THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN’S MAIN CAMPUS IS SITUATED ON TREATY 6 TERRITORY AND THE HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS.
THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN’S MAIN CAMPUS IS SITUATED ON TREATY 6 TERRITORY AND THE HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS.
KEVIN MENZ
Associate News Editor
As the professional colleges at the University of Saskatchewan start their classes this week and new students visit the classrooms where they will spend the next four years, the freshmen in the colleges of medicine and dentistry prepare for a week of initiation.
Entering the professional college for which one has spent years preparing can be a nerve-racking experience. Making close friends and socializing with fellow classmates may be the only way for these future doctors to get through treacherous classes and clinical schedules.
“I was nervous to meet everybody in my class,” said fourth year dentistry student Chris Dinh. “We’d be spending the next four years together almost everyday during the school year, so I was hoping there were a lot of hot chicks — I mean I was hoping for a lot of nice personalities.”
Of course, the best way for Dinh to meet these nice personalities was through the college’s orientation week.
While orientation week for the medical and dental colleges consists of numerous activities, the most notorious activity is the initiation.
Initiation for both colleges, although sometimes involving good-natured humiliations, provides first years with the opportunity to meet fellow classmates and other students in their colleges.
“It was something that (a lot of people chose to) go through and it was a way to break the ice and bond with your classmates,” said Dinh.
Andrea Perkins, a second year medical student, hopes that initiation is a positive experience for the first years.
“First years should know that they are not forced to do anything they don’t want to. It’s all in good fun and is by far the best way to meet people in their college,” she explained.
The night of initiation, as Perkins describes it, involves “first years being captured and dressed up in the traditional humiliating attire to head out on a scavenger hunt consisting mostly of games, finding items and completing tasks.”
As for specifics, the students of these professional colleges are not at liberty to divulge much, but after interrogating second year medical student Chris Rediger in a dark room for 17 straight hours and threatening to poke his belly button really hard, he provided some hints regarding his initiation schemes.
“It’s top secret, but an elephant, body paint and a well-paid Portuguese dog trainer may or may not be involved,” cried Rediger.
Dinh volunteered information about a girl who “really excelled at a game involving sausages.”
“It’s exactly what you think. Just kidding, but seriously,” said Dinh.
Not to worry, however. The colleges’ initiations are not the inhumane hazings that haunt many fraternity and sorority houses.
“When I was in first year, initiation involved a good old-fashioned belt whipping and paddles with speed holes, but now we’ve been pretty careful about not letting initiation get out of control,” said Dinh.
Perkins even added a comforting reminder for all the nervous first years.
“No one is forcing anyone to do anything. We are only recommending initiation and whether you drink or don’t drink, no one thinks any differently of you,” she commented.
While it is rumoured throughout the university that dentistry initiation is much more outrageous than medicine, Rediger chooses to ignore these rumours.
“We are too busy becoming real doctors to concern ourselves with dent activities. Their initiation week probably just consists of organizing a support group for people who dislike their profession.”
Dinh, to counter Rediger’s comments, had his own views of medical students and their initiations.
“I don’t know what’s worse for med students: humiliation of initiation or having to put their fingers up someone’s bum for the rest of their careers.”
He even offered some closing remarks.
“Did you know that going for a dental check-up can help prevent the disease known as gingivitis and can help detect non-dental disease?”
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image: Flickr
