In the shadow of the freshmen’s weeks and their enchanted world, there are some who would rather stay at home. Although the student unions agree that hazing should be for all, they tend to be tailored for the more extrovert people. Are those excluded who need the hazing the most?
Psyched up and happy, are words that have been used by the unions to describe how to get as much as possible out of hazing. The mentors describe themselves willingly as social and exhilarating. That hazing is the extroverts’ arena may not come as a surprise, but is there any place for those who are not that way?
The freshman period can look very different depending on to which faculty you belong. Some freshman periods are completely or partially before the start of the semester, others after. Some last for a week, others for more than a month. When hundreds of students are to be welcomed, it is perhaps difficult to make a program suitable for everyone, and most activities are formally a wide mix for everyone to find something that suits them. Despite any game nights, however, there is a preponderance of parties, competitions and alcohol. A red thread runs through everything with an expectation that you should be extrovert.
This very expectation is something that Linus Jonkman, lecturer and consultant, has talked a lot about. Two years ago he wrote the book ”Introvert – the quiet revolution”. He believes that there is an extrovert norm in society that is favoring extrovert people. Since the book was published in 2013, Linus Jonkman has received many letters from readers who have recognized themselves, and who have complained about how they are often expected to act extrovert. Hazing is a frequent theme.
“I believe that hazing is part of an extrovert norm”, he says. “You take for granted that to get to know people you do it best this way. By making people feel uncomfortable”.
He claims that the range of activities are governed by what extrovert people think is fun. Something that may be true, because the unions say that the mentors are often recruited passively, and that it is often those who appreciated hazing last year who make contact. Since those who are interested in running a hazing must sign up themselves, there is a risk that mostly extrovert people get involved.
Artur Nilsson is a researcher and teaches personality theory at the Psychology Department in Lund. According to him, there may be some risks involved with a too one-sided freshman period. When coming to a new city it is important to join the community and a social context, which may be harder for a more introvert person.
“It can also lead to negative feelings about yourself if you do not succeed in that context, perhaps you feel useless or as if you’re not good enough”, he says.
Artur Nilsson thinks, however, that the general hazing arrangement needs not be a problem as long as there also are calmer activities and an attempt to get everyone to feel included. He believes that more extrovert-looking elements can be instructive for those who are more introvert.
“There’s nothing negative in people learning better social skills or becoming better at dealing with parties”, he explains. “Then you don’t have to do it later in life if you don’t want to”.
Freya is an introvert student. In autumn 2014, she entered a program at the Faculty of Natural Science in Lund. She thought it would be a chance to find new friends and get into student life. But after three days, she stopped attending the activities. She felt that they were tailored for somebody other than her.
“You noticed that there was a certain kind of people who did most of the activities, and it was they who really enjoyed themselves”, she says. “More burlesque people, those who like to be in the center. I did not feel I was, and I tried to stay at the outskirts”.
For Freya, it was mainly the size of the mentor groups that disturbed her. In the Natural Scientists’ hazing groups, there are often over 40 people, and she felt it was difficult to get into the group.
“One day, we were divided into groups of five people, and then I felt it was that way I wanted it to be. Otherwise it was messy in some way. It did not feel that controlled”.
Another introvert student is Kajsa. She joined the Medical Society hazing in autumn 2014. For her, the mentor groups of ten people were no problem, but she still experienced that it was not really adapted for her. Kajsa was relatively happy and participated a lot. She opposes, however, the number of intense activities with an alcohol rush.
“I just attended the peaceful activities, but all the time it felt like I missed something”, she says.
Many unions offer calmer activities, often game and movie nights. The mentors are encouraged to organize their own events with the groups. But they are often situated outside an already packed schedule, which is dominated by intense activities and large groups.
The mentor groups at Lund Science Union, LUNA, are among the largest in Lund, between thirty and forty people per group. According to Artur Nilsson, there is a risk that such large groups gives the introverted a disadvantage, as they generally get on well in small groups where they can more easily feel comfortable.
Julia Weber, chairman of LUNA, does not see the large groups as a problem. She says that it is good that the freshmen can divide themselves.
“Everybody has different interests, so you can group yourselves as you wish within the larger groups with a mentor”, she says.
According to Artur Nilsson, such an arrangement leads to the formation of cliques and introvert people risk being marginalized. He thinks a better approach is to divide people into small groups where they socialize with those they not otherwise would have begun talking to.
At LundaEkonomerna, the freshman period is a week. All days except the last one are characterized by events during the day and parties at night. Felicia Jönsson is chairman of LundaEkonomerna, and explains the set-up like this:
“We’ve thought about satisfying all kinds of people. We have many collaborative exercises, for example during the game day. You also socialize a lot in small groups where you are about 20 people”, she says.
This fall, they have also introduced a day of rest in the middle of the week.
Most unions have smaller groups than LUNA and a greater variety than LundaEkonomerna. The Humanities and Theology Student’s Association, HTS, is one of these. Just like LundaEkonomerna, the HTS freshman period lasts a week, but despite this, they have two days of relaxing activities, such as a game evening.
“That is good if you want to hang out in smaller groups. Then you just sit four people playing and talking”, says Ronja Lundgren, chairman of the HTS. “But I cannot say that we have thought about the personalities who can be involved, but rather that there should be something for all interests”.
Prior to the fall, the HTS aims to reduce the size of the groups. The problem is that they failed to recruit enough mentors, which would give more, and therefore smaller, groups.
“As it looks right now we will have about 20 people in each mentor group”, says Ronja Lundgren.
“However, the aim is to have as small and intimate mentor groups as possible”.
To create a more inclusive hazing seems to involve both desire as well as knowledge and resources. There seems to be a desire to be inclusive at most unions, but perhaps not as much of knowledge and resources. Yet, it is not that difficult, according to Artur Nilsson.
“One thing is to do the calm activities first. Later, you do the more crazy activities. Then everyone can at least join in the beginning”.
Note: Kajsa’s and Freya’s names are fictitious.
Text by: Filip Rydén and Mathias Alexandersson
Translation: Lars Jansson
