Graduating from high school, going to university, and moving away from home and into residence are all very exciting things.
However, as many students are living on their own for the first time, the sense of freedom can sometimes be abused, said Richard Sabourin, a special constable with Carleton’s department of university safety.
Sabourin said he’s no stranger to the kind of trouble first-year students can get into, having worked with campus safety for seven years.
“I’d say for first-years coming in, a lot of the problems are alcohol related,” Sabourin said. “Some [students] just don’t know what their tolerance level is.”
Sabourin said most of the things he deals with are parties throughout the year. Pranks, he said, mostly happen towards the end of the year.
When asked about the kinds of pranks he’s dealt with, Sabourin said he’d rather not give students any ideas.
One of the ways students can avoid getting into trouble is to be clearly informed of the rules set out in the residence contract, which all students living in residence have to sign, Sabourin said.
The residence contract prohibits, among other things, parties involving alcohol, underage drinking, as well as drinking games.
“I think where a lot of people get into trouble, especially first-year students, is kind of not figuring out how university works,” he said.
If students find themselves in a situation where they are asked to identify themselves, they’re under an obligation to comply, Sabourin said.
“Typically, they can make it a lot easier on themselves just by producing identification on request, being cooperative with the staff, as opposed to being aggressive.”
There’s nothing wrong with students asking questions about the rules in place or why they’re asked to do something, as long as it’s done in a respectful manner, Sabourin said.
“University is supposed to be fun. We don’t expect anyone to come here and not have any fun . . . it just has to fall within reasonable limits.”
