COLLEGE-living is a rite of passage for young people ready to expand their minds.
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Even for those who don’t enjoy going out every night, there is something brilliant about living with a group of people you don’t know in a new city as you enter adulthood.
Whether for one year or four, the on-campus experience is something university students, past and present, bond over.
The rushed group cram sessions before an exam, the social events which turned into nights on the town which turned to mornings of skipping class to sleep it off, and a life-long aversion to two-minute noodles. And don’t forget the college rivalries.
It is understandable why the residents of Robb and Drummond and Smith colleges are concerned the university’s collegiate system is threatened.
This is exacerbated by the fear, uncertainty and doubt spread over the past few days about the future of the colleges.
It all boiled over from a series of decisions – first to close Robb College.
Then to close Drummond and Smith College and move Robb residents into the Drummond building.
Now the university says the colleges will both share the building while retaining their own separate identities and cultures.
And all this from the decision to heritage list the Robb College building.
In light of misinformation it was great to see the students from both colleges stand together on the issue.
If there is a consolation in this incident, then it is in these young men and women taking a stand and fighting for what they believe in.
This is another rite of passage for the next generation of professionals, scientists, doctors and academics.
Send your correspondence to lydia.roberts@fairfaxmedia.com.au or The Armidale Express, PO Box 70, Armidale, NSW, 2350 .