1st of January. A new year began. For most around the world, it’s a new beginning, a time to devise new resolutions for the coming year. For university students, however, that can wait. Something a little more important lurks. It’s a time to bulldoze your way through one whole semester’s notes and lecture slides to get yourself prepared for the forthcoming examinations.
Examinations are very stressful, that is a complete no brainer. It’s the time when eye bags become prominent facial features, when instant pasta and crisps dominate food cabinets and when coffee becomes your best companion during those late-night cramming sessions.
To help take some steam off the students, the SUSU organises a variety of events in the days leading to the much dreaded exam week. One event, however, came under a great deal of scrutiny; the in-campus Petting Zoo. Animals that could be safely pet are brought in from farms around the country; donkeys, goats, sheep, turkeys, pigs and llamas, just to name a few. A huge number of people attended this event on the 12th of January 2016.
While many loved the opportunity they had to touch and play with these animals, a sizable number of the university population actually advocated for the abolishment of this entire biannual event. The primary concern is the stress the animals face during the event. Some of these animals are brought to Southampton by road from significant distances. Claims that the animals suffer a lot of strain from travelling and from the handling of students are put forward. Online petitions were set up to garner support for the abolishment of this event. Proponents of these petitions harshly condemned the need for a Petting Zoo, indicting the university student board of endorsing the use of animals for human entertainment; a little too harsh on the student board, I’d say.
The SUSU has always defended this event, citing the application of strict regulations and expert handling of the animals but the majority of people are not satisfied. It is indeed true that the SUSU has done its job to somewhat its maximum by ensuring the presence of experts in these events to monitor and regulate the whole process but it would however, be a tad bit naive and ignorant to a certain extent, to say the presence of hundreds of bodies around an animal would not frighten or startle it.
All drama aside, it is actually very comforting to see students voicing their disappointment with great confidence. The majority of the discussions, sometimes heated arguments, were either on the event’s Facebook page or on independent student blogs. This is actually a good thing. Every argument made by criticisers and every defence made by the SUSU were open for everyone to read.
This is what university is all about, people learning, debating and forming their own beliefs and stances.