.co.ukDate – 2nd October 2008
It is a sector of the Licensed Retail Sector we know intimately; Universities and Student Unions.
We have covered university initiations before in this blog (Sports Initiations Banned) and we have focussed the attention of many of our clients within this sector on the potential problems of this ‘tradition’
Having worked for many years in this sector, I have seen many an initiation ceremony, some I was in a position to stop or ‘control’, others were carried out in areas where we just did not have any jurisdiction; some were acceptable, others deplorable to the point of bullying.
So is there harm in these initiation ceremonies and should we be putting an end to these ‘traditions’?
My answer is yes and no. There is a great deal of peer pressure at Universities; trust me it is not just the rugby or hockey club initiation. First years are vulnerable; second years think they have the right to get their own back; third years on the whole start to realise that they have a lot of catching up to do and have to take life a little more seriously. There is peer pressure to drink, peer pressure to fit in, peer pressure to behave in a certain way and peer pressure to go to certain places. During this whole process first years are on their own, desperate not to be shunned.
The role alcohol plays in this is part of the ‘tradition’ remains unchanged, unfortunately the alcohol used is far from traditional…
15 or 20 years ago standard ‘cheap’ lager or bitter was the student’s drink of choice. With an abv of 3.5% there was a small degree of limitation, simply in the volume you had to be physically able to drink to absorb substantially excessive quantities of alcohol. In 2008 with the drink of choice being strong beers, flavoured alcoholic beverages (alcopops) and spirits (shooters & cocktails) the abv’s are much higher and the volume of drink consumed much more manageable. This means that while the ‘traditions’ may not have changed too much, the actual alcohol consumed during the ‘initiations’ has increased dramatically.
Those managers that do have control of those premises where these initiation take place have a duty to make sure they provide a control measure. They have to be the ones to break the cycle of peer pressure and it is not difficult to do. I can’t remember the number of times I stepped in to these situations and was chastised and called names and my team was often referred to as the ‘fun police’ (I even had the honour of having songs dedicated to my role). However when I stepped in to ‘protect’ those involved, as they chastised me it was obvious to see the relief on their faces having been spared the next round or the next ‘challenge’; they had been given a way out, without the need to lose face.
It is all about the balance and each and every person involved taking their responsibilities seriously. It is clear that with binge drinking a problem generally, adding in the extreme pressures that new students feel there is potential for real problems to occur. However we feel there is room for compromise and the silly games, forfeits and ‘traditions’ should not be brought to an end, but rather the emphasis on alcohol consumption curtailed and controlled.
To achieve this staff and management need to receive the appropriate training. Those that serve the alcohol have legal responsibilities to Retail the Alcohol Responsibly and who would benefit for the National Certificate for Personal Licence Holder (NCPLH) and the Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR). Security teams who are often on the front line would benefit from the National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS) allowing them to apply for their Door Supervisor Licence and our In-House Security Induction course (IHSI). Beyond The Blue are specialists in providing solution to the unique challenges faced by Universities and Student Union’s around the country.
Please visit our website please visit at
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