Recently I attended the Queen's homecoming game, where students are admitted on the East grandstands and alumni sit on the West. After waiting in line for almost an hour to be frisked, missing about half an hour of the game, I was told by the student constable frisking me that I could not take my Nalgene water bottle in to the game with me.
It was a hot and sunny day and I had brought not only my water bottle, but my sunblock and a hat. I said to the girl, "It's only water - you can smell it if you like."
She replied, "Nope, sorry, I can't let you take it in."
"What if I dump it out? Can I take it in then? If I leave it out here it'll get stolen!" I answered, getting a little ticked. I really was thirsty and wanted my water, but if I couldn't have that I at least didn't want to be out the 10 bucks that the bottle had cost me!
"Sorry, you have to leave it outside." She answered, not at all sympathetic.
Now honestly, people, it was only water! And it was a hot day! But I had to chuck my 10-dollar Nalgene over the fence to be picked up by some free-loader...which it was, unfortunately.
I thought to myself, "I bet the alumni didn't have to toss their Nalgenes over the fence." And they didn't. They didn't miss half an hour of the game, either, standing in line to be frisked.
That incident is not the first time that I feel I've been treated very unfairly in this town because I'm a university student. When I went to adopt my cat from the Kingston humane society two years ago, the workers specifically asked me if I was a Queen's student renting a house, and wanted contact information for my landlord (which is none of their business, by the way). They also made me fill out paperwork with such questions as "When you leave town, what do you plan to do with your pet?"
People, come on! Look, I know that SOME university students are noisy, garbage-tossing, street-puking, rebel-rousing, homecoming-ruining, pet-leaving-behind drunks, up to no good, but that's a very small proportion of us! Really! This is Queen's University we're talking about, where most of the people who get in are serious about learning and reaching their career goals!
Do the rotten apples really have to spoil it for the rest of us? I'm the person who is LEAST likely to drink at homecoming or leave my cat to starve in the student ghetto, believe me!
In some ways, I love the life of a student, but honestly, after putting up with less-than-favourable treatment by people of this city, I can't wait until I'm part of the alumni.
Until next week,
Lisa
