Same story, Different Year :: Wessex Scene Online

Same story, Different Year

21st January 2008
Pete Bryant

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More by Pete Bryant

Jun 08 - Grad Ball Tickets fiasco
Mar 08 - Free music for all?
Jan 08 - Album Review: Radio 1 Live Lounge: Volume 2
Dec 07 - IT undesirable?
Dec 07 - Racial attacks

Welcome back to another year of studying, hangovers and, of course, the Wessex Scene. Many of us will have big plans for the near future, some of which we intend to follow up, and others we would like to think we will.

Perhaps what should be a priority this year is an effort to prevent negative issues affecting students, such as the problem of bike theft discussed in this issue, being dragged up almost constantly. Drawing solely from personal experience, there are times when students have witnessed crimes and turned a blind eye. This is understandable though, as it is not in anyone’s interests to be putting themselves at risk for the sake of something like a stranger’s bike.

One comment from a housemate today got me thinking: how would we feel if it was our possession being taken in broad daylight and with passers-by looking on disinterestedly? In the one case I can refer to of a student confronting a thief, the effect was to stop the crime happening immediately and with no harm caused.

What shouldn’t be ignored, however, is the message students are given again and again: don’t make yourself a target for crime. Indeed, maybe this year’s resolution should in fact be to buy a proper bike lock rather than standing up to thieves after the crime has happened.

More suitable for this time of year, students’ eating habits is another area where improvements could be made. With this being one of the most common resolutions, and most difficult to keep, a student budget isn’t going to help matters. But small changes to our shopping list or meal times, and resisting that super-burger at the end of a long night, could make all the difference.